Whether you are an experienced homesteader or just starting out, homesteading is a special lifestyle. In fact, we have quite an assortment of visitors to our site from all experience levels. The best thing about homesteading is that you can start whenever you are ready to take the journey. Every destination must have a starting point, so let’s talk about getting started. In fact, today let’s talk about how to Start Homesteading Without Money!
What the heck does homesteading mean anyway? Wikipedia says it’s living a life of self-sufficiency. That means that you can take care of yourself in case there is an emergency. Like during the pandemic when we all rushed to the store to buy toilet paper. Many homesteaders or survivalists had toilet paper and enough food items already in storage.
But what if you have no money to start a homestead? Not to worry, you don’t have to have a lot of money to begin homesteading. You can begin by changing a few things in your life right now. I know it’s not the dream, but it will begin teaching you some skills you will need to have in order to reach your ultimate destination.
Start Simple Where You Live Right Now
One easy thing to start doing is live a simpler life. Learn to be more environmentally friendly, like buying more gently used items, rather than constantly buying new items. Many times the older things you find at the thrift store will outlast new items.
Repurposing old items into growing containers is always a fun thing to do, and it will add character to your backyard patio or deck. Learn to grow your own food is a great way to start homesteading and becoming more self-sufficient. And it doesn’t cost very much to buy seeds or plants.
Start with something simple and easy, like a tomato plant or lettuce, which can be grown in a container, either hanging or in a bucket. Gardening skills are an essential thing to becoming more self-sufficient. Growing your own food, then learning to store those foods away for later is a key to a successful homestead.
Learn the Benefits of Food Storage
The next thing you’ll want to start doing is learning how to store the food you grew for the winter months when the growing season has ended for most of us in the United States. A simple way to do that is to put items in a freezer bag and put them in the freezer. If you’ve grown cherry tomatoes, you can wash those and store them loosely in a zip baggie, then pull out what you need for soups and dishes that call for cooked tomatoes.
When you’re ready to learn more advanced storage ideas, you can start canning your food in jars with sealable lids. A simple water bath canning style can achieve this. It’s one of the easiest to learn and requires very little equipment. If you ask around, you might have a friend that would help teach you. Or you can even make a day of it and share the jars of food you both prepared.
You Want To Move To The Country Now, But Have No Money
Suppose you are serious about starting a homestead, buying land, growing food, and living a simpler life. But you don’t have enough money for any of that. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
You can sometimes rent property to own. Many times if you look around, you can find old farmhouses that you can rent to own. They won’t advertise this usually. It would more than likely be word of mouth from a friend of a friend.
You can look for mobile homes located on an acre or two out in the country to rent. If this property is in the sun most of the day with minimal shading. And ask if it would be alright to grow a small garden. This would be the perfect way to get yourself living out in the country, but with very little money to invest.
If you really want to start a homestead, nothing is stopping you. Start living a more simple life right now, where you’re living right now. Learn how to grow a garden, even if it is one plant. Doing little things will help you gain the skills you need so that when you do find your dream homestead, you’ll be ready.
Popular Questions
How can you start homesteading without money?
Begin with low-cost projects that use what you already have, such as growing herbs from kitchen scraps, saving seeds, or making compost. Look for free containers, reclaimed wood, and other usable materials through community groups, curbside giveaways, or local exchanges. Choose one practical skill at a time so you can build a homestead gradually without taking on unnecessary expenses.
What can you grow when you start homesteading without money?
Start with vegetables and herbs that can be grown from seeds saved from produce or shared by neighbors and gardening groups. Green onions, lettuce, beans, tomatoes, and herbs can work well when planted in reused containers or a small garden bed. Focus on crops suited to your climate and save seeds from healthy plants for the next growing season.
How do you get homesteading supplies for free?
Ask friends, relatives, neighbors, and local online groups for unwanted jars, buckets, tools, fencing, lumber, and planting containers. Check community swap events, farm leftovers, salvage areas, and curbside listings, while avoiding materials that may contain chemicals or unsafe coatings. Trade your time, labor, baked goods, seedlings, or useful skills for supplies when direct giveaways are not available.
What skills should you learn first when homesteading without money?
Prioritize skills that reduce household costs, such as cooking from basic ingredients, composting, seed saving, repairing items, and preserving seasonal food. Practice with small amounts and use free tutorials, library books, workshops, or guidance from experienced gardeners and neighbors. Record what works, what materials you used, and what you would change before expanding to more advanced projects.