The world of modern homesteading is growing, and people all over the globe are choosing to live the homesteading lifestyle! There are many differences to find between homesteaders based on culture, climate, personal goals and more. However, there are also some similarities that are surprisingly universal! Here, we are looking at the top 7 homesteading habits ALL homesteaders relate to, no matter what part of the world you are cultivating!
While I write this blog post, I find myself chuckling at just how common these habits really are! Plus, I definitely do all of these things almost on a daily basis. It really is true that as each of us walk our own homesteading journey, living our own lives and pursuing our own dreams….homesteaders are often cut from the same cloth. And to be honest, I wouldn’t want it any other way!
Homesteading never used to be part of my life. Read about my transition from hairstylist to homesteader here!
Top 7 Homesteading Habits
In my selection process, I chose the habits that I have heard so many people laughing about within various homesteading circles! Some of these are quite quirky, some are savvy, and others are simply practical. Let’s dive into these homesteading habits all homesteaders relate to, and let me know in the comments if you possess any, or all of these!
1. Egg Handling
I have to break this one up into categories because as homesteaders, we spend a lot of time handling the eggs from our chickens. Sometimes, we have more eggs than we know what to do with! Here are some great egg storage ideas for short and long term usage!
Because eggs are such a big part of our lives, there are a few habits that all of us have likely developed over time when it comes to our abundance of eggs.
- Homesteaders have developed the ability to hold multiple eggs in each hand at any given time. This is something I never knew I could do prior to homesteading. I used to carefully take an egg out of the fridge, one at a time, and gently place it on the counter. Now, I often find myself walking around my property with 3-4 eggs in each hand and forgetting I’m even holding them! Holding half a dozen eggs for an extended period of time seems to be one of the basic skills all homesteaders end up adopting.
- Homesteaders often forget there are eggs in their pockets, and leave the house only to find them later in the day. This has happened to me more than once, and just recently I discovered an egg in my coat pocket while sitting in the E.R. with my son! It was like a little piece of home was with us, and I actually didn’t mind it being there at all!
- Homesteaders don’t care about having dirty eggs on the counter or in the fridge. We all know that sometimes, eggs get dirty. Even a clean chicken coop has poop, and sometimes it gets on the eggs. Other times, an egg cracks and yolk gets on the shell of another egg. These are common occurrences on a homestead, so homesteaders become accustomed to it rather quickly. In my pre-homesteading years, I never even considered the fact that an egg would be dirty because to me, eggs came from the grocery store. But now, unless it’s absolutely disgusting, it just goes in the egg basket with all the rest. No big deal!
2. Talking To Our Chickens
There are so many different things homesteaders are into, but I think we can all agree that we love our chickens! Chickens are a great addition to every homestead and are often referred to as the gateway to homesteading.
I remember in my early days of owning chickens, I would sit and watch them for long periods of time, completely enamored with them! I can’t say I do that now, but what I do take part in frequently is a good old chicken chat! And I happen to know for a fact that talking to our chickens is absolutely a homesteading habit that all homesteaders relate to!
These chicken chats happen quite frequently actually! If I’m working in my vegetable garden and one of my feathered friends walks past, I usually say “Hey (insert chicken’s name), how’s your day goin?” Or when I go out to the coop first thing in the morning I’ll greet them with a “Good morning ladies!”
If you aren’t a homesteader, you might think this is a little bit odd, and well, I suppose it is! But farm animals in general, not just chickens, make really good company and we enjoy our relationships with them. And the great thing about these little talks is that in the homesteading world, they are perfectly normal!
If you’re new to chickens, you may also enjoy: A Beginner’s Guide To Raising Backyard Chickens
3. An Obsession With Gardening
Another one of the homesteading habits all homesteaders relate to, is the absolute obsession with growing your own food! Waiting for the growing season feels like a kid waiting for Christmas! We all want to grow as much as we can as we forge our path towards a more sustainable lifestyle. This often includes fruit trees, berry bushes, and vegetables galore!
We also tend to value organic food more than others, and make it our full time job to produce much of what we eat. Homesteaders aren’t afraid of hard work, and gardening certainly is exactly that! But to us, it’s worth the effort and there’s nothing like the joy of bringing in the harvest!
4. Having A Love/Hate Relationship With Technology
This homesteading habit is super common, and almost every homesteader I know is this way. We have a habit of trying to fight back against modern culture and the overuse of technology. Yet, we also recognize the use for it in regards to many things we do around the homestead.
An example of this is social media. It’s no secret that in some ways, social media can be extremely toxic and even outright dangerous. However, it can also be an amazing tool for learning new skills and connecting with other homesteaders.
Lately, there has been a homesteading movement happening, and because of technology people are seeing the beauty of living a simple life. Being able to share your story on platforms like Instagram and YouTube creates a connection with people and lets them learn right alongside you.
However, if we’re not careful, technology and all of its distractions can keep us from the good work of building a more meaningful life. We are always trying to find the balance between living in the modern world, but embracing the ways of the past. Jill Winger from The Prairie Homestead talks about this a lot, and has lots of great tips for balancing the two!
It can be tricky sometimes to figure out our boundaries and know what modern technologies to let go and which ones to embrace, and it’s a line all of us homesteaders find ourselves walking. Sometimes, technology provides us with a better way of doing things, while other times it simply distracts us.
5. Taking On Too Many Homestead Projects
Another one of the top homesteading habits that homesteaders all have in common, is the habit of taking on too many projects at once! Whether it’s putting in a big garden, clearing acres of land for pastures, or learning new methods of food preservation….we homesteaders like to do it all! And usually, all at the same time!
Being a homesteader is a lot of work no matter what else you add to your plate. Yet, we have a habit of adding things to our to-do list constantly. My theory on why we do this is that we have big dreams, and we are very goal oriented. We also know that good things are worth working for and we aren’t afraid to get our hands dirty!
Taking on new projects is also how we build up our skill sets and ultimately move towards greater independence. And usually, with some careful planning, we are able to eventually get everything done – just in time to start the next homestead project!
6. Getting A Little Too Excited About Farm Equipment
Homesteading habits are often a little bit funny! Along with some of the chicken/egg habits I mentioned earlier, this is another quirky habit we homesteaders tend to possess.
Many homesteaders are living the country life, have their own land, and enjoy everything that involves…including farm equipment! Everything from a good set of pruners right up to a tractor, we love it all!
If you were to peek at my Facebook Marketplace search history, you would see lots of mowers, fencing, garden tools, poultry wire, etc. Getting a good deal on those things feels like winning the lottery when you’re a homesteader!
Farm equipment is exciting for homesteaders because not only do we need it to get our work done, but it feels like an accomplishment when we’re able to add another good tool to our collection. So if you ever catch me eyeing up your tractor or your garden shovel, now you’ll know why!
7. Collecting A Bunch Of Random Scraps
This last of these homesteading habits sort of piggybacks off of #6, because as homesteaders we do need the right tools for the job. And very often, what we may need is a small piece of poultry wire to patch a hole in the coop. Or, a spare wheel to replace the broken one on the chicken tractor.
We always have projects on the go (as I also mentioned earlier), and very often we find ourselves in need of random scraps of wood, nails, fencing…you name it! So, we tend to have a habit of taking any free scraps people don’t want because we know that at some point, we’ll be glad we have them.
If you were to go speak to your local farmers, I guarantee you they have a scrap collection somewhere. When you homestead, it’s always a good idea to think ahead and try to have items on hand you know you’ll need in a pinch. So seeking out free scrap pieces that people want to get rid of is a great way to make this happen, without spending extra money!
Summary
Well, there you have it – the 7 top homesteading habits all homesteaders relate to! If you’re a homesteader, I’m positive you were nodding your head to most, if not all of these habits as you were reading.
The homesteading journey is a beautiful one, and it’s all about taking small steps away from the buzz of modern convenience, and toward a slower way of life. If you’re currently on your own homestead journey, that’s amazing! If you haven’t started yet but you’re dreaming of it, just go for it. Start where you are, learn some new skills, and before you know it you’ll be where you want to be….with 7 new habits under your belt!
Blessings!
~Maryann
Leave a Reply