If you’re dreaming of a homestead, you may be fantasizing about all the healthy, rewarding, self-sufficient things it will bring. You may also be worrying about all the skills, tools, land, and money you don’t have yet.
But if you take it slow, even a postage-stamp-sized suburban property can become your own personal homestead. Start by planting a garden, learn to sew, or raise some animals.
By Allysa Rader
The amount of belongings a family accumulates can seem daunting when the time comes to move to a new home. It seems like good advice that you can comfortably donate something if you haven’t used it in the past year.
When faced with moving from a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom house in the City of Little Falls into an RV, the items my family could comfortably keep are only those deemed absolutely essential, whether I’ve been using them regularly or not. I was left trying to decide which frying pan was my absolute favorite, which articles of clothing were the most worn, and which of my daughter’s toys she loved most.
I continued to repeat my mantra, “more time, less stuff,” to remind myself why we made this transition.
My husband and I are coming up on the 10th anniversary of owning our property, which is followed by our tenth wedding anniversary. When we met, our love was planted in the shared dream of starting a small farm in the country and homesteading. We looked at land from Vermont to West Virginia and happened to fall in love with a 15-acre plot outside of Little Falls, NY. We had the vision of growing a family and a farm on that land and one month after purchasing it together, we invited our closest family to a small ceremony where we said our marriage vows.
This plot of land also happened to be off-grid, accessed by a long, unmaintained dirt (or, in spring, mud) road. We have been told many times during the last ten years that we are crazy to try and develop this hidden land tucked away from modern convenience and public amenities. But, when we stand on our property and look at the view of the Mohawk Valley hills, we feel content and validated on this path.
We knew that trying to live here would be a challenge, but we have remained determined to make our dream a reality.
It quickly became apparent that, as newlyweds in our 20s, we could not afford to add the necessary infrastructure, let alone build. We did realize that, at the time, getting a mortgage was a much easier task, so we purchased a home in Little Falls and put our time, energy, and money into renovating that house.
This year, we took a leap and took advantage of the sellers’ market, selling our home at a profit. We finally had the funds to start making our dream a reality! We could now make the road more drivable and set ourselves up with a well and septic system.
Unfortunately, with the rising cost of building materials and labor, we still did not have enough to build and finish a home in one season.
What we can do is start the construction of a small cabin, doing work piecemeal as we have the funds. We are hiring out for the main construction and doing the interior work ourselves as we have the time and money.
But where do we live in the meantime? This is where the RV comes in. Already livable and equipped with plumbing and electrical. Our model even came with a solar panel so we can run our 12V fridge, turn on the lights, and charge our devices. Our stove, hot water, and heat all run off propane. It seems to be the perfect temporary solution until our cabin is ready.
There have been moments of panic where I think, “Are we crazy for doing this?” Not everyone would be content living in a camper full-time. But then, we sit in the early morning sun and watch the neighbor’s cows slowly graze. When we are still, we can hear the carriage of our Amish neighbors in the distance and the whisper of the breeze through the aspen leaves. Our little girl runs freely through our fields, not a care in the world. A flock of wild turkeys crosses our property, and our two Australian Shepherds accompany our daughter as she bounds after them, laughing and shouting wildly.
In these moments, I realize we might be a little crazy, but I have no regrets. It helps that our lack of debt and utility bills has allowed me to quit my full-time job and stay home with our daughter. The time to start our homestead is finally here.
Allysa RaderAllysa was born and raised in the Mohawk Valley and returned after graduating from SUNY Fredonia in 2013.
Allysa spent ten years working full-time in the Human Services field, including domestic violence victim advocacy, social services, and a health homes organization. Allysa is now focusing on homeschooling her daughter and starting a small farm on the property she and her husband, Dusten, own outside Little Falls.
Allysa enjoys gardening, hiking, reading, and creating art.
She strives to write articles that give practical information on self-sufficiency and homesteading and pieces that focus on local farms, homeschooling, and family events in the area.
Source: mylittlefalls.com
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