Homesteading: How to Transition from City Living

Our dream of moving out to the country and creating a modern homestead seemed so out of reach. But after a long wait, and a lot of sacrifice, we were finally able to fulfill our dream.

Here, I will share the ways in which you too can make this dream a reality.

What is Modern Homesteading?

By definition, Modern Homesteading is living simply, producing rather than consuming & living in unison with the land.

Homesteading can be done anywhere. It isn’t something done only in country areas these days, but it is generally seen as something you need a large amount of land for. Anyone can live a simpler, producer-driven lifestyle anywhere.

But in general, people find it more fulfilling to undertake this type of lifestyle in a rural setting. Where there are wide open spaces and more opportunity to evolve their practices. This is the way that we are homesteading, and therefore, this post is about the type of steps we took to get here.

Who is homesteading?

Since 2020, there has been a significant rise in the number of people looking to live the homesteading lifestyle. Whether this be in the city or in a rural setting, people are more interested in providing for themselves & their families in a more simple and efficient manner than previously.

Having the knowledge of where and how your food has been produced is definitely more important to a lot more people these days.

I know that for us, this was one of the major factors that ultimately led us to buying our acre of land in 2023.

Steps to fulfill your homestead dreams

1. Finding your “why”

Firstly, hone in on the actual main reason/s for wanting this lifestyle change.

Is it just to escape the city life & the crazy of the modern world?

Do you want to live a slower, more meaningful life in a rural setting?

Is it the type of schooling that you are attracted to for your children?

Or do you want to create a better connection between yourselves and the food that you are consuming?

In all honesty, I am a list person. If there is ever anything that I need to do or think over, there will be a list involved. Ask anyone who knows me well, and they will tell you I generally don’t exist without lists.

Creating a list of your reasons for wanting this change can help you to focus on the following point.

2. Knowing your wants/needs

Yet another list! How will you know if you have found the right place if you haven’t written down your wants and needs?

When looking at properties, it is easy to get caught up in the shiny, beautiful parts of home, without thinking about the practicality of it. Does it actually have what you need, or the ability to add/change what you need?

A short overview of some wants and needs you could consider are:

• An established brick or stone home
• At least 1 acre of land
• One the edge of a small town
• A school within the town that was for R-12 (covering all of the schooling as to avoid having to change schools to go to high school)
• A town with most facilities needed – such as a store, a pub or two, a cafe, emergency services and fuel
• and many other things

Which of these wants or needs would be on your list? Are you looking to be on the edge of town, or would you rather be more remote and be unable to see your neighbours?

3. Learning skills before the move

Don’t wait until you are moved and settled before learning some of the integral skills for homesteading.

Learn how to garden where you are now. Purchase some raised beds, seeds & garden tools and get going. Learning by doing is definitely my favourite way to learn, and getting your hands dirty in a garden is definitely a stress reliever.

Purchase a dehydrator and start purchasing bulk produce from farmers markets and dehydrating everything. And I mean EVERYTHING! Store these dehydrated fruits and vegetables and use them in your daily cooking. Adding dehydrated vegetables into soups & casseroles. Making smoothies extra delicious and colourful by adding in some dehydrated fruit powders. Not only will it be a necessary skill to learn, but it will also be fun along the way.

Start building these skills, so you are able to hit the ground running once you get to your property.

Check your local Council by-laws to ensure that chickens are allowed in your area and ask the landlord if they are ok with you having them also. Get those girls settled and happy and start enjoying the delicious fresh eggs on a daily basis. Your chickens can come with you once you find your property.

4. Researching areas

Researching the areas that you are drawn to is definitely something worth doing. Not all areas are great for growing fruit & vegetables due to the climate. You want to make sure that the climate is the right type for the varieties of foods you are wanting to grow.

There are micro-climates within each climate. As an example, town that is only 45km away from us in on the other side of a range, therefore it is a completely different climate to ours. We receive only 250mm of rain on average per year, whereas their average is 600mm per year. It is a huge difference and makes for very different growing opportunities.

Looking into the availability of local produce sources is also something that may be important for you. It is very rare that you move into a new property, and it already has a fully functioning garden ready for you to pick from straight away. So, you may need to purchase produce from a local source until your property is producing enough.

Ensuring that there are places you are able to buy either directly from the farmer, or at a local farmers market, can make the difference in your decision on where you will relocate to.

If your plan is to also raise animals, whether that be chicken for eggs or meat, bees for honey & pollination or a cow for milk, you need to check your local Council by-laws to ensure you are able to house these specific animals on your property.

5. Considering the costs

There are a multitude of ways that costs can become your downfall when purchasing a property.

It may be cheaper per square metre to buy in a rural area, but other aspects of rural living can be more costly.

There are fewer amenities and services in rural areas, so to be able to access some certain services, you may need to travel well outside of your area, or pay higher transportation/delivery costs to get it to you.

It isn’t just the amenities and services costs that you need to be aware of, but also the cost to establish or maintain your new property.

Is the property you are looking to purchase already completely established, or is it raw land or needing improvements? What type of infrastructure will you need to install or maintain to be able to house the animals and equipment you will require?

Maintenance of an older (though more beautiful in my opinion) country home can be a lot more costly, than that of a more recently built home. Are you willing to learn the skills to be able to maintain and build infrastructure as required, or will you be calling on a tradie to do that for you?

6. Being prepared

Living in a rural area, you may be more likely to not have easy access to services, utilities or food.

Making sure that you always have on hand enough food to feed your family for a good amount of time is definitely a habit to start to build. Don’t forget drinkable water is a must also.

We have all seen what happens when the food supply link is broken. Shop shelves are empty within a day or two. Relying solely on the shelves at the shop can be detrimental, as you never know when a delivery truck can’t get there, for whatever reason.

Natural disasters can happen anywhere and anytime. So being able to get through those tough few days or weeks after some bad weather hits, will be the difference between thriving and just surviving.

Keep your food stores well-stocked and rotated. Even if you can’t grow your own food yet, you can always source it from local farmers markets or other places & buy in bulk when possible.

Storage of your food is highly important. If you are able to preserve food in ways such as canning, dehydrating and freezing, ensure that you are doing enough to keep your shelves stocked.

Buy shelf stable, dry ingredients in bulk when you are able to afford to do so, and store properly to ensure you always have flour, rice, beans etc on hand for emergency situations.

If you are able to be more self-sufficient in regards to your utilities, you will also have an advantage in these type of situations.

If you have your own water source that doesn’t rely on town water or power to pump it into your house, you will be better off in these situations.

What about your power source? Do you rely on the grid, or do you have a stand-alone solar system?

What about heating and cooling options? If there is no power, are you able to still keep your home warm during winter?

Do you have only electric cook tops and ovens? Will you be able to cook the food that you have stored if the power is out?

Electric cooking can be handy in regard to keeping constant temperatures but is very detrimental in times of power outages.

Having access to other cooking sources is definitely handy. Whether that be a wood-burning stove, like the one we have installed outside, or an open fire, cooking sources that aren’t run from electricity or gas can be the difference between eating or not in some circumstances.

7. Trying before you buy

If you are expecting you will be moving to a new area to be able to get your dream of homestead living, it could be a good idea to rent before buying. Transitioning into a new community isn’t always easy, especially when going from urban living to country living.

If at all possible, rent a property first in the area you are looking to buy. This way you will be able to start establishing relationships within your community and also get to know the area well, before the large outlay of purchasing a property.

Another benefit of the “try before you buy” option, is getting to know the climate of the area before purchasing. If you spent a year in the area in a rental, you will see each of the seasons. This will give you an overview of what type of climate you are dealing with, which can help to make the decision on if the area is right for you.

8. Understanding the difference in lifestyle

Living and working on a homestead can be a very physical life. Are you currently living a more sedentary life while working in an office environment? Have you ever had to fix a broken fence before? Do you know how to use power tools or drive a tractor?

Are you ready for a slower paced life? Not only may your lifestyle slow down, but so will your postal service & visits from friends and family. Trades may also take longer to be able to get to you, as there may not always be one in the immediate local vicinity.

Rural living is definitely an entirely different world to city living. Noone here is in a real hurry. They know what is and isn’t important and are happy to take their time with things and live life a lot slower.

Spending your evenings and weekends plodding around in the garden, with a cup of tea in hand and watching your chickens peck at the bugs, is what dreams are made of.

9. Being patient

It takes time to make sure that you are purchasing the right property for you. Do not rush into buying the first property you see, as this may not be the best option for you in the long run, and can be costly.

Utilise your lists and take note on what you like and don’t like about each property you look at.

This is the time to overanalyse. Think about each property and imagine yourself there in certain situations and decide if it, to quote Marie Kondo, “Spark joy”.

10. Enjoying the journey

Most of all, make sure to enjoy the journey of getting to your homestead.