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Ask HN: Did I make a mistake jumping on the homestead bandwagon?

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Re: Ask HN: Did I make a mistake jumping on the homestead bandwagon?

#51

Post by ianai »

mitchell_h wrote: post #33

As a rural dweller(15 miles from the nearest town) the whole homestead(read: (semi)off grid, no prior experience, DIY ALL THE THINGS!) movement to me seems completely stupid. It's encouraging people that have no experience or knowledge to leave the world they know, and enter a world they don't. Then, start that world on extra hard mode, and if they don't do it all they're laughed at. They also neglect to tell folks t…

Very much agree though I don’t think you need to be farming/ranching in all cases. At least if you’re 20-40 miles from a city/good sized town that’s a resource point.

Having said that, my family about that distance out from the city are increasingly precarious. They’re retired schoolteachers and need at home care. That is probably not the situation to be in so far from the city. One snow storm and the slightest difficulty could be a death sentence.

Re: Ask HN: Did I make a mistake jumping on the homestead bandwagon?

#53

Post by raverbashing »

> the truth is homesteading requires an almost soul crushing amount of hard work and fortitude for very small gains.

Yes, that is correct. Funny how the youtubers forgot to raise this point.

But it is obvious to people who ever tried something simple, even like raising some chickens, planting some corn, etc that to homestead is an unbelievable amount of work.

File this one into the internet fads pushed mostly by people who never tried it.

Re: Ask HN: Did I make a mistake jumping on the homestead bandwagon?

#55

Post by hotpotamus »

jmnicolas wrote: post #41

It's not clear, but did you expect to keep your financial and social status while homesteading? If yes, I think it was a mistake. For me homesteading would be a way of escaping the rat race and doing something meaningful. I wouldn't expect to get much money out of it nor any social standing.

I think financially it would be very difficult - you'd likely need to produce some sort of artisanal good that appeals to people. Socially speaking, I think Americans have a revere for a sort of Libertarian Little House on the Prairie ideal where you can go out and build a farm all on your own and make your way in the world. I certainly have a lot of respect for that myself (knowing I'd be very hard pressed to pull it off myself) so it might be good to talk about at least.

I actually have a friend who went and joined some sort of co-op farm situation where she farmed an acre of land for nearly a year. I don't know all the details but it definitely had a sort of homesteader vibe from what I know - this reminds me that I should ask her more about it sometime.

Re: Ask HN: Did I make a mistake jumping on the homestead bandwagon?

#57

Post by maxduckworth »

lb1lf wrote: post #26

I am by no stretch of the imagination homesteading, but I happen to live on a farm. It is not an active farm - the land is rented out to a nearby farmer and the only animals to be seen are a couple of cats and deer like you wouldn't believe. Anyway, just keeping what land is not rented out and the buildings from degrading is nigh on a full-time job in itself; trenches need to be dug and maintained, forest kept at bay…

What you said about the work required to keep buildings from degrading and the forest at bay is so true, but it's something you don't realize until you live it.

The other option I've been playing with is to treat homesteading like a hobby. Outsource all the non-core homestead work and insource the gardening, animal husbandry, etc (which is harder to outsource anyway), all while keeping a remote tech job.

Re: Ask HN: Did I make a mistake jumping on the homestead bandwagon?

#58

Post by peteradio »

Maybe what you wanted was a cabin, get away, chop some wood ever once in a while, maybe shoot a deer.

I'm not sure what you are trying to do with Homesteading but there are all sorts of scales but it requires real hard work. Most everyone I know who can do it, inherited it and were raised in it. So that means not having to start fresh. If you don't like fixing things and getting dirty and sore then I'm not sure what you were thinking.

It sounds like you are experiencing FOMO more than anything. Like you were hoping your friends would be so pumped and wanting to come and see the farm all the time and you could show them all the cool stuff, but in reality nobody really gave a shit. Been there.

If your dream is instead a nightmare, then sell it. Presumably the property will go for roughly the same or better and you can get back to a life that doesn't make you feel regret.

Re: Ask HN: Did I make a mistake jumping on the homestead bandwagon?

#59

Post by mizzao »

Are you able to be in a community of other farmers or just going it alone?

It reminds me of the Amish / Pennsylvania Dutch for example. So much of their relationships are built around community, asking for help, and relying on your neighbor.

It provides purpose, support, and makes otherwise impossible things easy (e.g. barn-raising.)

Re: Ask HN: Did I make a mistake jumping on the homestead bandwagon?

#60

Post by dpatru »

The natural state of man is poverty. It is trade and specialization, division of labor, that allows people to have enough to eat, be comfortable, and have some time in which to do things other than trying to survive.

The prosperous homesteaders on YouTube make their money off of YouTube.

I would view a comfortable life in the country as a luxury. You finance the luxury with a lucrative, specialized job/business that only takes a small portion of your time.

George W. Bush famously liked to spend time on his ranch with a chainsaw clearing brush. Clearing brush, like blacksmithing, woodworking, fly fishing or homesteading, can be a fun way to spend time. But generally these are luxuries that have to be financed with work. Bush could not have survived by trading in his job or business for clearing brush.

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