Homesteading for the Unhinged: Why You Don’t Have to Do It All

🖤 THE HOMESTEAD CONTRADICTION – WHY YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A PURIST TO CALL YOURSELF A HOMESTEADER

Can I be honest for a sec?

I’ve never really considered myself a “real” homesteader. I grew up rural, so farm-fresh veggies were just known as Tuesday in our house. Corn from the garden was expected to be frozen and thawed out for meals and Christmas dinners. It was just how we did things.

But here’s the thing – I’m not exactly crunchy. While I admire the people who mill their own flour and freeze-dry their harvests, that’s just not me. I’m more likely to be making homemade pie crusts in my kitchen while blasting early 2000s pop music and chugging an energy drink.

🖤 OWNING YOUR CONTRADICTIONS

Not every homesteader is off the grid, building bunkers and making soap from scratch. You don’t have to churn butter by hand or grow your own toilet paper to call yourself a homesteader.

I had to make peace with the fact that I can grow my own herbs and still buy energy drinks by the case from Amazon. I’m not washing my clothes in a creek or canning deer meat for a 5-year supply – and that’s okay.

You can be a pie-baking, compost-keeping, DIY-loving chaos gremlin without being a “purist.” Life is messy – your homesteading style can be, too.

🖤 REJECTING THE GATEKEEPERS

Reject the idea that you must “do it all” to be legit. You don’t have to be a pioneer woman with a butter churn to call yourself a homesteader. You can still make butter – but maybe in the comfort of your KitchenAid.

I’m more likely to nap with my cats or chug an energy drink than make homemade candles. (I’ve been there, and my kitchen is still recovering from the wax explosion that followed.)

You can grow your own herbs in a tiny apartment. You can flip a house without knowing how to frame a wall. You can buy your seeds at the dollar store or order your plants online. You can make a compost pile without a perfect carbon-to-nitrogen ratio.

🖤 OWN YOUR CHAOS

It’s okay to keep things a little messy and a little chaotic. I don’t care if your pie is homemade or picked up at the grocery store on the way to my house. I’m not judging.

Here’s your invitation to share your own contradictions. Maybe you grow your own food, but order pizza on the weekends. Perhaps you can your garden veggies but keep a secret stash of instant ramen. Maybe you own a chicken coop but still buy store-bought eggs when you’re in a pinch.

Whatever your version of homesteading looks like, just own it.

🖤 CALL TO ACTION

Drop your own chaotic homesteader confessions in the comments. I promise I won’t judge.