Pros and Cons of Homestead Living

Homestead living could be the best thing you ever do, but even so, there are pros and cons of homesteading you should be aware of. Having said that, it would be silly to claim that everyone is suited to this way of life. The simple fact is that it might not be the right decision for you.

Many people fail at homesteading because of false expectations they have, poor resources at hand, and general overwhelm. On the other side of the spectrum, many succeed due to great planning, the ability to take one day at a time, and being resourceful.

So, before you commit to homestead living, why don’t you check out this pros and cons list first? It should help you figure out whether or not this life is right for you…

Pros and Cons of Homestead Living

Pros

For me, a big bonus of living rurally and committing to homesteading is that you get to live somewhere nice and peaceful. You’re free from the noise of today’s society, and there’s no hustle and bustle that you get in a city. It can be a great environment to retire to or raise a family. Nosy neighbors aren’t to closeby in a rural setting and there is a better sense of privacy.

Secondly, you can become self-sufficient if you go down the homestead living path. You can grow your own crops, sell your own natural products, and start supplying yourself with different things. As it shows at http://work.chron.com, you can earn a decent living from farming. There is a sense of self-accomplishment knowing that you are able to provide for yourself and/or your family.

The second pro leads us onto the third; you can save money. If you supply yourself with food and other produce, you won’t need to spend much in grocery stores. Likewise, you’ll find your general bills are cheaper out in a rural area too. You can provide alternate ways to produce electricity and water and save loads of money on energy bills.

Cons

We’ll start the cons off with something that’s maybe not too serious, yet can be a downside in some people’s view; the smell. If you live in a rural area and decide to have your own livestock, then you end up with the smell that comes with it. Your days may be filled with the lovely smell of manure in your home, and some people can’t handle this.

Granted, as you can see on www.aromatech.com, there are air diffusers and other products you can buy to try and mask these smells. However, it can take a while to get used to and be fairly off-putting if you have a sensitive nose.

Another key downside of homestead living is that you’re quite cut off from modern society. This means you might not have access to a host of things you’re used to having close by. I mentioned in this post here that rural living means you don’t have access to instant care and shopping.

But, there’s also the whole internet and phone conundrum. It’s hard to get service out in rural areas, meaning you could pay for the internet that’s just awful, wasting a lot of money.

Lastly, homestead living requires lots of hard work and effort. If you want to fully commit to this way of life, then your days will be filled with manual tasks that require loads of energy. It’s not as laid back as you might think! It takes detailed planning and knowing how to avoid overwhelm.

At the end of the day, some people are better suited to this way of life than others. If you have no ties to the city and want to live away from it all and start being more self-sufficient, then it’s perfect for you. But, if you heavily rely on modern technology, the internet, and being close to everything – then it’s probably not ideal for you!

Are you ready to take the leap into homestead living?