Beginner Homesteading Guide: Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half by Growing Your Own Food

Reap the rewards of growing your own food.

Know exactly where your eggs come from.

Eliminate hormones and pesticides from your everyday meals.

The benefits of homesteading are boundless.

And cultivating your own food isn’t as complicated as it seems.

Before we know it, spring will be knocking on our doors. With it comes a huge opportunity for families to reduce their grocery bills while adding more nutrients to their diets.

If you have a backyard, then you have a simple and easy way to put healthy eating into practice—without draining your bank account.

Most of all, don’t let fear and intimidation stop you from cultivating your own food. You’re far more capable than you realize—and once you find a rhythm with homesteading, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.

Here are my top tips and recommendations to help beginner homesteaders build confidence and start simple.

Homesteading for Beginners: It’s Easier Than You Think

Some people think of homesteading as prairie dresses and farmhouse home decor. Others who have worked in agriculture may remember early morning wake-up calls to grumpy cows and long days in the field.

Modern homesteading isn’t either of these. It’s a personalized approach to agriculture that allows you to choose the work and the reward. It’s typically done in the space you have (whether that’s one acre or fifty) and hones your strengths and food needs.

Modern homesteading is attainable for almost anyone. And it doesn’t have to take over your life.

If you struggle to find a balance between toxin-filled grocery store foods and expensive farmer’s markets, homesteading is a realistic way to take back control of your food and health.

Benefits of Homesteading

Homesteading is a practical and sustainable way to avoid toxins and save on your grocery bill. And that’s just the start…

Here are some of my favorite benefits of homesteading, including many that my family has experienced:

• You know exactly where your food comes from. No hormones, no pesticides, no dyes.

• You’ll get more nutrients. When food is over-processed and soil is overused, many of the health benefits are lost. Cultivating food at home is an easy way to ensure vitamins and minerals actually make it to your plate.

• It cuts down your grocery bill. Buying organic, free-range eggs can really change your grocery bill. Owning a few chickens is much less expensive.

• It connects you with nature. There are so many health benefits to being outdoors. (Think: grounding, more vitamin D, and better nervous system health.)

• You’ll decrease your carbon footprint. Simple practices like gardening and composting help leave a better world for your children and grandchildren.

My Favorite Homesteading for Beginners Recommendations

Like I mentioned earlier, homesteading shouldn’t take over your life (unless you want it to!). Here are some beginner homesteading recommendations you can put into practice almost anywhere:

1) Start a Backyard Garden (Or Join a Community Garden)

When you’re in charge of your fruits and veggies, you take power back for yourself and your family. I recommend planting non-GMO seeds that haven’t been exposed to pesticides or chemicals. Plant whatever you want—and enjoy a constant supply of kale, potatoes, Brussels sprouts, tomatoes, lettuce, and more throughout the summer. Most people can keep a garden flourishing with only a few hours of care each week.

2) Get Chickens or Goats

Chickens and goats are two of the best beginner homesteading animals. These low-maintenance animals can put nutrient-dense foods on the table and help lower your grocery bill.

Milk from goats naturally has A2 protein, which is easier for most people to digest. Goat’s milk is dense in nutritional value and can be made into cheese, butter, and hand soap. And since goats eat grass, they act as natural lawnmowers and cut down on outdoor chores.

As for chickens, they eat kitchen scraps and cheap feed. While helping you cut down on food waste, homestead chickens supply fresh eggs—a rich source of choline, calcium, fatty acids, and beta-carotene. All your chickens need is a comfy shelter and plenty of feed.

3) Prioritize Home-Cooked Meals

Home-cooked meals are a homestead staple, right? You can do a lot with a small garden and a few intentional dinners. I like to plan meals around seasonal produce—allowing my family to get rich nutrients that are helpful for the season. And I’m not against serving leftovers, either.

Cooking at home might feel intimidating at first, but it’s easy to become a pro once you get the hang of it. You’re aiming for consistency, not perfection. Use the meals you create to expand your horizons and dig deep into the science behind the nutrients. The closer you are to your food, the more you can understand and appreciate it.

If you need meal ideas to get started, here’s a download with some of my favorites.

4) Connect with Other Homestead Families

Many people assume that homesteading is a solo venture. There’s no way other families would be crazy enough to cultivate food in their backyard, right?

Actually, beginner homesteading communities are on the rise. More and more families want to get out of industrialized food cycles that breed disease. Wherever you are in your homestead journey, there’s so much benefit in finding community around you.

Trade produce and resources with local homesteaders. Share trade secrets, exchange tools, and invite friends over to tackle big jobs with you (like setting up the chicken coop). In my experience, community is the best part about beginner homesteading—and it’s never too early to join.

5) Volunteer at a Local Farm in Exchange for Produce

If you feel like you have a lot to learn before planting your own garden, I recommend finding a local farm where you can volunteer. You’ll learn important cultivating skills, get a taste for the work, and you can ask for fresh produce in exchange for your labor.

6) Build a Greenhouse

A mini greenhouse allows you to whet your appetite for gardening—without digging up your backyard. You can buy a greenhouse at a local department store or build a makeshift version. Greenhouses are great for cultivating seeds early in the planting year and for supplying herbs and fresh produce to your kitchen year round.

7) Start Composting, Recycling, and Mending

Our culture values convenience. This isn’t a bad thing, but it becomes a problem when it takes away from sustainable practices and begins destroying the environment. Simple practices like composting, recycling, and mending can reduce your expenses while teaching your family to make do with less.

When homesteading, compost helps feed chickens and enrich the soil. Mending can give your gardening jeans an extra few years in the sun. And reusing old materials cuts down on the cost of convenient one-use items.

Homestead Within Your Means

Whether your dream is to own a few chickens or to have a thriving sustainable farm, one important rule of homesteading is to do it within your means. Start slow, expand wisely, and continually evaluate your work and reward.

Homesteading isn’t for everyone, but it might be for you. To ensure you get the rich benefits that come with this lifestyle, guard yourself against burnout. There’s so much grace and flexibility in beginner homesteading. If you feel like you have to achieve perfection or do “all the things,” you’re doing it wrong.

Homestead within your means—and do it because you love it.

Do processed foods and fast-paced environments make you feel stressed out?

Are you yearning for a slower pace that allows you to reconnect with yourself?

Join my community of women who are saying “yes” to real nourishment, vibrant wellness, and slow living.