Why We Live a Simple Country Life (without homesteading)

Have you ever wanted to live a simple life in the countryside, but aren't sure if you're ready to become a homesteader?

You're not alone.

Over the past decade and a half, the internet has created an explosion of interest in homesteading.

It's a wonderful thing.

You can learn almost anything from these individuals and families who make their living by teaching us how to homestead and practice traditional skills.

But lately, I've seen something that makes me sad.

Everyday families are starting to feel like they have to go all in...or not at all.

You hear things like:

"We want to move to an acreage in the countryside, but I don't think we could do justice to the land."

"I would grow a garden, but I don't have time to preserve all that food."

"We would like to get chickens, but we can't keep enough laying hens to fully supply our need for eggs."

"My daughter would love to have a dairy goat, but I can't see us milking every day of the year."

People have been led to believe they can't dabble in the country life.

"If we're going to do it, we have to go all in."

It's sad to see, because this just isn't so.

You can make an amazing life for your family by choosing to live a simple life in the countryside, without running an actual homestead!

Why We Chose to Not Homestead

When my man and I were first married, we knew that we wanted to settle in the countryside. The quietness of rural life appealed, and we wanted space to produce our own, high quality food.

I like keeping poultry, gardening and preserving. My man wanted space for his honeybees. Being able to raise our own meat had real appeal, too.

But it wasn't just about healthy food. We wanted to stay grounded to the basics of life, and use our hobby farming activities to train our children to work, be responsible and learn basic life skills.

For us, it wasn't about setting up an actual, self-sufficient homestead.

We just wanted a taste of farm life, and have the freedom to do as much (or as little) as we judged to be healthy for our family.

The Struggle We Face with Other People

What we want is simple, right?

But it's crazy how people try to squish you into the homestead mold (especially people who spend a lot of time following homesteaders online).

"You live on an acreage, bake bread, garden, preserve food, keep bees, have chickens and raise pigs? You must be a homesteader!"

They proceed to pile expectations on you.

"So you produce several thousand pounds of food from your gardens?"

"It must be wonderful to never buy eggs from the grocery store."

"I suppose you raise all your meat, and have enough canned food to feed your family for a year?"

Whew!

I grew up in the 90's on a farm where we had lots of animals, put up hay for livestock, butchered our own meat, chopped firewood and did lots of preserving. But the farm wasn't our livelihood. My dad always worked an outside job.

For that reason, we called ourselves 'hobby farmers.' And some years, we dropped certain activities so we had space for the most important things.

I think that's the best way to live this country life.

Permission to Live the Simple Country Life without Homesteading

Whether you currently live in the country or hope to soon, I'm here to give you permission.

You don't have to always make the most of your resources.

If you want to keep dairy goats so you can teach your children how to milk, you can do that...for 3 months or 8 months or 12. You get to choose.

And you know what else? You don't have to make your own butter, yogurt or cheese. The milk can just be...milk.

Do you like gardening? You can grow a lot (so you have extra for preserving), or you can grow a cute, manageable garden for fresh summer eating. Your choice!

Want to teach your kids to care for poultry? You can keep 6 hens or 60, and make that decision based on what aligns with your family values.

It's ok to go small.

And here's a thought for you: if the homestead folks you follow online didn't teach homesteading as a full time job, they wouldn't be able to do all the things, either.

There's No Shame in Going Small

I'll say it again. There's no shame in going small.

I want to be able to bake my own bread, yes. But sometimes we just need to grab a few hot, crusty loaves from the bakery. No shame.

Some years my gardens are overflowing with homegrown vegetables. But sometimes, there might be a few empty garden beds. No shame.

The pantry shelves might hold 600 jars of home canned food, or I might just have 100 jars on the top shelf. No shame.

Sometimes we raise (and hunt) 100% of our meat. But in other seasons, we buy it all from a local beef farm. No shame.

This is the beauty of living the simple country life. You can lean into whatever is coming your way, and adjust your lifestyle accordingly.

Do What Works for You

As a little girl, I remember my mum getting the Country Woman magazine by mail every month. The first article always featured a woman and her family who lived in the country, and made an income with their land or skills.

The first pages of the publication might highlight a woman who lived on a Christmas tree farm, flower farm, an apple orchard or vineyard. Or she would farm sheep, cattle or meat chickens.

Other times, the featured woman had used her skills to create a business for herself by producing wool yarn, making cheese, handmade wreaths or something else.

The point is, these women were busy, kept their heads down and focused on making their traditional skills work...for them.

I like that. I like seeing people doing what works for them, without the pressure that so often exists in the homestead mindset.

'Cause now it isn't enough to be really good at 4 or 5 things.

In the modern homestead world, you have to do ALL the things, or someone is sure to call you out, be disappointed or call you a fake.

Traditional Skills Are There to Serve Us

When I finally became "mama" to a toddling little girl, I realized something important.

Traditional skills are there to serve us. We don't serve them.

I love living in the countryside (even though we only have a few acres). I appreciate and prioritize producing good food on our land. I love cooking from scratch and preserving food in my kitchen.

I believe traditional skills are good for me, and good for my family. Old fashioned ways of living are refreshing to my soul, and are a wonderful tool I will use to teach, train and equip our children for life.

But I don't want to allow these activities to dominate and push us away from our most important life goals.

As a wife and mama, I have to regularly ask the question: "is this traditional life serving us, or are we serving it?

I'm realizing I need to examine our lives in each new season, so I can thoughtfully decide whether an activity is right for us, at that time.

I'm Not a Homesteader

Folks, it was never my goal to become a homesteader. In fact, I don't want to be a homesteader.

I just want to take the best of the simple country life, and use it to build our health, home and family.

I want a life we can enjoy, where we eat well, learn responsibility, work with our hands, create and build relationships with each other, our community and our God.

I'm not a homesteader.

Fact is, I'm more like someone out of a 1990's Country Woman magazine (without the bad hair and bright lipstick).

I want to put my head down and do what is best for my family, without worrying about whether or not I'm living up the "homestead" label.

I'm here for it. Not homesteading. Just simple country living.