IS HOMESTEADING IN MY FUTURE?

When I first had the thought that I might want to have my own land, with my own little homestead on it, it was just that—a thought. However, as both the days and the months passed, I found that the idea kept reentering my daily musings. After much debate with myself, I started researching a little information on what it meant to homestead and what all it entailed setting one up. I mean, it couldn't hurt to just read up on it—right?

The researching started in the fall of 2017, and continued all through that cold winter, into the spring. I then, again, pushed the idea to the back of my mind. I could always revisit the notion later down the line. And that is what I did. I resurrected the idea in the winter of 2018.

By that time, I had been working my tail off (which I am still doing by the way) to save up a little bit of money, to see if this grand idea of mine may ever become an actual possibility. I spent hours upon hours that winter researching the beginning to homesteading, what a homestead was, and wasn't, and what standardly contrived a comfortable, successful homestead.

Boy, was there a lot to read! The internet was full of how-to's, what worked and what didn't, and as usual, everyone had their own opinion. For every idea that was presented as successful, two more would point out how that very same idea would end up in failure. At one point, I thought, "what works and what doesn't? Who do I believe?"

I got so frustrated that I had to step back for a month and again ponder on it some more. After taking a deep breath and pulling myself up by my big girl panties, I dived back in. This time around, I decided to take to YouTube and see if I could possibly find any useful, reliable information there. What I found was that I should have started at YouTube from the beginning—lesson learned!

I have come to rely on YouTube in other areas, and problems in my life—such as having to fix my toilet myself, and how to rewire a table light. I am not sure why it hadn't dawned on me to check there when I began my research. I am not sure why I didn't start there first, but I finally made my way there. And, to say it was eye-opening, is a major understatement!

As my research continued, I made a list of those things I would like to see on my homestead and those things that were more in my beginning budget range. I am the sole breadwinner, as I am not married, nor do I have children. I do, however, have my little furry baby Chigger who rescued me this past Memorial Day weekend and will, of course, be living on the homestead with me.

My current means of employment is that of freelance work—currently content and blog writing, along with email-based customer support. I fully intend to continue this type of work from home, on the new homestead, for as long as possible. However, anyone who has ever done freelance work, or are or have been, self-employed, can tell you nothing is guaranteed. I like to refer to it as either feast or famine. So, when it is in feast mode, I work all day, from 8 am-9 pm, dreading when and how soon the famine mode swings back around. And believe me, like a pendulum, it will come back!

When initially I sat down and began to thoughtfully map out the goals that would afford me my homestead, the most crucial first step was land. I am sad to say that almost two years in, and I am still at step one. I have worked out a strategy for other areas, but as for actually achieving and ticking off this first goal—alas, I have not.

My current residence is in a small town, in a small house that belongs to my aunt, where my mom grew up as a child in Eastern Kentucky. My wish is to find a piece of property in the county, if not the city itself. I have looked over the years at a few places for sale, but they were either outside my price range at that time or did offer what I felt I needed as far as size or layout. Since it is just me, I will need something already pretty much cleared, and as flat as possible. I would love two acres, and even though it would be difficult, I could probably manage with one acre.

Those who sell the land where I currently live are not very forthcoming on information, other than what they are asking for the property—which gives you the impression the land is made of gold or something. One place I looked at, the sellers stated had 2 ½ acres, which mind you if it were that much only half an acre was actually useable as the rest of it was pretty much woods and hill. When asking about the taxes and the property line, I don't think I ever received a straight answer on each. So, I passed it up.

A few other places I have looked at were vastly misrepresented in the listing for the sale of the land, and as such, again, very disappointing. I am, at this time, trying my best not to get too awfully discouraged, as my hunt for my homestead property has been going on for almost two years now, and I am no closer than I was from day one.

Will I ever see my dream of my owning a homestead on my own piece of land come to fruition? Or will it be something I will pine and dream for all my life, and never see?