10 Simple Ways to Homestead without a Farm or... Homestead

If you think homesteading means owning 20 acres, a barn, and flock of chickens, think again. You can start right where you are, even in an apartment.

Homesteading isn’t about the size of your land or how many chickens you own. It’s all about mindset.

Valuing homegrown and handmade
Making the most of what you already have
Learning and improving new skills with dedication and hard work
Choosing to be grateful and content with less
Living simply and seasonally

You don’t need to have acres of land to do these things, nor do you need to “do it all” every single day.

Start small, choose what excites you, and let your skills grow from there.

This is really the essence of Not Quite a Homestead.

I’m doing a lot of “homesteading things” like growing a garden, preserving food, and baking my own bread. But we also buy eggs, yogurt, and brand-new jeans from the store.

No, I don’t sew all my own clothes, keep chickens, or milk cows. I’m quite content to not do those things right now!

That’s why I say we’re “not quite a homestead.” We make what we can, but we balance it with modern convenience without feeling guilty.

Do you know what I mean?

So if you are ready to dip a toe into the homesteading world, I’m sharing some simple ways to start.

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1. Grow a Garden

If you ask me (and since you’re reading this, I think you did!) gardening is the best place to start homesteading. Growing food is challenging at times, but incredibly rewarding.

If you’ve never gardened before, start small with herbs and maybe a container or two of vegetables. It’s far less intimidating to keep one plant alive than 100 of them. And the smaller harvest will be much easier to use up!

Here are a few of my favorite posts for beginner gardeners.

Imagine It: If you could grow just one vegetable or herb this year, what would you choose?

Chopped veggies and shredded chicken for a home-cooked recipe

2. Cook from Scratch

Your garden won’t grow meals; it’ll grow ingredients! Learning to cook from scratch will help you turn those ingredients into delicious, nourishing meals.

Knowing how to cook from scratch really gives you a lot of freedom from the grocery store and puts you well on the path to self-sufficiency.

Start simple with everyday meals. Think about convenience foods you buy again and again and learn to make each of those.

Over time, you can branch into making your own pantry staples, giving you more control over ingredients and flavors and even more self-sufficiency.

Try one of my easy recipes to get started:

Imagine It: What’s one store-bought food you’d love to learn how to make at home?

3. Process Dairy Milk

Making homemade butter, cheese, and ice cream is a fun and easy way to practice homesteading skills without a homestead.

You don’t really need special equipment to make these things.

Watch for sales on whole milk and cream, or find a dairy farmer to buy direct from. When there’s a good sale on milk, I often buy several gallons to turn into fresh ricotta cheese using this recipe from Ina Garten.

It tastes so much better than the pre-made stuff in a tub and is cheaper for me to make!

More recipes:

4. Preserve Food

When produce from the garden or farmer’s market is at its peak, preserve as much of that food as possible for later.

Dehydrating, freezing, fermenting, water-bath canning, and pressure canning are all different ways you can preserve fresh vegetables, fruits, and herbs.

Pick one method to start and slowly add more as you get the hang of things.

Ideas to try:

Imagine It: Which food preservation skill seems the most intriguing to you?

5. Be Your Own Butcher

Learning to break down large, or whole cuts of meat can save money and reduce waste. One easy way to start is by cutting a whole chicken (before or after cooking) into pieces.

Move on to larger cuts like pork loin or beef loin to divide into chops or steaks, roasts, stew meat, and ground. Butcher Wizard has tutorials for these on YouTube.

Don’t forget to use every part: render fat and use bones for making stocks and broths.

6. Bake Bread

Sourdough bread-making is fantastic, but even bread made with commercial yeast is a homesteading win. Just learn to bake bread.

Homemade bread is delicious and smells amazing coming out of the oven. It has fewer preservatives and additives, and can save you money, especially if your family eats bread daily.

A couple of my go-to bread-making resources:

The Perfect Loaf by Maurizio Leo (book)
Little Spoon Farm for sourdough
King Arthur Baking for everything else

7. Make Homemade Cleaning Products

DIY cleaning products is an easy, inexpensive, and very practical way to become more self-sufficient.

Start with learning to use a few cleaning staples like vinegar, baking soda, and lemon juice.

Making cleaners is as simple as combining 1/2c of 5% acidity white vinegar and 1 cup of water in a glass spray bottle. You can even add your favorite essential oil for scent or infuse vinegar naturally for cleaning like I do in this post.

Plus, this little homesteading hobby will make your home smell extra fresh and clean without harsh chemicals.

Resources to check out:

Everything You Need to Know About Cleaning with Vinegar by Married & a House
Baking Soda Uses: Cleaning Tips & Household Hacks by Homesteading Family
Homemade Shower Cleaner by Our Oily House (Laura has other natural cleaning recipes you might like, too!)

Imagine It: What essential oil scent would you want to use in your first homemade cleaning spray?

8. Sew

Learn to use a needle and thread to mend, fix buttons, and make simple alterations. From there, you can work up to making curtains, pillow covers, slip covers, and quilts. This skill is great to have if you often need to tailor clothes to fit!

I was gifted a sewing machine several years ago, and although sewing is not my favorite thing to do, I’ve learned to hem my own jeans and skirts (I’m short), sew curtains, and quilt.

If you love decorating your home, learning to sew pillow covers, curtains, and slip covers will help you create custom decor for a low cost.

Imagine It: If you had a sewing machine right now, what would you make first?

9. Try Basic Carpentry

Admittedly, I’ve let my husband take the lead on this skill, but that’s what a marriage is for, right?

He’s taught me a few very basic skills like how to use a drill. And hey, I can at least put together IKEA furniture by myself!

Carpentry is a very useful skill to have on a homestead.

You’ll need it to do repairs, build shelves, or craft custom pieces.

Ana White has lots of beginner-friendly plans we’ve used ourselves. Try it out and see what you can make!

Imagine It: What’s one thing in your home you wish you could build yourself?

10. Use Herbs

Herbs are one of the easiest plants to grow, even in small spaces, and from there you can springboard into other homesteading skills. You can preserve or transform them into food, drinks, medicine, and even home decor.

I absolutely love using herbs for tea and simple condiments like chive blossom vinegar and dried herb blends.

Here are a few ways I use herbs on Not Quite a Homestead:

Never Stop Learning

There’s always more to learn when it comes to homesteading, but don’t feel pressured to take on every skill at once.

Just choose what excites you and build from there.

If you need more inspiration, take a peek at Jill Winger’s list of over 100 skills for the modern homestead.

Homestead Your Way

Remember: there’s no single correct way to homestead.

You also don’t need a barn, chickens, or to sew all your own clothes! You just need curiosity, a willingness to learn, and the courage to start.

Just do what works for yourself, your family, and your ultimate goals. Chip away at it bit by bit and you’ll get there.

Pick one skill from this list and try it out. See how it feels to be “not quite a homesteader.” Let me know how it goes!

Have any questions or topics you want me to cover? Drop them in the comments! Thank you for reading this post.

10 Simple Ways to Homestead without a Farm or… Homestead