Homesteading in Retirement

Homesteading in Retirement

Note:  This article is another part of an ongoing series of alternative housing arrangements.

For some people homesteading may be an attractive housing alternative and exciting lifestyle change in retirement.  Homesteading can mean many things to different people but for our purposes we are talking about a more self-reliant lifestyle, probably in a more rural environment (although there are some people that set up homesteading in the city.)

Homesteading Isn’t Just for Hippies! (Not that there is anything wrong with Hippies!)

Homesteading can mean building your own house, growing your own food, and even living off the grid.  But it doesn’t have to mean doing all of those things, or doing them all at once.  For one thing you have to keep your physical abilities in mind.  Living in a tent for two years while you build a log cabin is not for everybody.  I recently read an article that talked about the “Back to the Earth” movement that tried to live totally off the land back in the sixties and seventies.  It turns out most abandoned that effort after a few years for a more conventional middle class lifestyle.  Now some are retiring and picking up the homesteading idea in a more comfortable way.  They still want to grow some of their own food, but they also want inside plumbing and Internet connectivity, although they may use various off grid technologies like wind or solar to power it all.

Homesteading Doesn’t Have to Mean a Huge Farm

Most homesteaders choose a rural location.  This sometimes allows for a little housing geo-arbitrage, the ability to live in a less expensive location (more about housing geo-arbitrage in a separate article.)  The Internet means a rural location can still allow opportunities for income and communication that were unavailable just a few years ago.  Homesteading doesn’t have to mean the big acreage that people used to associate with rural living.  In fact the recent trend seems to be smaller plots with intensive farming methods.

You Can Start Small

Many homesteaders find that growing at least some of their own food is a part of the self-reliant lifestyle they desire.  This doesn’t have to mean working the “back forty” with a team of draft horses.  It can start with a simple garden of a few vegetables and grow from there as you gain experience.  There are lots of good books and online resources and most advise to start small.  Eventually some homesteaders move on to bigger gardens and even small livestock like chickens and goats. It is also something you can start long before retirement with a backyard garden to gain experience.  This allows you to try a little piece of the homesteading lifestyle before you take the leap.

Good for the Environment

Environmental consciousness is another trait shared by many homesteaders.  For this reason many have an interest in alternative energy.  This can range from a complete “off the grid” existence to supplemental experiments in solar and wind technologies.  Again there is lots of good information available out there in books and on line resources.

Homesteading Mixed with other Housing Alternatives

Homesteading lends itself to the use of other housing cost reduction strategies.  I have already mentioned housing geo-arbitrage as a way to decrease expenses by moving to a less expensive location.  Homesteading might also lend itself well to house sharing.  For example how about the idea of a couple small cabins on a couple of acres with several couples each having their own cabin.  They could share expenses, gardening work, etc.  The possibilities are endless.

I have obviously only touched the surface of the homesteading option in retirement.  There is lots of room to explore further.  Hopefully at least some of you will want to look into this exciting lifestyle change.