If you’re like me and so many others, the idea of homesteading is very appealing. Self-sufficiency. Natural and local ingredients. Slow living. It’s so idyllic and removed from the modern fast paced lifestyle that is common. Especially if, like me, you’re trying to buy a house in 2023. Suddenly your dreams of a homestead with acreage for a huge garden and raising animals become unachievable. But what if you could still have a natural, self-sufficient lifestyle on a homestead without acreage?
Buying a New Home
We sold our home in 2022 with the promise of finding a newer, bigger, better home soon after. The housing market in Northern Texas was extremely competitive and no seller would even consider an offer that was contingent on the sale of the buyers. Our realtor convinced us that selling our home first was the best chance we had.
Unfortunately, days after signing legally binding documents to the sale of our home, the banks raised the interest rates of all mortgages. We no longer could afford a new home.
10 months later, my family has been in a rental house waiting for the housing market to level out. This was, after all, the banks’ intention with raising the interest rates. But a house that I feel safe bringing my two young children into, with acreage to start my homestead, is not only out of our reach, but not available in our area. An opportunity came up that felt nothing short of clandestine or God-made. Our realtor happened to see some new build homes available while we were on a house hunting outing. We stopped in and found a new build that checked everything off our needs and many things off our wishlist. Except the acreage. The backyard is a mere .13 acres.
So am I giving up?
Is saying yes to this house that has it all except a big backyard the same as giving up on my homestead dream? I decided the answer is no. I’ve made a commitment to learning to homestead without acreage! I want to learn to make the most of what space I have and build a garden to feed my family. And while our house is in an HOA community (as 80% of new homes are in the US) I’ve decided to raise rabbits! Angora rabbits to be specific. That way we can raise them for their fiber in a similar way that we would raise sheep or alpacas. After we reach the other end of the learning curve for our rabbits, Quail might be our next venture into homesteading.
In addition to learning to homestead without acreage, I still hold on to my dream of having chickens, goats, alpacas, sheep… the city our house is built in is still considered rural despite the new build communities popping up. I’m shifting my focus to finding land close by to build my farm.
Other skills for a homestead without acreage
There are many other skills homesteaders use daily that don’t involve animal care or a large garden. To homestead without acreage you can learn skills such as:
Bread baking
Sourdough
Cooking from scratch
Candle making
Soap making
Other beauty product making
Sewing
Crocheting or knitting
Spinning fiber
Felting
Natural dyes
And so much more!
Still here to learn about homesteading without acreage?
WhimsyRoo is my home for a DIY home. This means, as I’m learning about homesteading without acreage and homesteading in general, I’ll be taking you along with me. You can learn with me through my failures and success as I test homesteading skills, gardening, homeschooling, and crafts. But if you’re looking for some skills to get you started with homesteading without acreage right now, check out these tutorials.
Remember, you don’t have to wait until you get “enough” space or have “enough” time or save “enough” money for your homestead. Get started today with these skills and join me in my new adventure!
