Solemn Confession of a Rookie Off-Grid Homesteader

Reader Contribution by Alyssa Craft
Published on February 25, 2016
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When we first embarked on our journey of buying land and starting an off grid homestead, we dreamed up all sorts of elaborate plans. We were to arrive on our property in early September in a small travel trailer and build an enclosed barn by the time the first snowflakes flew. The following spring we would build a small apartment in the loft of the barn that we could live in while we built our actual home. This all was going to be done on a dime and debt-free as we planned to mill our own lumber and find both second hand and reclaimed building materials.

Not only were we going to be living in our low-cost barn built with our own bare hands by the following spring, but we were going to do that while running an online business, installing a septic system, and learning invaluable skills that we would need to develop our property.

Fast forward six months and we are just coming out of our first winter on our homestead. Because we were so busy the first, second and third months on our property, all we managed to do before winter was get up a primitive shelter for our travel trailer. After we were dried in for the winter, we had to turn all focus to our online business for the next three months. So here we stand, nowhere near started on our barn!

It seems that the worst of winter is over and that spring has decided to make an early appearance. Even though it’s finally warm enough to start making serious progress on our property and our timber frame barn, the truth is that we are completely exhausted and burned out.

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