You don’t need acres of land or years of experience to start homesteading. Here’s how to begin building a simpler, more self-sufficient life right where you are — one small step at a time.
I used to think homesteading was something I needed to wait for in my life. I grew up country, but life pulled me into the suburbs. I thought I would have to wait until life was perfect for my family to move towards a more self-sustaining lifestyle with a little homestead.
But something kept pulling at me — this desire to live more intentionally… NOW. To know where our food came from. To feel less dependent on running to a grocery store for every little thing. To slow down and actually make something with my hands, instead of waiting for it all to magically happen.
So I started small. Embarrassingly small, honestly. A single tomato plant on the back porch. A sourdough starter that I killed twice before it actually took. A handful of herbs in a windowsill pot that I was unreasonably proud of.
And here’s what I’ve found: simple homesteading isn’t really about the land or the livestock or the perfect setup. It’s a mindset — a slow, intentional shift toward a life that feels more grounded, more self-sufficient, and more connected to the way God designed us to live and steward the things He’s given us.
If you’ve been curious about homesteading but don’t know where to start, this is for you. No overwhelming to-do list. No pressure to do it all at once. Just a practical, honest look at how to begin — right where you are.
What “Simple Homesteading” Actually Means
Before we dive in, I want to clear something up: homesteading doesn’t have to mean moving to 40 acres and raising all your own livestock. That might be the dream for some people (it’s part of mine), but it’s not where most of us start.
Simple homesteading is really about reducing dependence and increasing intention. It’s growing some of your own food. Making things from scratch instead of always buying them. Building rhythms in your home that reflect care and stewardship rather than convenience and consumption.
You can do this in an apartment. You can do this on a suburban lot. You can do this with young kids underfoot and no prior experience whatsoever. The size of your homestead isn’t the point — the direction you’re moving is.
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” — Psalm 24:1
Stewardship starts with recognizing what we’ve been given and choosing to care for it well. That’s the heart behind homesteading, at least for me.
Start with a Garden — Even a Tiny One
The single most impactful thing you can do to start homesteading is grow some of your own food. Even a little.
If you have outdoor space, start with a small raised bed — 4×4 feet is plenty to begin with. If you’re working with a porch or patio, containers work beautifully. I started with two large pots of tomatoes and a window box of herbs, and it changed how I thought about food almost immediately.
For beginners, I’d recommend starting with things that are hard to kill and deeply satisfying to grow: cherry tomatoes, zucchini, green beans, lettuce, and herbs like basil and parsley. These don’t require perfect conditions and they produce quickly enough that you stay motivated.
A few things that helped me when I was starting out:
Start smaller than you think you should. I planted way too much my first year and got overwhelmed. Two or three things done well is better than ten things neglected.
Amend your soil before you do anything else. If you’re planting in the ground, add compost. Good soil is the foundation of everything.
Water consistently, especially when plants are young. Most beginner gardening failures come from inconsistent watering. A simple routine — morning watering, every day — makes a huge difference.
You will lose plants. Things will not always go according to plan. That’s part of it. Every failed tomato plant taught me something for the next season.
Learn One Scratch-Cooking Skill at a Time
Homesteading isn’t just about what you grow — it’s also about what you make. And one of the most practical places to start is in your kitchen.
I want to be careful here, because this can become overwhelming fast if you try to learn everything at once. Instead, I’d encourage you to pick one skill and go deep on it before adding another.
For a lot of people, sourdough bread is a beautiful place to start. Yes, the starter takes some patience to get going. Yes, you will probably bake a few dense loaves before you get the feel for it. But once you understand how sourdough works, you’ll make bread that’s genuinely nourishing, cheaper than store-bought, and deeply satisfying to put on the table.
Other great beginner kitchen homestead skills:
Bone broth. If you roast a chicken, don’t throw away the carcass. Toss it in a pot with water, a splash of apple cider vinegar, and whatever vegetable scraps you have. Simmer it for several hours. You now have broth that is more nutritious than anything in a carton and costs you almost nothing.
Simple ferments. Lacto-fermented vegetables — like homemade sauerkraut or pickles — are easier than most people think and incredibly good for your gut. All you need is cabbage, salt, a mason jar, and a little patience.
Homemade cleaning products. This isn’t cooking, but it belongs in this category — learning to make simple, non-toxic cleaners from vinegar, castile soap, and essential oils saves money and reduces what you’re bringing into your home.
Pick one. Get comfortable with it. Then add another.
Consider Backyard Chickens (But Go in With Your Eyes Open)
Backyard chickens come up in almost every homesteading conversation, and for good reason. A small flock of hens can provide your family with fresh eggs, eat your kitchen scraps, and add a genuinely joyful element to your backyard.
But I want to be honest with you: chickens are not zero-maintenance. Before you get started, a few things to consider:
Check your local ordinances first. Many cities and suburbs allow backyard hens (usually not roosters), but the rules vary widely. Make sure you know what’s permitted in your area before you build anything or buy anything.
Start with 3–4 hens. This is enough to give your family a consistent supply of eggs without becoming overwhelming to care for. A few good laying breeds for beginners: Rhode Island Reds, Buff Orpingtons, and Easter Eggers are all friendly, hardy, and productive.
Their coop needs to be predator-proof. This is where a lot of beginners underestimate. Hardware cloth (not regular chicken wire) on all openings, a secure latch on the door, and nothing that a determined raccoon or fox can pry open. Learn from my mistakes here…. We lost 2 chickens to a racoon while on vacation, even when we thought the coop was boarded up, the little bugger found a small hole to squeeze into.
Plan for their care when you travel. This is the part people don’t think about until they’re booking a trip. You’ll need someone reliable to check on them, collect eggs, and make sure they have water. Most people actually appreciate this opportunity to get paid back with the fresh eggs they collect!
If you go in with realistic expectations, chickens are a wonderful addition to a home homestead. Fresh eggs from your own backyard are something you never quite get over.
Build a Homestead Pantry Slowly and Intentionally
One of the most overlooked aspects of homesteading is the pantry. Having a well-stocked pantry — built over time, not all at once — gives your family a real buffer against grocery store runs, price fluctuations, and unexpected lean seasons.
This doesn’t mean panic-buying or stocking a bunker. It means slowly, deliberately building a supply of the staples your family actually uses.
Start by tracking what you go through in a month. Flour, oats, rice, beans, canned tomatoes, oil, honey — the things you reach for constantly. Then start buying a little extra each time. When flour goes on sale, buy two bags instead of one. When you find a good deal on canned goods, pick up extras.
Over time, your pantry becomes a resource rather than just a storage space. You’re cooking from it, rotating through it, and replenishing it intentionally. That’s the heart of good homestead stewardship.
If you’re also canning or preserving your garden harvest, your pantry grows in a different way — jars of tomato sauce, pickles, jam, and dried herbs that you grew and put up yourself. There is something deeply satisfying about a pantry shelf lined with your own work.
Reduce, Reuse, and Make Do Before You Buy
This is one of the old homesteading values that gets lost in the modern version of the lifestyle — which can sometimes feel more like a Pinterest aesthetic than an actual way of life.
Real homesteading is frugal. It asks: Can I make this? Can I fix this? Do I actually need this, or do I just want it?
Mending clothes instead of replacing them. Using every part of a vegetable before composting the scraps. Repurposing glass jars as storage containers. Making gifts instead of buying them. These habits sound small, but they compound into a genuinely different relationship with consumption over time.
This posture also reflects something I believe is deeply biblical — faithful stewardship of what we’ve been given, rather than constantly chasing more. Homesteading, at its best, is a daily practice of that kind of stewardship.
Don’t Try to Do Everything at Once
I want to end with this, because I think it’s the most important thing I could say to someone just starting out: you do not have to do all of this at the same time.
The homesteading world online can feel like an overwhelming amount of things you should be doing — fermenting and canning and raising chickens and baking bread and growing a huge garden and making your own soap and keeping bees. It’s a lot. And if you try to take it all on at once, you will exhaust yourself and quit.
Instead, think of homesteading as a slow accumulation of skills and rhythms over years, not months. Pick one thing this season. Learn it well. Get comfortable with it. Let it become part of your normal life before you add something else.
The goal isn’t to have the most impressive homestead. The goal is to build a life that feels more intentional, more grounded, and more deeply connected to the things that actually matter.
Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.
“She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.” — Proverbs 31:27
That’s the spirit of homesteading — not perfection, but faithful, joyful presence in your own home and life.
Looking for ways to bring more peace and intention into your daily home rhythms? You might love this post on Simple Daily Rhythms for a Peaceful, Christ-Centered Home.
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Send me the free planner →Frequently asked questions
Can you homestead without land or in the suburbs?
Absolutely. Homesteading is a mindset of self-reliance and intentional living more than acreage — you can start with a few pots of herbs, a small garden bed, sourdough, or a couple of backyard hens where they’re allowed.
What should a beginner homesteader start with first?
Pick one skill and get comfortable before adding another — often a small garden, learning to preserve food, or baking bread from scratch. Momentum from one win makes the next skill easier.
How much does it cost to start homesteading?
Far less than most people think. Many skills — gardening, cooking from scratch, mending, preserving — start with what you already have, and you add tools slowly rather than all at once.
Does homesteading actually save money?
It can, once you’re past the learning curve — growing, preserving, and making from scratch trims grocery and household costs. But the bigger return for most families is the intention, skills, and peace it builds.
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Related reading: simple micro homesteading ideas for beginners.
Shelby McCallum is the founder of Grace & Grit Living, a Christian lifestyle blog dedicated to helping women grow in biblical stewardship, simple living, and faith-centered motherhood. Through practical Bible study guides, encouragement for everyday life, and Christ-centered routines, she writes to help women deepen their relationship with God and apply Scripture to daily living.