From Neighborhood To Homestead In A Year

At this time last year, our family was living in a cozy house in a cute little neighborhood in New York. We had recently finished renovating every room, and were getting ready to put our home on the market.

Fast forward to now- that neighborhood is far behind us, and we’re becoming more invested in the homesteading life every day.

Why Living In A Neighborhood Wasn’t Right For Us

I do need to point out that our last house was never intended to be our forever home. We bought it with the goal of doing a 5-year flip, and ended up finishing it in just under 4 years! So while we never planned on staying there for very long, that time was super important to us. We learned a lot about ourselves, and welcomed two more babies. The goals we had for our family changed and developed so much.

While we loved the house itself (especially after all the improvements we made!), the neighborhood setting was what we didn’t like about the property. One of the top things we wished for was privacy. I hated having to keep the curtains shut so strangers couldn’t watch us eating dinner. I wanted to be able to shoo my kids outside to play, and not worry that they’d wander into the road.

The other main thing we wanted was space. We wanted acreage to ride ATVs and let our kids run wild. We wanted to host big bonfires and set off fireworks. And my husband really needed a better garage/workshop setup than that house had.

The Freedom to Use Our Property As We Wished

Essentially, our goals outgrew what our property could offer. I know that plenty of homesteaders make amazing things happen with tiny parcels of land. But even making small changes was hard where we were. We built raised beds and attempted a little garden, but with limited resources (and the presence of some very entitled deer) it didn’t go so well.

Some other aspects of being self-sustainable just weren’t feasible. We didn’t have an HOA, but we still had all the restrictions of living within city limits. That meant no swine (ok, understandable), no poultry (really?), no rainwater collection (WHAT?), etc. It was becoming more frustrating as time went on that our location was the one thing keeping us from so many things we longed to do.

The fact that we were planning to sell the house soon was also a big factor. We weren’t going to sink our funds into things that would be left behind when we eventually moved.

Why It Happened So Fast

So why did we dive into the homesteading stuff as soon as we got to our home in Tennessee? (Seriously. We had 24 chickens within the first couple weeks.) We easily could have paused for a year or so to clean up the property, work on the house, and just catch our breath after a hectic summer.

Well, a break may have been justifiable, but after months of living in a camper and waiting to get into our house, we were SO ready to jump right in. We were finally doing what we’d been dreaming about for the past couple years, and it felt amazing.

That’s kind of how we operate, I guess. We do things as soon as we can, and don’t like to sit around waiting for things to happen. There’s also something to be said for doing what you love. The work we’re putting into our property, and all the effort that’s going toward our animals, is all so fulfilling. It’s hard, yes, but we’re happy here.

Some days it’s hard to believe everything that’s happened since last February. I cried so many tears over leaving that sweet little house where we made so many memories. It was a stressful and crazy journey to end up where we are now. But now that we’re here, I can’t imagine ever going back.

I know I’ve said it before, but this is the best decision we ever made.

4 comments