When some people think of homesteading, they often think off-grid, homegrown, farm-raised, everything made from scratch, and as close to 100% self-sufficient as possible. However, that’s not the goal I am after here. Instead, semi homesteading it about adding some of those same types of skills to your life while staying practical for today’s modern lifestyle.
I incorporate basic homesteading skills in my own home that our family can benefit from, and I want to share them with you! Whether that is gardening, canning and preserving food, baking items from scratch, raising chickens, making items for my home, DIY projects, etc., each one of these skills can help benefit you and your family.
The Goal Behind Semi Homesteading
One of the reasons why I love the idea of “semi homesteading” is that you can do what works for you. You don’t have to do it all! With semi homesteading, instead of striving and pushing for total self-sufficiency, you get to pick and choose the skills and practices that fit into your home, budget, schedule, and interests.
It’s about learning practical skills, making some things homemade, and becoming a little less dependent on conveniences and modern society, no matter where or how you live. At the same time, you don’t have to give up all your comforts or modern conveniences.
For example, we live on the outskirts of a tiny Midwest town, so we have limitations on what we can and can’t do on our property. However, that doesn’t stop me from being more hands-on in some aspects of my life like baking, gardening, and raising chickens. At the same time, I still like to go out and grab a Diet Coke at McDonald’s. It’s the best of both worlds!
The Benefits Of Semi Homesteading
So you may be wondering why I should implement semi homesteading practices in the first place? What are the benefits?
The first one that is likely on many people’s minds of late is the money savings that can occur thanks to homesteading practices. By making things yourself, growing your own food, and relying on yourself to fix broken items, you can save a decent amount of money.
Sure, some skills will do the opposite. For example, raising a few chickens isn’t going to make you loads of money thanks to other costs involved (feed, shelter, etc.). However, there are other benefits to those practices that make them worthwhile.
Another benefit is that semi homesteading builds practical skills. As humans, we were meant to use our hands. Fine motor skills like fixing things, crafting, cooking, and working all help to lower cortisol (the stress hormone), calm the nervous system, improve focus, and stimulate the brain. In addition, finishing small projects releases a bit of dopamine, which is that feel-good chemical in your brain.
Some other benefits include building practical skills, reducing waste, being physically and mentally healthier, appreciating where your food comes from, and strengthening family bonds. And let’s not forget that semi homesteading can be enjoyable and simply bring you pleasure!
Semi Homesteading Anywhere
One of the best parts of semi homesteading is that you can do it anywhere, no matter where you live. Those living in city apartments as well as those with acres of land can implement plenty of homesteading skills. It’s a scalable lifestyle!
Apartments, Condos & Small Homes – Those in this category have the most limitations, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t enjoy a lot of homesteading benefits. Think of practices you can do within your home. Cooking from scratch, baking bread, making homemade seasoning mixes, using homemade cleaning supplies, crafting, etc. You can also still preserve food, even if you don’t grow it yourself. Purchase foods from farmers’ markets or local grocery stores, especially when they are on sale. And so forth.
Suburban Neighborhoods – Most people living in suburban neighborhoods have access to outdoor spaces. This opens up the opportunity to garden and grow your own food. If you can’t use a traditional in-ground garden, use raised beds or other containers. Some locations even have community garden spaces you can take advantage of.
Small Towns – Many smaller towns allow people to raise chickens. (If yours doesn’t, it might be worth looking into and encouraging county officials to take a look at the benefits.) You can also start composting if you have space on your property. I live on the outskirts of a small village with limits, but I still do a TON of semi homesteading practices. (And that’s what I write about here!)
Country Properties – For the most part, those who live in the country have the least restrictions on what they can and can’t do in regard to semi homesteading. Besides chickens, you can often raise lots of different types of livestock, milk cows, grow orchards, plant large gardens, etc.
Different Skills To Implement
Here are some great ways to implement semi homesteading practices as well as links to supporting articles here on my website.
Remember: You don’t have to do EVERYTHING on this list in order to make a difference in your life! There is no magic checklist to do to prove that you are a “homesteader.” Practicing even a few of these skills will make a big impact on your day-to-day life, while still allowing you the freedom to live in today’s world.
(A perfect example of Semi Homesteading is restoring a cast iron skillet. I can do that on my own so I have a usable skillet; however, I use my oven’s modern “Self Clean” feature to help me accomplish the task!)
- Gardening directly in the ground, in raised beds, or in containers
- Baking bread and other baked goods
- Cooking from scratch
- Making homemade seasoning blends
- Growing windowsill herbs
- Composting
- Maintaining a well-stocked pantry, refrigerator, and freezer
- Mending clothes
- Building DIY projects like raised beds, bookshelves, etc.
- Repairing broken or damaged items instead of purchasing new or hiring work
- Raising chickens
- Making homemade cleaning products
- Growing & propagating houseplants
- Collecting rainwater (This is on my to-do list!)
- Shopping seasonally and locally (thrifting!)
- Purchasing items in bulk (We purchase 1/2 beef each year locally.)
- Planting fruit trees or bushes
- Rendering tallow
- Starting and saving garden seeds
- Using cast iron cookware
- Crafting and making homemade gifts
- Foraging for food
- Making homemade medicinal remedies
- Dehydrating, Freezing, Canning, or preserving foods and herbs
- Raising livestock
- Purchasing local meat and produce
The Truth About Semi Homesteading
As with anything you do, there will be some negatives that can go along with the positives. The same is true with semi homesteading. I don’t want you to create an idealic fantasy that everything is always Instagram-beautiful and perfect.
Implementing semi homesteading skills usually requires a bit more time than doing it the conventional way. It’s a lot easier and quicker to purchase a loaf of bread in a store than to make it homemade.
In addition, semi homesteading also requires a lot of patience and hard work. For example, if you are raising livestock, there will be death, illnesses, messes, and sometimes pain. With gardening, you will deal with pests, diseases, losses, etc. If you can and preserve food, it will take time and energy to go through all of the steps to make your food safe and shelf-stable.
Semi homestead, just like homesteading, isn’t always rainbows and sunshine. However, the benefits that come along with being more self-reliant and self-sufficient far outweigh any bad in my opinion.
Why I Chose The Name “Semi Homestead Life”
I love the concept of true homesteading. However, I also want to still live a modern lifestyle at the same time. I will never be someone who can live without air conditioning, washing machines, hot water, and Diet Coke. Nor do I want to! That just isn’t who I am.
I also have busy teens that go to public school. My husband works a full-time job. We have a budget and other priorities that happen outside of the traditional farm and homestead lifestyle – and that’s ok!
My goal with Semi Homestead Life is to show you practical ways to implement some homesteading practices like cooking from scratch, growing your own food, raising chickens, etc. that fit in with a modern lifestyle but still allow you to be more self-sufficient. You can still enjoy the benefits of homesteading practices no matter where you live or what your life looks like right now.
If you like the idea of semi homesteading but don’t know where to start, check out my article, “10 Basic Homesteading Skills Anyone Can Benefit From”. Pick one or two that you’d like to try out and see how it goes. Add more skills as the first ones become natural and a part of your everyday life. Before you know it, you will be a semi homesteader just like me!
Until next time, thanks for stopping by!
– Chelsea
*This post may contain affiliate links. These are products I have used personally and highly recommend. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases if you purchase items through my links. These links and the ads on this page help to support my family and our semi homestead, so Thank You!
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