09/26/2026
I make this post every year, and somehow… we’re still not getting it. We’re still not understanding that there is something much deeper behind these comments.
Listen, I’ve been seriously creating content for over a year now, and it never fails. Almost every month I see creators in the homesteading community talk about how “homesteading isn’t a fad,” or “I did it before it was cool,” or “I’ll still be here doing this when you wannabes figure out this isn’t how social media portrays it.”
And listen… there is absolutely a conversation to be had about how homesteading is NOT what social media portrays it to be.
That has never been my problem with these conversations.
My problem is when a beginner decides they want to give this lifestyle a try, and instead of welcoming them, teaching them, and encouraging them, we put them down because they’re doing it differently than we do.
Because we did it first.
Because we think they’re only doing it because it’s “cool.”
Because they started with chickens instead of a homestead.
Because they have a raised bed instead of an acre garden.
Because they live in an apartment.
Because they bought something instead of making it.
Because they’re learning.
How on earth are some of you able to make inspirational content about this lifestyle and then completely tear down the very people who were INSPIRED by you?
How are you able to portray a life online that thousands of people aspire to live and then turn around and call those people “wannabes” when they decide they want to try it too?
I’ve lived in an apartment and homesteaded.
I’ve preserved food in a small space.
I’ve also lived on multiple acres with a large garden and chickens and have been able to accomplish many of the same things, just on a larger scale.
And you know what?
It all counts.
The size of your property does not determine how much you care about self-sufficiency.
The number of chickens you have doesn’t determine whether you’re a homesteader.
Whether you grow one tomato plant or 500 doesn’t determine your commitment.
And you don’t have to start with everything figured out.
I am ALWAYS proud of someone who takes the leap toward self-sufficiency.
I am proud of the “wannabes.”
I am proud of the beginners.
I am proud of the person who planted their first garden this year.
I am proud of the person who bought their first chickens.
I am proud of the person who canned their first jar of food.
I am proud of the person who is growing herbs on an apartment balcony.
Because you know what?
They might give this thing a shot, just like I did five years ago, and find out that they LOVE it.
They might discover a passion they never knew they had.
They might learn how to grow their own food.
They might learn how to preserve it.
They might teach their children.
Their children might teach their children.
THAT is how seeds are planted.
That is how ideas grow.
That is how traditions are created.
And that is how something gets passed down to the next generation.
Some creators have completely missed the point of what this community is supposed to be about.
It isn’t supposed to be a competition over who started first.
It isn’t supposed to be a competition over who has the biggest garden, the most animals, the most land, the biggest pantry, or the most years under their belt.
It should be about sharing knowledge.
Teaching what we know.
Learning from one another.
Encouraging people to become more self-sufficient.
Showing our children where their food comes from.
Teaching them skills that don’t disappear just because technology makes life easier.
Teaching them to grow something.
To preserve something.
To build something.
To fix something.
To provide for themselves.
To appreciate the work that goes into putting food on a table.
To understand that not everything has to come from a store.
And maybe most importantly, teaching them that knowledge is meant to be passed down—not hoarded as a badge of superiority.
You don’t lose anything by teaching someone else what you know.
In fact, you help ensure those skills don’t disappear.
So if you’re a “wannabe,” a “poser,” a beginner, an apartment homesteader, a backyard gardener, a chicken keeper, a canner, a person with five acres, or a person with five tomato plants…
YOU ARE WELCOME HERE.
If you’re just starting and you don’t know what you’re doing…
YOU ARE WELCOME HERE.
If you made a mistake and need someone to tell you how to do it differently next time…
YOU ARE WELCOME HERE.
If you came here because you saw someone online living this lifestyle and thought, “Maybe I could do that too…”
I hope you do.
I hope you try.
I hope you fail at something and try again.
I hope you grow something.
I hope you preserve something.
I hope you learn something you can teach your kids someday.
And I hope you find a community that encourages you instead of making you feel like you aren’t worthy of being here.
Because none of us started knowing everything.
Every person who is “experienced” today was once the beginner asking the “dumb” question.
Every giant garden started with a seed.
Every full pantry started with a first jar.
Every experienced canner once put up their first batch.
And every homesteader who says “I did it before it was cool” was, at some point, a person who simply decided they wanted to learn.
So let’s stop gatekeeping the very lifestyle we’re trying to preserve.
Let’s teach it.
Let’s share it.
Let’s encourage people to try it.
Let’s make room at the table.
Because if we’re truly doing this for the future, then the goal shouldn’t be to prove that we were here first.
The goal should be making sure someone is still here doing it after we’re gone. ❤️
