Stop Throwing Money at Homestead Problems

When Janet and I started our first homestead -- The Little House on the Highway (LHOTH) -- outside Bowing Green, Ohio in 1987, we were just a couple of years removed from college and had very limited financial resources. Although we both had good jobs, we had spent every penny of our meager savings on the down payment and were, like many couples just getting started, cash poor. There were some anxious moments those first few years as repair bills on the aging farmhouse mounted (I think we put the plumber's kid through college) and the stark realities of rural living began to wear on us. Fortunately, both of us had been raised by parents who were a little financially challenged themselves and we understood how to stretch a dollar. Ultimately, that initial homesteading experience did not work out, but we were able to sell the farm for a small profit and learned some valuable lessons along the way.

Fast-forward thirty years and we find ourselves in a different place, literally and figuratively. Our North Carolina suburban homesteading experience has been much more successful, undoubtedly and in no small measure because we are blessed to be in a better situation financially. Don't get me wrong, the Vanderpumps aren't having us over for dinner and polo anytime soon, but the wolf's not constantly at the door either. Looking back on how we managed to get by in those lean years, I think having very little cash actually made us better homesteaders in some ways; more grounded, inventive and self-sufficient.

I recall that we wanted to make a rock border around the front flower bed at the LHOTH, but certainly couldn't afford to buy rocks from the landscape company at 10 or 15 cents per pound. Driving on the back roads one day, I saw a farmer unloading a bunch of stones from the back of his pickup onto a pile at the edge of his property. I surmised, correctly, that the stones had come from his field and had been upturned when he plowed. They were, for all practical purposes, scrap. I stopped and asked if I could have a few of them. He looked at me like I was nuts, but said, "sure, knock yourself out kid!" For the cost of asking the question, I secured enough rocks to ring the flower bed. I also have a rock border around some of the beds at the Wynfield Creek Homestead. Care to guess where I got those? Not from a farmer's field, that's for sure.

It seems that once we get a little cash in our pockets, it becomes easier to throw money at problems around the homestead rather than look for self-sufficient, cost-effective solutions. Having said that, there are absolutely situations where it is better to spend to get the job done right. We had a wood rot problem in one corner of the sun porch at the LHOTH which I tried repeatedly to repair without knowing what I was doing. I probably would up causing more damage in the long run. When squirrels did some damage to the fascia board on our house at the Wynfield Creek Homestead, there was no fooling around; I called in the professionals and they did the job quickly and correctly.

Still, it benefits the suburban homesteader to consider three things when looking at a significant cash expense:

1. Self-reliance. Is this something I can reasonably do myself? Is there some part of this project -- that might be beyond my capabilities in total -- that I can do myself to reduce the cost? We had hardwood floors installed in our family room kitchen and downstairs bedroom about 15 years ago. That was a job I recognized as being beyond my capabilities. However, we had a couple of seldom-used rooms upstairs which also needed new floor coverings. Rather than pay to have carpet or wood floors installed I laid laminate flooring, a job well within my ability, and saved hundreds of dollars.

2. Frugality. Is there a more cost-effective way to do this project or to acquire this product? Is there a homemade or low-cost substitute for this product? The best example I can give here is compost. Store-bought compost costs $5 to $10 for a 1 cubic foot bag. Compost made with minimal effort in a backyard compost bin from food scraps, garden remnants and shredded leaves costs essentially nothing... and is generally better quality to boot!

3. Sustainability. Is there a way to decrease the long-term cost of the project or product by investing more time, effort or money now? My natural areas are great example. As recently as 2012, I was purchasing 50-60 bales of pine straw each spring to refresh the natural areas around the house. Pine straw runs around $3.50 per bale, so that's a total cash outlay of $175-$200 on a perishable product that only lasts a year. I slowly started replacing the pine straw with plantings of perennial ground cover, mostly vinca minor and creeping Jenny. These prolific plants cost $2 to $3 each, and I needed dozens of them, but once a good patch got going I was able to propagate them into new areas at no cost. Over the past five years, I have reduced the number of bales of pine straw I purchase by more than half, and my goal is to get down to a dozen or less within the next two years.