Homesteader’s New Year’s Resolutions
New Year’s Resolutions mean different things to different people. Some people want to change an undesirable behavior of theirs. Others want to accomplish a goal. While some people want to simply improve their lives. Sometimes a new year’s resolution encompasses all three of those things. But what about a homesteader’s new year’s resolutions?
The Holistic Homesteader’s new year’s resolutions focus mainly on the latter 2: accomplishing a goal and improving our lives.
But first, a little back story…
Last year was an off year for us.
We own a trucking company; and business was tough. The trucks gave us a lot of difficulties. Our brand new truck was a lemon and had to go back. After, we flew to Oklahoma and drove a new (used) truck back to Pennsylvania in 2 days. Shortly after that, the truck ended up in an accident (a lady cut my husband off in a construction site, then traffic came to a stop, he had no where to go, and not enough time to stop).
It was one thing after another. Legit.
Needless to say, we didn’t take a vacation and we didn’t get much done around the homestead… Money was tight!
So this new year, something’s gotta give!
We bought another new truck this past summer and it’s running great (knock on wood)!
Here’s to getting in a small vacation and accomplishing these homesteader’s new year’s resolutions!
Here are all of The Holistic Homesteader’s New Year’s Resolutions:
- Build a clothesline
- Build a grape arbor
- Fence in our garden, berries, grapes, and orchard
- Build a high tunnel
- Get a beehive and bees
- Install hand pump on our well (or at least purchase one… just in case)
- Get 3-5 more trees for the orchard
- Plant more raspberries
- Build back patio
- Fix up back of house
- Install lattice under the pool deck
- Stain pool deck and front porch
- Raise meat birds
- Install propane heater in living room (and build surround for it)
- Build the girls a tree house
- Spread the dirt in the front field
- Finish repairing the car trailer
- Finish refurbishing the boat
- Install large cut-stone steps near the basement doors & on hill
- Remove rocks, spread dirt, lay pavers at the basement walk-out doors
- Build an arch for our wisteria tree
- Grow a garden with intention
- Stock up on bullets
Whoa! Seeing it on screen…. it’s a lot… especially on top of normal chores, raising kids, cooking, etc., but I think it is totally feasible if we buckle down and get out hands dirty… like, every day.
We are lucky enough to have access to excavators, skid steers, backhoes, and dozers, so a lot of these projects are virtually cost-free and will be easier than they sound.
We always try to recycle, re-purpose, and reuse as many things as we possibly can, both in the home and outside the home.
For example, the kids tree house, grape arbor, and the propane heater surround will be built from leftover lumber. We salvaged the cut stone from a neighboring farm. The garden is already established and seeds were saved from last year. Deck stain was bought in bulk so we have enough for another coat. The poles for the clothesline will come from telephone poles that were also salvaged. Finally, we have fence and fence posts for our berries, grapes, and orchard that were left over from making our chicken pen.
The projects that will cost us are: the lattice for under the pool deck; the hand pump and beehive; stocking up on bullets; the arch for the wisteria; the pavers for at the basement doors; and the clothesline and mounting pieces.
For the amount of projects we have on our New Year’s Resolutions list, the cost shouldn’t be that outrageous, especially because so many of the projects are one time builds.
The projects on our list are so important because they will make our homestead even more self-sufficient, will make our lives easier, and will allow us (and the kids) to have a lot of fun!
Do you make resolutions? What are they?! Feel free to share below.
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Happy Homesteading! (:
And the happiest, most successful and bountiful of new year’s to you and yours!
P.S. have any thoughts or questions? Tell me all the things in the comments! Also, you can contact us if you’d love to collab!
