Don’t Romanticize the Homestead Life

Shalom family,

Let me be real with you: homesteading ain’t glamorous.

When I first started, I thought I wanted to go totally off-grid. Far away from everybody and everything. 

I was looking up land in the middle of nowhere, saying to myself, “This is it. I’ll just get 100 acres, build from scratch, and live completely self-reliant.”

 I  Had to be Realistic

A lot of people romanticize this lifestyle. They see goats walking through the pasture, chickens scratching in the yard, and vegetables growing beautifully in raised beds. And yes, it looks peaceful and inspiring. 

But what you don’t see is the work behind it. Cleaning out chicken coops. Worming animals. Cutting grass. Weed eating. Building fences. Chasing down predators that are trying to eat your birds. 

And don’t get me wrong, it’s worth it. But you’ve got to walk into it with your eyes open.

Mistakes that I See

One of the biggest mistakes I see is people buying too much land. I’m talking 20 acres, 50 acres, sometimes more. But if you’re by yourself, 20 acres is way too much.

You don’t realize how big one acre really is until you’re mowing it, clearing it, or fencing it. My advice is to start with one acre. You’d be surprised how much you can do with that.

Grow into it slowly. Learn your animals. Learn your land. Get your systems in place. Then add more if  you go too big too fast, you’ll get overwhelmed. You’ll burn out. And I’ve seen it happen. People buy land, start strong, then a couple years later they’re selling everything because they couldn’t keep up.

Don’t Romanticize the journey

The truth is, homesteading is beautiful, but it’s also a grind. You will have days where it feels amazing — sipping coffee on the porch, watching your animals graze, seeing your garden come alive. 

But you’ll also have days where it feels like nonstop problems: predators, storms, broken equipment, sick animals. Both are part of the journey.

That’s why I always tell folks not to romanticize the lifestyle and the homestead life. Don’t let YouTube fool you into thinking it’s all sunshine and abundance. Because when reality hits, you don’t want to feel like you made a mistake.

Start where you are. If all you have is a backyard, start with a garden bed and a few chickens. If you can handle that, then move up. 

The key is to build momentum slowly. Build your skills. Learn step by step. That way, when you expand, you already know how to handle the basics.

The Payoff

When you put in the work, the reward is real. You’ll eat food you raised yourself. You’ll open your pantry and see jars of what you grew and canned.

You’ll drink water you collected, or even wine you made yourself. And when you look around, you’ll know that your family is provided for because of the skills you’ve built with your own two hands. That’s the part nobody can take away from you.

So yes, homesteading is worth it. But don’t romanticize it. Don’t try to copy somebody else’s journey. Define what it means for you. Be realistic. Start small. Grow step by step. That’s how you build something sustainable.

And that’s exactly why we built the Set Apart Tribe. It’s not about painting a perfect picture — it’s about walking this road together, with honesty, encouragement, and real-life tools to help you keep going when it’s tough.

Here’s how the Tribe can help you avoid burnout and grow with wisdom:

• Free Tier 1 Facebook group- Be part of a like-minded community sharing, praying, and growing together in real-time.

• The Set Apart Tribe ($35/mo) – for Early YouTube access , exclusive overflow content, by- weekly Q&As’ monthly giveaways and 5% merch discount.

• Growth Circle ($200/mo) – Receive All Tribe benefits ,Bi-monthly group coaching (2-hour sessions), Digital product library and 20% merch discount

• Legacy Level ($600/mo)– Get All Growth Circle benefits, Two 1-on-1 monthly coaching calls 40% merch discount.

And don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter for updates (plus a chance to win a free T-shirt each month), and connect with us on YouTube and Instagram where we share the real, unfiltered side of homesteading.