New to Urban Homesteading

I have recently decided to start down the path to Urban Homesteading and a "Back to Basics" style of living.

I have always enjoyed living simply, with not a lot of material possessions, not a lot of clutter.  Then when I got married my possessions seemed to have quadrupled and the clutter grew.  Two years after we got married, we moved into a 3 bed, 4 bath split level house complete with family room, living room, kitchen, garage and basement.   We filled the place within 6 months!  We were like goldfish, we grew into our environment, and are now out growing it.  Instead of moving like most people would do, we had a heart to heart talk and decided that we like Doing things rather than Having things.  So we rounded up a bunch of stuff and sold it (granted we still have a long way to go before we get rid of all the stuff we want/need to).  This de-cluttering was the first step in back to basics living.

My husband and I have been watching "The Walking Dead" and the new show "Revolution" and this got me thinking about the Urban Homesteading aspect and living a more self-sustainable lifestyle.  I don't think the world is going to end in December or that there will be a military revolt or that the government will take over or anything like that, but what if?  Or what if something environmental were to happen (or anything else imaginable or unimaginable), would I be able to survive and provide for my family (husband, 5 month old daughter and our two dogs)?  We have come to depend on modern conveniences too much, and I want to try to make life more simple so that if something does happen, I am more prepared.

The first step in being prepared is food rations.  We are couponers, not extreme couponers, but couponers none the less.  I feel really great about our stockpile right now.  When we had our daughter, we didn't have to go grocery shopping for 3 months after she was born (with the exception  of eggs, bread and milk)!  We coupon to get great prices on food to lower our monthly food bill, but if something catastrophic were to happen, I feel comfortable of our ability to live off the food we have for at least 8 months.   But what about bread, milk, eggs, veggies and fruits?  We live in a suburban home with an HOA and we are not allowed to have farm animals, so no eggs or milk for us.  But I can make bread, and have.  I have gardened before but with little success.  I kinda did a half-assed container gardening where I would get some basil, peas and a tomato or two.  This next year, I am going to create a garden and really give it a try.

My husband and I have decided that Urban Homesteading and a Back to Basics style of living is something we would like to try. Since I am now a stay-at-home mom, we are going to try it if it is cheaper, easier, healthier, etc.  and do everything in moderation. I don't think it is about going crazy from the start, but slowly adapting and finding out what works best in each situation.  I have decided not to tell my family or most of my friends yet.  They would think that I have lost my mind.  My mom was already freaking out when she heard we were selling a bunch of our stuff.  Urban Homesteading is very different than how my husband and I grew up and is very different from how all of our friends live (except for one couple).  We want to live a more self-sustainable life.

This will be a blog of my adventures on my way to becoming an urban homesteader; it should be very interesting!