Beginners Step-by-Step Guide to Homesteading (Printable)

April 17, 2025

Have you ever dreamed of waking up to the sound of birds instead of traffic, collecting fresh eggs from your very own chicken coop, and growing food from your backyard—or even your balcony? You’re not alone. The homesteading lifestyle continues to grow in popularity, and for good reason.

This step-by-step guide to homesteading is designed specifically for beginners who haven’t purchased land yet, but are eager to start building the skills and mindset needed for a more self-sufficient life.

wildflowers in a bucket, part of homesteading is learning how to grow plants.

If you’re already living on your dream property, don’t worry—I’ve got a separate post just for that.

But if you’re still in the dreaming, planning, or prepping phase? You’re in the right place.

Homesteading isn’t just about living off the land. It’s about reclaiming forgotten skills, nurturing the environment, and creating a life rooted in purpose and sustainability. And here’s the best part—you don’t need 40 acres and a tractor to get started.

This beginner-friendly homesteading checklist and printable will walk you through 10 actionable steps to help you start living the homestead lifestyle right where you are—whether that’s a small apartment, suburban backyard, or rental home.

Step One

Define What Homesteading Means to You

Homesteading isn’t one-size-fits-all and it has a lot to do with your mindset.

For some, it’s going off-grid, prepping for unseen hardships, for others, it’s a backyard garden and a few hens or just learning to preserve their produce from the farmers market.

Two goats trying to give kisses to my little nephew. Define what homesteading means to you. — My nephew getting kisses from our goats.

Just starting and not sure what Homesteading means to you, Read my post on The Modern Homesteading Mindset to help you define what homesteading means to you.

My definition of homesteading

is preparing enough food ourselves by growing, raising, preserving, hunting, and foraging so we do not have to rely upon store-bought food. We still do buy at our local grocery store, there are certain pantry staples I cannot make and we have to purchase them.

I also believe in being able to be self-sufficient as possible, I like to say we are prepared. We are not hoarders or doomsday preppers, but I am prepared for a zombie apocalypse if it were to happen. Major fan of The Walking Dead here.

My son and our horse William. Enjoying the benefits of living on a farmstead or homestead. — My son and William

We can handle whatever turmoil this world decides to throw at us, I’m not talking down to people who are doomsday preppers, they have their reasons, just like we have ours. You do never know what’s going to happen in the future, we may all be really happy to have a doomsday prepper as a neighbor, fairly certain I have a few.

So first step start by writing down what your definition of homesteading is.

Write down your vision.
What will your house look like?
How many Acres do you need?
What kind of life do you want to create?
Do you want chickens for meat or eggs or both?
Do you want a dairy cow for fresh milk and cream?
Do you want to raise pigs or beef cattle so you can control your food source?
Do you just want to learn to preserve and grow vegetables?
Do you want to sew?
Do you want to make your own soaps and herbal medicines?
Do you want to forage for food?

This helps shape your goals and stay focused.

Step 2

Decide What type of homesteader you want to be

Yup, there are homesteading types, and deciding what type of homesteader you want to be plays a huge role in the skills you will need to learn and it also plays a major role in the amount of land you will need to purchase if you are going that route.

Urban Homesteaders

Yes, you can live in an urban area and homestead, I have talked to many who started this exact way and worked hard to reach their goal of owning land outside the city. But what if moving isn’t an option for you? Maybe you like your location, the people, and your job. It’s fine to stay where you are, and you can still be an Urban homesteader and make an impact. Read about how to Urban Homestead in my other blog post.

Bowl of farm eggs. A major step when starting a homestead is to start with what you have.

Modern Homesteading

I’d classify myself as a modern homesteader. I have a post on my blog here all about the Modern Homesteading Mindset, that would be good to read. I think a lot of us homesteaders fall into this category.

We still drive a car and use wi-fi, we purchase Doritos (not all the time!), and once in a while, I have to pick up fast food when I’m in town because I will not have time to cook when I get home.

I cook on a propane stove and own a wood pellet smoker. I still use plastic bags to freeze stuff in… there are certain things I cannot replace in my life or have not found a better alternative.

Making a slow change

There are some things I am slowly making the change to, we slowly changed from commercial bread products to all homemade last year, and this year I am slowly adding in fresh milled flour and will hopefully switch to 80% fresh milled by the end of the year. You can read about my journey down that path in future blog posts.

Making dumplings from scratch, one of the skills a homesteader should have is baking. — Some homemade dumplings

We are working on replacing paper products, personal care products, and harmful cleaning chemicals this year as well. Plastics will be the next to go, but I am going slowly.

But we do hunt deer, make our own sausage, grow two very large vegetable gardens, I water-bath and pressure can my produce, we raise beef cattle and butcher our grass-fed beef, I raise chickens for eggs and meat, we have dairy goats. When it comes to our food supply we are pretty self-sufficient.

I love to forage for wild berries to make jams and jellies and mushrooms, plus edible greens.

I’m learning as much as I can about herbal medicine. We also burn wood during the winter to help with heating costs.

There are tons of other homesteading skills I use also, Which I share on my Facebook page.

Traditional Homesteading

Now this is probably the hardest lifestyle choice of them all.

All your family members would have to be 100% dedicated to this choice.

Traditional homesteading would require off-the-grid living, using renewable energy sources.

This lifestyle would require you to be almost 90% self-sufficient. I can only dream about this type of homesteading there is no way my husband could live that way, he would probably have a mental meltdown. My kids would probably adapt better than him.

Traditional homesteading is different from the other kinds of homesteaders.

I have read about families that have successfully become traditional homesteaders and they never regret it.

The Prepper Homesteader

I couldn’t come up with a better explanation for this type. This is the homesteader that is ready for the fall-out, they have food prepped and in cold storage, they are prepared for worst-case scenarios, and can go off the grid with a minute’s notice.

They have plans for everything, they have detailed lists of all food and supplies, they are prepared.

Preppers are prepared for storms, a government invasion, zombies, aliens you name it, they are prepared. You want this homesteader to be your neighbor, just in case.

jars in a stocked pantry, one of the steps to beginning a homestead.

The most important thing is deciding what you want your homesteading journey to look like and breaking it down into manageable steps.

Start now, learn the skills, and work towards the homestead of your dreams. Anyone can do it and I have heard so many inspirational stories.

Step Three

Start Learning homesteading skills Now

There is no perfect time to start homesteading, you can wait till you have the perfect land and house, but sometimes that may take years and during those years you could have been learning the skills you need to live on that homestead.

So there is no better time than now, doesn’t matter where you live you can start your homestead journey now.

A large garden full of potatoes plants, anyone can start homesteading, its just a matter of starting now. — One of our large Gardens

Homesteading is a skill-based lifestyle. Read my 125 skills to learn when planning a homestead if you really want to level up your skill set.

Begin by learning essential skills like:

Canning and food preservation
Gardening
Soil Health
Composting
Baking from scratch
Cooking from scratch
Animal husbandry
Practice a more frugal lifestyle

You don’t have to wait until you “have land” to learn.

Grab my free

Free Homesteading Beginner Checklist

Get started with homesteading the easy way. Grab your printable checklist full of beginner-friendly steps and must-have skills—sent straight to your inbox!

In your free time, take classes, read books, join online forums, watch YouTube tutorials, find a homesteading community to join, or follow other homesteaders online.

Knowledge and skills are the most powerful tool that will help you reach your ultimate goal.

Step Four

Start Growing Something—Anything

Anyone can grow plants.

Whether it’s herbs on a windowsill or under grow lights, tomatoes on a balcony, or a small vegetable garden in your backyard—get your hands in the dirt.

Growing food teaches patience, observation, and stewardship.

A wagon full of garden produce. One step when starting as a homesteader. — Produce picked from my moms garden

Starting with a small garden will eventually lead to a large garden when you have your homestead, you want to be prepared and understand soil quality and how to prepare raised beds.

Step Five

Practice Cooking and baking from Scratch

One of the biggest shifts in homesteading is moving away from processed foods. The kitchen is the heart of every homestead, this is where you create, connect, and feed your family and loved ones.

Start by making your own bread (it doesn’t have to be sourdough) broth, or yogurt. These may be basic skills but they pay off in the long run, one less thing you have to purchase means one more step towards creating healthy and chemical-free food, a major step in your homesteading journey.

Beginners guide to homesteading involves learning to bake from scratch. — My not perfect sourdough loaves

Learn all you can about freshly milled flour and its many benefits and start saving for your own mill.

Learn to cut a whole chicken into pieces, and learn to utilize all parts of the animal.

Step Six

Start a well-stocked Pantry & learn to meal plan from that

Build your pantry with shelf-stable foods, bulk dry goods, and preserved items, or learn to preserve your own.

Having a well-stocked pantry is a habit that builds security, and confidence, helps reduce your grocery bill, plus it helps reduce trips to the store.

Learn what you can and can’t store for the long term, if your budget allows purchase the proper long-term storage containers for your pantry.

Green beans ready to be pressure canned, anyone can learn to preserve food, this is a great skill for beginner homesteaders. — Green beans from my mom’s garden that are ready to be pressure canned.

And any equipment needed to help build your food-preserving skills such as a dehydrator, large kettle for water-bath canning, a pressure canner, canning jars, etc.

Meal planning helps tremendously with grocery costs and being frugal, using what you have. So start the habit of knowing what you have in your pantry and freezers.

If you ever live in a rural area, you will need to rely upon your pantry and cold storage food items.

We buy in bulk and we have a ton of freezers and a huge pantry. I meal plan for the entire month based on what proteins I have in my freezer and pantry. Its one of the best habits to get started, using what you have.

Step Seven

Learn to Simplify and Reduce Waste

A core part of homesteading is learning to live with less and waste nothing. Get into the habit of reusing, repurposing, and reducing waste in your everyday life. Compost food scraps, mend torn clothing, and ditch single-use plastics whenever possible.

Learning to reuse eggshells is just a small step in the process of becoming a homesteader.

Even if you can’t start a compost pile just yet, take time to learn about composting and worm farming—you’ll be ahead of the game when you do have the space. Look into local composting programs, community gardens, or farmers markets that accept food waste.

Start decluttering by deep cleaning your home and donating or selling items that no longer serve a purpose. These small changes build a homesteading mindset no matter where you live, helping you live more intentionally and sustainably.

Step Eight

Save Money for your homestead & Pay Down Debt

A strong financial foundation gives you the freedom to pursue land and supplies when the time is right.

Create a budget, start a savings plan, and reduce unnecessary expenses. Every dollar saved is a seed planted in your future homestead. I recently talked to a homesteader who told me their family of 9 lived in a two-bedroom apartment for 9 years before they had enough saved to purchase their homestead dream.

One of the steps in starting a homestead is saving money to pay down on your dream homestead.

We lived in a trailer house for over 12 years before we had enough money to build a house.

This is probably the step that will take the most work and time, pick up a second job or learn to sell baked goods if your state allows.

Learn to budget, live on thrift store clothing, and be frugal it will pay off in the long run.

Having a strong financial situation will help you throughout life not just in your homesteading journey.

Step Nine

Look for Land (But Be Patient)

Start researching areas you’d consider living in. Think about zoning laws, access to water, local community, climate, and price. Join online homesteading communities—they’re often eager to help and may even point you toward land that fits your lifestyle.

If you plan to homeschool, keep in mind that some states are more homeschool-friendly than others. Be sure to research educational laws before choosing your location.

The pasture by the front yard of our homestead.

This is also where your homesteading vision becomes important. What farm animals are you planning to raise? Livestock like cows, goats, or even free-range chickens will need space to graze. Research how much acreage each species typically requires to ensure you’re choosing land that supports your goals.

Even if you’re not ready to buy just yet, browsing listings and understanding the local market will help you prepare for the moment your dream homestead becomes available.

Step Ten

Network With Other Homesteaders

Find local homesteaders, farmer’s markets, 4-H groups, local farmers, or Facebook communities. Connecting with others not only builds friendships but also gives you access to valuable mentorship and encouragement in your own homesteading journey.

My son standing by a tractor learning from his grandpa on the farm. — This is an old photo, but here my son is learning farming skills from his Grandpa.

I’ve never met a homesteader who tried to gatekeep the lifestyle. Most are generous with their knowledge and genuinely want to see others succeed. They’ll cheer you on, answer questions, point you in the right direction, and remind you that you’re not alone on the journey.

Start Where You Are, with what you have

You don’t need a big property or a barn full of animals to be a homesteader. You can live in an apartment and still bake sourdough, dry herbs on your windowsill, or make your own soap.

That’s the beauty of this lifestyle—it starts wherever you are.

A photo with text overlay reading " The beginners guide to homesteading, with free printable".

Homesteading is a mindset—a daily choice to do more with what you already have. It’s not about having everything figured out. It’s about learning, growing, and becoming more self-sufficient one step at a time.

Remember, homesteading is a journey—not a destination. It’s not about perfection, but about progress. Whether you’re planting herbs on a balcony or dreaming of chickens in your future backyard, every small action is a step toward your homesteading goals.

So grab that garden shovel, dust off that canning book, and start building your homestead today—right where you are.