Angie Marie There’s a strange ache that settles in your chest when you know where you’re meant to be… but you’re not quite there yet. I’ve felt it deeply these past 3 years before we moved onto our homestead. Ever since we bought our land, my heart had been living on that little patch of Kentucky soil, even while my body was still tucked into full-time RV life.
And if I’m being honest with you (and with myself), I let that longing steal a bit of my spark. I felt unmotivated, uninspired, and frustrated that we weren’t already living the homestead life I’ve been dreaming of for so long. But here’s what I realized recently…
This waiting season isn’t a setback, it’s training ground.
God isn’t wasting a single day of our in-between. The simple, sometimes uncomfortable life we’re living right now is preparing us for the exact future we’re praying for. RV living had stretched us, humbled us, and strengthened us in ways we depended on when we stepped foot onto our land permanently.
And here’s the part that lifted the fog for me:
You don’t have to be on a homestead to start homesteading.
There are so many skills you can learn right where you are—skills that keep your passion alive and shape who you’ll be when you finally plant roots. Below are the exact things I’ve been working on lately, and I hope they light a fire under your dream just like they did for mine.
1. Learn to Forage
Foraging became one of the most surprising joys of my year. You don’t need acres and a farmhouse to learn what’s growing around you. You just need curiosity and a good pair of shoes.
Parks, public forests, roadside edges, neighbors’ land (with permission). All of these places are classrooms if you slow down long enough to look.
Start with easy-to-identify plants:
- Wild blackberries
- Elderberry
- Goldenrod
- Persimmons
- Pine
- Plantain
Learning what grows naturally around you now means that when you’re walking your future homestead one day, you’ll already know what treasures God placed there.
2. Learn to Belong to a Homestead Community
Homesteading was never meant to be a one-person show. Long before we had tractors and Pinterest boards, folks survived by helping and teaching one another.
Even if you’re not living on your land yet, you can still build your people:
- Follow and connect with other homesteaders on Instagram.
- Visit farmers’ markets and chat with local growers.
- Join online groups focused on your region.
- Attend local workshops or farm tours.
Your community may start digitally, but those friendships will carry you through seed failures, first harvests, and the hard days when everything feels uphill. Community is a homestead skill so don’t skip it.
3. Learn to Repurpose and Reuse
If homesteading had commandments, “Thou shalt not waste” would be one of them.
Learning to repurpose isn’t just about saving money. It’s about shifting your mindset from consumer to creator. Practice with small things:
- Thrift your clothes instead of buying new
- Reuse jars and containers
- Turn old wood into shelves or planters
- Mend instead of tossing
- Paint, patch, build, repurpose
The more you train yourself to see potential instead of problems, the more natural self-reliance becomes.
4. Learn to Garden—Even Without a Garden
You don’t need a big backyard or raised beds to grow your own food. Some of the most determined homesteaders I know learned their greatest gardening lessons from:
- 5-gallon buckets
- Windowsill herbs
- Repurposed totes
- Indoor grow lights
- Community garden plots
Plant something…anything.
A tomato, a pot of basil, a single pepper plant. Each season, grow one new thing.
By the time you’re standing on your own land, you’ll already have seasons of experience under your belt.
5. Learn to Cook from Scratch
The kitchen is the heart of every homestead no matter the size.
Even in our RV, I learned to:
- Make bone broth
- Bake bread
- Can small batches
- Ferment veggies
- Make yogurt
- Cook seasonally
- Stretch ingredients
You don’t have to master everything today (or ever), but the skills you practice now become second nature when your pantry is full of food you grew with your own two hands.
6. Learn to Make Do With What You Have
This one is equal parts humbling and empowering.
Instead of buying something new automatically, ask:
Can I fix it?
Can I make it?
Can I repurpose something I already have?
Homesteading teaches you resourcefulness, and there’s no better time to practice than before you’re knee-deep in projects on your own land.
Try making:
- Homemade cleaners
- Dinners from pantry scraps
- Repairs to clothing
- Alternatives to disposable products
Each small act strengthens your homesteading mindset.
Your Homestead Journey Starts Now
The biggest misconception about homesteading is that you need land, livestock, or a farmhouse to get started.
But the truth is simple:
Homesteading begins the moment you decide to live differently.
Learn from books, classes, master gardeners, your local extension office, and your farmer’s market neighbors. Watch, listen, study, and try. Let the dream shape your everyday life and little by little, you’ll grow into the kind of person who thrives on a homestead.
Whether you’re living in a high-rise apartment, a borrowed room, an RV, or a home you’re planning to leave one day… your homestead journey has already begun.
And I’m right there with you.
If you’re walking this road too, come say hello on Instagram. Let’s follow each other’s journeys and build a community that grows strong: rooted in hope, hard work, and the kind of faith that carries us through the in-between.
Your dream is worth tending.
And every skill you learn today becomes a seed for tomorrow.
