Is Homesteading Worth It? Exploring Suburban Self-Sufficiency

If you’ve ever wondered about trading in your suburban lifestyle for a homesteading adventure, you’re in the right place. Today, we’re diving deep into the world of homesteading to answer the burning question: Is homesteading worth it?

We’ll explore the potential savings and earnings that come with suburban homesteading practices, and even find ways to make you some money. Let’s get started!

Table of Contents

Highlights

Savings from growing food depends on weather conditions, garden care, and what crops are planted.
Raising animals doesn’t save much cash, but their products can be sold for significant profits.
Cooking from scratch and making homemade natural products yields the highest savings among homesteading practices.
Green energy has high upfront costs but significant long-term savings.
Preserving food saves money by reducing food waste and trips to the grocery store.

What is Suburban Homesteading?

The term “suburban homesteading” refers to the practice of adopting self-sufficient and sustainable living principles within the confines of a suburban setting. It’s a harmonious blend of traditional homesteading values and modern urban (or suburban) living.

At Homesteading Suburbia, we believe the cornerstones of suburban homesteading are:

Does Growing Food Save Money?

The hope behind growing your own veggies and fruits is that you can cut down on grocery bills and enjoy the freshest produce. Plus, gardening can be a therapeutic hobby that rewards you with a bountiful harvest. But do vegetable gardeners really save any money?

The answer is: It depends.

The Costs of Growing Food

Gardening isn’t a free hobby, and on average, the cost to start a vegetable garden is typically around $250. Some of the most significant expenses to consider include:

Gardening soil
Planters or garden bed materials
Gardening tools
Fencing, chicken wire, and covers
Garden structures (e.g. trellises, tomato cages, stakes, etc.)
Organic fertilizer
Water
Seeds and/or seedlings

Typically, after the first year of buying reusable tools, fencing, and structures, you’ll start to see more savings.

According to Investopedia, the average vegetable gardener does see a return on investment. But not everyone does every year, and there are some factors that can diminish your savings, such as:

Droughts or incliment weather
Diseased crops
Neglected plants
Planting the wrong crops

How to Get the Highest Food Savings Out of Your Vegetable Garden

When it comes to choosing what you should plant, here are a few things to consider:

Plant food you’ll actually eat (i.e. if you don’t like kale, don’t plant it)
Plan meals around what you’re harvesting
Choose plants with high yield (e.g. tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, peppers, corn, wheat)
Opt for fruits and veggies that can be preserved through canning, dehydrating, or other preservation methods
Grow and preserve fresh herbs (these can get pricey at the store)
Tend your garden regularly by weeding, watering, pruning, and harvesting at the right times

Opting for drough and disease-resistant varieties will also help save you some money and heartache on dead plants down the road.

Does Raising Animals Save Money?

Raising animals often provides you with a yield of food. You can raise backyard chickens for eggs, engage in backyard beekeeping for honey, or even raise backyard goats for milk. But will you actually make (or even save) money in the long run?

How Much Does it Cost To Raise Chickens?

Keeping chickens isn’t a cheap endeavor. In fact, the startup costs of backyard chickens — including purchasing chickens, a chicken coop, food and water, bedding, etc. — can be up to $1,000 for the first year.

Related Article: Best Chicken Coops You Can Buy On Amazon

After that, you’ll spend an estimated $100 per year, per chicken to maintain your flock, and that’s if there are no surprise expenses like:

Damaged coop (DIY repairs come with minimal costs, but it’s at least $200 for a new coop)
Vet visits (at least $100 per visit)
Replacing chickens that pass away ($100-$200 for a single adult hen)

Chicken Egg Production vs. Store-Bought Eggs

With the current cost of grocery store eggs being about $3.50 per dozen on average, even if you consume two dozen eggs per week, you’ll only spend $364 annually on grocery store eggs.

Contrarily, if you raise chickens, each hen produces roughly six eggs per week, so you’d have to keep about four hens to produce two dozen per week. This will cost roughly $400 per year to maintain your small flock of four, which is, unfortunatley, more than the cost of eggs for the year.

The verdict? Raising chickens won’t have a significant ROI unless you sell your eggs (more on that later). It is, however, a fulfilling hobby that connects you with nature and provides you with ample food.

How Much Does Backyard Beekeeping Cost?

Having regular access to organic honey seems like a dream, but will you actually save any money with backyard beekeeping? The truth is, this increasingly popular hobby has some high price tags, and the estimated start-up cost ranges between $700-$1,300.

However, most of that cost comes into play only when you are starting your bee colony.

So, while the first year of beekeeping may cost roughly $1,000 on average, most following years will cost you less than $500, and that’s only if you choose to purchase liability insurance. Otherwise, beekeeping costs less than $100 per year after the first year.

How Much Will You Save On Honey?

The average American consumes about two 12oz jars of honey per year, so for a family of four, roughly 8 jars of honey will be consumed per year. With the average cost of a 12oz jar of honey averaging about $6 at the grocery store, the cost of beekeeping may not seem worth it when you do it just for supplementing your family’s food needs.

However, keep in mind that local honey is in high demand, so selling it would definitely turn a profit. Honey also makes for great gifts and has a variety of uses in the household.

Related Article: Cosmetic, Medicinal, and Other Uses for Honey

Does Cooking From Scratch Save Money?

Cooking from scratch isn’t just healthier, it’s also one of the biggest money-savers among all the homesteading skills. By making your own homemade pantry staples, sauces, and meals, you reduce the need for expensive pre-packaged options or eating out.

Meal Cost Breakdown

The average restaurant meal costs around $20 nowadays, and even those convenient meal delivery services average at about $12 per meal.

When you cook from scratch, your average meal will cost less than $5, depending on what exactly you’re cooking. According to Gitnux, Americans eat out roughly four times per week, so cooking from scratch could save a family of four up to $250 per week!

Which Homemade Staple Items Save Money (and which don’t)?

Admittedly, there are some pantry staples that save you more money than others when you cook them from scratch. A good example would be the savings comparison of homemade butter vs. homemade bread.

Does Making Homemade Butter Save Money?

For example, making homemade butter is a fun and satisfying project that gives you both butter and buttermilk in the end. However, one quart of heavy cream produces a pound of butter and a pint of buttermilk, and the cost of each of these items shows that homemade butter doesn’t save you a penny —

How Much Does Making Homemade Bread Save?

With other from-scratch recipes, however, the savings are significant. Making homemade bread, for example, yields savings of about $14 per month. This is especially true if you typically buy hearty whole-grain breads and if your family consumes at least one loave per week.

Does Natural Living Save Money?

Embracing natural living means using homemade cleaners, natural remedies, and reducing waste. This can lead to some significant long-term savings and peace of mind when it comes to your health.

For example, store-bought laundry detergent like the popular Tide Pods cost about $20 per package and often last only about 2-3 months if you’re doing about four loads of laundry per week.

A batch of DIY laundry detergent, however, costs around the same amount to make and it will last between 6 months and a year. That could amount to savings of up to $100 per year with homemade detergent!

Other similar ways to save big money with natural living include making homemade all-purpose cleaner and DIY natural cosmetics.

Does Green Living Save Money?

Americans spend, on average, over $400 per month on utilities. Energy-efficient practices like implementing solar energy and collecting rainwater can slash utility bills significantly. Green living, however, is an investment that grows with time, but it pays off in both financial and environmental terms.

Are Solar Panels Worth It?

On the high end of green home investments is solar energy. Installing solar panels can cost anywhere between $3,500 and $16,000, and according to EcoWatch, it takes about eight years on average for solar panels to pay for themselves.

This number takes into consideration any federal tax incentives as well as montly energy savings due to free solar energy being used.

How Much Money Does a Rain Barrel Save?

On the more budget-friendly side of green living is the practice of collecting rainwater. Some of the best rain barrels you can buy cost roughly $200 on average.

These are a great investment in the long run and they can quickly replace your dependence on the municiple water supply, especially for tasks that don’t require the water to be filtered:

Watering your garden
Hosing down walkways
Pressure washing your house
Providing your animals with drinking water

According to World Population Review, the average family of four uses 100 gallons of water per person per day, which costs roughly $75 per month. This means that if you’re able to filter your collected rainwater for household use, you could stand to save roughly $1,000 per year on your utility bill.

Does Preserving Food Save Money?

Preserving your harvest through canning, dehydrating, or fermenting prevents spoilage and extends the life of your food. This means fewer trips to the grocery store and more money saved!

Starting out with water bath canning supplies costs about $100.
A food dehydrater costs between $100 and $200.
A fermentation kit costs between $20 and $40.

The Real Truth: Is Homesteading Worth It?

In the end, whether homesteading is worth it depends on your values, goals, and commitment. While there are initial costs and a learning curve, the potential for savings, income, self-sufficiency, and a simpler lifestyle can be incredibly rewarding for both you and your wallet.

FAQs: Saving and Earning Money with Suburban Homesteading

How much space do I need to start homesteading?

You don’t need a ton of space to be a suburban homesteader. You can start small with a backyard garden and a few chickens. Apartment homesteading is even possible since a balcony can house a container garden!

Is homesteading time-consuming?

Initially, yes. But as you gain experience, you’ll find efficient ways to manage your homestead tasks.

Can I really make a living from my homestead?

While it might not replace a full-time job for everyone, many homesteaders successfully generate supplemental income through sales of produce, products, and more.