On our homestead we started with a mutual agreement on workload duties. Why?
We believe many look at homesteading as a concept … it can be romantic (or so we think it will be), however, they do not follow it through as to “who is going to do the work” and “how much work is there?”
Homesteads can be a lot of work. Who is going to do what? Very critical aspects to define. We would suggest you definitely do this beforehand. This way all parties are aware of the expectations and are in agreement. We both wanted the homestead and what it could give to us and for our lives, however, the expectations still need to be discussed. If you are a family, and your expectations are for your children to naturally want to help, you really should “think-again” and revisit this and discuss with everyone. Do you have a spouse who “doesn’t like to get dirty or deal with animal manure or better yet … putting in fencing (back-breaking hard work)?” If you are unsure about the workload and tasks, again, we would suggest you revisit this and discuss.
When we first purchased the property we both had full-time jobs outside of the homestead. Teresa left the corporate world at the end of 2019, and now works (part-time) from home within our businesses. Gord works outside of the home. So naturally the expectations became for Teresa to look after many of the day-to-day tasks. A great aspect in our situation is Gord being a red-seal carpenter. He has talents that are so helpful when you try to have this type of lifestyle. Our deal/agreement then became Gord would build it, then Teresa will take over and maintain. For eg. Gord built the chicken coops … Teresa deals with looking after the chickens, the cleaning, maintenance etc. Don’t get us wrong Gord will help when times are tough and/or Teresa is struggling or he just feels like helping, however the day-to-day expectations are not there.
Are there times that this doesn’t work perfectly? Absolutely! Re-read that part … absolutely! There are many on social media who portray the perfect images, the perfect situations, but is this realistic? Not in our world. I am sure at various times we both begrudge the other for not assisting, but most of the time all works out as expected. Teamwork is also a good expectation when necessary, for example processing days where we need to travel … we both are in the plan full force or the goats need to be taken to another location for breeding. I am sure you get the idea.
Places to start … setup a plan. Giving priorities and steps to adding items to your homestead and where to begin. Are you in an apartment and want to start with a herb garden in your window availability? Are you on a 1 acre lot and you want to start an outdoor garden? Are you on a plot of land with some acreage and want to start with chickens? It is easier to have a plan and go from there. Trying to implement everything all at once can be extremely difficult and honestly … many fail as it is too overwhelming. Task-by-task learning and having a comfort level first before proceeding allows you to enjoy the tasks and see what works for your lifestyle.
Because of these agreements and expectations you will notice certain aspects of the website and our journey show the documentation from Teresa’s perspective due to the facts above.