IS HOMESTEADING LIKE PREPPING?

Homesteading or Prepping

Many people consider homesteading and prepping to be the same thing. They are actually quite similar. Sure, the path of each community is distinctly different, but the end goal is the same: survival. 
One big difference between homesteading and prepping, is that homesteaders tend to use a lot of what they have in stock. Preppers keep long-term food stores and rotate their stock only when it’s about to expire, or in the event of an emergency situation.

Homesteaders and preppers probably have more in common than we think, and there is often some overlap between the two lifestyles. ​

Many homesteaders are not preppers by intention but are prepared as a result of their lifestyle.  A garden, livestock, orchards and off-grid lifestyle give them a degree of self-sufficiency.  While preppers do not have to be homesteaders, they can teach us a great deal.  

Homesteaders know that they need to prepare for the winter and even extremely hot summers, making sure they have a lot of food and yes water on hand, and they also need to provide plenty of food and resources to keep their family and animals healthy, happy, and well fed. The remote locations of most homesteads make access to services and outside resources difficult. So in many cases they must be able to provide for themselves.

Preppers are generally urban, suburban, or city-dwellers who believe the likelihood of a disaster of some kind exists and make active preparations to survive through it. A lifestyle in which a person stockpiles supplies such as water, food, medical supplies, and other tools to be prepared for emergencies or disastrous times. ​

In times of uncertainty, in the event of a natural disaster, or a complete economic breakdown it’s important to know that you and your family have enough food and water to get by, as well as having the ability to stay safe and sound. Heavily populated areas have an added danger of panic and hysteria amid disaster as food and water resources have potential to dwindle over time.

At a glance, these two lifestyles seem worlds apart. But in practice, their mindsets are very similar.  

​HOMESTEADING IS HARD WORK

Homesteaders have land and/or access to natural resources. A homestead usually will have land for gardening, raising livestock, space to store equipment, a workshop to build what is needed. 

​This means that a homestead will more likely be a rural or remote location.

Having land as a resource provides homesteaders with an opportunity to  be self-sufficient when it comes to food. 

For example, if you grow a lot of Fruits and Vegetables on your land, and you end up having too much to sell or even give away, are you going to throw them away? Absolutely not! Instead, you're going to preserve the fresh food so it can be enjoyed later in the year. 

Canning, fermenting, preserving, dehydrating and freeze drying are all good methods of preparing food to eat at a later date. 

This form of self-sufficiency was born out of necessity as farmers needed ways to survive through winters and extreme summers without access to year-round fresh produce found in today’s grocery stores. 

Most preppers, on the other hand, aren’t going to have a herd of cattle or other livestock, or even rows and rows of crops. They are more likely going to have small livestock, like Chickens or Rabbits, and a smaller seasonal raised bed garden.

For those with a prepper mindset who live in heavily populated areas, the need for preparation is just as great as a homesteader. Taking steps to store food, water and other provisions allows preppers to endure most disasters. ​

In our case, a garden is not intended to sustain us on a daily basis.  It is intended to supplement our stored preps and if SHTF in a major way, you can bet we would have the ability to expand it for our immediate and possibly future needs.  One saying goes “Preppers don’t plant it, they buy it and store it”.

In my opinion – and let’s face it, this entire article is just my opinion – a big difference between prepping and homesteading is that homesteading is more of an ongoing daily task.  Prepping can be done a little at a time.  Also, a Prepper can say,  “OK, I’m as prepared as I need to be.”  From that point forward much of the immediate prep is done and they can maintain their level of preparedness by tweaking, rotating, restocking, and enhancing.  In fact, there may be months or years when life has interfered and they have to stop actively prepping, yet they feel they are still prepared.

Homesteaders, on the other hand, cannot stop working without losing much of their investment because homesteading is a day ongoing. Homesteading in some instances can have a shorter shelf life than Prepping, but it can be more sustainable. A Homesteader as a rule, if you run out of preps and if you are able to grow it or raise it on your homestead, you will always be in control of your preps.

FOOD

​Homesteaders and Preppers can supplement their food supplies by hunting, fishing, or gardening.

​However Preppers get their major source of food primarily at a grocery store and through companies that provide long-term survival food.

Homesteaders may buy some staples from a grocery store, but the bulk of their food comes from their property and surrounding land. ​

​This is accomplished through hunting, fishing, gathering wild edibles, trapping, growing food, and raising livestock.

One of the goals of homesteading is to develop a relationship with God, the land and Mother nature to obtain a healthy source of food while not being dependent on others. 

From start to finish, a homesteader knows how their food is grown and what it has been exposed to. This puts the power of their food into their own hands.

GENERAL SUPPLIES

As for food supplies, Preppers buy the bulk of their supplies from a store or online businesses.

Yes, they may try their hand at a DIY project here and there, but most of what they have on hand was purchased ready made. ​

Homesteaders will buy some items from a store but are more likely known to make or build what they want or need.  

​Remember, homesteading is about being self-reliant and not dependent on others.

​While making your own food and supplies could be a part of the lifestyle, it may also be a necessity depending on how remote the homestead property can be.

For example, a homestead could be located a few miles outside of the city limits or it could be hours from the nearest town or city. 

Sometimes it is not an option to simply jump into the car and make a quick trip to the store. So instead, a homestead will have basic food items, or even supplies needed to build what is needed, or even make minor repairs. ​

DAILY LIFE

​Some preppers are so hardcore, and they combine prepping with their daily routine.

But many preppers are passive in that they focus on buying supplies, store them, and go about their life. ​

​Prepping may also just be one small aspect of their life or even a hobby.

Homesteading requires dedication as a daily way of life because there may be so much to do. 

This can include building or property maintenance, tending to a garden, and or livestock, chopping wood, canning food, and many other daily tasks. ​

A true homestead is not a hobby or something that can be tucked away in a closet somewhere and forget about. It is there all day, everyday and night.

CURRENT AFFAIRS

To be as prepared as possible, many preppers stay tuned into local, national, and worldwide news as much as possible.

​People who choose to homestead do so, in part, due to its simplicity and have been known to disconnect themselves from modern society.

That coupled with the physical labor involved means that a homestead may not be as connected as much to the rest of the outside world. 

THE POWER GRID

Extreme Preppers try to be Off-grid, but many may have some form of grid power, although it may sometimes be for a limited amount of use. ​

Extreme Prepper power needs may be produced from a generator, solar panels, wind turbine, or a small hydroelectric generator. ​

Homesteaders have been known to maintain somewhat of a normal lifestyle by staying connected to the power grid when possible. They have appliances, computers, lights, heating, and air conditioning. ​

Homesteaders will also have an alternative power source for emergencies, but they do not necessarily depend on them for everyday use. 

USING SKILL SETS

Preppers like to acquire knowledge about being self-sufficient or anything that pertains to a SHTF survival situation. But many of those skills are usually practiced in ideal conditions. ​

The knowledge that a Prepper tries to obtain is really used daily by most Homesteaders, simply because it is a part of their daily lifestyle, sourcing natural materials, land navigation, tracking animals, and preparing for adverse weather conditions almost every day. 

COMMON GOAL

As different as homesteading is from prepping, there is one common goal between them.

And that is the desire to not be dependent on others.

Preppers know that bad things can and do occur. And when that happens, they know they are the only ones solely responsible for the safety and wellbeing of themselves as well as their loved ones. ​

​Homesteading takes a similar approach that applies to a broader range of topics. By having a renewable food source, water, and the ability to produce their own power, it is more difficult for a homestead to be “cut off” from the necessities of life.

I hope this article helped show the differences between being a Homesteader and a Prepper. 

I am sure there will be some people who disagree with some of the comparisons I have made. 

And that's okay. ​

Thank you for reading and stay tuned for another article from Us. ​​

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