So, I drafted this post over six months ago. That might tell you about the state of things in my inbox, comments, and the blog in general. When Anders asked the following on our facebook page I wondered if anyone else had the same questions.

Q: How did you do it? How did you get yourself to the point where you had a 300 sq ft home on land? Were you in any debt before hand? My husband and I are trying to get out of debt ASAP so we can live our dream of land and a small home…we feel like we are spinning our wheels and have no clue what to do first…I know this is a lot of questions..lol But I would love to hear your journey and how you were able to get to where you are….

In case someone does, and in case this might help or encourage someone, I thought I’d start a random Q&A series here on our journey.

Well, the short answer is by God’s grace because, looking back, sometimes it seems like it was impossible. But I will back up and start from the beginning.

We were in debt before hand. I had student loans from college which Stewart took on as a reverse dowry when he married me. I wish I was kidding.

We knew we needed to homestead and we prayed for a way to make it happen by the time our eldest son was five. We didn’t know if we would make it by then, but we tried to be as diligent as possible in paying off those loans and saving enough to buy a couple of acres so that we could avoid going into debt again.

So between 2005 and 2011 we paid it all off. During that time I predominantly worked as a stay-at-home mom. So, on one income we paid off $25,000 and saved enough to get started modestly.

I don’t think there’s one “right” way to do it, but I personally think paying off existing debt and avoiding any debt going forward is hugely important. If you can do that, minimize any expenses on things like electricity or other monthly bills, then you have the option of living on very little income.

And living on very little income gives you the option to do what you need to with your time.

That is what we have chosen to do. We were willing to live ruggedly and build from the ground up. We had actually planned to live in a tent for a little while to get started, but a camper came our way at a price we couldn’t refuse so we started there.

We have prioritized food production over a larger, more comfortable living space (for now) and we have prioritized our time over the things that we might be able to buy if we spent more of our time working off the homestead.

So, our four-part process has looked something like this:

1. Pay off loans with one income while I scrimp and save by doing things like cloth-diapering, scratch cooking, gardening, etc.
2. Buy only as much land as you can afford and can reasonably develop within a few years.
3. Start your homestead from scratch with only the basics of water, shelter, waste disposal, etc.
4. (What we’re currently in the beginnings of): Build up your food production through sustainable means, create infrastructure like water catchment and root cellars, and then eventually build a larger (maybe underground) home that will double as food processing area/homeschooling central/office & workshop area.

But, obviously, there is more than one way to skin a cat as they say.

So, how have you made the jump towards sustainable living?

A while back Stewart started planting small test patches of cover crops and food fodder crops around the property. Somehow, on those days, we all seem to drop most everything else we’re doing to gather, kneel down in the dirt, poke holes, and plant seeds.

There’s just something about playing in the dirt that attracts all age groups.

So Belle and I headed out to join the big and little men at a corner of the property where we have put in some swales and planted nitrogen-fixing autumn olives.

The plan was to plant a bunch of Sunn Hemp around the swales to see how they would do. This is a potential fodder crop for goats and we wanted to see how well it would do on a patch of land that I lovingly refer to as the face of the moon.

Everyone got in on it, poking holes with sticks, dropping seeds, waiting for rain. And eventually it came up, though it doesn’t look spectacularly healthy.

Also planted in various patches around the land are buckwheat, hairy vetch, and clover. We’re hoping to continue to throw seeds out when rain is in the forecast and, if the chickens don’t eat them, we’ll most likely practice a chop and drop technique.

Something about these days where we’re all working together on a project just makes my heart overflow with gratitude for this little family, this little piece of land, and this precious time we spend together, sowing.

What are you sowing these days?