Homesteader Knowledge! Results of the #100khomesteadchallenge

Starting a Homestead!

About a week ago, I posted a challenge to the Steemit homesteading community on what every budding homesteader has on their mind... How and where do we start? My partner and I are finding that as we plan for our homesteading dream, we come up with more and more questions every day, and challenges to tackle, and we have barely just begun. Excited for our future but becoming a little overwhelmed, I reached out to the community and asked one simple question:

If you could start your Homestead over, completely from scratch, and you had a hypothetical budget of 100k US dollars in your pocket, how would you plan and prioritize?

With some points to consider:

What kind of priorities would you have or reconsider?
What kind of power would you use?
In what ways would you use this nest egg first?
How would you do your planning again, if you had the option?

I got a lot of great responses from homesteaders in the community, both in the comments of the original post (some real gems!) and as challenge entries, and almost as soon as I posed the challenge, @goldendawne generously offered to sponsor 2 additional SBD to the winner(s). She was almost as excited about the challenge as I was making it!

Without further ado, here were some of the amazing responses that we received.

@sagescrub

@thetreeoflife's 100k Homestead Challenge!! My response
https://steemit.com/ghsc/@sagescrub/thetreeoflife-s-100k-homestead-challenge-my-response

... it is better to start right away with what you have and where you live. Some people want to research every facet of homesteading and prepare themselves for every eventuality and only then are they ready to start. Not me... I want to start right away and learn from my small mistakes. I don't need to own land to Homestead! ~ @sagescrub

... What I loved about @sagescrub advice the most is that you can start homesteading right where you are at, even if you live in a rental or in the suburbs. It's never too early to live the life you dream.
I couldn't agree more!

@porters

If I Were To Do It All Again - A Responce to 100k Homestead Challenge...
https://steemit.com/ecotrain/@porters/if-i-were-to-do-it-all-again-a-responce-to-100k-homestead-challenge

I think it's also important to have a community that you can get along with, for in hard times if the community can come together there is a lot of strength in that. ~@porters

I love how @porters expressed the importance of community, and talked about earth burmed homes as well. She brings up some other good points as well!

@thistle-rock

If I had $100K!
https://steemit.com/100khomesteadchallenge/@thistle-rock/if-i-had-usd100k

... when we are young and eager with our whole lives ahead of us, full of excitement and eagerness, ability and imagination, plans and dreams... take a step back and look at the long-term picture.... live for today but plan for tomorrow and your ever after home will be the fairytale you dreamt of and the story you get to live. ~ @thistle-rock

She really touched on some good points (like the importance of a reliable water source, which will pretty much always be the first priority), but I loved how she brings up points beyond simple survival... Like personal goals, dreams, and something I hadn't really considered, which was age, and thinking long term. Will I still want to chop my own wood when I'm 80? Good question. @thistle-rock is also a new member to steemit, and I love how she writes, and her enthusiasm for sharing knowledge and getting involved.

@mountainjewel

Homestead Life: What We Would Do Differently with 100K at the Onset
https://steemit.com/100khomesteadchallenge/@mountainjewel/homesteadlifewhatwewoulddodifferentlywith100kattheonset-rao46d1si6

@mountainjewel had alot of awesome insights to share, as well as beautiful photos. She brings up some other points beyond basic needs, such as taking our time to learn about the land we choose and letting it speak to us.

Move into the place first. Spend a full 4 seasons there. Let the land talk to you. Let your dreams mingle with your place, its people, wildlife, energetics and the specific piece of land you’re on.
I believe in collaboration and synchronicity and that we aren’t only here to establish our dreams on a blank slate (there is no such thing), but to interact with the web of life of which we find ourselves a part. We aren’t humans with a green backdrop, so as you think about establishing yourself somewhere, leave room for that somewhere to establish you. ~ @mountainjewel

I loved reading every entry, and I hope those who read this post take a moment to check them all out. Great nuggets of insight, and years and years of experience. Thank you for everyone who participated in the challenge, as well as @goldendawne for sponsoring, and all those who commented as well (you all know I love the comment interaction here!!)
It was hard to choose winners, so I decided to divvy it up, 1 each SBD to @thistle-rock, @sagescrub, and @mountainjewel, and a HUGE thank you to @porters for her participation as well.

Thanks all, hope you enjoyed this challenge!

Xx the Tree of Life