Blogging about homesteading wasn’t what I expected it to be! After two years, the only thing I know for sure is that I’ve learned a lot!
Two years ago, I hit “publish” on the blog that you are reading today. I was exhilarated and terrified all at the same time!
Most of all, I had no idea what I was doing! While I had a little background in blogging and websites on a purely hobby level, this was a big leap into the unknown! This was also about the same time that I hit “publish” on our homestead and jumped into this strange and wonderful new life. The two seemed to go perfectly hand-in-hand, so it only made sense that I would blog about homesteading.
Why I started blogging:
I’m going to be completely honest with you: my intentions in starting the blog were largely driven by money.
Yup. I got sucked in by the “Quit your job and blog for a living” headlines. I read constantly for almost a year about how to make money from a blog before I started. Frankly, it all sounded a bit too good to be true, but I didn’t care. At the time, I was in a job that didn’t fulfill me and I was looking for an out.
In a similar way, I also jumped into homesteading as a form of escape. I wanted out of the rat race. I was convinced that homesteading and blogging were the answers to my problems. I published the blog about 6 months after we put a “For Sale” sign in the yard of our suburban home and moved to a larger country property.
I was hoping that we’d be “living the dream” within months.
Yeah… that didn’t work out.
The beginning 6-8 months of the blog were far from paradise. I spent a lot of time wrapped up in my own mind, worried about everything that I wasn’t: I wasn’t an expert, I wasn’t an author, I didn’t have credentials of any kind. So why on earth would someone want to pay me to learn about homesteading? I worried about my SEO rankings and my page views. I felt uninspired and couldn’t come up with topics to write about.
Blogging is a lot of work! There are about a million tiny details that have to be completed for each and every post. There’s also the site to maintain, social media channels to post on and newsletters to send out on a regular basis so that your readers don’t forget who the heck you are. Oh, and you have to create valuable and truly helpful content if you actually want those readers to stick around. Everything about blogging requires a good amount of time, creativity and emotion.
The other big problem that I was experiencing is that I was getting blogging advice from bloggers whose primary focus was to make money. During this time (and still currently) most of the blogging advice came from bloggers who blog about making money by blogging to teach other bloggers how to make money by blogging. Huh?! These are people who have probably never even touched a chicken in real life! I was listening to people who were totally un-relatable to me and the entire purpose of my blog!
Similarly, we had no idea what we were doing as homesteaders. We grew up in the country and have professional and educational backgrounds in caring for animals, but a lot of things were completely new to us! It was hard. Trees and plants died. Animals died. And that bramble bush from hell just kept growing back! We struggled to balance the homestead and work full-time. We also had no support system. At the time, “Homesteading” was still a very foreign term to most and there weren’t as many resources as there are now.
I was burning out quickly.
And then, I almost quit writing the blog.
Why? Because blogging for money wasn’t fun. I was burned out on blogging and I was starting to feel like a homesteading failure as well.
But then, something wonderful happened: I fell in love with my readers.
A few readers reached out to me and genuinely thanked me. ME. The person who thought I was doing everything wrong! I was so taken aback! How could anyone like the blog?! I didn’t even like the blog at the time! That’s when it all started to click: the money (or lack of money) didn’t make the blog successful or unsuccessful.
I was helping people!
The feeling of elation I got from that realization changed everything. And, slowly, I began to fall back in love with blogging. And homesteading.
Everything shifted…
I switched my focus from making money to making friends and supporting others. I stopped focusing on page views and instead started focusing on conversations. I gave up trying to be an expert (thank God!) and just started genuinely sharing my story in hopes that it would help someone, somewhere.
Most importantly, I stopped reading blogging advice from the so-called “experts” and started doing it my own way instead. And I decided that if I’m going to make money blogging someday, I’m going to do that on my own terms, too!
Speaking of money: Blogging is a moderately expensive hobby. There’s hosting fees, fees for your mailing list, fees for your email address, etc. I make a little bit of money here and there through affiliate links, but it is no where near what I pay each month in blog operating costs. I would love if the blog could at least pay for itself (which is my goal for this year). That way, the money that I usually budget for the blog can be used for our homesteading projects instead. Or I could use it to buy more goats…. because that’s probably what will happen anyway! 😉
Could someone set up a blog and have it start generating money within a couple of months? Absolutely! And people do it all the time. But that method didn’t work for me.
Homesteading is the same way. You can’t rush it or do it to be a huge success or to make a lot of money. In fact, you’ll probably end up investing more than you ever re-coup. Could you set up a homestead and have it start generating an income right away? Yep. But you have to be very careful that you don’t forget to nurture the earth and yourself in the process or a burn-out will be inevitable.
I do believe that there are a lot of opportunities to profit from blogging. But I don’t think it happens in the way that most people think that it happens. Blogging takes time. It’s not a get rich quick business. Laying a proper foundation, building an audience and connecting with readers takes time. It also takes time to figure out what the heck you’re doing as a blogger and to develop your unique style and niche.
The blog has allowed me to have some amazing opportunities, though! I am now a contributor on two Mother Earth News sister-sites (Community Chickens and Homestead Hustle), and my chicken coop was recently featured in Country Sampler Magazine.
Someday I want to write a couple of books, and I finally feel confident that this could be a reality because of my experience and the connections I’ve built while blogging. These are opportunities that I wouldn’t have had without the blog. Most of all, blogging brings amazing people into my life from all around the world – people that I get to learn from and learn with!
Just like my blog, my homestead is nowhere near the level that I want it to be yet. It’s not as big or polished as what I dream about. I have big dreams, but it takes a lot of work and time to get there… both with the blog and the homestead. Along the way, I’m finding that it allows me to have opportunities and experiences that I wouldn’t have had without it.
Blogging and homesteading are a lot alike.
They’re both a lot of work… a labor of love. They’re passion projects… not money projects. The “growth phase” for both projects is never ending.
In the same way that I wasn’t failing as a blogger because my site didn’t generate 6 figures in 6 months, I’m not a failing as a homesteader because we weren’t off-grid, growing all our own food within a couple years. And the same thing applies to you!
Whether it’s homesteading or blogging, you have to do it in your own way and you have to make it your own to find the beauty in it. And you can’t do it alone – we need each other! We need our community in order to be inspired and supported, whether that community is a neighbor or someone halfway across the world.
So why did I keep blogging?
For all the same reasons that I keep homesteading.
If you like it then you better put a pin on it!
Hey Kaylee,
Love this article!
I can really relate to it. Blogging is a stressor for. I have been at it for a while now, more like playing catch up. I can never keep it updated.
This article is by far the most real blog I read about blogging. Its not about the money, and if is I should quit while I am ahead.
Just stopping by and checking out a few things on your blog. It has been a while since I have been to your site.
So glad you stopped by! Your blog is wonderful! And if it brings you joy, keep going! If not, make a change of some sort so that you can enjoy it (at least the majority of the time). And, hey, we’re all in this together, so if you ever need some extra support, let me know! 🙂
Thank you so much for writing this honest post! I recently started a blog about homesteading and I too am not an expert in any particular field but just wanted to start writing about what I love.
Also, there are SO many bloggers writing about blogging giving advice that doesn’t measure up to the reality of blogging. I’ve been at this for 3 months and I haven’t seen any profit. I’m ok with that though because I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished thus far.
Excellent post and you have another follower!
Thank you, Dana! Sometimes, I feel like we hear a lot of what people think we want to hear! But it’s important to hear true experiences from a lot of different people. It does get easier for sure! Keep going and you will find your rhythm and your people! Let me know if there’s ever anything you need – even if it’s just a word of encouragement! 🙂
Love This!
I don’t have a blog but am constantly being told I should…I have days of inspiration where I want to and then chicken out pretty quick. Maybe one day, projects on our homestead really need all my focus right now.
I love your blog though, it is one I found early on in our journey and the yearly homesteading journal is my favorite, and very well loved and used in our little operation.
Thanks for being awesome!
Blogging really is an interesting thing! There’s such a fine line when you put yourself out there publicly, but I can honestly say that it’s one of the things I’m very proud to have followed through on in life! If you do decide to start a blog, do it for you and make it something you enjoy! It’s wonderful to have a hobby that you can love, that you can share with others, and that can maybe even make a bit of money here and there once it’s established. Also, if you start one, be sure to let us know! 😉
What a great post! I just started blogging about our acreage a few months ago. My motivation was 3 fold. First was to keep moving forward with projects that needed to be done. The second was to help others who are struggling with the same things that we were. And last was to make money in the process. I only have about 10 posts so far so I don’t even feel like I’ve started yet. I love that your posts feel like a friend giving advice rather than a list of facts with no personality. I’m so glad I found your blog and can’t wait to read more!
Hi Stephanie! I’m so glad you dropped by! I’m excited to follow your blog and your homestead progress! Bees are something we want to dive into within the next year or two so I’m glad to see you have some good info for a newbie like me! Also, your koi pond looks soooo fab! Ugh I want one now. Thanks for that! LOL!
I love this! My blog is tiny, my homestead is a baby. My reasons are a bit different than most, but I have been refreshed and encouraged by your post. I have some acres in the woods where I invite veterans to enjoy the beauty of the land and play with the farm animals. A place where they can feel safe. I have to choose my words in order to maintain their privacy and it’s the best job I’ve ever had in all is my 60 years!
There is nothing wrong a tiny blog and baby homestead – as long as you are happy and satisfied! I love your mission for your homestead! I’m sure that your homestead will be a restful and healing place for many people and I’m not sure what could be more important than that! Keep up the great work!
I know this is an old post but…thank you for this! Me and my sister have recently started homesteading and decided to start a blog. This was beautiful and inspirational! Thank you so much.
Thank you, Rose! It’s still very true. Blogging is a lot of work! But I am so glad that I stuck with it! It’s given me amazing opportunities to connect with people all over the world and to help them learn and grow their skills. Nothing beats that feeling! 🙂 Best of wishes to you and you’re sister with your homestead and your blog. If you ever need support, feel free to reach out!
Great article and all of it true. Homesteading is definitely a process and it takes patience. I find blogging about it helps me see that I Am making progress – despite failures, lack of time, lack of money, lack of experience ….
Thank you. I definitely agree that it’s a fantastic way to chronicle the journey! I love looking back at the older photos and posts and I’m so glad that I have them. I wish you all the best with both your blog and your homestead in 2022!
I really needed this post this morning. Around 2 years ago my husband and I bought a run down farmhouse and a chunk of land and I got the bright idea that blogging and homesteading was going to be our future. Like you I have listened to all of the “experts” and have lost some of my drive and passion after two years. I blog because I love writing, but that is easily overlooked when you feel like you can’t get ahead or that you can’t even really pay for yourself. Homesteading isn’t easy, and luckily there is a movement happening where people are taking back their freedom to grow their own food and experience life on their own terms so I do have a community for support, but it can still feel very lonely and overwhelming some days. Because you just can’t ever seem to really figure it out. But I appreciate your realness in this post bc I bet there are a lot more that feel or have felt this way. The important thing is to keep moving towards your goals.