I live in a city and yet trully feel a calling towards homesteading. My house was originally a homestead property. I would appreciate any advice from others that have or are city homesteaders. My first objective is to rid myself of dependence on the power company, telephone, etc. I am even planning on extracting the electrical service from my house (bad idea?). Further, I am purchasing a woodburning cookstove for heat and cooking.

I am discovering that there are some benefits of being in the city;I can walk five minutes to many things that I do want to keep: library, theater, farm market, etc. If anyone can further assist/educate me, I would certainly appreciate it. Thanks!

-- (arbitrage@usa.com), December 05, 2001

Answers

being in the city,, most cities require utility hook ups,, also think about if you ever want to sell it,, will you be able to without them ? I had rabbits and even bees in the suburbs once,, you can garden, can your own foods,, shop at farmers markets,, tunr off the lights if you want,, ect

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), December 05, 2001.

I don't know if this applies to your family..but if you have children...please don't unhook from power. It can be misused to be neglecting your children. (not in my opinion...but by the powers that be) I know its a requirement for folks to have power, running water and a few other "essentials" to keep children in CA. May not apply to you, but I would keep it in mind if it does. Every state is probably different too. I would turn off lights, etc..all I wanted and just keep it hooked up. I think it would be a great experiment....just not using the available power. My husband, however would never go for it. Not now anyway. We lived it town...not a city..a town of 16,000, and I had chickens, ducks, rabbits and a little angora goat. I have a couple freinds with goats in town, actually. There is quite alot you can do and still be in town. Canning and dehydrating you can do anywhere, and gardening for sure. If you don't have much space you can always have rabbits..they are silent..and raise a garden in buckets or raised beds....its fun to see what you CAN do in town. Although I am very happy out in the country, and don't plan to go back to town....I know I could do it and still homestead. Good luck!

-- Jenny (auntjenny6@aol.com), December 05, 2001.

Yep, the others are right. You disconnect from the utilities you are asking for trouble from officials. Once they get into your life it is hard to get them out.

Best thing you can do now is plan, plan, plan! Start by making yourself more self-sufficient from the grocery stores. Do more homemade foods, start stocking up, doing some canning, freezing, and drying.

Start buying "homestead" items you will need once you get out of the city - part of the planning. Be deciding on what type of livestock you will have and start collecting the necessities like poultry waterers, milking pail, gardening equipment, etc. Most new homesteaders forget about adding in the cost of these items. They mount up to a bundle if you wait to buy them when you get your homestead.

Be planning on what type of garden you will grow, how much land you will need, etc. Have a Plan "A", Plan "B" and Plan "C". In reality it never really works out that way, but at least you have a goal.

Best of luck!

-- Karen (db0421@yahoo.com), December 05, 2001.

A little compost goes a long way-did you know that a diaper gennie will 'compost' scraps on your terrace if you add a little beer to it once and a while? No room for a garden? Visit the farmers markets, lots of good veggies and stuff, I put up 2 gals. of pickles for $5, it's cheap! Don't shut off the power, use less of it, a few good oil lamps are not expensive, and if you use your full freezer, it's worth the cost, but only if you use it. I share a freezer with a friend, she has the room for one and hates to cook, so I cook her a meal once a month in lieu of the electric bill. Shop thrift, I bought a beautiful jacket Sunday at the Goodwill Store-for $1! $1, I'm so thrilled. Brown bag lunch. Recycle, recycle, recycle. Be considerate. Feed the birds, and the hungry if you happen upon them(my personal passion) and , you got it.

-- Kathy (catfish201@hotmail.com), December 05, 2001.

Hi arbitrage..

I am intown now too. And there are a lot of benefits for me. I used to live in the woods on a dirt road. Sometimes I would be snowed in for days. Now I am in the village of my booming metropolis [pop.1750] and have bakery, grocery, post office, ice cream store and hair salon within walking distance. I have a village bus stop across the street that goes to surrounding towns and the ski area. Twenty five cents a local trip. Can't beat it.

I do have an acre and a half out back though. And beyond that is state forest. It needs a lot of work and careful planning. I want to fence it in. Plant a variety of dwarf fruit trees. Have a few good raised beds that I can perhaps cover with a poly quonset to extend the season. I want two small goats and have been researching about them for a while now. Maybe some other animals like chickens, if I can shield them from my neighbors view and ears.

For the house, I would really like to do some renewables. Maybe some panels for hot water, domestic and maybe some radiant. I'd like to learn more about solar attics. I've a perfectly pitched south facing roof that needs to be replaced within a year. I'll have to come to some decisions about that this winter.

As others have said, you won't be able to disconnect from town utilities. Me neither. But, there are a lot of things you can do to minimise your dependence on the services and on heating fuel companies.

Good luck!

-- pc (jasper2@doglover.com), December 05, 2001.

here is a city homesteading website

http://www.pathtofreedom.com

-- Jeremy (jeremyd08@hotmail.com), December 05, 2001.

Using what you have in the best way possible, is one of the most importaint skills you can learn, so I also think you should leave every thing hooked up, just add the 'essentials' for your desired life style, these can be taken with you if you move or left as a bonus to the new owners (I for one would welcome the off grid options in a house purchase) adding solar or other electrical source would be a great home improvement, adding landscaping which provides food, and a means to recycle your household waste all can be done. Tell us more about your place and what you have already, then you can get the tips you need to work out each step as you go.

-- Thumper (slrldr@yahoo.com), December 05, 2001.

here is a direct link to the urban homestead. check it out http://www.pathtofreedom.com/livingfree.htm

-- jeremy (jeremyd08@hotmail.com), December 05, 2001.

I suspect some of the people in the older neighborhoods out here are doing something along the line of city homesteading. Now that it is December I am starting to see loads of wood stacked neatly on peoples porches or in their yards. A friend of mine uses mostly wood heat. She keeps her thermostat down very low to back up the wood heat on those below zero days to make sure her pipes don't freeze, but her heating bill is VERY low for out here. You see small gardens behind some of these houses, and if you call city hall you may find out that you can get permission to keep a few "pet" chickens IF you can get the consent of your neighbors. It is called a zoning varience and I suggest you pitch your neighbors the bit about 3-4 quiet hens for pets and ornamental value BEFORE the city notifies your neighbors that you want to keep a flock of chickens!!!! I do know that milk can be kept fresh on a windowsill in winter in a cold climate, but I would hate to have a really short keeping time for unrefridgerated leftovers: I would want to keep a small refridgerator myself. You couldn't keep unrefridgerated raw meat long, either.

-- Terri (hooperterri@prodigy.net), December 06, 2001.

That is exactly what our family is - City Homesteaders. We live on an acre and a half right smack dab in the middle of a new housing developement. Our home was the original homestead on 70 acres which took up a nice little portion of our city. The original owners, as they got older, eventually sold off their land util what it is now. We do have power, gas, running water, and wood burning stove (which is our only source of heat since we don't have a have a whole house heater). We have chickens and ducks and even had a horse for a few years. We really love being so close to the grocery, hardware, tractor, lumber, and other supply stores, but don't really like all the work involved in living in the city. For one thing, if the grass gets anywhere near a foot tall, you can get a citation. Then there is also the dealing with neighborhood kids playing on your property or using the loft in the barn for a social drinking party late at night. If you can do it without raising hell from city officials and neighbors, then go for it and good luck!

-- c.d. (his4ever@mac.com), December 06, 2001.

Don't disconnect your electric! Gotta have your computer!

-- Debbie (risingwind@socket.net), December 06, 2001.

Three years of in city homesteading here. Previous experience 18 years of true wood heating, cold morning, chopping wood, milking goats, and more farm experience. :-)

We live on 2 acres, in an old (circa 1870) farm house. Wood heat helps out the propane furnace. We garden (and market garden) as well as a chicken tractor featuring 4 hens and a rooster (getting 3 eggs a day w/help of purchased laying food and a light on 24/7 and moved 'em inside with next to the goat when cool weather came), ducks in the back yard, and a lot of swapping. Trade rights to set qty of veggies for a hog we dressed. Use electricity becasue it's way safer than lanterns in my own opinion. Cut back, not out! We have a delightful LaMancha due to kid late Feb/early March, and she has her own dog style run with a coller, lead, and 60' tightly pulled steel cable up in a couple of trees. We walk her and the dog togather, then leave them outside (20 feet apart) on their runs for the day, except when it's real cold. Ya gotta keep two goats, or give your Nanny a buddy or they aren't very happy. We set up a 12x12 stall in the garage for Molly (the goat). The bedding goes to the garden. We also save the droppings from the chickens for the mulchpile. Never underestimate the power of a determined homesteader. Be creative but safe, and use your head a lot!

-- Marty (Mrs.Puck@Excite.com), December 10, 2001.