Homesteading And The Tug of War Between Time And Money

Two things that you never hear people saying that they have too much of: time and money. There never seem to be enough hours in the day or dollars in the bank to accomplish all of our goals and ambitions. In order to get more money we sacrifice our time. In order to get more time we sacrifice our money. It’s a vicious cycle.

The tug of war between time and money can be the gateway into the overwhelming perception that life amounts to nothing more than futile drudgery. Some refer to this as the rat race (an analogy drawing on the similarities to lab experiments where rats were made to navigate mazes of increasing levels of difficulty, sometimes racing against other competitors, to receive a paltry piece of cheese). The rat race is a daily grind where the rewards received don’t match the effort required to gain them .

Part of the allure of homesteading is that it can provide a vehicle for one to begin reclaiming their time. Is there a more valuable and irreplaceable asset than our time? The desire to be the master of one’s own time is a very relatable goal and strikes a chord with many. Regardless of where people come from or what language they speak, they get it.

While the epic battle between time and money may lead one to homesteading, the battle rages on in a different form for the modern homesteader. There is great value in learning new skills and being able to provide for yourself. We eagerly anticipate the release of the new seed and hatchery catalogs every year. It gives us an opportunity in the winter to plan out the rest of our year. In the case of the seeds, we are able to chose what we would like to grow, so that we will have the seeds available to sow at the appropriate time, so that we can water and nourish them to provide what they need to thrive and produce (which may require dealing with weeds and pests), so that they can produce fruit and we can enjoy the harvest. The harvest can then be cleaned and enjoyed fresh or preserved in a variety of ways. There is a lot of work involved. A significant time requirement, which , of course, varies by scale.

We love learning and going through the processes. Making it a family project fosters togetherness and is an opportunity for the kids to learn. But… time is a finite commodity. There are endless tasks competing for our attention. Does it always make sense to perform every step of the process yourself? If not, what other tasks could you accomplish with the time that it would have taken? Isn’t this the modern homesteader’s conundrum? Finding the balance between the cost as it relates to time and the cost as it relates to money.

Sometimes it absolutely makes the most sense to do things yourself. I recently watched a video on the Bushradical YouTube channel showing how he and his wife worked together to build a small house. It was early in their marriage, and at this time in their lives, they had more time than money. They were able to repeat the process several times and to increase their scale as their skills and resources developed. It was a great illustration of how they used time to build equity and assets.

On the other hand, sometimes it simply makes the most sense to enlist the help of your community or hire professionals to get things done more efficiently. Is it a better idea to use all of your spare time and money to build a house by hand over a year or to work a little bit more and pay a professional to build it for you over a three month period? In my opinion, both have their place. It depends on the circumstances and what you are trying to accomplish. Do you feel like it is a cop out to hire other people?

When I was a private in the Army, my income was something in the neighborhood of $900 / month. In college, my full time earnings increased to around $1,600 / month. Over time, my earning power has continued to increase. Now, it takes thoughtful consideration to determine the wisest way to spend my energy. How many hours at work would it take to buy seed for the garden for next year? A new dairy cow? Bareroot plants to construct a hedge row? A new barn? What other tasks could I be doing if I were able to pay someone to help prepare the garden beds? Help look after the animals? Help sow the plants? Help build a new barn? No matter how much money you make in your occupation, you can use your earning power as a multiplier to advance your homesteading mission.

“Time Is Money Says The Proverb, But Turn It Around And You Get A Precious Truth. Money Is Time.”

-George Gissing