Homesteading for Beginners – Details, episodes & analysis

This was one of the hardest videos I've ever had to make. After three years, over 220,000 podcast downloads, and countless amazing connections with listeners and viewers, I've made the difficult decision to pause the YouTube channel and podcast—indefinitely.

Watch on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMz8Wn41XFw

In this episode, I open up about:

👉 Why I decided to step away for now

 👉 What's been happening behind the scenes

👉 How recent life changes (including my husband's layoff) have shifted our priorities

👉 What's next for me, my family, and our homestead

👉 The exciting new direction both my husband and I are taking with our businesses I'm still homesteading, still growing food, still raising animals—but my focus is evolving.

I've rebranded my other YouTube channel, now called Mona Weathers, where I help creators and entrepreneurs leverage YouTube to grow community and income.

I also host a growing community of creators inside Skool, where over 80+ members are learning to build sustainable businesses through content and connection. If you've ever listened to my podcast, watched a video, or shared my content—thank you.

Your support has meant the world to me. While this isn't goodbye forever, it is a pause so I can put my full energy into what's next.

🌱 WAYS TO STAY CONNECTED & SUPPORT:

💻 Join my creator community: https://www.skool.com/next-level-creator-hub-3071/about?ref=a94b13f1b35c451cbdf107496d9f3ed5

☕ Check out my husband's new coffee business: https://mojoe.coffee/

👍 Like, share, and revisit your favorite episodes to help keep this channel alive

📚 Support my work through journals, books & digital products (links below)-

-Buy the Homesteading for Beginners workbook: https://homesteading.myflodesk.com/workbook

-Donate: https://buymeacoffee.com/monaweathers

-Shop Amazon Store: https://www.amazon.com/shop/farmer_mona

-Buy Notebooks and Journals: https://www.amazon.com/shop/farmer_mona/list/2FVWKD62O9KF2?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsflist_CW4ABFD63SK97SBNQ2YZ

Thank you again for being part of this incredible journey. Keep dreaming, keep growing, and keep moving toward your homesteading goals. 💚 — Mona

Get the Free Homesteading for Beginners Checklist: https://www.healthyhomesteading.com/checklist

In this episode, Melissa K. Norris talks about these 9 food preservation methods in this episode:

― cold storage ― water bath/steam canning ― pressure canning ― dehydrating ― fermenting ― freeze-drying ― root cellar ― infusion ― salting and curing meat

Watch on YouTube Here: https://youtu.be/U6Wogu_4yCc?si=K8RNgTMvyj0gMXMW

Melissa's info: Podcast: Pioneering Today

Website: https://melissaknorris.com/

Everything Worth Preserving: The Complete Guide for Food Preservation at Home (affiliate link): https://amzn.to/43EzKPQ 

Mona's Info: ➡️Free Homesteading for Beginners Checklist: https://www.healthyhomesteading.com/checklist/

➡️Homesteading for Beginners workbook: https://healthyhomesteading.com/workbook

➡️Get Mona's Homestead Planner on Amazon: https://amzn.to/444vEUr

In this episode of the Homesteading for Beginners podcast, I chat with Larry Wheeler about integrating permaculture design into your homestead. Discover the principles of permaculture and its application in everyday life, and learn from Larry's experiences. Tune in for practical tips on setting up a sustainable system, understanding your land, and following organized common sense to make the most of your resources.

This is episode 110 of the Homesteading for Beginners Podcast.

Larry's Links:

http://libertyspringsfarm.com/

https://www.instagram.com/libertyspringsfarm/

https://www.facebook.com/LibertySprings

Watch this episode and subscribe on YouTube: https://youtu.be/SlsiprAlzOM

Get the Free Homesteading for Beginners Checklist

https://www.healthyhomesteading.com/checklist/

Homesteading for Beginners workbook:

https://healthyhomesteading.com/workbook

Shop Homesteading Supplies on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/farmer_mona

101 Homestead Income Ideas List:

https://www.healthyhomesteading.com/homesteadincome

Homestead Income Plan Group (FACEBOOK):

https://www.facebook.com/groups/homesteadincomeplan

Mona's Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/farmer_mona/

Homesteading for Beginners YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/@homesteadingforbeginners

00:00 Introduction 00:43 Welcome to the Homesteading for Beginners Podcast 01:07 Meet Larry Wheeler: A Journey to Homesteading 02:35 Understanding Permaculture Design 07:21 Applying Permaculture Principles 15:13 Larry's Family and Homesteading Life 18:45 Working at Baker Creek 21:23 Observation and Interaction in Permaculture 24:18 Resources for Learning Permaculture 27:42 Conclusion and Where to Find Larry

What do you do when your spouse or partner is not on board with your homesteading dreams? This is something I hear people struggling with all the time. One spouse is all into the idea of homesteading and the other has big reservations or is very against the idea.

Recently, I coach a member of the Homesteading for Beginners community through this very topic. I decided a podcast episode on this topic would be good for those dealing with the same thing.

I didn't poll any of my audience but I imagine some of the objections from the spouse that is not into the idea of homesteading might be concerned with:

• the cost of starting a homestead
• giving up modern convenience
• fitting in as a homesteader.
• their kids will be deprived and sheltered
• Family and friends will judge their lifestyle.
• Added work to their already busy life.

If any of these objections resonate with you, I'd love to hear your thoughts. You can send me a direct message on Instagram. If I didn't list an objection send me that as well.

This is a 2 part series. I'll go through these 3 objections this episode and the other 3 next. And hopefully, help both spouses or partners see both sides of the coin and some ideas on how to move forward.

Sign up for the Homestead Income resource coming soon! 

https://www.healthyhomesteading.com/homesteadincome

Follow the Homestead Income Instagram account too!

https://www.instagram.com/homesteadincome/

Other links to know

Homesteading for Beginners workbook: 

https://healthyhomesteading.com/workbook

Free Homesteading for Beginners Checklist:

https://www.healthyhomesteading.com/checklist/

 Mona's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farmer_mona/

Setting yourself up for a successful homesteading journey requires some thoughtful planning. You don't have to have it all figured out but it's essential to have some guidelines to follow.

In this episode, I'll highlight some of the pitfalls to avoid when starting out your journey. Some of these pitfalls are a repeat of topics we have covered in previous episodes. Still, it's very important to have a plan of action for preventing future mistakes and to know what to do when faced with problems.

The end of the year is when many of us start to think about what we want out of the new year. We start setting goals and making resolutions. For some, it's an exciting time of year and for others, it's a stressful time of year. Whatever camp you are in, coming from a position of planning and preparing is never a bad idea.

If you're a homesteading dreamer, this is the perfect time to plan how you want to set up your homestead. All of your planning can include ways to avoid these pitfalls.

If you are a beginner homesteader you can use this list to see where your weak spots are. Are there things you can change that will improve next year?

This is a section in Homesteading for Beginners workbook by the way.

7 Homesteading Pitfalls to Avoid

• lack of planning
• taking on too much too quickly
• not having a supportive community, mentor or coach
• Not believing you are capable
• giving up instead of pressing on or pivoting
• lack of savings
• lack of income

Links mentioned in this episode:

Homesteading for Beginners workbook: https://healthyhomesteading.com/workbook

Homesteader's Simple Planner:  https://www.healthyhomesteading.com/free-homesteaders-simple-planner-download/

Other Links:

Free Homesteading for Beginner Checklist: https://www.healthyhomesteading.com/checklist/

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/homesteading-for-beginners/id1636732326

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4BRPb5IuC66BZwrzcWJtMR

Growing food doesn't have to be complicated. If you're new to gardening it may seem that way. You hear people throwing around words like cross-pollination, root bound, indeterminate, and hardening off and you feel they are speaking a different language. 

In episode 11 I talked about my thoughts on jumping in blindly to the homesteading life. I cautioned you not to start without some planning in two areas- when it involves animals and when it involves wasting money. Today I'm going to say the opposite and tell you to just do it! Just start that garden. 

Here are 3 reasons why you should start now and not wait:

1. Seeds want to grow. We just have to create a nice little bed for them to grow but their will to grow is strong. 
2. Growing food can be inexpensive. Learning to grow food has a low barrier of entry. You can find free seeds through people around you and sometimes through the food you purchase in the grocery store. 
3. You will only become a better gardener through failures and successes so the sooner you start the fast you will develop this skill. 

Listen to the podcast to learn 3 things you can do during the winter months to prepare for next year's garden. 

Links mentioned: 

Friends show clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R16RPnNK9sY

Mon's Amazon Storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/farmer_mona

Buy the Homesteading for Beginners workbook (On Sale for $7 Until Dec 15th): https://www.healthyhomesteading.com/workbook

Other Links:

Follow Mona on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farmer_mona/

Download the free Homesteading for Beginners Checklist: https://www.healthyhomesteading.com/checklist/

Thankfulness is a big part of my homesteading journey. Our current homestead is even named Thankful Hill Farm. Today on the podcast I'm going to share some things I'm thankful for about my journey and some of the things I mention in this episode may surprise you.

Links to know about:

Find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farmer_mona/

The Homesteader's simple Planner  https://www.healthyhomesteading.com/free-homesteaders-simple-planner-download/

Homesteading for Beginners Checklist https://www.healthyhomesteading.com/checklist/

Podcast on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/homesteading-for-beginners/id1636732326

Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4BRPb5IuC66BZwrzcWJtMR

Have you ever struggled with time management and consistency? Does that make you feel you can't trust yourself with new projects or goals? I know the feeling all too well. 

One thing has worked for me over the years, allowing me to move forward in my goals without being too overwhelming. It's the one thing I've been consistent with over the past 10 years or so and it's the reason I have learned to trust myself and know that I can accomplish my goals no matter how big if I just do this one thing with consistency. That's what I'm going to be talking about today on episode 16 of the Homesteading for Beginners podcast. 

Freebies:

• The Homesteader's simple Planner  https://www.healthyhomesteading.com/free-homesteaders-simple-planner-download/
• Beginner Homesteading Community (Free month code: MONA) https://sagespot.com/mona-weathers
• Homesteading for Beginners Checklist https://www.healthyhomesteading.com/checklist/
• Grow Income in 2023 Challenge:  https://www.healthyhomesteading.com/emaillist/

Please reach out to me on Instagram if you have questions. https://www.instagram.com/farmer_mona/

Podcast on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/homesteading-for-beginners/id1636732326

Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4BRPb5IuC66BZwrzcWJtMR

How my focus are you putting on how long it's going to take to reach your homesteading goals? Maybe you can let go of the timeline and focus on the smaller steps that will actually move you forward. Listen to this episode to hear how I shifted my thinking about my goals timeline. 

Are you ready for 2023 to be the year you really make some improvement in your income? The Grow Income in 2023 challenge can help you. 

It all starts with growing an email list. Listen to episode 14 to learn more about growing an email list. 

Visit https://www.healthyhomesteading.com/emaillist/ to learn more about this challenge starting on November 15th. 

If you are reading this and it's past November 15th still check out the website and reach out to me on Instagram with your questions.

Links to know:

https://www.healthyhomesteading.com/

https://www.instagram.com/farmer_mona/

What is the one thing I would recommend a new homesteader do to start a business? START AN EMAIL LIST. It may not be glamorous but it's essential. 

If you have been wanting to start a business to generate income for your homestead, then you need to start here.  We can get your email list started regardless of whether or not you even have a business idea. 

In this episode, I talk about this topic because it's an easy way to get off the social media hamster wheel and start seeing some income growth. We can't rely on social media especially since we don't own these spaces. But, you do own your email list. 

I will be hosting an end-of-the-year challenge in my Instagram subscriptions to help you get started. Listen to the podcast for more info and be sure to visit my website to get on my list so I can get you all the details. 

JOIN THE CHALLENGE!

https://www.healthyhomesteading.com/emaillist/

Mona's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farmer_mona/

Beginner Homesteading Community: https://sagespot.com/mona-weathers