Homesteading

Each year, at the end of the year, I like to review how our homestead performed for the year.

2018 was a tough year for many reasons, most of them having nothing to do with homesteading.

But life moves on and there are always new things to do and try.

Animals don’t stop being hungry because you have a bad day (same goes for children) and things always need to be taken care of around the homestead.

So today, I want to go over our goals for 2018 and see how we did. You can read the full post here —> Looking Towards the Future: Our Goals for 2018.

But here are the highlights.

Our 2018 Goals and How We Achieved Them:

Here are my goals from last year. I made a comment on each one in bold to let you know how we did.

Gardening

• We would like to increase the overall size of the garden and the number of varieties of plants we are growing. This was successful!
• We would like to build a separate raised bed area for a salsa garden (tomatoes, peppers, onions, cilantro, etc). We did not do this.
• We would like to be successful in starting heirloom variety tomatoes from seed (in the past they haven’t gotten big enough to plant in time). We started the seeds, but they died in the ground from lack of water and nutrients.

Animals

• We will replace the beehive we lost and add another hive for a total of 2 beehives. We did this!
• We would like to raise 52 meat chickens (one a week for a year) without all of the problems we had this year. We did not raise any meat chickens this year.
• We would like to begin breeding our meat rabbits and keep them on a regular breeding schedule. We tried to breed our rabbits, but they didn’t get pregnant. We need a new buck.

Homemaking

• I would like to learn how to make a blue jean quilt and complete the quilt in one year (I tend to leave these kind of projects half done). Nope.
• I would like to learn how to make homemade candles (probably beeswax or soy). Yes! I did this!
• I would like to learn how to make several different kinds of soaps. Not yet.

Health

• We would like to get back to a real food diet. We have relaxed in our eating habits at the end of this year. Yes! We did this!
• I would like to lose 50 lbs over the year (less than one pound a week). Nope. But I lost 20 lbs 3 different times this year.
• I would like to atleast exercise 4 days a week. Yes, for the most part.

Food Preservation

• We need to increase the number of foods we are preserving. Yes!
• I would like to learn how to braid and store the garlic we planted this fall. Our garlic was a fail.
• I would like to find new recipes for canning to shake things up a bit. Yes!

Emergency Preparedness

• We need to buy more large containers for water storage. Yes!
• We would like to get 6 months complete food storage ready. We are pretty close on this one!
• We would like to have a successful hunting trip (preferably elk) and have me and my youngest son get our hunter safety certification. My husband went hunting, but didn’t get anything. No to the rest.

Our Goals for 2019:

As you can see, we did accomplish some of the things we wanted to this year, but not even close to all of them.

It can be disappointing when we don’t accomplish our goals, but that doesn’t mean we give up.

We just reevaluate our goals and make new ones for next year.

So here are our goals for 2019. I am going to put a high priority on my health and taking care of myself this year.

I think these goals are realistic and I’m ready to get started!

Gardening

• We are going to redo our garden and use water troughs for the bulk of our raised beds.
• We are going to try growing heirloom tomatoes from seed again.
• We are going to add more fruit to our garden area.

Animals

• We are going to redo the chicken coop to make it more efficient and safe.
• We are going to try to breed our rabbits again. If it doesn’t work, we are going to get a new buck.
• We have learned that we are not good beekeepers, so we won’t be getting more bees for awhile.

Homemaking

• We would like to learn how to make several different kinds of soaps.
• We would like to get back on a regular cleaning schedule.
• We would like to have the kids cook a meal once a week.

Health

• I would like to lose 70 lbs over the year (a little over one pound a week).
• I would like to go to crossfit 3 days a week for exercise.
• I would like to participate in a crossfit competition.

Emergency Preparedness

• We need to add more water storage.
• We would like to store a year’s worth of food.
• We would like to have a successful hunting trip for elk.

When you look at this list all at once, it can be a little overwhelming. But there is a season for everything, so we just work on it a little at a time.

If you are struggling with your homesteading goals for next year, you can use these same topics to break down what you want to accomplish.

It is always good to look back and see what you have done (and pat yourself on the back).

After that, look forward and see all the possibilities of what the future can hold. Then get to work and make those goals a reality.

We can do it together! Here’s to 2019! Let’s get to work!

What are your goals for 2019? Let us know in the comments below. And if you found this post helpful, please share. Thanks!

Need help with your homesteading goals? Click on the box below to get our Yearly Homesteading Goals Checklist to get started!