We had just moved to the country. We were going to build ourselves an amazing homestead for our family.
What we didn’t know is we were also going to make the most expensive mistake we would ever make.
I was driving home from work when I pulled off to the local nursery. They were selling apple trees half price – $50 each. So I swooped up four of them. Spent $200.
At the time, it felt like a million dollars.
I got four apple trees to start my future orchard with.
You know that saying “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best time is today”?
Well, I’ve got a new version: “The best time to plant a tree is when you know how to plant it correctly.”
Those trees never produced a single apple because I planted them in an area with moss – a clear sign it wasn’t suitable for fruit trees.
But that $200 mistake? That was just the beginning…
In the latest episode of Homesteady, we share something a bit different – some of our biggest (and most expensive) mistakes from 15 years of homesteading. Why? Because we believe sharing these hard-learned lessons might help you avoid some costly missteps in your own journey!
Listen to the Podcast Version HERE
Here is the recap for those of you who prefer to read…
🥶 The Great Freezer Disaster
Summer was coming to a close, and after months of hard work we had our freezers packed with hundreds of dollars worth of meat from our chickens and pigs.
We went away for a vacation, and when we came back… well, let’s just say the smell hit us before we even opened the freezer door. Everything was lost.
Somehow, the freezer was unplugged, and we didn’t find out until it was much much too late.
What we learned:
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Keep temperature probes with phone alerts in freezers
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Store freezers where you use them frequently
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Never tuck them away in a forgotten corner
Money Wasted: $500 (estimated value of lost meat) Running Total: $500
🌾 The Moldy Hay Catastrophe
We go through a fortune in hay each year.
We though that our hay investment would be safest in wrapped round bales. But tiny holes in the new wrapping led to water seepage and black mold throughout. The cost:
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$500 in ruined hay
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Another $500 for replacement hay
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Two cow miscarriages from the moldy feed
The Fix: Now we store hay bales on their sides (not standing like soda cans) and use unwrapped bales for better airflow.
Money Wasted: $1,000 Running Total: $1,500
🥬 The $1,000 Lettuce Head
After seeing someone’s amazing aquaponics setup, I got excited. Really excited. We invested over $1,000 in systems, but there was one tiny detail I hadn’t considered – I hate working with the (slightly dangerous) chemicals needed for pH balancing, cleaning, and feeding the plants.
After a few trys at it all, I wound up giving up because I didn’t want to work with the chemicals anymore.
The result? One head of lettuce. Yes, you read that right. A $1,000 head of lettuce.
The Lesson: Know yourself and what you’ll actually enjoy doing day-to-day.
Money Wasted: $1,000 Running Total: $2,500
🐔 The Chicken Feed Experiment
One of our babies had some severe food allergies when he was young. So we decided to grow his meat without any major allergens in it.
We tried creating a special chicken feed to feed our meat chickens without corn, soy, or wheat. Sounds simple enough, right?
The Results:
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Birds growing at half speed
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Health issues across the flock led to deaths
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$1,000+ lost in feed and birds
What We Learned: Trust the experts on feed. If you must experiment, start small.
Money Wasted: $1,000 Running Total: $3,500
🔪 The Butcher Shop Blues
During COVID, when butchers were impossible to find, we invested $3,000 in our own butcher shop.
But we made a crucial mistake – butchering right after spray-foaming the insulation.
The result? An entire cow ruined by chemical smell absorption.
Today’s Approach: Simple outdoor butchering on cool days for small jobs, professionals for the big stuff.
Money Wasted: $3,000 Running Total: $6,500
🐄 The $4,700 Highland Cattle Mistake
Our biggest financial hit came from an online cattle auction purchase. Two cows, sight unseen. One arrived with a chronic cough and died within a year.
The Hard Lesson: Always buy livestock in person when possible. Online auctions are a gamble you might not want to take.
Money Wasted: $4,700 Final Total: $11,500
Looking Forward
These mistakes cost us over $11,000 in total – and yeah. Each mistake was awful to go through.
But the truth is, if you decide to try to live off the land, homestead, you will make some expensive mistakes.
When that happens, think of them as tuition payments in the school of self-sufficiency.
If you’re just starting out and want to avoid some of these costly mistakes, consider joining our Pioneer program
– it’s just $5 a month and packed with guidance to help you start your homesteading journey on the right foot.
What about you? Have you had any expensive homesteading lessons? I’d love to hear your stories.
Until next time, Aust
P.S. A huge thanks to our sponsors, Backwoods Home and Self-Reliance Magazine. They’re offering a special discount to our readers – check out the link below to subscribe and start learning from other homesteaders’ experiences too!
BACKWOODS HOME AND SELF RELIANCE MAGAZINE This episode is brought to you in partnership with Backwoods Home and Self Reliance Magazine. 50% OFF! https://www.backwoodshome.com/shop/homesteady-special/
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