I have been giving this one a LOT of thought lately.  I belong to several homesteading forums and love being a member, but the longer I visit these sites the more frustrated I am about homesteading; I longer understanding what the heck it's really all about.

Dictionary.com defines homesteading as "the act of establishing a homestead."  Ok, that was brilliant.  I looked up homestead, and they had several definitions, including land or homes acquired under homesteading programs (ie you have to live in and work on the property for so long and then you get ownership).  However, one definition is what I suspect would be the gold standard for modern homesteading: "any dwelling with its land and buildings where a family makes its home. ".  Now THAT sounds simple enough for my addled brain to comprehend.

So, at its most basic level, homesteading it the act of making a house (and property) a home.  Oh, but if it were only that simple! It seems that homesteading involves decreasing one's dependence on outside resources. These resources generally include food but can also include just about anything a person pays money for such as power and water.  Even deeper into this concept of modern homesteading is the eschewing of modern conveniences and comforts such as television/cable TV and anything one can buy at a store but make at home, such as clothing.  A level of proficiency at handcrafts such as knitting, sewing, carpentry, etc. is desireable.

What's the difference between a small farmer and a homesteader?  Can a person be one and not the other?  I have no clue. There seems to be an emphasis on "returning to the land",  to stake out one's claim on a chunk of real estate large enough to raise all the food one needs for one's family.  It's a lovely thought, and a dream of mine since I was a young teen, but is living on acreage a requirement to be a homesteader?  Can a person who lives on a city lot or apartment complex be a homesteader? What if they are happy where they are at, and don't have any desire to move to the country and grow your own food but want to simplify your life a bit? Where does "living simply" or "voluntary simplicity" end and homesteading begin?

I've concluded that trying to define homesteading is like trying to catch a cloud. Ask ten people to define it and you will very likely get ten comletely different answers. I've concluded that homesteading is a state of mind and not an easily definable activity or concept.