Everyday Homesteading

Homesteading is about so much more than chores, food, and checklists. In this episode, I’m joined by RuthAnn Zimmerman from Homesteading With the Zimmermans for a conversation that goes straight to the heart of what this lifestyle is really about: people.

We talk about balancing hospitality with busy homestead life, raising children with a strong work ethic and character, and learning to trust God’s economy when it comes to time, energy, and priorities. RuthAnn shares how she keeps emotional needs first in her family and why that simple shift brings so much peace to the home.

If you’ve been feeling stretched thin, overwhelmed by the busyness, or wondering how to keep relationships from getting lost in the work, this episode is for you.

📚 RuthAnn's book, The Heart of the Homestead, here: https://homesteadingfamily.com/heart-of-the-homestead-book
🎥 Find her on YouTube: @Ruthannzimm

Thanks for being here and for walking this journey of everyday homesteading with us.

Thanks to Azure Standard for sponsoring this episode of Everyday Homesteading. For first-time customers, use coupon code "HOMESTEADINGFAMILY15" at checkout for 15% off your order of $100 or more: https://homesteadingfamily.com/main-azure-standard-b

Time Stamps:

0:00 - Introduction
2:59 - Azure Standard
5:10 - Main Topic
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MORE ABOUT US!

WELCOME! We're so glad you're here! We are Josh and Carolyn Thomas. Together with our eleven children, we are The Homesteading Family where we’re living a self-sustainable life in beautiful North Idaho. Let us welcome you and show you a bit about us here: http://bit.ly/HFWelcomeVideo

Grow, Preserve & Thrive with us!
Visit us on our blog: https://www.homesteadingfamily.com
Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/homesteadingfamily
Instagram: https://instagram.com/homesteadingfamily
Rumble: https://rumble.com/HomesteadingFamily

A few highlights you don't want to miss are our FREEBIES!!

Healthy Healing at Home – Learn how to confidently use herbal medicine in your home with this FREE 4 video workshop: https://homesteadingfamily.com/HHHyt

Your Best Loaf – A Free 4 video workshop teaching you how to make great bread at home, every time, regardless of the recipe you are using: https://homesteadingfamily.com/free-bread-workshop
Every month, I host a free live training on a new homesteading skill. This January, we’re focusing on herbal medicine and how to create an effective family herbal protocol to help stop the cycle of winter sickness. Join the free live training on January 22 and start becoming a confident family herbalist. Register HERE!

A lot of people talk about going off-grid. But what if off-grid living isn’t just about power and water, but about freedom from systems that quietly run your life?

In this episode, I sit down with Jeff Burkinshaw from the Gridlessness YouTube channel to talk about what gridlessness really means. Jeff shares how his family moved from suburban life to a remote homestead in the Canadian wilderness, not out of fear, but out of a deep desire to live with intention.

We talk about
• redefining what it means to be “off-grid”
• breaking free from debt and financial pressure
• raising kids with responsibility, resilience, and confidence
• the real challenges of independent living
• and why freedom is worth the work it takes to build it

If you’ve ever felt the pull toward a simpler, more meaningful way of living, this conversation will challenge and encourage you.

👉 Links mentioned in this episode
• Jeff’s book: Gridlessness: Finding Freedom Off Grid: https://homesteadingfamily.com/gridlessness-book
• Gridlessness YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Gridlessness
• Everyday Homesteading podcast: https://homesteadingfamily.com/podcasts/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MORE ABOUT US!

WELCOME! We're so glad you're here! We are Josh and Carolyn Thomas. Together with our eleven children, we are The Homesteading Family where we’re living a self-sustainable life in beautiful North Idaho. Let us welcome you and show you a bit about us here: http://bit.ly/HFWelcomeVideo

Grow, Preserve & Thrive with us!
Visit us on our blog: https://www.homesteadingfamily.com
Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/homesteadingfamily
Instagram: https://instagram.com/homesteadingfamily
Rumble: https://rumble.com/HomesteadingFamily

A few highlights you don't want to miss are our FREEBIES!!

Healthy Healing at Home – Learn how to confidently use herbal medicine in your home with this FREE 4 video workshop: https://homesteadingfamily.com/HHHyt

Your Best Loaf – A Free 4 video workshop teaching you how to make great bread at home, every time, regardless of the recipe you are using: https://homesteadingfamily.com/free-bread-workshop
Every month, I host a free live training on a new homesteading skill. This January, we’re focusing on herbal medicine and how to create an effective family herbal protocol to help stop the cycle of winter sickness. Join the free live training on January 22 and start becoming a confident family herbalist. Register HERE!

After more than 20 years of homesteading, we are looking back and sharing what we wish we had known when we first started.

In this episode of Everyday Homesteading, we talk honestly about the mistakes we made, the pressure to do everything at once, and the lessons that helped us find a more peaceful, sustainable rhythm. From gardening and kitchen skills to land size, infrastructure, and people-first priorities, this conversation is full of perspective for anyone feeling overwhelmed on their homesteading journey.

Whether you’re just getting started or you’ve been at this for years, we hope this episode helps you slow down, focus on what matters most, and remember that homesteading is a lifelong journey, not a destination.

🎓 Join the How to Homestead Anywhere Crash Course - Learn how to homestead wherever you live and build rhythms that actually work for your season of life. 👉 https://classes.homesteadingfamily.com/crash-course
🍞 Grab my free bread workshop here: https://homesteadingfamily.com/free-bread-workshop

🌿 Thank you to today’s sponsor, Farmhouse Teas - If you love a cozy, nourishing drink but want to skip the excess sugar, check out Farmhouse Teas’ Hushroom Cocoa Blend. It’s an adaptogenic mushroom cocoa that’s calming, customizable, and perfect for cold days. Use code "HSPODCAST" for 10% off.  👉 https://homesteadingfamily.com/hushroom-cocoa

📌 In this episode, we discuss:
• Why doing everything at once leads to burnout
• The foundational skills we wish we had focused on first
• Why bigger homesteads are not always better
• Letting go of the idea that you ever “arrive” at homesteading
• Keeping people at the center of homestead life

Thanks for spending time with us. We’re glad you’re here.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MORE ABOUT US!

WELCOME! We're so glad you're here! We are Josh and Carolyn Thomas. Together with our eleven children, we are The Homesteading Family where we’re living a self-sustainable life in beautiful North Idaho. Let us welcome you and show you a bit about us here: http://bit.ly/HFWelcomeVideo

Grow, Preserve & Thrive with us!
Visit us on our blog: https://www.homesteadingfamily.com
Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/homesteadingfamily
Instagram: https://instagram.com/homesteadingfamily
Rumble: https://rumble.com/HomesteadingFamily

A few highlights you don't want to miss are our FREEBIES!!

Healthy Healing at Home – Learn how to confidently use herbal medicine in your home with this FREE 4 video workshop: https://homesteadingfamily.com/HHHyt

Your Best Loaf – A Free 4 video workshop teaching you how to make great bread at home, every time, regardless of the recipe you are using: https://homesteadingfamily.com/free-bread-workshop
Every month, I host a free live training on a new homesteading skill. This January, we’re focusing on herbal medicine and how to create an effective family herbal protocol to help stop the cycle of winter sickness. Join the free live training on January 22 and start becoming a confident family herbalist. Register HERE!

What does a “Year of Rest” actually look like on a working homestead?
In this episode, we’re reflecting on our decision to slow down over the past year, what changed, what stayed the same, and what surprised us along the way. We share how cutting big projects brought more margin into our days, why rest doesn’t mean the work disappears, and how an unplanned cabin build for the next generation fit into our bigger vision.
This is an honest, end-of-year conversation about pace, sustainability, and having the courage to adjust before burnout forces it.
If you’re feeling tired, scattered, or unsure how to move into the next season, we hope this episode encourages you to slow down and have an honest conversation about what really matters.
Thanks to Azure Standard for sponsoring this week's podcast. First-time customers can get 15% off their first order of $100 or more with the coupon code “HOMESTEADINGFAMILY15” at checkout: https://homesteadingfamily.com/main-azure-standard-b
Time Stamps:
0:00 - Introduction
1:19 - Chit Chat
9:57 - Azure Standard
11:34 - Main Topic
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MORE ABOUT US!

WELCOME! We're so glad you're here! We are Josh and Carolyn Thomas. Together with our eleven children, we are The Homesteading Family where we’re living a self-sustainable life in beautiful North Idaho. Let us welcome you and show you a bit about us here: http://bit.ly/HFWelcomeVideo

Grow, Preserve & Thrive with us!
Visit us on our blog: https://www.homesteadingfamily.com
Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/homesteadingfamily
Instagram: https://instagram.com/homesteadingfamily
Rumble: https://rumble.com/HomesteadingFamily

A few highlights you don't want to miss are our FREEBIES!!

Healthy Healing at Home – Learn how to confidently use herbal medicine in your home with this FREE 4 video workshop: https://homesteadingfamily.com/HHHyt

Your Best Loaf – A Free 4 video workshop teaching you how to make great bread at home, every time, regardless of the recipe you are using: https://homesteadingfamily.com/free-bread-workshop
Every month, I host a free live training on a new homesteading skill. This January, we’re focusing on herbal medicine and how to create an effective family herbal protocol to help stop the cycle of winter sickness. Join the free live training on January 22 and start becoming a confident family herbalist. Register HERE!

If you have ever found yourself saying, “This winter, we’ll finally rest,” you are not alone. Josh and I have joked about it for years, imagining a slower season that somehow never quite arrives on its own.
In this episode of Everyday Homesteading, I’m sharing what I’ve been learning about real rest. Not just getting more sleep, but the kind of deep, soul-level rest that brings clarity, peace, and renewed purpose. The kind of rest that helps you remember your why.
We talk about why rest never happens by accident, how much control we actually have over our overwhelm, and what intentional rest can look like in the middle of real homestead life. From simplifying digital noise to creating gentler rhythms at home, this is a conversation about choosing rest on purpose.
If you’re heading into a new season feeling tired, stretched thin, or quietly longing for slower days, this episode is an invitation to pause, breathe, and make room for rest that truly restores.
For more information, visit the blog post here: https://homesteadingfamily.com/finding-rest-in-the-quiet-times/
Thanks to Laurel Mountain Soaps for sponsoring this podcast episode. Grab 15% off your first order when you use the coupon code "Homesteading15" at checkout:
https://laurelmountainsoaps.com/collections/goat-milk-and-honey-soap
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MORE ABOUT US!

WELCOME! We're so glad you're here! We are Josh and Carolyn Thomas. Together with our eleven children, we are The Homesteading Family where we’re living a self-sustainable life in beautiful North Idaho. Let us welcome you and show you a bit about us here: http://bit.ly/HFWelcomeVideo

Grow, Preserve & Thrive with us!
Visit us on our blog: https://www.homesteadingfamily.com
Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/homesteadingfamily
Instagram: https://instagram.com/homesteadingfamily
Rumble: https://rumble.com/HomesteadingFamily

A few highlights you don't want to miss are our FREEBIES!!

Healthy Healing at Home – Learn how to confidently use herbal medicine in your home with this FREE 4 video workshop: https://homesteadingfamily.com/HHHyt

Your Best Loaf – A Free 4 video workshop teaching you how to make great bread at home, every time, regardless of the recipe you are using: https://homesteadingfamily.com/free-bread-workshop
Every month, I host a free live training on a new homesteading skill. This January, we’re focusing on herbal medicine and how to create an effective family herbal protocol to help stop the cycle of winter sickness. Join the free live training on January 22 and start becoming a confident family herbalist. Register HERE!