Starting a New Homestead from Scratch with Alexis Griffee

Have you ever thought about moving away from your current life and starting a new homestead from scratch?

Starting a new homestead from scratch can be terrifying.

The feeling of uncertainty might be overwhelming but exciting. My guest today has lived through this experience.

Meet Alexis Griffee. She has an amazing story to tell you today with many lessons learned from moving halfway across the country to start fresh. I’ll let her tell her story, but she does have many tips for how to face fears about moving as well as how to start a homestead when your brand new. I hope you enjoy episode 10!

FIRST OF ALL, ABOUT ALEXIS

Sleep Deprived Homesteader
Mule Rider
Freelance Writer & Blogger at Muckboots & Munchkins
She’s a member of the homesteading bloggers network I’m also a part of. Homestead Bloggers Network
Wife and Mom
Clovis, New Mexico
She and her family moved from Florida to New Mexico in 2016 to start their dream farm.
It was an interesting adjustment.

AND A PIECE OF ADVICE FROM ALEXIS

Take your time and learn about the new area before you jump in. New Mexico is a lot different than Florida.

Even though they lived rural in Florida, their community was a little more urban than where they live now in New Mexico. Here’s some ways ways the family had to adjust:

Starting a new homestead from scratch.
How to start a homestead with nothing in a brand new place and knowing absolutely no one in the new area.
Homesteading grants for funding.
Homesteading self sufficiency in a brand new place
Finally, they had to face fears about moving away and starting new.

Here’s what she did to overcome these adjustments:

Stop and learn about her new homestead land.
Branched out to the locals to learn from them.
Work with the local Extension agents.

Having a huge passion for something can work against you if you don’t stop and learn first.

NEXT, LOW POINTS THROUGH THEIR JOURNEY

Alexis let herself get overwhelmed. She was involved in many things (it’s easy to do when you live rural).

So, she had to let herself slow down. It was hard for her to admit to herself that she was doing too much.

And because of all of this, Alexis sold her beloved dairy cows.

AS A RESULT, SOME LESSONS LEARNED

Not set herself up for failure
She learned to not place unrealistic expectations on herself.

HOW ALEXIS HAS LEARNED TO PRIORITIZE

She usually just takes a few minutes here and there to do a the easy tasks. Just completing the little tasks makes her feel accomplished.

THEN, ALEXIS DESCRIBES THE “AHA MOMENT”

Selling her dairy cows made her realize how much she thought about what people were thinking of her. That’s when she realized that she needed to stop worrying about what others think about her.

She prayed about it. Then, she refocused and re-prioritized to make decisions and choices. Those choices led to the big move west.

NEXT, WHAT IS ONE THING THAT ALEXIS STRUGGLES WITH?

Definitely fear:

What will family say about the big move?
What if they couldn’t find a property?
Maybe the people in the new community wouldn’t be nice?

She was too worried about these little things. There’s nothing worse than living in fear and anxiety all the time. And the fear of living life. But sometimes you just have to know that you’re being led and overcome those fears.

You need to learn how to face fear and anxiety before you can learn how to stop living in fear.

And facing fear is good for you. Face them and overcome them to grow as a person. You never know who might be waiting on you if you’re too scared to make that leap. The next open door can be an exciting part of life.

CONSEQUENTLY, WHAT IS ALEXIS MOST EXCITED ABOUT?

She’s really excited for the new farm and building a homestead house for their family. As they remodel the farm house to make it their own, she’s finding that it has so much life and personality. It’s old and a very loved piece of the community.

So, she feels like they are restoring a piece of history to make it special for them and the community.

SO, WHAT IS HOLDING ALEXIS BACK FROM REACHING HER GOALS?

Again, fear! Especially with livestock. Fear about homestead startup costs, continuing to fund the homestead or something happening to the livestock is scary.

Luckily, she has moved to a great community with many agricultural leaders to help and work with.

BEST ADVICE EVER RECEIVED

Based upon a story she tells in the episode, you have to allow beauty of God’s grace to cover up the ugliness of the world. Even when we don’t want to!

FURTHERMORE, HER BEST PERSONAL HABIT

She always takes time for herself. Even if it’s 5 minutes, that little time for yourself is golden and so important.

In the morning, she likes to put on her head phones and listen to music. It helps her to escape for a little bit and get her day started right.

Another suggestion is to put a puzzle together or go for a run. Do something for yourself and recharge!

OF COURSE, HER FAVORITE GO-TO MEAL

Mexican Soup:

Chicken Breast or raise your own.
Salsa or make and can your own.
Beans (Pinto beans or Black beans)
Corn – Here’s how I freeze fresh sweet corn.
Mexican Seasoning
Rice or Quinoa

YUM! This is a recipe I need to use. Sounds delicious.

FAVORITE APP?

Proceed with Caution: Pinterest! It can be so awesome

Tip: Set a timer for a specific amount of time and when that timer goes off – Get Off Pinterest!

AND, FAVORITE PHYSICAL TOOL

Right now, it’s her belt sander because she’s doing a lot of renovations. She loves her belt sander because she can spend just a little bit of time and completely transform something.

THEN, BEST BOOK SHE WOULD RECOMMEND

The Bible
Fahrenheit 451

AND, IF ALEXIS WOKE UP TOMORROW, ACQUIRED 10 ACRES AND $1000, WHAT WOULD SHE DO?

She would fence it in for some fiber sheep. Alexis has a passion for weaving and spinning, so she wants to start raising fiber sheep to have her own fiber.

IN CONCLUSION, SOME PARTING WORDS OF WISDOM

Just go for it! There’s a lot of people out there (maybe you!) who want to start living rural, start a homestead, etc. So, take the next step and just start!

FINALLY, CONTACT ALEXIS

First of all, Alexis has a contest coming up to support 4-H! If you love 4-H or have kids enrolled, you might want to check it out here.

Website: Muckboots & Munchkins

Facebook: Muckboots & Munchkins

Finally, catch all the past episodes of Rural Women Inspired! I hope you enjoyed episode 10 about starting a new homestead from scratch!

RURALITES, HONE YOUR DREAMS, OWN YOUR LIFE AND I’LL SEE YOU DOWN THE ROAD.