Anyone who raised a family on a single paycheck knows the question well: how do you do it? A homesteading mom behind @polkfarms says she gets asked the same thing all the time, and she shared the five things her family cut first so they could live on one income while growing their own food and raising small children.
@polkfarms
Where She Says They Started
She opens by explaining that people constantly ask how her family can afford to homestead on one income. Her answer is a short list of habits rather than a secret. In the caption she adds that people call living on one income impossible these days, but that her family simply stopped paying for things they never really needed. No eating out, no salons and no shopping sprees, she writes, and that choice is the reason they are able to raise their babies, grow their food and chase the dream every day.
The Five Cuts, In Her Words
First, she says, they stopped eating out. She cooks at home and makes as much as she can from scratch. She says it saves a ton of money and that it simply feels good to feed her family with her own two hands.
Second, she stopped getting her hair and nails done, along with all the salon extras. She says her makeup costs maybe $20 a year, and she is honest that she is fine looking like a homesteading mama because she is not a beauty influencer.
Third, the family shops second hand. They accept hand me downs, and if a piece of clothing still has life in it, she says they will wear it.
Fourth, they cut most subscriptions. She says they do not need a bunch of television services and monthly boxes, and that they now have two television subscriptions and that is it. She jokes that small kids are the reason she is keeping those two.
Fifth, they do it themselves whenever they can. She lists bread, baby food, rabbit hutches and fences, and says that if they can figure out how to do something, they will try it themselves.
She does not pretend the lifestyle is effortless. She says living on one income is not easy. Her closing thought is that when you cut the extras out of your life, you make room for what matters most.
Why This Approach Rings True For Many Families
There is nothing new about her list, and that is part of its appeal. Households that managed on one income for generations leaned on much the same habits: cooking at home, mending and reusing, buying used and doing repairs without calling a professional. What makes it feel fresh is that she has paired those old habits with a modern goal of growing food and raising children on a small homestead.
The money behind each of her five cuts is also real. Restaurant meals cost several times as much as the same food cooked at home, and the gap grows with a family of several people. Salon visits, shopping trips and streaming or subscription box fees are small amounts that repeat monthly, which is exactly why they add up quietly.
How To Try It Without Overhauling Your Life
If her list sounds appealing but overwhelming, a few practical steps make it easier.
Start by tracking a month of spending. Many families are surprised by how much leaks out through small recurring charges. Write down every subscription, including the ones billed annually, and cancel anything you have not used recently. If you still want a service, rotate: keep one at a time and swap when you finish what you wanted to see.
Cook from a short list of cheap, filling meals. Beans, rice, soups, roasted vegetables, eggs and homemade bread stretch a grocery budget a long way. Plan a week of dinners around what is already in the pantry, and cook larger batches so leftovers become lunch. Buying staples like flour, oats and rice in bulk often lowers the cost per serving.
Make second hand your first stop. Children outgrow clothes quickly, so hand me downs from friends, family and consignment sales can cover most of what small kids need. Check seams, zippers and stains before you buy, and wash everything on arrival. For furniture and tools, look at estate sales, thrift stores and local classifieds before buying new.
Learn one do it yourself skill at a time. Baking bread is a good place to begin because the ingredients are cheap and the payoff is immediate. From there, simple repairs, sewing buttons and basic woodworking can replace many small purchases. Her list of baby food, hutches and fences shows how far the habit can go, but nobody needs to start with fences.
Be Honest About Trade Offs
The creator is open that this lifestyle is not easy, and that is worth remembering. Living on one income means someone gives up a paycheck, and the family gives up convenience, extras and sometimes a cushion for surprises. It helps to keep an emergency fund, even a small one, so that a broken appliance or a vet bill does not undo months of careful saving. It also helps for partners to agree on what they are cutting and why, so that nobody feels they are the only one making sacrifices.
Starting costs matter too. Gardens, chicken coops, rabbit hutches and fencing take money and tools up front, even when you build them yourself. Many people find it sensible to start with a small garden and a few projects, then grow only as the budget allows.
Cut The Extras, Keep The Meaning
What stands out in her message is not the list itself but the reason behind it. She frames each cut as room made for family, home cooked meals and a life she can build with her own hands. Whether you adopt all five of her habits or just one, the idea is the same: decide what matters most, then let go of what quietly costs more than it gives back. In her words, cutting the extras makes room for what matters most.
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