Episode 61: Homesteading Wherever You Are

Welcome back to Essential Oil Solutions with doTERRA. The podcast where you'll hear exciting, useful, and simple everyday uses for essential oils from experts in the field. If you like what you hear today rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen. We always appreciate hearing from you. Today, we're excited to talk with Jill Winger, who's been homesteading for 10 years, about how she lives a natural lifestyle and utilizes her doTERRA essential oils.

 

doTERRA: Jill thank you so much for taking the time to sit down with us today and talk to us about this topic.

 

Jill Winger: Absolutely it's my pleasure. I love talking about this stuff.

 

doTERRA: So, my first question for you is, what is homesteading?

 

Jill: Yes, and that's kind of a loaded question because definitions on that depends on if, you know, if we're going old school, that a homesteader was someone who came to a part of the country and got free land, right? But that's not quite how it works these days. So, how I define homesteading is, it's basically a movement of people who want to get back to the basics and who want to take the best of maybe old-fashioned skills and mindsets and food perhaps and weave them into our modern everyday lives.

 

doTERRA: Well that sounds like a lot and it sounds like a big lifestyle change. What was it that made you and your family decide to pursue this?

 

Jill: So I've always had a bent towards rural living and country life even though I was raised basically in town in a little neighborhood. So that was part of it. But ultimately what prompted the whole thing was our children. Like when I started to have our babies and realized I didn't want them to be consuming toxins and you know all the processed ingredients of different things and I was analyzing how we could give them a healthier more wholesome lifestyle.

 

And so that was a big catalyst. And also just this idea of making things with our hands and being involved in the process of growing our own food like that just lit me up I was so excited about that. So what I think would be both of those things combined kind of prompted me into this lifestyle.

 

doTERRA: All right. So you've been doing this for a little bit now what kinds of benefits have you and your family seen from pursuing this more natural lifestyle?

 

Jill: So yeah we've been doing this for almost 10 years. I guess, quite a while. There's lots of benefits. Some are really obvious, like health wise you know we're eating more whole foods getting rid of processed ingredients in things we're ingesting. That's a big one. My kids are happy, healthy, they get lots of outdoor time, lots of room to run. I think they have pretty good immune systems from all the dirt they eat and the animals they're around. That's my own little theory on that. But I think deeper than that homesteading and learning how to become a producer instead of just a consumer, because we live in a consumer culture, and shifting into a set of making and creating, it's very very fulfilling. And I think it satisfies a very deep human need to work with our hands and to see the process of what we're creating and what we're building and so on that realm it just satisfies me very deeply to be involved in a lifestyle that allows me to do those things.

 

doTERRA: And that sentiment of becoming a creator really is just so beautiful. I love that. So, not everyone is ready to fully commit and start their own homestead. So what are some ways to incorporate natural living into everyday life?

 

Jill: I love this question because I feel like kind of by default the term homesteading or homesteader feels really big it feels like jumping off a cliff. And so what I like to remind people that it's not about necessarily selling everything you own and moving to a cabin on 80 acres or buying a milk cow. Although, if you want to do those things that's fabulous. Really it's about little choices that you're making every day. For a lot of us whether you're a homesteader on a lot of land or you're homesteading in an apartment because yes that is possible or you are a homesteader from 1865, it's all about the food.

 

Everything hinges on the food and food production. So if you can start making better more conscious choices with what you're eating and how you're eating it and maybe making it yourself instead of buying everything prepackaged, that's going to set you up for a lot of success in the homesteading realm.

 

doTERRA: And I think that's great and that's such a simple thing that people can incorporate like that wherever they are whatever stage they might be at, is just paying attention to their food making sure that they're making the best choices they can.

 

Jill: Absolutely.

 

doTERRA: So you have been involved with doTERRA for a little while now as well. What doTERRA products have helped you in your goal for a natural life?

 

Jill: Oh, lots. And I think my whole process of being drawn to doTERRA it came as a result of this homesteading lifestyle and starting to be more conscious of what we were eating and what we're putting on our skin and what's in my home. So, I use them a lot for our homesteading efforts. We use them on our animals to help with pests and to help soothe and calm our animals. We use them a lot in the garden during that time of year where I'm fighting the bugs for my cabbage and my tomatoes.

 

And so I'll mix up different sprays to help repel different insects you know use them on the kids when they're out about they're very active. So we use them to help with those sort of issues but the oil's definitely go hand-in-hand with homesteading very, very naturally.

 

doTERRA: So with your experience could you tell us maybe your top two or three oils that you would recommend for people to use for a more natural life?

 

Jill: It's a very hard question.

 

doTERRA: I know it's hard to pick from all of the different products we have.

 

Jill: It is and they're like "what's your favorite oil?" and I'm like you know I've been doing this for eight years I shouldn't I should have just I don't because it changes. If I had to pick two oils especially, let's gear it towards the homestead lifestyle with a lot of versatility. I think Peppermint would be a big one because it's great for spraying on your plants. It's great for after you've been out in the sun. It's great to wake you up when you have a lot of chores to do. My kids love it. And then another one I think would be maybe Frankincense to put in different lotions I've used Ffrankincense on my milk cow I put some on her utter with her utter needs a little extra TLC you can put it on the kids so you know it's a tough one and I think those two would be go-to for any homesteader.

 

doTERRA: Well those both sound like amazing powerhouses to have and helping you with your natural life. Jill, for different kinds of resources on homesteading where can I go to find little tips and tricks.

 

Jill: So, I probably have to put you to my blog because I have a lot of tips and tricks on there theprairiehomestead.com. It's a great place for lots of recipes, tutorials, instruction. There's also a lot of good books at your library I've noticed that public libraries are adding more farm homestead topics to their collections so go check that out first and see what you can find and then you can kind of build your collection of resources from there.

 

doTERRA: Jill, my final question for you is just, what would be your advice to someone who is looking to start out on this homesteading path?

 

Jill: I would say number one don't overthink it or don't think that the stars have to align just right for you to take that first step. It's really a process of just starting. And if you're a little nervous or you're a little apprehensive. One of my favorite quotes is action cures fear. So get the chickens or maybe start the sourdough bread or learn how to cook the tortillas or whatever you feel drawn to just try it you're going to mess up I mess up still on a regular basis but just dive in.

 

And if you're not sure where to dive in just go back to the food start maybe picking one thing that you buy a lot of and learn how to make it from scratch. Maybe it's bread, maybe it's cream of mushroom soup, maybe it's homemade broth but as you start those little baby steps it turns into a snowball rolling down the hill picking up momentum pretty quick and it's a whole lot of fun.

 

doTERRA: Well Jill thank you so much for your incredible insight and your advice. We really appreciate you coming and talking to us today.

 

Jill: It was a blast my pleasure thanks for having me.

 

doTERRA: Thanks for joining us and congratulations on living a healthier lifestyle with essential oils. If you like what you heard today rate, review, and subscribe where ever you listen. Also, if you want to try any of the products you learned about. Go to doterra.com, or find a Wellness Advocate near you, to place an order today.