Episode 148 – Homesteading Without Quitting Your Day Job

Podcast: Ditch the Store with CJ from Mojo Homestead🌱 www.mojohomestead.net

This week, CJ gets real about what it takes to build a homestead while still working full-time. She shares personal stories, lessons, and hard-earned tips from managing 120 acres with a shift-working partner, teenagers, and a busted leg… all without quitting the day job.

💬 “You don’t need to live off-grid or quit your career to start homesteading. You just need to start — one small step at a time.”

🧭 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why 2.5 acres was more than enough to begin

• How CJ and Handy Helper slowly added veggies, chooks, bees, goats — and kept their sanity

• Building your homestead season by season and job by job

• Why scheduling, prioritising, and planning are non-negotiable

• How to break homesteading into 10–30 min chunks a day

• What to start with if you’ve got no time: veggie gardens, chooks, laundry powder, herbs

• Letting go of “Instagram homesteading” guilt

• Why failing at something (like sourdough) doesn’t mean you’re a failure

• Managing homestead tasks between shift work and kids’ sport

• How CJ’s teenagers are part of the team (and proud of it!)

• Getting your partner involved even if they’re not into it

• Tips for automating water, batching feed, using reminders, and more

• Communication & calendars: key to making it all work

💥 Whether you’ve got a backyard or a broadacre, a 9-to-5 or night shifts, this episode will show you that homesteading isn’t all or nothing. It’s real, messy, imperfect — and absolutely doable.

🛠️ Mentioned in the episode:

• PICC lines, antibiotics & recovery (CJ gives a health update)

• Seasonal planning for planting, animals, and projects

• Tips for single parents & busy families

• Why CJ still struggles with plants (but has nailed raising animals!)

📚 Want to start your own journey? Grab CJ’s homesteading journals & trackers:📓 Journals

Beekeeping Journal https://amzn.to/46iNapz 

Chicken Keeping Journal https://amzn.to/44QgctY

Goatkeeping Journal https://amzn.to/4lzYGSa

Farm Management Journal https://amzn.to/4eSFfRL

📓 Chicken Keeping Printable - https://www.mojohomestead.net/journal-chicken

🌐 Plus freebies & extras at: www.mojohomestead.net

📸 Follow behind the scenes:Instagram & Facebook → @mojohomestead

🐓 Getting Started While You’re Still Working🧠 Time, Energy & Mindset👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Roster, Routine & Real Life