Grocery prices rose nearly 24% in the last five years, according to data from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, and many households feel the pinch. As food costs continue to climb, more people seek ways to produce, preserve and plan without needing a lot of land or a full-scale farm.

The rise of DIY micro-homesteading opens new possibilities for city dwellers, renters and anyone with limited space for growing their own food. From windowsill herbs to hand-ground wheat, these small but practical efforts offer real ways to cut food costs and build a little more self-reliance right at home, wherever that may be.

Join the movement

The hows and whys are wide and varied in the homesteading niche. You don’t have to squeeze in a cow and a full garden to get started. The best approach is to look at examples of what other people have done and identify where your interests overlap. That provides a roadmap to your sweet spot target.

Homemade bread

Making your own bread is one of the most common and easiest ways to start. You don’t need any special tools, knowledge or supplies, just a willingness to learn – and eat your mistakes. Making bread is satisfying and can reduce your food bills because bulk ingredients are cheaper than processed bread.

If you already bake bread, take it a step further and buy wheat in bulk and grind it into flour. Electric grain mills can be pricey, so consider buying secondhand or sharing one with a friend. You can also purchase a hand-crank flour mill, which is much less expensive than an electric one.

Sourdough is another alternative if you’re into homemade bread. It takes work to figure out the best recipe and method, but the journey will be full of not-quite-right loaves that make great snacks.

Hydroponics

Growing produce hydroponically is another popular way to reduce food bills and gain self-sufficiency. Hydroponics has become a go-to for anyone short on outdoor garden space. From simple countertop units to vertical towers that tuck neatly into a kitchen corner, hydroponics allow people to grow lettuce, herbs and more with minimal fuss. Start small and see if you enjoy the process before you commit to tower growing – some people love it, and for some it’s a pass.

Vertical gardening

If you don’t have any outdoor space beyond a porch or a patio, you can still grow food; just go vertical. A barrel planter or even 5-gallon buckets with drainage can hold outdoor tomato plants, cucumbers or, better yet, prolific zucchini. Be sure to tie them up and help them grow upwards instead of over the edges. You can fit more plants in when you research companion planting and fill out your planters.

Starting any size garden can feel expensive, but there are plenty of ways to do it on the cheap. Local recycling centers and buy-nothing groups often have free pots, trays and even soil up for grabs. Start seeds at home instead of buying plants to cut costs dramatically.

Chickens

You don’t need a lot of space to have chickens, just enough for a coop and a covered grazing area or room to free range. A small flock of three to four hens can easily supply a family with fresh eggs daily. Ducks are another option, especially for smaller yards or garden spaces. Unlike chickens, ducks tend to ignore plants and prefer to snack on bugs instead.

Preserving

Preserving food can be intimidating, but there are many different ways to put food away for later. It can be as simple as buying chicken in bulk, making soup and freezing it for later. Or it can be a more involved process when using a pressure canner to can meat. Don’t discount drying herbs or fruit, making jam, or learning to make sauerkraut, there are so many ways to preserve foods to eat later, not all of them involve pressure canning.

Learn to preserve food properly to fill your pantry and keep you alive. Take free food preservation classes at your local cooperative extension office and skip the misinformation and quick fixes often seen on social media.

Mend and upcycle

While this doesn’t particularly pertain to food and a food budget, learning to mend and upcycle saves you cash in the long run. Those socks with a hole can be darned and worn longer. When clothes have reached the end of their logical wearability, turn them into rags or rugs, or pillow filling. Single socks make great over-the-hand dust rags; no store-bought single-use dust rags are needed.

Learn to barter and trade

Once you’ve developed tangible skills, the satisfaction in doing things instead of being entertained is immense. However, the results of your hard work may become overwhelming in terms of space for your final products or your family’s tolerance for the amount you can produce. It’s time to level up.

Welcome to the world of bartering and trade. Got too many fresh herbs or flowers? Your neighbor with an excessive amount of duck eggs might need them. All that ginger ale you made? Time to swap it for a loaf of fresh bread.

Barter and trade are where your newfound skills bring even more goodness and abundance to your life. Swapping goods for things you can’t or don’t make is the pinnacle experience of the homestead lifestyle, the ultimate success. It’s not the goal, but it can be if you make it part of your journey.

Do something, not everything

Micro-homesteading isn’t about doing everything, it’s about doing something. Whether you bake bread, grow lettuce on your windowsill, raise a few hens or swap homemade goods with neighbors, each action adds up.

With the price of wholesale food still rising, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, these small, consistent efforts will reduce your food bills, build confidence and create habits that support a more self-reliant lifestyle. The best part? There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. It’s about finding what works for your space, time and budget. The modern homesteader looks a lot like you.

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Laura Sampson is the writer behind Little Frugal Homestead. She and her husband, Jack, are two Gen-Xers living in a 90-year-old farmhouse in Alaska. They keep chickens and honey bees and grow a garden and small orchard; their dream is to live well within their means on their little piece of land.