Self-Reliant Family Builds a Thriving Homestead While Living in a Tiny Yurt
Six years ago, Mike, Lacie, and their three kids downsized, left the city, and moved into a small yurt in the country to try their hand at homesteading. Like so many people, they dreamed of living off the land and growing their own food, and with a lot of hard work they've made their vision a reality. Mike and Lacie grow and raise a lot of their own food, they earn a living selling vegetables from their market garden and they homeschool their kids from the comfort of their yurt.
Follow Mike and Lacie on YouTube and Instagram:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgrA2BxbEwkStpOefAMYH_Q
https://www.instagram.com/the_fit_farmer_
https://www.instagram.com/yurt.momma/
https://www.instagram.com/bigpondfarm/
The yurt is cleverly divided into separate rooms, with a functional kitchen that has all the amenities, a living and dining room for the family to eat meals and homeschool, a bunk bed nook for the kids, and a bedroom and work space for Mike and Lacie. They also have a full bathroom and even a clever laundry room and closet combo!
The farm is absolutely beautiful with rows of vegetables, a big greenhouse, an apothecary herb garden, goats, chickens, and a duck pond. The family grows a lot of their own food, and they also make a living with their market garden CSA (community supported agriculture).
We're super inspired by this family's self sufficient homestead success story and feel so lucky to be able to share it with you!
Thanks for watching!
Mat & Danielle
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Blog: www.exploringalternatives.ca
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COMMENTS
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CREDITS
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Music & Song Credits:
All music in this video was composed, performed, and recorded by Mat of Exploring Alternatives.
Editing Credits:
Mat and Danielle of Exploring Alternatives
Filming Credits:
Mike and Lacie from The Fit Farmer
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgrA2BxbEwkStpOefAMYH_Q
Thank you for watching! You can follow Mike and Lacie here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgrA2BxbEwkStpOefAMYH_Q
https://www.instagram.com/the_fit_farmer_
https://www.instagram.com/yurt.momma/
https://www.instagram.com/bigpondfarm/
I have been watching their videos for a long time. They are fantastic people.
4 mins in and I had to remind myself they are actually in a Yurt. I’ve stayed in a few over the years but what you guys have done with this is incredible!! Also you’ve got a really relaxing easy to listen to voice, time to subscribe 💯
Wow my favourite family, I was not sure it 1was1 the di1cksons and I am glad it is them
I would like to listen to that background song in this video. Where can I find it??
I am so glad you done this we all need to go back to this life I have been watching them for about 4 years THANK YOU GOD BLESS WWG1WGA
Lol I actually follow this family and follow your channel, it’s cool to see a collab
Thank you!!!
As do I
Yay, look at y’all! So nice to see Mike and Lacie featured on this channel. 😊❤️
Thank you Jilley!! We were super excited to work with Mat and Danielle.
A perfect life… a healthier life… a happier life… God bless you guys… you truly inspire…
Thank you!
I’ve been following Mike and his family for a few years now. They are a beautiful family!
Thank you Misty!!
I love this family. They’re so close as a unit. Absolutely love how their children are involved in the everyday chores.
@SunOnShine do it!
The kids are such great helpers!
@SunOnShine A few pieces of advice. Start small so you’re not overwhelmed. Start with easy veggies. Watch a lot of you tube videos and read a lot of books. Happy gardening.👍😁😁😁😁
Yay for you! Sometimes less is more and I’d say you have a whole lot more than most! Wishing you continued good health, happiness and success.
Thank you!
“Express their duckness” 🤣
@Mark Mayes Joel is a friend of ours and that is exactly where that comes from!!
That was my favorite part!! 🦆
So funny😂
Pretty corny! 😏
And Trump express Trumpness
Anyone else thinking that gathering your neighbours to convert your neighborhoods to self sustainable communities and produce your own food and water is sounding like the only plan which makes any sense right now…? Veggies in front and back yards. Chicken coops. Aquaponics. Fish farms. Bee hives. Solar and wind power. Love thy neighbour as thyself right now folks. If we’re not all united and prepared together then none of us are prepared because people will be fighting over supplies.
@Sacred Seven just give it a try, and you’ll see.
@Maxawe Some any society has that issue. The one we currently choose to participate in is probably worse than any other in history.
@Maxawe Some the majority of people want to get along, be accepted and want peace. Those who want to disrupt that are sick and can also be cured with natural medicines. Ayahuasca mainly. Psilocybin mushrooms. Peyote and san pedro. Many solutions to such a simple problem.
Spot on
Tried this. Everyone living near me are stuck on the yuppie hamster weal. Thay didn’t want to commit until I actually got 5 acers and a well, at that point I told them all to go to hell. None of them actually wanted to put money, resources, and god forbid labor into an actual utopia. For me a 20 hour work week would be considered busy.
I never heard of the family until now. I’ll have to subscribe. Their garden is amazing. Mike has a great voice over quality to his voice. Lacie is so down to earth.
Thank you!!
You won’t be disappointed!
@S Roberts I was just about to comment that haha, I subbed to them about 2 years ago and have enjoyed every video I’ve watched.
looks amazing. truly living in every sense. “expressing their duckness” gave me a chuckle also😌. this is very inspiring. I am a chef and always looking for farmers to buy fresh herbs, micro greens and micro veg from; I can appreciate all the work they are doing and how unpredictable it can be.
Thank you!!
Mike and Lacie are some of the best people. What you see on their channel is who they are in person. Genuine, kind and great friends. So happy to see their hard work and commitment recognized by Exploring Alternatives. Yurt to go 😉 subscribe to their channel to keep following this journey.
Thank you guys!!
I’m subscribing because of your yurt comment (and because I think I’ll like their channel)
Thanks for that, this was a great story💯
I love how involved the children are in the day to day farm activities.
They are great helpers!
I think I’m over complicating life, this seems so natural
@D Smith guilt. My parents need my help, they dont want to live like this but I’m tired of the NYC rat race.
@D Smith Its less about that but the homesteading lifestyle. To them its like regressing their “social value” and not worth the burden of migrating. I disagree
Do it. DO IT.
Well if homesteading is not for your parents maybe moving out of New York is best 1st.
It’s a cultural mind trap. It gets all or most people.. what I don’t get is the amount of lies we are told growing up. I’m not in denial, I take responsibility.. but damn, if I could just have listened to myself a little more growing up.
Omg 😱 those kids are going more self sufficient and stable when they become adults. Kudos to the parents.
Absolutely – plenty of love going around here!
There’s something really likeable about that guy
Thanks!
muscles
He comes across very authentic. The bodybuilding would have surely played a part at building his confidence to the point where he’s now quite comfortable with himself. Plus living away from all the drama of a bustling city would mean less stress.
You should consider building an extension yurt so each of your children can have they own room later on.
I that idea in mind for my daughter’s but it’s been so hard to find land near LA county I can afford to get started I will keep working off farm until I get it established
They do intend on doing that in the future. 😊
“It’s so nice having a pond, seeing the ducks go out and just express their duckness…”
Love it.
Lol life is so twisted. this is how we live in Africa and it’s hilarious to learn it’s a dream lifestyle for most westerners. This is how we should all live, in one with nature not against it
Its the way we live and they call us poor for that😄😆😄
@Keagle Eagle you’re the richest ❤️
Amen
We live like this in Indian villages too. Crazy people built skyscrapers and now this is dream for them.
The problem with this dream, is that we get a bunch of city folks buying up the land all around us. They think they want to live this lifestyle and then when they realize it’s a hard life, they start pouring concrete and asphalt driveways, they have power lines run which in turn requires trees being cut down… I could go on and on. All I’m trying to say is, make sure this is the life you really want . Don’t ruin it for everyone else when you realize you want to bring the city to the mountains.
These kids are so fortunate and going to grow 10x better to entitled brainwashed inexper!enced city kids who know nothing about life.
Thanks for giving them this opportunity
They are going to grow up to conquer the steppes.