Welcome to Less Than One Acre Farm
Hi there, I’m Anne — so glad you found your way here.
If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably caught yourself daydreaming about a simpler life. Maybe you’ve watched the grocery bill creep up one too many times and thought, there has to be a better way. Maybe you’ve stood in your backyard and wondered what it would look like with a few raised beds, a clothesline, or a couple of hens scratching around. Or maybe you’re just tired — tired of the hustle, the noise, the feeling that you’re running hard and somehow falling behind.
That’s the space this blog was born from.
We live on less than one acre, and I want you to know that upfront, because I think it matters. You don’t need a hundred rolling acres to grow your own food, raise a few animals, put up preserves for winter, or build a life that feels like yours. You really don’t. Some of the most abundant, self-sufficient little homesteads I know are tucked into ordinary lots in ordinary neighborhoods. What they have in common isn’t size — it’s intention.
A little about me
I’m in my early fifties, married to a wonderful man who puts up with my “wait, I have one more idea” moments, and completely smitten with our dogs (you’ll meet them soon — fair warning, they’ll show up often). I love a good hike, a quiet morning in the garden with coffee in hand, and the deep satisfaction of a pantry shelf lined with things I grew and put up myself.
I also think a lot about money. Not in a flashy way — in a how do we keep more of what we earn and get to the life we actually want sooner kind of way. My husband and I are planning for retirement, and the closer we get, the more I realize that frugality and self-sufficiency aren’t just nice hobbies. They’re strategies. Every tomato I grow, every meal I cook from scratch, every thing I repair instead of replace — that’s money that stays with us. That’s freedom, compounding quietly in the background.
What you’ll find here
I’m planning to write about the things I actually do, week in and week out:
- Gardening on a small footprint — what works, what flops, and how to get real food out of a small space
- Cooking from the pantry and the garden — simple, honest meals that don’t require a trip to the store
- Frugal living that doesn’t feel like deprivation (because life’s too short for that)
- Self-sufficiency skills — the useful, old-fashioned kind our grandmothers knew by heart
- Homesteading on a small scale — animals, preserving, seasonal rhythms, the whole beautiful mess
- Dogs and farm life — because they’re part of everything around here
- Hiking and the outdoors — free, wonderful, and good for the soul
- Getting to retirement sooner — the quiet math of living below your means
Every so often I’ll share a product review when something has genuinely earned a place in our life here. But I want to be honest with you about that from the start: I’m not here to sell you things. I’m here to share what works.
Why I’m really doing this
Here’s the truth: I don’t think you need to be rich to live well. I think a lot of us have been sold a story that says otherwise, and it’s left a lot of good people feeling stuck. I want this little corner of the internet to be a place where you can come and feel like maybe — just maybe — you could grow some of your own food, save a little more of your paycheck, and build a life that belongs to you.
You can do this. Even on less than one acre. Even on a budget. Even starting today.
Pour yourself a cup of coffee and stay awhile. I’m really glad you’re here.
— Anne