Do you really feel like driving to the store every time you run out of dish soap? And do you really feel like spending $10 on name brand deodorant that you could make at home for $3? Wake up, people! A self-sufficient lifestyle is so much more rewarding (and inexpensive)! Once … [Read more...]
5 Extracts You Can Easily Make at Home
If you like to bake, then you probably use a lot of extracts. I use vanilla extract all the time--in cookies, pancakes, homemade vanilla shakes, all the essentials. I also use mint extract, especially around the holidays, for things like mint chocolate brownies and homemade cocoa … [Read more...]
Simple Soap Recipe With Olive Oil and Coconut Oil
In my family, we all have itchy skin. It's kind of a family curse. All sorts of things will cause our skin to itch: Not drinking enough water, direct contact with grass and bushes, or using store-bought laundry detergent. This is why I started making my own laundry detergent a … [Read more...]
2000+ Survival Uses for Everyday Items
This is one you're going to want to bookmark. It's the ultimate index to survival uses for everyday items. Below you'll find a list of nearly 100 ordinary items that have all sorts of survival applications. I did the math, and it adds up to 2,035 survival uses! I put the items … [Read more...]
6 Things Homesteaders Should Never Throw Away (And Why)
Did you know that in 2014, the EPA estimated that the average American produced 0.371 pounds of food waste per day? That adds up to about 135lbs per person/per year. Multiply that by how many adults or young adults live in your home and wowza--that’s a lot of food that could have … [Read more...]
24 DIY Solar Projects and Tutorials
Whether you're looking to lower your electric bill or reduce your carbon footprint, solar power is a great way to do it. Most people have this false idea that to benefit from solar power, you need to spend thousands of dollars on huge solar panels for your roof. Far from it! … [Read more...]
Get Rid of Tree Stumps & Trunks By Growing Delicious Mushrooms
Grinding tree stumps is usually how we deal with them. If you have land to clear on your homestead, it could become quite a chore to get these stumps taken care of. But did you know that you can eat your stumps? Well, that is not exactly true. If you head out there and start … [Read more...]
50 Ways to Upcycle Old Socks and T-Shirts
If you are a friend to the universe, what I’m about to tell you might shake you... Did you know that more than 15 million tons of clothing waste is produced every year in the US? And did you know that it takes about 40 years for clothing to decompose? We have been so busy … [Read more...]
Bicycle-Powered Washing Machine
There are many ways to wash your clothes off the grid--the WonderWash, MobileWasher, or a good ole fashioned Washboard--but nothing is quite as simple and effective as an electric washing machine. Unfortunately, washing machines take a lot of power. How do you use a washing … [Read more...]
11 Surprising Uses for Soap
Who doesn’t love discovering multipurpose household items? If you love saving money, getting innovative around the house, and being an overall hero, then you’re going to love these tips and tricks on how to use bar soap and dish soap in out-of-the-ordinary ways. With great … [Read more...]
23 Surprising Uses for Washing Soda
If you like making your own laundry soap in order to save money or control the chemicals in your home, you're probably familiar with washing soda. It only costs a few dollars for a large box and can be used for laundry and a variety of other jobs. Washing soda is sodium … [Read more...]
10 Cleaning Products You Can Make Yourself
You go to the store, pick up a bottle of Febreeze, and take it home to spray all around your house. With one deep inhale, you take in those lovely fresh scents...but did you know that you're also taking in harmful lung and skin irritants? It's true. Many "fresh smelling" air … [Read more...]
16 Ways to Use Wood Ash on Your Homestead
As you pursue a more sustainable lifestyle, you probably are discovering many ways to repurpose items around your home and property. Wood ash is something you may have a lot of, especially if you have a fireplace, woodstove, or campfire. Did you know there are many beneficial … [Read more...]
How to Build an Earthen Oven (& Bake Bread In It)
Earthen ovens have been used to cook food for at least two thousand years. They were widely used in homes and forts in the 18th century, they were moved from place to place on wagons in medieval times, and there is evidence of them being used all around the world during the era … [Read more...]
101 DIY Pallet Projects
I've seen a lot of DIY pallet projects floating around the Internet, but the other day I came across the ultimate list of pallet projects on Youtube. Although the list is called 101 DIY Pallet Project Videos, there are actually 154 in all. I was so blown away that I just had to … [Read more...]
11 Uses for Olive Oil on the Homestead
Olive oil is one of those must-have staples for every homesteader. It truly stands alone in terms of its nutritional benefits and in terms of its many other uses around your home and property. With its high concentration of monounsaturated fatty acids, which can help boost your … [Read more...]