Several years ago I spent $100 on a nice elevated planter box for my back porch. It looked really nice in my backyard, and I grew some of my favorite herbs in it. Then last week, I was looking through Youtube and I saw this video by Cottage Life, and I thought, "Hey, that looks a lot like my planter box." So I clicked on the video, and yea, … [Read more...]
DIY Cinder Block Grill
Have you ever thought about building your own grill? Most people wouldn't even consider doing this. They're afraid they don't have enough knowledge or that it would be way too much work. But after watching this video from Dr. Stewart Productions, you'll realize that building a grill isn't nearly as complicated as you thought. For this cinder … [Read more...]
How to Make Activated Charcoal (With Pictures)
Yes, you can make it at home, but it's a little more complicated than you might think. A little more complicated is an understatement. If you can buy activated charcoal and stock it, go for it. Making it is a complex and tedious chore. Some websites say it’s so easy. Well, it's not. I'm not saying it can't be done, but you have to be patient and … [Read more...]
10 Amazing Uses for Activated Charcoal
At one time, activated charcoal was considered a universal antidote for a wide range of conditions. With the advent of modern medicine, the popularity of activated charcoal declined. However, in recent years it has seen a bit of a resurgence, especially among the alternative medicine community. In this article, we’ll take a look at what … [Read more...]
25 DIY Fire Pit Plans That Are Easy To Build
With summer right around the corner, you may already be planning some home improvement projects. If you plan on entertaining family and friends or experimenting with some survival techniques, a fire pit is a brilliant addition to your backyard. Whether you’re cooking hot dogs or cozying up next to your kids, your fire pit will get tons of … [Read more...]
25 Off Grid Uses for Five Gallon Buckets
The origin of the phrase “reduce, reuse, recycle” is somewhat unclear. Most people think it dates back to the first Earth Day held on April 22, 1970. For dedicated homesteaders, however, the popular mantra is more than a call to reduce trash -- it is a way of life. One of the most useful items homesteaders can recycle is the five-gallon bucket. … [Read more...]
How to Make Old-Fashioned Gunpowder (with Pictures)
Black powder, the original gunpowder, can be made from sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate. Even if you never make your own gunpowder, these items are worth having on the homestead, anyway. In fact, they all have a place on the homestead for one use or another. Are you going to be firing a black powder rifle with your homemade black powder? … [Read more...]
60 Things You Should Stop Buying and Start Making
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 you know how to make everyday cleaning products and your favorite … [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 mix. If you do use extract, you must know how expensive it is. … [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 long time ago. It's also why I started making my own bar soap. … [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 chewing on tree stumps, they won't taste very good. And there is no method … [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 machine when you either don't have electricity or it's in short supply? … [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 fresheners, window cleaners, and stain removers consist of harmful … [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 of the Roman empire. They're made from a mixture of clay and sand … [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 share it. This playlist was put together by Robb's Homemade Life, … [Read more...]
How to Make a Bacon Fat Candle
If you love to make bacon but are dumping all the grease down the drain or into the trash, you should start saving it instead. Not only is bacon grease great for cooking, it makes a great clean-burning candle. This video by Finding Self-Reliance shows you exactly how to make a bacon fat candle. All you need is bacon grease, a container, and a … [Read more...]
DIY Cinder Block Bench
Too many people find themselves intimidated by DIY projects. They go their whole lives buying what they need and never making anything, so they tend to think DIY projects are difficult and time-consuming. Although that's certainly true in some cases, this video is a great example of how many DIY projects are so easy anyone can do it. For this … [Read more...]
