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 … [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. Want to … [Read more...]
Liquid Laundry Soap – 34 Years’ Worth For Pennies!
This article is the perfect example of why we love homesteading and homesteaders! These incredible finds and great deals that homesteaders learn out of necessity are what keep bringing us back to their blogs. It’s a true value-added relationship. It’s the same thing that keeps so many Americans tethered to the idea of telling their boss to go … [Read more...]
Video: Off the Grid Cabin Restoration
After I graduated high school, my parents bought 60 acres of land in Oklahoma. The best thing about the land was it had an old barn and an old chicken house. They hadn't been used in years, but after a few months, we were able to completely restore them. It was a lot of work, but it was worth it for the great deal they got on the property. Plus, my … [Read more...]
7 Primitive Tools and How to Make Them
The whole point of homesteading is to become as self-sufficient as possible. That doesn't mean you can't buy products that were made by others, such as tools made in a factory. For certain items, there's simply no other choice. That's why I said, "as self-sufficient as possible." Meaning, if there's something you can make on your own, you … [Read more...]
DIY Chicken Coop for Less Than $15
If you've ever thought about getting chickens so you can have fresh eggs every day (thus saving any money you spend on eggs), then you probably already know that you will need a chicken coop. The problem is, most prebuilt coops cost several hundred dollars, thus erasing any money you'll save on eggs. Plus, not everyone has hundreds of dollars lying … [Read more...]
