With the many ads and commercials for Mother’s Day gifts, brunches and flower deliveries in full swing, you may be wondering what to get the frugal homesteading mama in your life. She works so tirelessly to make life easier for you and your family that you want to get her something special this year. However, you know she appreciates practical, … [Read more...]
15 Best Off Grid and Homesteading Shows on Netflix
You’ve got two options to prep yourself for off the grid living: you can either spend three weeks in the wilderness butt ass naked where you bond with a pack of wolves who teach you how to survive, OR you can binge watch Netflix for an entire weekend. Okay, those aren’t your only options, but they’re both pretty good. Let’s assume you choose … [Read more...]
7 Natural Mosquito Repellents and Traps That Really Work
Zika Virus. Dengue Fever. Malaria. West Nile Virus. No, thanks. I’ll pass. While I’m certainly not going to sign myself up to catch one of these mosquito diseases… I also don’t want to drown my body in harmful mosquito repellent chemicals like Deet and other lab-created concoctions. So! I set out on a deep dive of the internet to collect all … [Read more...]
5 Ways Our Life is Better Living Off The Grid
Here's an inspiring video for your weekend. Anyone who's ever attempted to live off the grid as much as possible has had those moments where they thought, "Why am I doing this?" Living a self-sufficient lifestyle is not easy, but it can still be very rewarding, as Jamie from Guildbrook Farm reminds us in this video. She made a list of 5 ways … [Read more...]
7 Surprising Uses For Diatomaceous Earth
So what exactly is diatomaceous earth (DE)? Well, it's the fossilized remains of small aquatic organisms that are usually found in the bottom of rivers, oceans, and lakes. These little organisms are called Diatoms. To create DE, these Diatoms are ground up to create a smooth food grade powder that is easy to use in a multitude of ways, from skin … [Read more...]
11 Most Useful Medicinal Herbs You Can Grow
Learning to use herbal remedies can be a great way to increase your self-reliance. While there’s no way to totally eliminate the need for modern medicine, herbal remedies can help you avoid some trips to the doctor. Unfortunately, good quality organic medicinal herbs can be expensive. Luckily, there are many healing herbs that are easy to grow … [Read more...]
How to Survive This Year’s Deadly Flu Season
Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor and nothing in this article should be taken as medical advice. Please talk to your doctor before using any of the herbs and/or remedies mentioned in this article. All around the nation, hospitals are feeling the strain of this year’s deadly flu virus. The scenarios being laid out are, frankly, hard to … [Read more...]
10 Mistakes People Make When Going Off the Grid
After I graduated from high school, my parents decided to go off the grid in case the Y2K bug turned out to be a disaster, among other reasons. The problem is, they weren't as knowledgeable as they thought they were. After decades of occasionally reading magazines like Mother Earth News, they thought they knew a lot about off-grid living, but … [Read more...]
18 Tips For Buying An Affordable Property For Getting Out Of Dodge
Do you ever dream of running to the hills and leaving the city behind forever? I don't blame you. It seems like society is getting more dysfunctional every year. Unfortunately, it's not as easy as packing for vacation and shopping for a hotel online. Moving off the grid is a huge undertaking that is very expensive if you don't know what you're … [Read more...]
4 Things You Can Burn for Heat When You Run Out of Firewood
If you haven’t started already, you should be in the habit of stocking up on firewood year-round. Chop your trees into manageable pieces and create a pile either in a woodshed or covered with a tarp in a dry area. This pile will serve as your main heat source if and when there is a power outage that leaves you in the cold. That’s Plan A. Now … [Read more...]
30 Things You Can Do On Your Winter Homestead
I live in the South, so I'm able to garden and work outdoors year round, but for many homesteaders, winter is a time to stay inside and bundle up. It's just too cold out there. But if you're like me, you'll go stir-crazy, pacing back and forth from one window to another. If you spend most of your year doing things outside, what are you supposed … [Read more...]
Creating a Homestead Business: Legalities and Liabilities
One of the best things about owning a homestead is having extra food that you can sell. It's just one of many ways you can make money homesteading. However, it's not as simple as throwing some food in a bag and trading it for cash. If you're not careful, you could get sued or even imprisoned. I have mixed feelings about all the rules and … [Read more...]
9 Tips for New Homesteaders
If you are thinking of homesteading or are just starting out, you probably have been immersing yourself in tons of information and advice. Maybe some of it is helpful; maybe some it is confusing. And just maybe, you are feeling overwhelmed. Yes, there is a lot to learn, but no, you don’t have to learn it all at once. You couldn’t even if you … [Read more...]
15 Great Gifts for Homesteaders
The gift-giving season is just around the corner! When it comes to giving gifts to homesteaders, there is one important factor that you must consider... Homesteaders are known for making great use of their space! They don’t deal with clutter and they don’t collect useless knickknacks. Everything thing has its place and purpose. That means … [Read more...]
14 Delicious Ways to Add Turmeric To Your Diet
Adding helpful herbs to your diet can be a great way to be more self-sufficient and responsible for your own health and well-being. While herbs cannot entirely take the place of modern medicine, they can help reduce the need for it. Medicinal herbs are not just for when you actually get sick. They can also help keep you well when you incorporate … [Read more...]
17 Ways to Stay Warm When It’s Freezing Outside
Each year, hypothermia kills 1,500 people in the United States alone. Many of these deaths happen during winter storms when the power gets knocked out. People take their electric home heating system for granted and don't make any preparations in case it stops working. Of course, it doesn't just take a winter storm to knock out the power. There … [Read more...]
