While being a proficient carpenter, owning a fleet of tractors, and mastering the art of welding are all fantastic skills on the homestead, none of them will make you a successful homesteader all by themselves. You’ve got to have an arsenal of information covering topics all across the board in order to maintain a sustainable life off the … [Read more...]
Blacksmithing Basics: 7 Things You Need to Know
There was once a time, as little as 150 years ago, where everything made from metal was made by a blacksmith. A box of nails that we can carelessly pick up at the hardware store was once a treasured commodity, each nail made by hand. It’s no wonder that during that time, as much as 20% of the adult male population would have been employed working … [Read more...]
10 Ways to Live Without a Fridge or Freezer
Refrigerators and freezers are taken for granted by almost everybody. We don't just use them every day, we use them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. How much food would you have to throw away if your refrigerator broke? How much would you have to change your diet if you had to eat nothing but room temperature food? Although it's possible to have … [Read more...]
30 Ways to Make Money With Your Homestead
Making the decision to live the homesteading lifestyle is one that offers a new sense of freedom and satisfaction. However, you may have taken a drastic cut in income to make your dream of self-sufficiency a reality. Whether you are looking for a full-time salary or a supplemental income, there are many ways to make money as a homesteader. Your … [Read more...]
The Dark Side Of Homesteading
This week's video comes from Guildbrook Farm, a Youtube channel all about a small homestead in North Carolina. In the video, Jamie talks about death on the homestead. I really like this video because it's more real and down to Earth than most homesteading videos. Most people like to show the best versions of themselves online. They brag about … [Read more...]
12 Life-Saving First Aid Skills That Everyone Should Learn
When someone gets injured, every single second is crucial. The longer it takes for them to receive first aid, the more likely they are to die or have long-term problems caused by the injury. This is one of the downsides of living off the grid. In some places, it could take hours for responders to reach your location. Fortunately, there are many … [Read more...]
3 Best & Worst Decisions We’ve Made Homesteading
Whenever I see a video about mistakes people made while homesteading, prepping, storing food, or whatever, I always check it out. I've made a lot of mistakes over the years--even when I was sure I knew what I was doing--so whenever I have the opportunity to learn from the mistakes of others, I take it. In the first video below, Fouch-o-matic … [Read more...]
4 Internet Options for Rural Homesteaders
More than a few people have purchased land in the country with big plans for setting up a homestead, only to realize they won't be able to access the Internet. While some people don't care about that, if you're reading this post then odds are you'll want to keep getting online. So what will you do if you ever move somewhere with no Internet? … [Read more...]
11 Toxic Plants That You Should Learn to Identify
Whether you're going camping for the weekend, exploring the land around your homestead, or learning about edible plants and medicinal herbs, knowing which plants are highly toxic is essential. Never, ever, consume a plant you have not positively identified as safe, OR that is a look-alike for one of the poisonous plants. For example, wild carrot is … [Read more...]
100-Year-Old Life Hacks You Didn’t Know Existed
It's amazing how much wisdom has been lost to the ages. There are so many simple life hacks that used to be common knowledge. In this video, Household Hacker tries out some life hack inserts that were printed over 100 years ago in 1916. The first card reads... How to Pull Out Long Nails: It is often rather difficult to pull out a long nail … [Read more...]
3 Things to Know Before Moving Off The Power Grid
While you may dream of moving to an off-grid homestead, the reality may not be what you’d expect. When most people think of “off-grid living” they imagine a simpler lifestyle, where a rudimentary electrical system powers only basic conveniences. You may be picturing hard rustic living, but in truth, off-grid living can be easy, and even include … [Read more...]
Homesteading on a Boat: Sailing With a Purpose
Homesteading is already an exciting endeavor when it’s done on land. You have the challenges of growing food on what little acreage you can afford. Then you have everything else that wants to eat your food as well. It’s a tough job, there is no getting around it. You are trading your sweat for liberty. It’s a transaction most of us need. The … [Read more...]
Primitive Technology: Freshwater Prawn Trap
The videos at Primitive Technology are the truest form of bushcraft. You simply cannot find a more minimalist approach to creating a livable space and the tools to go along with it anywhere else. When I first found this channel, I was so impressed with the quality of the videos and the skill level that I automatically subscribed. I think there were … [Read more...]
Needle & Thread: Sewing 101
Modern convenience makes it easy to go to the store and buy a pair of pants or drop a jacket off at the tailor for last-minute adjustments the night before a party. Unfortunately, convenience makes it just as easy to forget our most basic skills, like how to bake instead of buying, make preserves from your own kitchen, and how to know your way … [Read more...]
6 Alternatives to Your Electric Washing Machine
Did you know that washing machines use up an incredible amount of water and energy in just one cycle? A standard washing machine uses up to 40 gallons of water to wash just one load of laundry! Not only is this method extremely wasteful, it’s also expensive. To justify using the washing machine, you need to let clothes and towels pile up all week … [Read more...]
12 Lessons in Frugality from The Great Depression
One of the reasons most people don't know how to be frugal is because they don't have to be frugal. Sure, many people struggle with their bills, but few people have to choose between, say, food and electricity. During the Great Depression, people had to make choices like that all the time. In order to keep food on the table, people had to save … [Read more...]
