I’ve been observing the squirrels in my yard and neighborhood this past week as the temperatures have become more fall-like. They are busy! Fascinated, I did a little research on the common gray squirrel. Squirrels don’t hibernate in the winter, but they do spend far less time foraging outside their dens in the colder months. Several squirrels … [Read more...]
21 Hand-Powered Tools You Need to Live Off the Grid
Preppers need tools, lots and lots of tools - of the manual variety. It would be unwise to expect to use power tools during a long-term disaster, even if the inciting incident had nothing to do with an EMP or cyber attack on our electrical grid. Sooner or later, your fuel stockpiles and spare chainsaw blades will run out. When they do, you must … [Read more...]
5 Off Grid Kitchen Gadgets You Need
Setting up an off-grid kitchen is easier said than done. Most rely on electricity and electronics more than they realize (ovens, blenders, mixers, timers, and so forth). But with the right tools, you can do you everything you would do with an "on-grid" kitchen. In this video, Stacy from Off Grid with Doug & Stacy shares five of her favorite … [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...]
17 Off Grid Tools and Supplies to Search for at Flea Markets
If you want to get some great bargains for your homestead, it’s time to start visiting flea markets. Flea markets get their name from “marché aux puces,” a French phrase that literally translates to “market of fleas.” The name comes from the fact that the first outdoor bargain markets in Paris often included items that were old and worn and … [Read more...]
Top 10 Homesteading Tools You Must Have
There are so many lists of homestead tools floating around out there. In fact, one of our own writers made a list. But this list by Big Family Homestead is especially interesting because it has several ideas that wouldn't occur to most people. For example, fence post drivers. These are a must-have for people putting up chicken wire, electric … [Read more...]
5 Best Rifles for Homesteaders
As a homesteader, you have to rely on tools each and every day. One of those tools is a firearm. This is because firearms can perform several tasks that few other tools can. They can be used for self-defense, for hunting, for protecting livestock, for target shooting, and for pest control, to name a few things. It’s important that you choose … [Read more...]
7 Ways to Protect Your Homestead
According to FBI statistics, “A burglary occurs nearly every 15 seconds in the United States”. Even more alarming, “A majority of home intruders gain access forcibly through a 'locked' door.” Now imagine an intruder gained forcible entry to your house on the homestead, a location far away from authorities. This is a nightmare scenario that could be … [Read more...]
25 Items to Stock From Sam’s Club
There are plenty of great emergency foods and supplies you can buy online, but if you want to stock up without spending more money than necessary, your best bet is to get a membership to Sam's Club (or Costco). It costs about $50 a year, but you'll save so much money buying things in bulk that it's more than worth it. Sam's Club doesn't have … [Read more...]
14 Clothing Repair Supplies You Should Keep On Hand
Life is rife with accidental catches, tears, and other clothing-destructive tendencies. Nothing is safe from the ravages of fencing, critters, or stray bush and tree branches, and even the sturdiest fabrics can be torn by a single catch. Thankfully, clothing is normally quite easy to repair and it only requires a few basic supplies to keep your … [Read more...]
7 Luxuries That Even Off-Gridders Can Enjoy
Most people think of off-grid living as “roughing it.” They assume you’ll be hauling water, hand splitting wood, and enduring long days of backbreaking labor. While that can be your off-grid experience, it doesn’t have to be. You can choose to give up your suburban luxuries when you move off the grid, but it’s a choice, not a necessity. When we … [Read more...]
9 Best Firearms for Homesteaders
There are many kinds of tools that every homesteader should have, and one of those tools is a firearm. You’ll need it for hunting, dealing with pests, or perhaps even self-defense if people pour out of the cities after a disaster. That being said, not all guns are created equal, and some are certainly better for homesteading use than others. … [Read more...]
20 Urgent Supplies You Need Before The Next Deadly Storm
Here’s the thing about storms: they sneak up on you. Sure, you might have a couple days warning that a hurricane is coming--but so does everyone else in town. While you’re making a mad dash to the hardware store to pick up sandbags, so are all your neighbors. And when you’re headed to the lumberyard to fortify your windows, maybe your neighbors … [Read more...]
25 Powerless Appliances for Your Homestead Kitchen
Kitchens are the hub of the home. They’re nearly always busy and so much of the daily chores are done there. From cleaning vegetables and eggs, to butchering, baking, and preserving, there’s tons of work happening there. To make homestead life easier, it’s important to have your kitchen properly equipped with the right tools. Unfortunately, many … [Read more...]
3 Must Haves for a Prepper Homestead
Many of us are looking for a way to get away from suburbia and into an area where we can utilize our time and effort to contribute something better to our lives. It's the homestead dream. Some would argue it's even the new American dream. Where we once all desired the high salary job, the picket fence and the nice house in a good school … [Read more...]
19 Crucial First Aid Items for Homesteaders
Living off the grid--oftentimes a full boat-ride away from the nearest hospital or doctor’s office--has shown me that I’m more capable of treating my own injuries and illnesses than I have been taught to believe. When I lived fully immersed in the modern world, I would run to the doctor as soon as I had a sniffle or the smallest bit of blood. This … [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...]
