Carpe Diem - Seize the day The new year is here and we should seize the day. What does this new year mean for you? For me, it means a fresh start, which is why I love the new year because I’m one ...
How to Turn your Home into a Homestead for $500 (and Save Thousands of Dollars)
If you read any of those “Things I wish I Knew Before I Started Homesteading” kind of blog posts, you'll hear this common refrain: “Homesteading is expensive.” On one level, I fully agree. I spent ...
How to Right-Size Your Homestead
There are two big mistakes many new homesteaders make when starting out. I know this... because I made them both! They are: Taking on too much and being overwhelmed. Taking on too little and ...
How to Cook on a Wood Stove Just Like Grandma Once Did
When you consider the generations before you, what comes to mind? We probably visualize simpler times, less extravagant living, and old-time materials such as a wood cookstove. When we downsized ...
20 Tips for Winter Preparation for your Homestead (from Personal Experience)
Shortly after we moved from a suburb of Washington D.C. to our rural homestead in North Carolina, a surprise snowstorm hit. Weather reports had said there would be 1-2 inches of accumulation, but we ...
19 Practical Outhouse Plans for Your Off-Grid Homestead
Are you heading off-grid or do you simply like the old-fashioned appearance of an outhouse on your property? Either way, you’ll need a few outhouse plans in order to construct your outhouse ...
13 DIY Composting Toilet Ideas to Make Going Off-Grid Easier
Are you considering heading off-grid? Do you know how you’re going to handle life without electricity or running water? Perhaps one of your biggest concerns is your bathroom. Whether you have a ...
Top 10 Homesteading and Self-Sufficiency Books for Cold-Weather Reading
Despite the fact that I eat, sleep, live and breath homesteading, I love to read about other people's adventures in this alternative lifestyle. Tales of crazy individuals leaving behind their big city ...
12 Rocket Mass Heaters to Fire Up Your Inspiration
Are you interested in rocket mass heaters? Maybe you’ve heard the rumors that they may be one of the most efficient ways to heat your home? The first rocket mass heater prototypes were already ...