We're living in times that are undeniably permeated with hotly-fueled, often polarized debates about many topics. One such topic that certainly has a large share of the opinionated conversation market is "climate change". We aren't here to offer support to either side of that debate. To the denying side, we say that care of the … Continue reading Get a clothesline or please shut your mouth about climate change
Rants
Eight Essential attributes of an off-grid-capable ‘homesteader’
Homesteader? What is this about homesteading and off-grid-capable? Living an off-grid-capable life, in many ways, could be fairly said to be a form of homesteading. For some, that word might conjure up images of venturing out west on a covered-wagon train, eating meals of cornbread and beans, and hand-clearing a hundred acres of raw wilderness with … Continue reading Eight Essential attributes of an off-grid-capable ‘homesteader’
TIO&OIN – it’s not just for Navy Seals
This expression has come to be a mantra in our family. In fact, recently one of my youngsters was snacking on some freshly made cookies and asked me for another... "After all", she said, "two is one and one is none!" Of course, she knew what we really mean when we say that, but … Continue reading TIO&OIN – it’s not just for Navy Seals
“If anything happens, we’re coming to your place!” – reality check
Homesteaders are often naturally prepared people and as such, have more infrastructure available to them than your average North American household. Prepared people hear expressions like the above on a routine basis. Here are some other derivatives: "If the [ SHTF ] [ Apocalypse ] [ world ends] [ WWIII ], I/we are coming to … Continue reading “If anything happens, we’re coming to your place!” – reality check
Reconsider your food budget
We don't budget for food. Gasp! We are of the belief that "we are (quite literally), what we eat". Why then would we want to be frugal or even worse - stingy - with what we place into our bodies? We are all about wisely using the resources we have available to us. However, we … Continue reading Reconsider your food budget
Potential pitfalls of hyper-frugality
Frugality often seems to go hand-in-hand with the homesteading crowd. People naturally inclined to do things for themselves that others rely upon others to do results in such, or maybe it's the other way around? Frugality is great... but can one get carried away with it? This is what I would call "hyper-frugality" - being frugal to … Continue reading Potential pitfalls of hyper-frugality
Don’t forget beauty on your homestead
One thing that has often bugged us with many homesteading approaches is what we would call a hyper-practical approach that many employ. We sometimes refer to this as 'pallet homesteading' because of the widespread practice among this crowd of fashioning damn-near everything out of pallets. Pallet buildings, fencing, furniture, etc. Now before you flame us as … Continue reading Don’t forget beauty on your homestead
Are we “Survivalists”?!
Did the title of this post catch your attention? Good. Many, many people sneer at the thought of being a "survivalist" - or "prepper" and not without cause. Many are turned off by paranoid proclamations of doom and gloom and the accompanying encouragement to run for the hills, store up food and water, heavily arm … Continue reading Are we “Survivalists”?!
Where have you people been?
Okay, so it's been a loooooong time since an update. To be honest, we didn't think anyone read this blog, so why update, right? We took a hiatus from this for a few reasons... We didn't feel like our life was necessarily getting "simpler". In fact, homesteading, unless one is ultra-frugal or willing to live a … Continue reading Where have you people been?
Juice Fast – Day 8-10
Day 8! Two more days and counting! The biggest struggle for me (Laura) right now is that every juice tastes similar. The vegetable (Mean Green) tastes like ginger and celery and the fruit juices taste sweet. The fruit juice is made yummier by blending it with a banana. So I find myself just sucking it … Continue reading Juice Fast – Day 8-10
The Intrepid Homestead 