Tag Archives: homesteading

Interview with the Chicken Lady 3

Are you ready to raise your own chickens and enjoy delicious home grown eggs? This is the last blog post in our series that asks an expert chicken lady about all there is to know. If you missed the earlier two posts, I strongly suggest that you go back and catch up. Just click on the links: Interview with the chicken Lady and Interview with the Chicken Lady 2. What supplies do you need to raise chickens? How do you house them? Instead of having a traditional coop or chicken house, I decided to make a more portable structure for … Continue reading →

Raising Chickens: Interview with the Chicken Lady 2

If you have ever wondered what it might be like to raise your own chickens, then you definitely want to keep reading this series. We have a genuine Families.com member who is willing to share all of the ins and outs of raising chickens for eggs and more. If you missed the first blog post in this series, please click on the following link to catch up–Interview with the Chicken Lady. Otherwise, let’s continue on with our interview and learn how someone can get started with raising chickens. What does someone need to do to get started raising chickens? I … Continue reading →

Raising Chickens: Interview with the Chicken Lady

Have you ever considered raising chickens? Not only can this be a fun past time, but it can also be very frugal. Imagine, you can have free, organic (if you wish) eggs for free whenever you want them. Chickens can also control bugs and weeds on your property. And, from what I recently learned, raising chickens isn’t as hard as I thought. They also don’t cost very much to raise. I have a special treat for you today. One of our very talented Families.com members has been raising chickens and is very knowledgeable about the subject. She is going to … Continue reading →

Finding A Wringer Washer

Okay, so now you know all about using a wringer washer, including the great deal of savings you will get from it. Wringer washers are very popular with homesteaders, as well as with my Amish neighbors. Finding a wringer washer isn’t as easy as heading over to your local department or home improvement store. You can still find wringer washers, but they are starting to become more scarce. This is because of two reasons. First of all, the last new wringer washer was manufactured sometime in 1990, which is 18 years ago. That still mens that there are plenty of … Continue reading →

Using a Wringer Washer

In the previous article, we discussed how an old-fashioned wringer washer can save quite a bit of money, up to $80 a month! If you missed that article, click here: Wringer Washers Save Money. Now, we will talk about exactly how wringer washers work to get the clothes clean. A wringer washer looks like a round tub. It also has a wringer attachment on the top that looks like two rolling pins nestled together in a open frame, sometimes with a crank handle attached. To wash the clothes, you must manually fill the washer with water. You can do this … Continue reading →

Wringer Washers Save Money

Wringer Washing machines are a favorite choice of homesteaders who want to be “off the grid” and save a bundle on laundry. One reader told me that she started saving $80 a month once she started using a wringer washing machine. But what is a wringer washing machine? How does it work? Where can you get one? Keep reading to find out all about this frugal trend to see if it might be right for you and your family. I learned about wringer washers from some Amish friends. They don’t use electricity, but they can do their wash in a … Continue reading →

Free Land

In the heart of American, towns from far and wide are offering free land for the taking. If you are ready to be a modern day settler, you can snatch up the opportunity to own your own piece of land for absolutely nothing. Many communities welcome the idea of new people moving in. They are offering lots of free land and other incentives in an effort to have people consider becoming part of the town. The goal for these communities is to turn rural areas into town that can be sustained and grow economically. The offers these communities make are … Continue reading →

Save Money on Canning Jars

In an early article, The Frugal Art of Canning, I talked about the money saving benefits of canning your own produce. Now I’ll offer some additional information on being frugal with canning. Although canning supplies are relatively inexpensive, it always pays to get the supplies as inexpensively as possible. You can often find items such as jars, rings, lids, labels and more used. One word of caution, though. it is not recommended that you reuse the lids when canning. There is a danger that they may wear out and not seal as well. Of course, you can still use them … Continue reading →

What is Homesteading?

Anyone who is interested in living frugally can learn a lot from those who are living a homesteading life. But what exactly is homesteading, and how can we adapt some of the usual homesteading practices to our frugal lifestyle? Read on for the basics. While homesteading refers to anyone who wants to live a self-sustaining lifestyle and get “back to the land,” there are different degrees of homesteading. Some homesteaders choose to live completely “off of the grid,” providing for their families by raising, growing, making and trading the things they need. Others adapt some homesteading practices but do not … Continue reading →

Would You Use A Sawdust Toilet?

Frugal people, environmentalists and homesteaders all like to conserve resources. One interesting way to conserve is by the use of a sawdust toilet. What is a sawdust toilet? It is basically a sort of “inhouse” instead of an outhouse. With this type of toilet, a five-gallon bucket is fitted underneath a toilet seat. The bucket may be hidden by a wood box that goes around it. A layer of sawdust, or sometimes peat moss is layered in the bottom on the bucket. The toilet is used like any other, with the exception that it isn’t flushed. After each use, a … Continue reading →