Helpful tips for living without electricity, without municipal water supply and sanitation services.
What do you think you need to live off-grid? Your own power sources like solar, biofuel, or hydroelectric? A shed full of the latest and greatest power tools? Not hardly! Our pioneer ancestors did a whole lot more with a whole lot less than we have today, and it turns out they really did know … Read more
More and more homesteaders are putting up clotheslines in their backyards. And believe it or not, this has nothing to do with getting some charming pictures for social media, though that is a nice perk. Turns out people want to save money on energy and equipment costs and opt out of buying increasingly expensive, over-engineered, … Read more
Most of us take it for granted that we can simply hop in the shower or climb in the bathtub whenever it is time to get clean. But for people with limited access to water, those living in austere environments, or people who are just miserly with their water, that isn’t an option. But, no … Read more
Out of all the risk factors attended to a survival situation, statistically one of the most common is simple exposure. Exposure to the elements, and specifically cold temperatures, routinely claims lives in the wild and also in residential settings, and hypothermia can strike with surprising speed even when you think you’ll be okay. Accordingly, being … Read more
In today’s world, it is hard to imagine living without electricity. One of the biggest advantages you’d lose is electric lighting, something most of us take for granted. But what if there was a long-term power outage and you had to find a way to light your home? Or what if you were just living … Read more
It’s been snowing for three days straight, and it is impossible to keep my solar panels clear. Without my solar panels, I have no electricity. As you might expect, that’s a huge problem! For those living in houses connected to the grid, power is rarely an issue. However, there are countless people living off-grid and, … Read more
Solar panels are an almost free way to generate electricity, but in some cases, you don’t want to keep your panels outdoors. This could obviously lead to efficiency issues, which is what I want to investigate and test out in what follows. The question I’m trying to find an answer to today is: Do solar … Read more
Is it legal to live off-grid in the United States? In most cases, yes – but this isn’t a dream that will work for everyone. It’s a dream that many people have, though. In fact, if you mention to anyone that you live off-grid, most people will gasp and tell you how lucky you are. … Read more
Clotheslines are not a thing of the past. I grew up using a clothesline, and still do to this day. When my cousin came home for a long weekend he was amazed at my awesome clothesline and had a good laugh at me for using it. That’s ok though, I know how awesome a clothesline … Read more
Solar power is of great benefit on a homestead – while it’s just plain better for the environment, it also saves a good bit of money and every homesteader wants to have a little more padding in their monthly budget. Some states will even pay you for the clean energy you produce, creating a passive … Read more
Bring a little nostalgia to your next backyard BBQ cookout with homemade ice cream made in an old fashioned hand crank ice cream maker!
The pros and cons of heating your home with a wood stove vs. a water stove. Which is best? I’ll help you decide.
An easy, step-by-step guide to installing a permanent clothesline. Plus, why we like metal t-posts better than wood. (Disaster story to follow!)
How I hang dry clothes indoors when it’s rainy or freezing outside. You only need a few helpful items, and a little time and patience!
Connecting a transfer switch to our breaker panel was one more thing we had to do before we could disconnect from the grid. It enables us to run our home on either a generator or solar power, alternating between the two forms of power as necessary.
I don’t think I’ve mentioned it here yet, but a few months ago we were finally able to afford to get a hand pump installed on our well. We went with a Simple Pump, because as I’ve mentioned in the past, they’re the only pump that would work on our deep well and deliver pressurized … Read more