HOMESTEADING: Money Saving, Frugal Tips and Recipes

HOMESTEADING: Money Saving, Frugal Tips and Recipes was a free kindle book when this post was written.

 Do you want to save money?

HOMESTEADING: Money Saving, Frugal Tips and Recipes

* Times are tough and everyone is looking for ways to save money and cut expenses.
* Budgeting is a very important step in this process.
* Since the financial crisis started in the US, many people have lost their jobs,
their homes and their retirement accounts.
* Companies are forcing people from full-time to part-time.
* I get it, and that's why this book is here.
* You do not need to be a Homesteader to use this information to save money.

Survival Pantry: The Prepper's Guide to Survival Food Storage (A Simple Guide to Emergency Food Storage- Learn to Can Food, Store Water, and Preserve ... Pantry,Preppers Guide,Food Pantry Storage)

Survival Pantry: The Prepper's Guide to Survival Food Storage (A Simple Guide to Emergency Food Storage- Learn to Can Food, Store Water, and Preserve ... Pantry,Preppers Guide,Food Pantry Storage) was a free kindle book when this post was written.

The Ultimate Prepper's Guide To Survival And Food Storage

Food and water storage is an important part of any Prepper's system when it comes to preparing for any type of disaster. In this book you will learn about proper food storage and management, how to store and treat water, and other techniques described in this book to get the ultimate survival pantry.

Here Is A Preview Of What You'll Learn...

• Basic Prepper’s Steps and Checklists Towards Disaster Preparedness
• The Checklists
• Proper Water Planning and Management Strategies
• Water Treatment
• When Food Supply is Running Low
• Food Storage and Supply Techniques
• Important Foods Your Pantry Shouldn’t Miss
<
• Much, much more!

How to Create Clean Water Out of Thin Air

Make a Solar Still

This will work anywhere, but if you are in a place where the days are hot and the nights are cold then it will work even better. Each solar still you make can generate about a pint of water a day, so if you have no other water source, that means you will need to make eight to twelve of these stills to get to the four to six liters of water a day that are usually required in survival situations.

One way to have that much plastic on hand is to carry ten large garbage bags in your backpack. Garbage bags can be unbelievably handy in the outdoors. They can be a poncho, a sleeping bag, a tent footprint, a signal, a trap and a water catchment system. Oh, yeah -- and a trash bag. That's quite a lot of use for less than an ounce of weight for each bag. For solar stills, you want a plastic bag sheet (you cut the bag on two sides to create an extra large sheet of plastic) that is about 36 inches square. If one side of the plastic is less smooth, put that side down. The extra surface area makes a difference.

To make the still, dig a shallow hole 18 inches deep and 36 inches wide. Put a pan down in the center of the hole. If you don't have a pan you can also make a pan out of a sheet of plastic covering a dug-out part of the bottom of the hole. Weigh the top plastic sheet down at the edges with rocks and then very, very carefully, drop a large pebble in the center of the plastic sheet to create a low point. Your dish needs to be under the low point, so it can collect the water droplets as they condense and roll down the sheet.

One of the best things about a solar still is that you can use semi-polluted water. That's because the water you will be drinking has evaporated and condensed, purifying itself. If you are at the beach, you could even set a still up in the high sand and distill the salt water into drinking water.

Yard Sale Cash

Yard Sale Cash was a free useful Kindle book when this post was written.

Yard sales are a good idea to clean up your house. But cleaning up your house isn’t the only motivation for you, right? Right. You like me and million others also want to earn ‘some’ cash out of your junk. Pardon me, not some, but ‘a lot’.

So I’ll guide you in this book how to earn a lot of money through

1) Making it a perfect fool proof yard sale.
2) Adding creativity to different aspects of your yard sale.



1·Gather Your Inventory

2·Set The Date

3·Advertise

Food Storage Recipe - Special Rice dinner

Here is something easy to make for dinner one night. Quick and frugal!

NEED

1 pound can of green beans

2 teaspoon of fat - I used bacon fat.

1/2 cup of flour

2 cups of milk

2 cups of shredded cheese

2 1/2 cups of chopped up spam or canned ham , which ever you have on hand in your food storage. I personally like the canned ham better.

3 cups of cooked rice

Drain the can of green beans.

Melt the fat in a pan and stir in flour.

Slowly stir in the milk.Cook it for a minute over low heat , stirring it so it won't stick.

Remove it from the heat and add the cheese , green beans, and meat.

Cook over low heat for 10 minutes or until the cheese is all melted and the mixture is hot.

Serve it over the cooked rice!

Food Storage Recipe - Top of The Fire ( or stove ) Meatloaf

For when you want something like this in the summer time and not have to start the hot oven. Or when you are out camping. Great meal. Easy to make.

Get out your Cast Iron Skillet with Lid for this one.

NEED:

1 pound of ground beef

1/4 cup of cracker crumbs

2 tablespoon of chopped onion

6 teapoon milk

3/4 teaspoon salt

pepper to taste

1/2 cup water

1 15 ounce can of  tomato sauce

Put all of the ingredients except the water and tomato sauce in a bowl and mix it well. When we are out camping we use the bigger zip loc bags to put the items in , except the water and tomato sauce , to mix them up easily. Mix it up well.

Shape it into 4 loaves.

Brown the loaves on all sides in a greased fry pan over medium heat.

Pour of the fat.

Add the water and pour the tomato sauce over the loaves.

Cover the fry pan and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes.

Add more water during cooking if needed.

Good Tools Are A Must-Have

Just wanted to share a list of tools that we all should have in our households. Having the right tools will ensure that we are always prepared for anything that happens around the house. You never know when something might happen. You could fix a lot of things yourself in your home if you have tools to do it. You do not have to call someone in and spend too much money on something that you could have done yourself.

The first type of item to keep in your toolbox are some great measuring tools.
      a Square

      a Measuring Tape

      a Level

Cutting Tools

      Retractable Utility Knife

      Hand Saw

        Hacksaw

         Clamping Mitre Box with Saw

Other Tools

        Hammer

         Locking Pliers

         Pry Bar, this could also come in handy fighting zombies!

         Screwdriver

         Adjustable Wrench

          Hex Key Wrench Set

         Needle Nose Pliers

          Bar Clamp

        Drill/Driver Kit

Plumbing Tools

        Plunger

         Pipe Wrench

          Drain Auger

This is really just a short list, but it is the most used tools around a house. If you start with the basics you could have a great tool room quick. 

Food Storage Recipe - Pudding Pops

Great way to cool the kids off , or yourselves, on a hot day.

1 package of instant pudding

2 cups of milk

Mix the pudding and milk together.

Pour the pudding into 3 ounce cups and put wooden craft sticks into that. Or you can use a Norpro Ice Pop Maker. Freeze the and if you had used the tiny cups you can tear them away and eat!

Food storage recipe - peanut butter pudding

Yummy and easy!

Need:

1  package of instant vanilla pudding

Milk

1/4 cup peanut butter

Prepare the vanilla pudding as directed on package. Beat in the peanut butter. Pour into 4 dessert dishes. Chill in fridge and serve!

What supplies will be good for bartering?

Anything that will be in short supply after SHTF will be very valuable for bartering with. Select items that have long shelf life. Here is a list of some items to keep in excess for just using using for bartering..........

Aluminum foil

Ammo

Bandages

Bleach

Candles

Canned food

Batteries

Dental items

Diapers

Duct tape

Flashlights

Hand tools

Matches

Medicines

Soap

Solar ovens - make a few just to keep back for trading

Toothbrushes

Weapons

The Survival Tin: The Survival Kit You Can Carry in Your Pocket

The Survival Tin: The Survival Kit You Can Carry in Your Pocket was a free book for kindle when this post was written.

The Survival Kit You Can Carry in Your Pocket!

Carrying a survival tin will drastically up your chances of survival if you're caught outside your home when disaster strikes.

If you've never been in the military, you're probably unfamiliar with the concept of the survival tin. Designed to fit in your pocket, it's a mini-survival kit packed full of important survival tools that you carry with you everywhere you go.

This book covers the items you're going to want to put in your tin, along with a number of optional items that might make life a whole lot easier if disaster strikes while you're out and about

Buy this book now and get started building your very own survival tin.

2 Solar Water Heater DIY Projects

There are two types of solar water heaters. Passive and forced circulation. In this article I'll show you how to construct one of each. Two simple yet effective solar water heater DIY projects.

I must first say that neither of these heaters will heat your home. You could use similar methods to preheat your water before it flows to your hot water heater. If you live in a freezing climate you should look into a forced circulation system. Both of these heaters are for experimentation. You could use them camping or for small water heating needs around the house.

* The first one is extremely simple. Just a black storage tank exposed to the sun will heat water. If you have ever seen one of those camping shower bags you know what I'm talking about. I've seen some folks heating water in those big blue food grade 55 gallon drums. Just spray paint it flat black. Install a PVC valve. Set it in a nice sunny spot. Fill it with water. Sit Back and watch mother nature work her magic.

* The second takes a little more work. You will need a length of 1/2" or 3/4" Black hose. I would recommend 100 feet in length. The longer the better.

Do this on a large flat area of ground. Unroll the entire hose in a straight line. Starting with the inlet side begin to roll the hose into a flat coil. To make it easier to transport you can tape or zip tie it together as you go. Once you have rolled the entire hose flat your outlet should be on the outside. Your inlet on the inside.
Take your flat rolled hose and place it in full sunlight. Connect the inlet to your water tap or elevated tank. Crack your valve so that the water runs slowly. The water coming out of your coil should be much hotter than the water coming in.

You could couple these heaters together for even better results. Elevate your black tank in an area with full sun. Connect your coil to the tank. Make sure the coil is below the tank, but still in full sunlight. Now you have your first solar water heating system. Perfect for camping or small water heating needs.
You can construct a much more sophisticated system that will supply your home with hot water. This is just a starting point. An experiment to show you some of what solar water heater diy projects can do.
Good luck. Have fun experimenting.

Who Else Wants To Create Their Own Electricity And Laugh At Rising Energy Prices While Saving The Environment And Having The Electricity Company Pay You?"
[http://www.save-money-on-electric-bill.com/]

Backyard Chickens Book Package: Beginner's Guide to Raising Backyard Chickens & The Backyard Chickens Breed Guide

Backyard Chickens Book Package: Beginner's Guide to Raising Backyard Chickens & The Backyard Chickens Breed Guide (Modern Homesteading) was a free kindle book when this post was written.

TWO backyard chicken books for ONE low price.

The Beginner's Guide to Raising and Caring for Backyard Chickens gives you the information you need to know to get started raising a flock of chickens your backyard.

The following topics are covered in this helpful book:

• Why you should be raising backyard chickens.
• The big differences between commercial eggs and the fresh eggs you get from backyard chickens.
• The handful of supplies you need to get started.
• Designing a coop.
• Feeding and watering your chickens. Includes tutorials on how to build an inexpensive waterer and feeder.
• The various types of bedding.
• The deep litter system of bedding.
• Free-range chickens.
• Breed selection for laying and meat birds.
• Feeding your chickens.
• What diatomaceous earth is and how it can benefit you.
• Predator control.
• Brooding chicks. How to hatch chicks and raise them to adulthood.
• Chicken laws and ordinances.

Once you've learned how to raise and care for backyard chickens, you're going to want to start a flock. The Backyard Chickens Breed Guide has you covered. This book gives you detailed information on 22 of the best chicken breeds to buy for your backyard flock.

The information provided for each breed of chicken includes the following:

• How loud they are.
• How many eggs they can be expected to lay.
• How much they cost.
• Health concerns.
• Temperament.
• Other information you need to know.

Get two of the top backyard chicken books available today for less than the cost of buying each book individually.

Do-It-Yourself Outdoor Camp Showers

If you're planning to have an outdoor trip or go camping with the family, it is a nice idea to bring along a camp shower or an outdoor shower that is comfortable. Keeping yourself clean is already a challenge when going on a camp. Nowadays, there are already a lot of companies that offer ready-made outdoor camping showers. However, preparing your own camping shower is a fun activity and it also saves you money.

How to Build Outdoor Camping Showers

In building a sample outdoor camp shower, the materials needed are eight 3-way connectors, 9 pieces of 1-foot PVC pipes, 5 pieces of 5-feet PVC pipes, a garden hose, a 4 x 6 feet plastic tarp, tie backs, a bucket and a drill.

The first step in building your camp shower is to create a square by connecting the 4 one-foot pipes and 4 three-way connectors together. Following the steps above, the base and top of the shower is already created. With the help of the 5-feet PVC pipes, the sides of the shower will be made. And so, the basic frame of our outdoor camp shower is created. The frame is then wrapped by a plastic tarp for the purpose of covering it. The tie backs are then used to connect the tarp to the frame of your outdoor camp shower.

Do It Yourself Outdoor Camp Shower

We have 2 choices in making our camp shower. We can either make a cold-water shower or a warm-water outdoor shower for camping. The materials needed to make a basic cold-water shower are heavy duty rubber bands, a rope, knife, 10 feet of rubber medical tubing and pump spray bottle of 1-gallon capacity.

The Cold-Water Camp Shower

Cut the hose that is connected to the bottle using the knife. Also cut the other end of the hose which is connected to the spray nozzle. The purpose of cutting off the hose connected to the bottle and spray nozzle is to replace it with the rubber medical tubing. The rubber medical tubing should then be fitted to both the nozzle and bottle. The heavy duty rubber bands should now be wrapped at the points where the rubber tubing is fitted. If there is no available rubber bands, duct tape or aquarium sealant can be used as alternatives.

Fill up the bottle with water using the pump of the spray nozzle. Always check for leakages the connections where the tubing meets the bottle and nozzle. If you do find any leakages, the rubber bands should be readjusted. After completing the steps above, the outdoor camp shower is ready for use.

Warm Water Camp Shower

To make a warm water shower is very simple but needs dry and sunny weather to help in heating the water naturally. Another alternative is using a stove or pot to heat the water and then just pouring it in the 1-gallon bottle as storage of the water.
The rest of the steps in building the warm water shower is the same as of the cold water shower. Following the steps above helps us get a better understanding of how outdoor showers for camping are made.
Proper planning with a good foresight of what you want to build and organizing of the required materials are needed in building a good quality outdoor camp shower. Build it on your own or build it with the family to have some quality time spent with your loved ones.

For more shower information, please visit Outdoor Shower Shop or another great resource is Walk in Showers [http://www.walkinshowershop.com/] for details on shower enclosures.

Build water filter

http://www.shtfpreparedness.com/build-bio-water-filter/

Free DVD of Off The Grid Living

Here’s what we cover in this brand new DVD that is sold exclusively here:

• How I set up my solar power system using this "simple little trick" for maximum efficiency
• How we wired our affordable and easy-to-use solar panels, and how you can do this too...
• We go over the inverter, the controller and the batteries and what they do to maximize your power output.
• Our backup system in case the weather doesn’t cooperate!
• Our affordable but powerful wind power system and how it works – it’s so simple you’ll laugh when you see it…
• I go through every room of the house and show you our power efficiency tricks so that we need a small, easy-on-the-wallet power system!
• I’ll show you how we use the sun to heat AND COOL our house for FREE
• I’ll go through all the little tricks and tips you can do that can slash your power bill BEFORE you ever spend a dime on solar!
• Why anyone can do this with a little bit of elbow grease and desire for independence.

And its all FREE in the Off Grid Solar DVD. FREE Off Grid Solar DVD

WOODS, FUELS & FIRES FOR OUTDOOR COOKING

WOODS, FUELS & FIRES FOR OUTDOOR COOKING was a free book when this post was written.

 Do you love the smell of wood-smoked food? A rack of crackly smoked ribs straight out of the barbecue oven? Or lamb chops and a chunk of tenderloin seared and then grilled over an open wood fire in the wilds?
Want to know which woods go best with which foods? Which are poisonous, and to be avoided? How the different flavours of different woods can lift a great smoked meal to an outstanding one?
"Woods, Fuels & Fires for Outdoor Cooking" answers all of these questions – and more. The book helps you to choose the best wood for any particular application, and to match exactly the right wood to the food you're grilling or smoking. Introducing you to a range of different woods, it shows you how to use them and how to find them.
In addition to raw woods, it discusses the merits and demerits of wood-based derivatives like chips and sawdust, pellets and charcoal – and makes suggestions as to when and where they work best.
A whole section of the book is devoted to showing you how you can make your own, premium quality charcoal – safely, at home, and regardless of how much or little yard space you have available. It explains why home-made charcoal is a better substitute for briquettes than its commercial equivalent, and why it burns hotter and longer. Construction details and plans are provided for making, simply and economically, a scalable charcoal furnace-and-retort assembly out of readily obtainable bits and pieces.
The book explains how, in the same way that differing soil quality and climate are major determinants in the flavour of wines from the same vine stock, so too is their impact on the flavour of hardwoods from the same tree species growing in different soil conditions and different areas of the country.
It also suggests, when wood is not available, how to use substitutes like coconut husk, corn cobs, and dried seaweed, and the special precautions that need to be taken. It characterises wood according to the density of smoke generated, the strength and flavour of the smoke, and the heat and quality of the coals produced.
A whole section of the book is jam-packed full of tips for constructing, starting and maintaining fires both at home and in the wilds.
Armed with the information in the book, anyone can make a good wood fire, and even if you're a pro, there'll be tips and suggestions here to help you up your game.

When the lights go out!: A guide to living in your home without power or water, during a emergency.

When the lights go out!: A guide to living in your home without power or water, during a emergency. was a free kindle book when this post was written.

For the person that wants to be more aware of ways to use what they already have. A guide to living in your home without power or water, during a emergency. Using the items already in your home. For example how to locate and get water hidden in your hot water heater. Including real life examples based on living for up to 3 weeks without power and water after hurricanes in Florida and ice storms in North Carolina.

What To Do If You Get Lost in the wild.

We have been talking about this a lot the past week with the Little Man. We want to go camping this summer and want him to know what to do if something happens , like getting lost. The number one thing that you need to reenforce is that you have to stay calm. If there are many hours before sunset than you can easily just follow the path that you had been on back to where you were , but if you can't that follow these simple rules:

S is for Stop -  Stop moving. Stay where you are so that others can find you soon. Try and make a shelter if you have too.

T is For Think - After you have calmed down, think about who knows where you are. What is around you? How much time before it gets dark? What is the weather like and do you need a shelter? What do you have on hand that can be used as tools? Think and stay calm. Since you are staying in one spot you will be found soon.

O is for Observe - Look around you and get aquainted to the area that you are in. Is there water nearby? This will make it much easier for you to stay calm. If you get your bearings and use what you have nearby.

P is for Plan - Plan what you need to do and in what order they need to be done. What is the first thing that you need to do and so on. Planning and keeping yourself busy will help to keep you calm until you are found also. Plan on some way to give a sign that you are where you are. Can you start a fire safely? Or use big rocks to make a marker for someone to see from above?

If you ever get lost you will be alright and be able to survive if you stay calm and prepare.

Beginners Guide to Raising Meat Rabbits & 10 Reason to Raise Rabbits!

Beginners Guide to Raising Meat Rabbits was a free kindle book when this post was written.

Raising rabbits for meat is one of the easiest ways to supply nutritious meat for your family. This book will teach you everything from choosing your breeding stock to butchering.

You may have been considering raising chickens, geese, ducks, goats, sheep or other small livestock for meat, but once you learn how easy it is to raise rabbits, you'll never consider another animal for a primary meat source.

1. Rabbits have an extremely high reproduction rate. One healthy, mature doe can produce up to 1000% of her body weight every year. Owning just one female and one male can supply meat twice a week for a family of four.
2. Rabbits need very little living space. Whether you're living in a condo or out in the country, you can always find space to raise a couple rabbits. No grazing is required and they're rarely classified as livestock which allows you to keep them virtually anywhere. How many apartment complexes would let you keep a chicken or goat in them?
3. Rabbits are low maintenance. Check in on them every evening to feed, water and do quick health checks, clean their cages once a month and keep a simple breeding journal - that's all you need to do! Females take care of the young themselves and the only special tools you'll need are nesting boxes which you can even build yourself. No incubators or hand feeding required.
4. Rabbits are virtually silent roommates. Aside from the mating shriek, rabbits are extremely quiet animals. They won't reveal your location to anyone, even if you're traveling with them. Who knows what a chicken, goose or duck is likely to attract, not to mention a rooster. If outdoor cages are well hidden and clean, neighbors may not even know they are there.
5. A little rabbit feed goes a long way.  When bunnies are being weaned (6-8 weeks old), they are large enough for consumption. This allows you to skip giving most of the bunnies feed as you gradually cull the young, leaving only the adults to consume expensive rabbit feed.
6. Rabbits are the perfect sized meal for a family of four. Rabbits are compact and usually butchered at "fryer size" (3-5 pounds), so you don't have to worry about storing or eating leftovers.
7. Rabbit manure will make your garden love you. Rabbit manure is an excellent fertilizer for your garden that won't burn plants. Plus, if you vermicompost, your worms can be fed the droppings which will make them love you too.
8. Rabbit meat is very high in protein and extremely low in fat and cholesterol. Very few other meats have nutritional values like rabbits, and none of them can be raised in your living room. Doctors have actually been known to prescribe rabbit meat diets to overweight patients.
9. Rabbit fur will make an incredibly warm coat and is a great bartering item. On a cold winter's night, snuggling into a blanket made from rabbit pelts will keep your family warm long after the fire has gone out. You can also make hats or other accessories, and kids love getting a lucky rabbit's foot.
10. Rabbits are relatively easy to butcher and clean. No one likes doing it but if you're going to eat them, they day will come eventually. Someone with experience can take a rabbit from cage to freezer in 15 minutes or less. No plucking is needed and there's very little cleanup.

Tiffany Savage is a suburban homesteader who has been living a more sustainable life for too many years to count. When she discovered how easy raising rabbits for meat was, she immediately wanted to share her knowledge with others. That's when she wrote the eBook Raising Rabbits to Survive!, a comprehensive eBook which gives even those who've never even raised a goldfish the courage to start on their own journey to freedom by raising rabbits.

 

April 15 Total Lunar Eclipse

                              Great map to show who will be able to see the Total Lunar Eclipse.