DIY Solar Furnace: An Affordable Heating in 5 Steps

 

 

 

 

DIY Solar Furnace: An Affordable Heating in 5 Steps – Your Projects@OBN

 

During the winter, heaters are essential to keep our homes warm. While there are many heater types and models available, it is important to find one that is right for your home. A heater should be selected based on the size of the room, the type of fuel used, and the level of maintenance needed. DIY solar furnaces are an affordable and efficient way to heat your home.

In this solar-powered heating system, cheap and easily accessible materials are used. Overall, the system costs less than $50. A system like that can keep a home warm and comfortable all winter long at an incredible price. In addition, you'll save money on energy bills because the unit runs on solar power.

Anything that can save money is a good thing. Also a great idea if in an area prone to power outages.  

 

How to build an Off Grid Solar Box Window Heater using Greenhouse Panels. Also Doubles as a Solar Oven

 

 

 

 

How to build an Off Grid Solar Box Window Heater using Greenhouse Panels. Also Doubles as a Solar Oven

 

I think this is a must have for everyone. Could really save some money with warming your rooms with something like this. Something that you could do over the weekend and see the benefits of having it immediately. I have also been thinking of turning one of my big south facing windows into a small "greenhouse". Could grow small items, like herbs, lettuce, etc. Would be really nice to grab some fresh lettuce in the middle of winter.

Food Storage Recipe - Cheddar Cheese Quick Bread

Quick bread that is simple to make and taste great. 

NEED:

2 cups all-purpose flour

 

4 teaspoon baking powder

 

1 tablespoon sugar

 

1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

 

1/2 teaspoon salt

 

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar

 

1 cup milk

 

1 large egg

 

2 tablespoon butter

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan.

 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, garlic powder and salt.

 

 Stir in shredded cheese.

 

 Set aside.

 

In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, egg & butter.

 

Add liquid ingredients to bowl of dry ingredients. 

 

Stir until just combined.

 

 Do not over mix.

 

Spoon/pour into loaf pan.

 

Bake for 45-50 minutes.

 

 Top should be a golden brown.

 

Cool before you remove loaf from pan, slice & serve.

 

 

 

 

Food Storage Recipe - Homemade Ham Gravy

 

Homemade Ham Gravy is a must have for my family. Not big fans of turkey.

 

NEED:

 

2 Tablespoons butter

 

4 Tablespoons cornstarch

 

1 cup ham drippings

 

1 cup low sodium vegetable broth or chicken broth

 

1/2 cup milk

 

Black pepper to taste

 

In a pan, melt the butter and then add cornstarch.

 

 Mix well till the cornstarch lightly browns.

 

 Add the ham drippings, broth and milk.  

 

Continue whisking till fully combined and creamy to your right consistency. 

 

Sprinkle some ground black pepper to taste.

 

 Enjoy this with ham and mashed potatoes!

 

 

 

Food Storage Recipe - Bacon and Egg Cups

 

Perfect breakfast dish that has everything in one! 

NEED:

 8 eggs

 8 slice of peppered bacon

 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

 1 tomato, sliced into 8 slices

 1 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon pepper

 Fresh chives, chopped, for garnish.

 Preheat oven to 350°

  Take a muffin tin with regular-sized cups, and line 8 muffin cups with a slice of bacon in a spiral pattern. 

Press firmly in place. 

 Crack an egg into the center of each well. 

 Top each cup with equal amounts of Swiss cheese and a tomato slice.

  Season with salt and pepper. 

 Place in the oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until egg is done.  

Serve warm, garnished with fresh chives if desired.

Start Your Home based Winter Business Now! Or Just Stockpile for self!

Now is the perfect time to start a home based business that will be making you money this winter. You pretty much start it for free - using all of that junk mail, catalogs, and newspapers that you get. Make paper bricks that will be used for fireplaces and wood burning stoves. They can burn up to 2 hours at a time. ( This also would be a good time to stockpile some up for yourself.) This is the perfect home based for a teen. The start-up cost is low. You just need to get one of those Paper Log Makers and the other items that you need are free or you should already have on hand. A 5 gallon bucket, gloves,and bleach.

It is pretty simple to make the bricks: shred or tear the paper, fill a 5 gallon bucket with water, add a tablespoon of bleach, stir and then the paper. There are two ways to proceed, either leave the paper to soak for 10 days, or mulch the paper in the bucket for an hour using something like a toilet plunger or stick.

Once the paper is pulped, fill the Paper Log Maker with the pulp and squeeze the arms together to remove the water. You will be left with just the brick. Carry on this method until all the paper is used. Find a warm and dry area to allow the brick to dry and hey presto - you have free solid fuel to sell.

Make these up all summer, storing them up some place where they will be dry.  As soon as it starts to cool off place an ad in the local paper and start selling them. Great home based business that is almost free to start and would be a great one for a teen to do.

Oh Christmas Tree

 

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With our wide selection of pre-lit trees, you can choose a tree that suits your style and space, whether it's a classic green tree, a snowy white wonder, or a modern pre-lit masterpiece. Our LIMITED EDITION Christmas trees are designed to make your holiday season extra special. Don't miss out on this one-time sale. When they sell out , they will be gone. 

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Food Storage Recipe - Hash Brown Casserole

 

Hash Brown Casserole

1 20-oz package frozen hash browns ,patted dry to remove moisture 

1 pound ground breakfast sausage 

6 eggs 

1 cup whole milk

 1½ cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Salt and Pepper to taste

 Directions 

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large skillet, brown the breakfast sausage over medium heat while breaking it up.

Remove sausage from pan and set aside.  

Keep the sausage grease in the pan and add the hash browns.

 Cook until crispy on one side, approximately 5-6 minutes. 

Season with salt and pepper. 

 In a bowl, combine the eggs and whole milk. 

Whisk until blended.

  Combine the sausage and hash browns together in a 9”x9” baking dish.

 Pour the egg mixture over the sausage and top with shredded cheddar cheese. 

 Place in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes.  

Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Food Storage Recipe - A Fast Meal To Make

 A quick meal! Easy to make. 

Tortillas

Canned chicken

Black beans

Shredded cheese

Tomatoes

Bake the tortillas until they are browned and kind of crispy.

In a pan mix the chicken and black beans. I also put some taco seasoning.

Put a scoop of the mixture on each tortilla and put shredded cheese on top . 

Place in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted.

Serve with tomatoes, sour cream, etc.

14 DIY Solar Oven Plans You Can Make Today

 

 14 DIY Solar Oven Plans You Can Make Today - Mint Design Blog

 

 Build a solar cooker at a low cost with these 14 downloadable DIY solar oven plans. It is useful to know how to build your own solar oven whether you are a survivalist, live off the grid, or just want to save money on electricity. It is quite easy to make and quite affordable to build most solar oven designs. The majority of them involve simple materials such as aluminum foil and plastic sheets. You shouldn't expect your solar oven to work on cloudy days since it works best during clear days with plenty of sunlight.

 

Food Storage Recipe - Beef Taco Skillet

Beef Taco Skillet

1 pound ground beef or use your freeze dried beef flavored TVP or beef

1 can  Condensed Tomato Soup

1/2 cup Picante Sauce

1/2 cup water

6 flour tortillas (6-inch), cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Cook up your beef and drain it well. 

 Stir the soup, picante sauce, water and tortillas in the skillet and heat to a boil.  

 Reduce the heat to low. 

 Cook for a few minutes.

  Stir it well and top with the cheese. 

Serve.

Emergency Survival Kits - What To Think About Before Making One

It doesn't matter where you live something could happen that makes an emergency survival kit a priority.  Power outages, storms, just to name a couple of things that you should be prepared for. Having an emergency survival kit can be a life-saver. Stocking up on supplies, having a plan, and learning new skills doesn't have to cost a lot of money or take a lot of time. In the end you will be glad that you did it for your family. They will be glad that you did it also. Below is a list of some things to think about before you even start to build your survival kit.

What natural (and unnatural) disasters could happen in your area? Do you live in a quake zone? wildfires? flooding? tornadoes? blizzards? Do you live near a nuclear power plant? These are just a few things to think about and then prepare accordingly. Have a plan on how to protect your home, a map of "escape", and other precautions. Find out what your region's potential for being flooded, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, etc. The more you know about where you live , the better you will be able to get prepared for what might come. Here is a good place to start - Natural Disaster Alert Maps
or here - Alert Map

You also need to think about how long you might be without access to utilities or supplies.  Has anything in your area happened before? If it has than you might have an idea of about how long it might take for power and more to come back online. Take that into account while planning your emergency survival kit. You have to have plenty of clean water, food, etc. If your power is out for an extended time how do you plan on cooking? Cleaning? Heating your home? Get prepared now and learn how to turn off the water, gas, and electric to your home. If something did happen major to your home being able to shut off the gas is very important. It is handy to have a radio, flashlight, etc . I just got one of these, Ambient Weather WR-089 Compact Emergency Solar Hand Crank AM/FM/NOAA Weather Radio, Flashlight, Smart Phone Charger with Cables, I was really surprised at how small it was, but it charges everything in our house. Cellphones, my Kindle, my little USB fan/light, and more. So the size is probably really perfect. I can grab it and put it in my Bug-out-bag. I am even thinking of buying a second one just to have in the trunk of the car at all times. 

It is not something that you want to happen, but you should also be prepared for any medical emergencies. Have a well-stocked medical kit. Maybe take your family and learn CPR. Does someone in your household have a medical condition that requires prescription medication? It is something to think about and get prepared for now.

If you do have to evacuate your home, do you have a way out and a portable kit at the ready? A Bug-Out-Bag? Each family member should have their own that is always ready. If you have to leave grab it and go. It should have enough supplies in it to last about 72 hours. A Bug-out-bag is more for short term survival. So you should have another plan for long-term survival on top of having a bug-out-bag. You should even keep one in your car. Plan on a meeting place for your household in case something happens when not everyone is at home. Maybe even stash spare set of keys to your vehicles out side of the home , but well hidden. Just in case you are not able to get back into your home. Have all of your important papers, I.D.s , etc in one handy, waterproof, and fireproof container that you can grab easily while you leave.

How many people are you getting your survival kit prepared for? Are you thinking about neighbors and friends also. Do you have any pets and children that you have to prepare for? Children and pets are a whole other thing to prepare for. Pet food, snacks, toys, etc. Have items on hand for little kids to keep them occupied while you do the worrying. You should have at least a 4 week supply of food stocked up. A way to get clean water is another must! You have to have a way to filter and clean water after your stockpile of bottled water runs out.

These are just some of the things to think about while starting your emergency survival kit. If you think about all of this and then what your family needs , you should be well on your way to having a prepared household. 

Food Storage Recipe - 3 ingredient chicken nuggets

NEED
 

1 can chicken

 

1 egg

 

1/2 cup shredded colby jack cheese

 

 salt and pepper to taste

Mix your chicken, egg, and cheese until fully combined.

 

Shape into chicken nuggets

 

Use parchment paper and throw on a sheet pan.

 

Bake at 375°F 20 mins, flipping half way through

 

Broil for 2 mins on each side when cooking time is done.

 

They do very well in an air fryer.

 

You want that crunch.

 

Dip in Buffalo wing sauce or BBQ sauce,

Single Tea Light Heater : 4 Steps

 

 

 

Single Tea Light Heater : 4 Steps - Instructables

 

Save your cans from tuna and more!! You can make so many useful things with them.

 

How To Build Your Own Solar Power Generator For Under $150

 

 

 

How To Build Your Own Solar Power Generator For Under $150 Pictures, Photos, and Images for Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Twitter

Having a solar powered generator is the easiest way to have power in an off-grid homestead. If you can build your own for a lot less than buying one that is even better. Saving money.

 

 

How to Build a Rocket Stove (10 Awesome Designs)

 

 

 

 

How to Build a Rocket Stove (10 Awesome Designs)

 A list of different designs of rocket stoves that you can build yourself. A great item to be able to make. Being able to cook food in an off-grid situation will be the best thing ever. 

Food Storage Recipe - Quick Chicken Noodles

 

A quick recipe. It can be easily doubled and it taste so good.

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1 can of chicken broth, I used the empty cream of chicken soup can to measure the chicken broth

1 can of chicken

half a bag of noodles

Salt and pepper to taste

Bring the soup, broth, and chicken to a boil. 

Add the noodles and cook until they are done and it is thickened a bit.

Serve. 

I served mine tonight with some canned yams and homemade garlic bread.

 

 

Food Storage Recipe - Black Bean Chicken Stew

 It is cooling down some and perfect soup and stew weather. This makes 2 servings. Easy to double.

Black Bean Chicken Stew

NEED

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 can of Chicken

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup frozen corn

1/4 cup water

1 can of black beans 

1 can of diced tomatoes

1/2 jalapeno , chopped

1/2 teaspoon cumin

Pinch of salt

Heat the oil in a pot and saute the onion and the chicken for a few minutes.

Add all of the ingredients into that same pot.

Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and let simmer for about 20 minutes. 

Serve. Top with cilantro, sour cream, and /or  shredded cheese , if you want.

 

 

 

Where To Put Your Food Storage

When people decide to begin a food storage program in order to be prepared for emergencies, they may find that actually finding a place to store the food can be problematic. Some people are fortunate to have extra storage space in basement storage areas or spare rooms. It may take some rearranging and planning to facilitate a food storage program.

Some of the places where people store food are:

• Basement storage rooms (which are ideal if available)
• Garage cabinets (which are good but not too great in extremely hot weather)
• Shelves built for the purpose in any spare area of the house
• Cabinets in a spare or little used room
• Pantries (which are used for regular usage items and may not be large enough)
• Closets (which are workable when extra closets are available)
• Plastic storage bins under the beds
• Round barrels covered with a cloth and used as an end table
• Any unused space which is available

If extra space such as basement storage or a spare room are not available in the living quarters, it may require some inventiveness to find a place to keep the stored food intended for emergency use. People living in small apartments are able to find places for food storage if the incentive is there. Some of the more unusual places mentioned above can be fit into regular living areas if necessary.

It is also wise to rotate the food storage which means having it accessible enough to get to once in a while. Some experts in the business suggest using the products once a week so that the family will become used to eating the food. Since much of the food may be dehydrated or freeze-dried with processes which enable longer periods of storage than normal readily consumable food, the taste may be different. If the family is used to eating the food, they should have no problems using it if a serious need arises. The foods prepared are generally tasty and nutritious, but sometimes children need to get accustomed to eating them to enjoy them.

When people want to start a food storage program in order to feel more secure and ready for emergencies, finding space is likely the least of their problems. Finding a program to start with food storage is easy these days with companies offering special plans for any budget. Getting involved before an emergency strikes is sound advice. A monthly plan which includes adding some items on a regular basis makes it easy. There are even companies with a home business component for people who want to get going with food storage and earn some money along the way. 

An Organized Food Storage Pantry

There is nothing worse then trying to find something in a pantry and not being able to find what you need or because the Pantry is so disorganized you don't even know what you do have. You have got to have a plan and an ongoing shopping list so that your food storage is well-stocked and organized. In a pinch you will have what you need to make your family a great meal.

Know what you use the most of and what your family likes. Don't fill your pantry with foods that you do not use often. That is just a waste of space and money. For example: If your family doesn't like rice, then don't rush out and get a 50 pound bag of it.

Only buy in bulk the stuff that you use the most often. You do not want a lot of bulk items in your pantry that will not be used and end up going bad.

Stock up on canned items as often as you can. Canned tomatoes, beans, veggies, etc are a great thing to have a lot of on hand. They can spruce up a soup or any meal in a pinch. Especially when you do not have fresh items on hand. In an emergency you will have canned items on hand to be able to make great food.

Sometimes unwrapping items will make them fit better in your pantry and make room for more of that item. I have to do this a lot since I have such a small place to put food and paper items.

Keep your Pantry cool. Don't store long term food storage next to any appliance that might give off heat. This can greatly reduce the shelf life of your food storage.

Manage your pantry by keeping an ongoing inventory. I have a notebook right with my stockpile where I keep track of what is used and what is added. That way I know exactly what is needed. Also this helps remind me to rotate the food storage! The new goes into the back and older in the front so that it gets used first. No risk of wasting food with this set up. Saves us money and keeps up stocked up. Right now I am pretty confident that we have about 6 months worth of food storage. Slowly building up to a year. Now that I have a bit of extra money each week it will be built on a bit quicker.

The Prepper's Pocket Guide: 101 Easy Things You Can Do to Ready Your Home for a Disaster

Painless Ways To Save Money

There are many ways to save money that will not cause anyone in your family any pain. You can still have a life.

1. This is a great time of year for this tip - go to yard sales! Yeah, you can save a ton of money buying your families clothing at yard sales. I always find name-brand clothing for my kids and spend next to nothing in it. No one knows that you got them at a yard sale. Yard sales are also a great way to get new furniture and household items. Books are my number one thing to get at yard sales. 25 cents for an 8.00 book!! YEP that is for me. Toys are a great thing to buy at yard sales. My little man has all of that Little Tykes stuff , tractor, turtle with lid he uses for a pool, a huge boat that has to be used as a sand box because the other owners for some reason cut a small hole in the bottom to drain the water out even though there is a plug, he has the picnic table , and more Little Tykes stuff that I bet I haven't paid more than $10.00 for all of it. The boat and tractor were free!! You can also get a lot of home schooling items at yard sales. Plus going to yard sales can be a lot of fun.

2. Hang your clothes out to dry. Or at least most of them. My oldest son has to have his t-shirts done in the dryer, but since I am hanging everything else, it is still saving me a ton of money. His t-shirts only take a few minutes to get wrinkle free, then I take them out and dry them the rest of the way outside. He never has complained.

3. Take your lunch to work and make your own coffee to take with you in the morning. You will save so much money if you don't eat out at lunch and don't stop to get that expensive fancy coffee.

4. Make pizza, cookies, bread, etc at home by hand. It is fun doing this and it saves money. I can make my own pizza at home for a fraction of what it cost to order from a pizza place. Also it is better for your family than a frozen pizza. You can bake your own cookies and breads for pennies on the dollar.

5. This one took my family a while to do - STOP DRINKING SODA! The reason we really stopped was for health issues. Never even thought of money. It took about 3 months to totally get it out of the house, but now that it is totally gone and we don't drink it anymore, I realized we saved a ton of money. We now drink a lot of water, homemade juice, and sun tea. None of us miss the soda and it has saved our health and our bank account.

6. If you have to have a birthday party for your little one or any type of party - make your own decorations and food for it. Fun and does not cost a lot. My daughter is already starting on some stuff for her wedding stuff. It really does save a lot of money to make your own decorations.

7. This one needs no explanation and benefits your health and your pocket book - GIVE UP SMOKING.

8. It actually saves a bit to substitute dry milk in your cooking. Just buy a bit of milk for cereal and use dry milk in your cooking. With how much milk is anymore this can really save you a lot of money.

9. Block the hot summer sun out of your house. This is one that we have to do anyway because we do not have one tree in our yard. I hate that so much. Next house is going to nothing but trees. I wouldn't even hate living in a tree house after living in this house. LOL.

10. Plant a garden. No matter how small it is or if you just have room for one thing, like tomatoes, DO IT!! Not too much work and you do save some money.

11. Have a STAYCATION. Do a search on this blog and you will find a whole blog posts on ideas for a staycation. Fun and low cost.

12. Just starting out with food storage, start small. Maybe each week when something is on sale that your family uses , like cans of beef stew, buy 3 cans instead of 1 and stick the 2 extra back. You will be surprised at how fast your stockpile will grow if you do this every week. It does not have to take a lot of money to get a food storage. I have had to do it this way. I do not have the money to go and buy 100 cans of tuna or whatever. I have had to do it small.

These are just a few ideas. I am sure that you can think of more to do to save money at home. 

 

 

Add Variety To Your Food Storage

There are many ways to add variety to your food storage. Ways to make it more lively and not boring at all. Ways that do not have to cost a lot of money. It does not have to be too expensive to even have a stockpile of food and items!

Have plenty of seasonings and spices. They are a must have when it comes to cooking really good food and ways to liven up things. Having the right seasoning on hand could be all of the difference between eating good meals and boring meals. Chili powder and taco seasoning are 2 things that I try to add to my food storage every week. I use a lot of it. A good idea is to go through the recipes that you use a lot or think of meals that your family loves and then stock up on those seasonings and spices that you need to make that. Also stockpile the other items.

Keep a huge supply of different flavors of bouillon. You can get them in beef, chicken, ham, and other flavors. Great to cook rice and noodles in and also great addition to soups.

Keep an assortment of condiments in your stockpile also. Soy sauce, ketchup, A-1, mustard, BBQ sauce, and the list goes on. Having these items in your food storage could be a life saver.

Have sweet items in your stockpile. Sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, chocolate chips, etc. Anything you might need to make some cookies or sweets. I always have on hand lots of cinnamon-sugar that I get at the Dollar Tree. My kids love cinnamon toast. They will eat that for a snack and when I am out of the cinnamon sugar they let me know! LOL So, that is one thing that I buy even when we don't need it.

My daughter made me think of this one. She will drink hot chocolate all year around. 110 degrees outside and she will have a mug of hot chocolate in her hand. Have tons of cocoa, breakfast drink mixes, vanilla, syrup, and other items like that. Breakfast drink mixes add well to powdered milk. They make it much more enjoyable to drink. Plus it is very healthy.

Adding variety to your food storage does not have to cost a lot of money and it could be a life saver. Having good tasting food in an emergency will be a great moral booster. Giving your family a satisfying meal in lean times will make everyone feel so much better and make it easier to deal with other things that are going on. Having comfort food will have a calming effect on everyone I would think. Make it easier to sleep knowing that your family is well fed.