The Homestead Mindset Anywhere: by Donna Miller : dollars

A tip to 'thinking like a homesteader.'

Millers Grain House — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:55:00 GMT

Well, weather you care to learn these tips because you dream of 'Little House on the Prairie Days' or you just want to stretch the dollars you have, a homesteader's mind works a little differently than most. One main thing is to look at any...(read more)

Weekly Preparation Practice Checklist

Millers Grain House — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 19:00:00 GMT

I have come up with a list of items that warrant practicing each week to prepare for an uncertain economical or governmental future. It isn’t being pessimistic to actually WANT to and look forward to being able to be more self-sustaining and out of debt...(read more)

Video of a free, pesticide free fruit fly trap

Millers Grain House — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 18:31:00 GMT

http://www.youtube.com/user/thewheatguy Re-use, recycle and rethink...the three R's of homesteading and stretching dollars! This video is the re-use of the flimsy plastic produce bags to make a fruit fly catcher. No chemicals and no pecticides. The...(read more)

Making gifts and decorations for the Holidays

Millers Grain House — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 19:50:00 GMT

This year, we are doing as we have often done as we have trimmed our budget to the bone; we are making most of the gifts and decorations. This is not a new thing for our family. It actually began years before the kids were born, but has become a tradition...(read more)

How to stretch a left over baked potato.

Millers Grain House — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 18:21:00 GMT

Now, I know there are more ideas than this one....but this is our FAVORITE way to use them rather than toss them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MumZcIjTJQ

It's short so it should load pretty fast!

Best Blessings and enJOY!

Donna

Keys to bulk buying, storage and learning to stretch grocery dollars.

Millers Grain House — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 19:24:00 GMT

If, like us, you are preparing your long term pantry for whatever reason (weather, gas savings, economic future) you may be a tried and true veteran of this longstanding homestead traditon or you may be new at it and ready to take the plunge. Either way, it doesn't matter if you live in the country or the city, buying in bulk can be a money (and time) saver if you do it right. There truly are some key points to keep in mind when learning to buy in bulk.

First, just exactly what IS bulk buying? Well, it's not just buying a lot (as in multiple items all at once). It IS buying larger than typical amounts of the same item. One can of organic green beans is always going to cost more per can than if we can find them in the case. Then, each can is substantially lower in price, because we have 12 or 24 of them.

Secondly, buying in bulk often, but not always, is less expensive in the long run. Time saved, gas saved and quantity discounts (as above mentioned) add up to being dollar stretches.

Third, bulk buying doesn't have to be done in the big warehouse stores. When a local market had tomato sauce on sale of $.30 a large can, I got about 8 of them. There are still 7 of them in my pantry and that sale was 3 months ago. The price has risen again, but there I have 28oz of tomato sauce for thirty cents sitting ready for us to use. Most of the time I can tomatoes, but the sauce takes too long for me and heats up our kitchen in the summer. This bulk buy was/is a big time/money saver for us.

Fourth, remember not to buy it - even if it seems like a great deal - if no one in the family will use it, or eat it before it goes bad! Fresh veggies are aften a good buy in wholesale clubs, but if you have 4 heads of romaine lettuce to throw out, then you have still wasted your hard earned money.

Fifth, learn how to store bulk items. Dry items need to be kept in a moisture proof container. Even large bags of rice and oats are easily stored for months on end in the right container...see here.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEblkB1mvFk

.... For meats, repackage into meal sized amounts and freeze. For cheeses, if you don't mind crumbled cheese, just freeze. If you do mind it, slice and freeze or shred and freeze.

Lastly, bulk buying can also work for items that are more household related than just food. Find out how long that $9 giant pail of laundry soap lasts by writing the date you started using it on the top in a magic marker. At the end when it's empty, you can see if it was a savings or not. I'll bet it was.

Buying bulk can be a bit of a learning curve, but by keeping a few things in mind we can see how bulk buying stretches our dollars each month!

Best Blessings and enJOY the journey!

Donna Miller

http://www.millersgrainhouse.com/store

More ramble on that "Thrifty Commercial" topic...Buyer be Aware

Millers Grain House — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:26:00 GMT

It is pretty funny how I had the same reaction as Anne (one of our other bloggers here) to the KFC and Frozen Chicken commercial. Toss in Stouffers and a few others and we have yet another media twisting epidemic. As unsuspecting busy American's just sit back and 'buy it' because it 'makes sense'. Well, digging deeper does result in clarity of thought. Let's look at the things the KFC commercial especially leaves out:

Nutritional Content (especially fat)
Buying the spices may be expensive but you wouldn't use more than 1/25 of each jar of spice to make one meal - so figure that as less than $1 and you would have more for other meals left....
Hormone Free Chicken on sale. I got 24 drumsticks the other day for $3 and 24 thighs for $4 (that's less than $8, but for almost 2 -3 meals) so let's say = approx $3 per meal now stashed in my freezer.
Mashed potatoes and green beans - free - from our garden.

I mean, do the math....dig deeper....no KFC meal can touch that! Plus, forgive the crudeness, but that KFC stuff can really tear up your insides for a few days after! Oh you know what I'm talking about.....

Sadly - the ad 'sounds' right but it is only because it is so far from the mark by what it omits. We have to be more thoughtful in this economic time. Of course the companies in the food industry (mostly convenience and take-out/restaurants) are sweating. Back in 'The Day' - people didn't RELY on them as much as our society does now...and...Heaven forbid, we learn not to rely on them anymore!!

To attest to this ad being a false hood both on time and $$. My youngest child (daughter) is in charge of dinners on Thurs nights. She came home from classes at 5:30 and by 6:30 had a meal of: Oven baked chicken strips that cost less than $5 this week, Mashed potatoes (real ones with skins) and green beans both from the garden. Then she made a healthy whole grain dessert for less than $1 (No bake choc oatmeal cookies). This meal cost us only $6.50 (if you count the tea and spices)!!! She fed a family of 5 (big eaters) a healthy, lower fat, not from a greasy bucket, or with processed potatoes, or who-knows-what kitchen cleanliness ranking - all within the hour. Top THAT KFC! You can't!! And now she has the skills and feels accomplished that she can one day make that same meal for her own family! THAT is priceless!!

Buyer be Aware.

Best Blessings and enJOY the journey!

Donna Miller

http://www.millersgrainhouse.com/store

Preparing the 6-8 month pantry.

Millers Grain House — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:13:00 GMT

My last post was hoping to see how very far I could stretch my $115 in groceries for our family of five (all adult eaters). This fun frugal challenge, however, came to an abrupt end when my husband took us on a switch in direction. We are now re-stocking our 6-8 month pantry. Why? and How? You may ask. Well, here are the reasons:

1. All but ONE of the gas stations within 45 minutes drive of our home are out of gas. So trips to the store will likely be limited soon.

2. Stocking up NOW while prices are lower (yeah, don't laugh - they will be higher as gas shortages affect shipping) is a wiser move than waiting.

3. A 6-8 month pantry is a safety blanket. We lived in suburbia through three hurricanes which knocked out power and cut shipping supplies. I've seem the National Guard have to pull guns on people for fights over ice and bread...don't like the thought of that if food supply gets more expensive or shipping gets cut off due to shortages.

4. Bulk is often much cheaper and sales hit 'whenever' so stocking up makes sense.

Those are the 'why' - on to the 'how':

1. Take stock of what your family WILL eat and multiply by the # of people, times the # of times a week it's worth eating it and then by 4. You then have a month's worth of some dry pantry good. If you want 6 months worth, multiply THAT number by six and start stocking up!

2. Although we are not Morman - this site is helpful if you wonder how much of what to stock up: http://lds.about.com/library/bl/faq/blcalculator.htm There are some basic ideas that may spark some ideas of your own.

3. Start looking for ways to have long term storage. Freezers need electricity so they are great if you have no power outages or plan to cook a LOT if there were an outage. Also pails such as this one:

http://millersgrainhouse.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=38&products_id=119

They stack high and are air-tight.

4. Dehydrated foods store well for things you might usually keep fresh such as fruits.

I'm no 'gloom and doomer' - I promise - this is actually a fun thought for me to be prepared to care for my family with a 6-8 month pantry!

Best Blessings!

Donna

An Audio-Visual Tip for Saving Money on Groceries!

Millers Grain House — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 19:03:00 GMT

An Audio-Visual Tip for Saving Money on Groceries!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cycj1dEAK0Q

“Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime”—Author unknown

More visual tips uploaded every week (usually Fridays) so you can not only READ what I'm talking about with a Homesteading Mindset, but also SEE and HEAR some practical steps to saving $$.

Best Blessings!

Donna

For starters...what is the 'Homestead Mindset' ?

Millers Grain House — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 13:41:00 GMT

Since this is the initial post for the blog, it seemed suitable to set the pace with at least an attempt to define the title of the blog and what a 'Homestead Mindset' is by definition. Since this blog is about developing that mindset anywhere and not just on a massive 100 acre farm, it seems likely that some readers may think there's no way they can do that, because they live in the suburbs or the city. Hopefully this blog will help dispel that belief and enlighten others to develop the 'homestead mindset' - no matter where you may call home.

Historically a homesteader was a person who was a pioneer; one who set out to 'do it themselves' and forge new territory; to make an untamed place a home. Much of that mindset and thought process has been elevated in our society with the convenience of so much of our daily lives. The pioneer spirit seems left to only a celebrity status, but it need not be so. The homestead mindset is best suited to the small tasks that add up to great results.

Some character traits that are common to a homesteading family would be (but are not limited to or all required):

· Using, re-using, recycling into new uses what one already owns. Known to some as 'making-do.'
· Careful thought before purchasing any item(s), not just large ticket ones.
· Making from scratch any number of items: food, clothing, etc.
· Somewhat of a minimalist lifestyle.
· Gardening, preserving and stretching food dollars.
· Free from 'keeping-up-with-the-Jones' disease.
· Joy in creative depravity (more on that later).

To try to define the mindset of a homesteader may be too large a task to try to fit into one post. The above list could go on and on and on with examples. To develop that mindset is a journey. With the economic times that many of us are facing right now, it would behoove us to do a little rearranging and changing of our minds to make it though, get out of debt and be freer for our future.

We have lived in the suburbs, lived in the city and lived on a homestead. So I know that its how you think that helps you cope and create, stretch and save, enjoy and endure, not a geographical location that gives you the homestead mindset. Hopefully you’ll join me on this journey of creating the homestead mindset anywhere.

Best Blessings ~ enJOY your life!

Donna

Donna Miller is a work-at-home wife and mother. She delighted to share her trials and triumphs of learning homestead anywhere. The Millers own and operate Millers Grain House which offers Organic and Chemical-free Whole Grains, Bosch Mixers, the NutriMill, instructional tutorials, recipes and more.