Self Sufficient Living

Giving up the Goats

Cinnamonhuskies — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 20:39:31 GMT

An end of an era is at hand.

We are trying to decide between giving up our last 2 goats in September, or waiting until spring. It's a difficult decision, but it seems inevitable. We cannot afford to keep them any longer. At my husband's previous pay it was easy. Now all our money should be going to support us, not animals. The money I make doesn't cover it. My chcikens and rabbits have a much higher rate of return.

I do have friends that will take my goats. And if I decide to make cheese again next spring, I would be happy to purchase milk from them. At $8 a gallon, I can turn it into $20 of cheese. And i won't have the yearly feed and upkeep.

My sons are getting older and less and less into this way of life. Dh is too busy for many things, and frankly I don't want to do it all by myself.

We maybe selling our property in the spring to get into a cheaper house, and this will be one less thing to worry about.

It's been a good run, anyway.

Warning on firearms legislation

littlepitcher — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:33:40 GMT

Just got an e-mail regarding HR 45--a bill introduced in Congress which would require all of us to list all of our guns on our 2010 income tax return, require a drivers license and many other new invasions of privacy. Check for it under Blair Holt gun bill. If you live in the country, a gun is a necessity for self-protection, and in the city, many feel the same way. Let your DH's know about this one (OK, Walt, not you...) as they are more likely to be using firearms.

"Putting by" food for the winter

Pat — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:11:15 GMT

Do you? I mean, do you can and/or dehydrate and/or freeze food that's cheaper or free in the summer like our mothers, grandmothers and great grandmothers used to do?

There's been some discussion of canning and a little about dehydrating, but how much of an effort do you go to, to put things up for the winter?

I used to can, freeze and dehydrate and even did some cold storage when we had an old cistern to use for that. I seldom bought vegetables during the winter. I got out of doing that, but this year I feel more of an urge to sock things away for "hard times." Maybe it's because the weather has been so strange or because I've heard those who should know predict harder times ahead, but I keep wanting to put by more and more.

I wonder how many of you feel that way and if anyone has felt the urge to put up more than usual this year.

Pressure canning times for other things

Cinnamonhuskies — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:25:33 GMT

I quit using my hot water bath canner several years ago after getting a second pressure canner so I can have 2 going at once on the stove. I prefer pressure canning because of the speed, I can do multiple batches quicker than in the water bath..I just wait for the warm up and cool down, and I've had more success with jar mortality with my pressure canners.

I do everything in them, so I have adjusted times from my MIL and an old Presto book:

pears: 8 minutes @5lbs

applesauce: 5 minutes @5lbs

peaches: 8 minutes @5lbs

tomatoes: 25 minutes @10lbs

I've never had my fruit turn mushy from being pressure canned, and everything stayed sealed.

Canning Potatoes

Cinnamonhuskies — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:19:11 GMT

I'm glad we dug potatoes while it was nice out because it has rained every day since! I have potatoes that I am sorting by size. I love the smaller poatoes for canning them. Canned potatoes make delicious fried potatoes!!! I scrub them with a vegetable brush, and leave the skins on. I might get some Red Pontiacs that have a heavy skin, but that'll usually come off while frying....and besides the skin is where the nutrients are, so I've heard.

Sort, wash, leave skins on. Boil for about 5 or 10 minutes. Pack hot into hot jars, cover with boiling water, leave headspace. Add 1 tsp salt to each quart.

Process in a pressure canner 40 minutes at 10 lbs pressure.

Lye Soap

Blackknight — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 21:48:46 GMT

Any soapers here? Got any recipes that you'd like to share?

What ELSE Can We Do For Ourselves? D-I-Y Health Care Reform

This Old Housewife — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:31:27 GMT

1. Wash your hands frequently throughout the day, before/during/after food preparation, after coughing or sneezing, after using the bathroom, and after handling money.

2. Consume no more than 6 grams of added sugar per serving per day (to ward off expensive diabetes and cancer).

3. Consume no more than 100 mg. of sodium per serving (to ward off expensive hypertension).

4. Consume no more than 6 grams of protein per day (2 servings of 3 oz. each) to ward off expensive high cholesterol and kidney-related diseases, including gout.

5. Use good fats only: high Omega-3’s like olive oil, coconut oil, high-oleic safflower oil (check labels here), high-oleic sunflower oil, etc. The safflower and sunflower oils are good for frying, and the coconut oil is terrific for baking.

6. Stop smoking and don’t expose yourself to cigarette/cigar/joint smoke. Second- and third-hand smoke is just as dangerous (and expensive to treat) as first-hand smoke. Have yourself detoxed for heavy metals—cadmium and other dangerous heavy metals exist in cigarettes. Curb drinking to a minimum to avoid liver damage, and exposure to diabetes potential—booze is fermented grains which turn to liquid sugar, affecting the pancreas.

7. Eat primarily fruits and vegetables—avoid fast foods and processed foods (anything in a can, jar, box, or bag). If you MUST use processed foods, use some with low sodium (<100 mg./serving) or sugar (<6 grams/serving). This increases your fiber and eliminates excess fats, sugars, and hormones from your blood, and helps ward off cancer.

8. Visit a dietitian for a specific eating plan to help you lose weight and reverse chronic diseases you may now have, and visit a personal trainer for an exercise plan that fits your goals and abilities.

9. Have annual physicals, CBC blood tests, a urinalysis, plus all other appropriate annual tests (mammograms, PSA, etc.) to establish a baseline from which to gather knowledge for health improvement—blood and urine tell much of the story. If you have these results, take them to the dietitian, because he or she will need them to help make your corrective eating plan.

10. Stay current with immunizations—especially tetanus. A decent diet pretty much negates the need for things like flu shots, making these optional. I’ve never had a flu shot, and never gotten the flu.

11. Buy and use a faucet filter or filter pitcher for your drinking water to cut exposure to lead, mercury, flushed pharmaceuticals, and other contaminants, as well as chlorine intake.

12. Avoid convenience foods at all costs—learn to make your own at home. Fast foods in particular employ the same addiction-creating methods as cigarettes to keep you coming back for more, and are just as dangerous to your health as cigarettes. Drive-thru windows should be bricked up (in my opinion), and if you absolutely WANT this food, you should be made to get out of the car to get it!

After completing the above steps, then and only then do you need to worry about health insurance (unless you text while driving). Smoking cessation aids listed in #6, the professionals listed in #7, the tests listed in #8, the shots in #10, and the foods listed in #6 are the only things our government should be funding (subsidizing) in the way of national health care—the rest is easily achievable on your own, and should be achieved. Affordable coverage for trauma, surgeries, accidents, cancer, broken bones, and catastrophes is available through HSA plans (employer-provided or available online). The rest can be budgeted for in regular savings. If the qualifications for MSA expenses changed to include things like soap, smoking cessation aids, a water filter, or high Omega-3 oils, I’d recommend using that too as a budgeting aid—I consider these things as important as now-qualified expenses.

The diet you come away with from #7 will also improve our DENTAL health—lowering added sugar intake and increasing NATURAL sugar intake (through fruits and vegetables) will help lower incidence of cavities and gum disease, making dental visits more for cleaning than anything else. Brushing and flossing are the cheapest ways of extending tooth life.

The same can be said for the eyes—better diet will also preserve and possibly improve vision, slowing the need for glasses (or new glasses), and lowering the incidence for macular degeneration, cataracts, and other eye diseases.

Notice I didn't mention exercise--studies have shown that exercise just makes you hungry, and then you eat, and the you exercise to work off what you just ate...it's a never-ending cycle. Just walk more and you'll be all right.

Tort reform, drug patent reform, cost consolidation, back-door rationing, and government regulation may seem like good ideas to solve our so-called health care crisis, but don’t address what we can do for ourselves to eliminate the need for health care insurance in the first place—taking better care of ourselves to begin with. Think of it as “front-door rationing,” leaving those who don’t take better care of themselves to be victims of government onslaught with Medicare, Medicaid, and other intrusive social programs. Every government “giveaway” has strings attached, and nothing’s free—in order to receive this “benefit,” you must be willing and/or able to trash your own health, and then be subject to haphazard and expensive care to repair it.

Every government program puts limits and restrictions on you—remember your freedoms. The Health Care Reform bill is an example of how far Democrats are willing to go in pursuit of votes and power. Government WANTS you to be dependent on them for your very life—do you want to put your life in government’s hands? If not, then get off the couch and start making changes TODAY to show government who’s boss!

So much of the above list can be accomplished without insurance—maybe not the visits to a dietitian or gym instructor, keeping up with immunizations, or the CBC and urinalysis, but many of them CAN be accomplished without insurance or some sort of subsidy. Do you really need Uncle Sam to pay for soap, put fruits and veggies in your shopping cart, or read labels for you?

The people in favor of H-R 3200 say yes, they need Uncle Sam to do it (and more) for them.

Dandelion coffee

karen kay — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 19:41:17 GMT

pat, if i dont have a coffee grinder, what would be the best way to grind dandelion root for coffee?

being broke on purpose

Luvd_Lioness — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 21:13:23 GMT

saw this article... and I don't think I'd go to his extreme but he does have good points

http://men.style.com/details/features/landing?id=content_9817

Benefits from Gardening

Life in Earth — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 02:05:05 GMT

Watched a show about this book and the author. They say that you get more than just the obvious benefits from growing your own food, but it reduces stress, and you are exercising while keeping up your garden. In Costa Rica specifically they have linked gardening to an extended life span. What a great way of life to take up. Do something good for the enviorment, save some money, eat some great food, and live longer. What more could you ask for. It is a very interesting book, I included a link for anyone who would like to check it out.

Thank you

Life in Earth

www.lifeinearth.com

http://www.bluezones.com/

Food Storage on $5 a week

Brandy — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 17:49:42 GMT

If you are trying to build up a sizeable stock for your pantry but have been overwhelmed by the task, there is a site that may help you to get started and stay on track...

Buy foods for storage on $5 a week

Freezing potatoes?

KateHC — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 14:33:50 GMT

I was wondering if you can freeze potatoes; specifially, I want to cut them into chunks, cook them, then freeze them to put into stew.

help

alexisnikita — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:51:10 GMT

hi all can anyone help me out? about canning

Costco sells freeze-dried food

sunshinetreva — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:02:37 GMT

I know there have been several posts on this, but I saw this today and thought I'd share it with the rest of you that may be interested. Here's a link to page featuring the 1 year supply for 1 person. It appears to be quite a bit of food and runs about $1K. They had other packages, too, but I did not check them out.

Is this corn too old to freeze?

Cinnamonhuskies — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 09:11:21 GMT

I have 3 bushels left of sweet corn that I haven't got around to blanching and cutting and freezing yet. It was picked last Wednesday night, and today is Tuesday. Is it too old now? Will it be tough? Should I try to freeze some of it today and some tomorrow? (I won't be home part of today to do it all) Or should I just dry it and feed to the chickens?

It's been in the husk in feed bags since last Wednesday.

Uses for Vinegar

kabin — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 13:20:33 GMT

I know Pat is a huge fan of vinegar, but so am I and here's why. I use vinegar to rinse my hair after I wash it. I used to have a lot of build up in my hair even though I washed it every day. I have baby fine hair and it was always limp. I also had an itchy scalp and dandruff. Once I started using vinegar in my rinse water those problems all went away.

I also use vinegar to get rid of hard water spots on my kitchen and bathroom fixtures, in the rinse water in my dishwasher and in my washing machine rinse water. My clothes are softer as a result and my dishes don't have any hard water spots.

What do you use vinegar for? Forgive me if this has all ready been covered somewhere else in the forum. I just think vinegar is amazing and so cheap to use.

chicken coop insulation

beckyJo — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 19:35:14 GMT

built a chicken coop out of scrap wood that was given to me and DH from a friend when he disassembled his carport but we didnt plan on keeping our girls for the winter a friend said she would take them for the winter cause her coop is heated cause way up north where we are it gets about -20 to -25 in the coldest months so i was wondering if any one has any tips for keeping my 4 girls warm this winter

canning

beckyJo — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 16:11:18 GMT

ive read that you can only can veggies in a pressure canner but my mom told me that you can use a water bath canner if you hold the boiling temp long enough

The NY Times weighs in on keeping chickens in yoru backyard

Deborahmichelle — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 14:38:18 GMT

Dear All, Today, the NYTimes has an article about keeping chickens in your backyard. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/business/04chickens.html?th&emc=th Is htis article helpful to you?

Yours in Hiiim, Deb

Collecting Rain Water

Frugal2 — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:58:15 GMT

Does anyone know the best way to collect rain water if your house does not have gutters? I have been looking on line and most of the web sites say to hook up a barrel to the gutters on your house. My house does not have rain gutters.

Frugal2

I made homemade laundry detergent today !

lynn — Wed, 13 May 2009 03:25:11 GMT

I made laundry detergent for the first time today ! I was amazed at how quick and easy it was and how cheap ! I have a load of clothes in washing now ...but I`m sure they will be clean .Thank you folks here in the Dollar Stretcher community for all the great post ..like the laundry detergent one . I really need all the frugal ideas I can get right now .DH just retired 2 weeks ago ...and I quit my job ! Not very good planning ..just the way it worked out .We did not realize it would be 6 weeks between checks for him ! But my freezer and pantry are overflowing with all the "deals" I got while I was working so we will be fine ...but sure a change for us ..we were use to 2 checks every 2 weeks ! But it will be worth it to be able to be in church on Sunday and to be able to see my grandkids more often . have a blessed nite ya`ll .

Lynn

Natural products used for household remedies...

gb0949 — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 20:55:49 GMT

Does anyone have a remedy for CLEARING out clogged drains from the gunk that builds up in there and slows or stops the drainage that is ALL natural but actually works to break down the gunk in the plumbing and get the water draining freely again. I do not like using such things as the drain cleaners at the store due to the chemicals. I would love to get any and all ideas that people have on using NATURAL SAFE non chemical products to clean, refresh, deodorize, and UNCLOG drains.... Any and all suggestions are gratefully accepted. I feel the less of these chemicals that we buy in stores to clean and use everyday withouth realizing what is in them that we can help our environment turn around and become healthier for the next generation and maybe even help us until everyone starts to realize how dangerous the chemicals in cleaner of any kind are to us as humans, our pets etc..

Hope to hear back from many of you and your ideas. Looking forward to being all natural before the end of the year .... a goal I hope to make

Gabi

PS How in the world do you get the little smiley insert to go into your post? I have clicked on the little icon several times and all it does is make a funny noise, but no smiley face in my post.... What am I doing wrong?? I know this is off topic but just curious I see it in other posts, but can't seem to get it to work in mine. Thanks guys.... look forward to hearing back from you on info above as well as my little smiley face dillema :)

Natural Cleaners

Pat — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 14:29:05 GMT

I thought this was interesting: Natural Cleaners

The "recipe" for an all purpose cleaner is exactly like mine, except I use ammonia instead of vinegar. I use vinegar by itself to clean a lot of things, though.

I noticed several references to borax... do you use it to clean? I don't think I ever have.

renting

beckyJo — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 20:52:52 GMT

i try to do as much as i can for myself i have a flcok of 5 chickens and a decent size garden but it is very discourageing not to be able to do more with out a house and property of our own but with the troubleing economy and the devasting high unemployment rate in michigan it is kinda scareing even thinking about a mortage because the chance of wakeing up and not haveing a job tomorrow the idea of the credit im trying to build will go down the drain we are think of moveing to wyoming but... idk everything is kinda limbo right now anyone got some advice on how they got started

What can we do ourselves?

Cinnamonhuskies — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:13:29 GMT

Put on your thinking caps.

The threads on increased food prices and gas prices got me thinking. What more can I do myself to not rely on a store?

1. when I need to buy, buy used. Watch out for thrift stores....I've seen prices rise in those too, where prices for things like summer clothes were identical to Kmart prices.

2. i raise my own animals for meat, milk, and eggs. But i still need a pig for pork somewhere along the line. I need to work on that issue.

3. I raise a garden, but I'd like to see that expanded more. I am trying to salvage any sunny growing areas I have, and not pull up all my volunteer plants that have sprung up....after all they are a bonus! I can and freeze and dehydrate.

4. i try to barter for apples and peaches in the fall.

5.We try to build it ourselves with what we have on hand rather than buy something......like fencing, feeders, gates, dh welded manure forks for the tractor from scrap metal. He built a hanging chicken feeder from scrap sheet metal. Doesn't look store-bought perfect, but it WORKS perfect!

6. I try to sew what I need, like curtains, quilts, pillow cases, hankerchiefs, and mend the boys' clothes.

7. No need to buy fertilizer with animal manure on hand. Anyone can start a compost pile.

8. I make laundry detergent, and thanks to Brandy's advice I started making a simple soap. It lasts a long time.

9. I bake and cook from scratch. baked goods, especially pastries are expensive when bought in a store. (However, i haven't baked bread in awhile because I can get approximately 20 loaves for $3.50 that's set to expire at a Sara Lee factory....I give the poor stuff to the animals, and the good stuff goes in the freezer.)

10. I at least try to do something new or learn a new skill that may help us.

11. OK I wished I didn't have to rely on driving, but I do. If I didn't I would walk or ride a bike to wherever I was going.

What can you do for yourself to not rely on stores or other things?