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DIY Udder Balm for Goats or Cows

When you have a milk-producing goat or cow, their udders might get a lot of work. They can get sore or irritated, so it’s handy to be able to have a balm to soothe them on hand in case this happens. However, unfortunately, most storebought balms are petroleum-based and expensive, and, if you live in the country, might be far away! Today, we’ve got a very simple DIY udder balm recipe that can be used making the same ingredients we recommend for a lot of our homemade remedies. What you need: 1/2 ounce beeswax 1 ounce shea butter 1 ounce […]

Cheap Bio Ethanol Fuel at Home (Video)

This is something I’ve always heard about and wanted to try. It’s pretty amazing how cheap the ingredients are to do it, and any homesteader might find the idea appealing, if you’ve got equipment that could be modified to be fueled with bio-ethanol fuel. Check it out! I’m pretty impressed. If you liked this, you might also enjoy… What Are the Signs of the End Times? Learn Natural Healing Secrets From the Masters Preparing for the Bubble to Burst

22 Ways to Use Beeswax

Beeswax is amazing. It is the only naturally occurring wax, and is produced in special wax glands of female honeybees. It takes 8 pounds of honey to produce 1 pound of wax! Vegetable waxes are rendered from fruit or leaves, while soy and paraffin waxes are produced by a toxic chemical process. Only beeswax is wax in its natural form, and simply can’t be produced in a lab, even in this day and age. But if you keep bees, you can essentially grow it in your own backyard! It has been used for centuries in many different ways, and there’s […]

Super Simple DIY Body Wash

I thought I’d seen all the DIY replacements for ordinary personal hygiene items out there, but this one was new to me, and I knew I had to try it right away. Bodywash is kind of a modern, Western thing, for plenty of people a simple bar of soap is sufficient to get clean in the shower. But for whatever reason, some people greatly prefer body wash, especially if you like to use a washcloth or loofah. The thing about body wash, however, is that as effective and luxurious it is in the shower, it’s definitely not cheap. However, you […]

DIY $5 Funnel Solar Oven (Video)

I love off-grid cooking of all kind, and a solar oven is something I’ve been wanting to make for a long time. I always thought that it was fairly expensive to make, but this guy made one for only $5. It’s amazing how much you can cook in one, and it is the most bare-bones type of off-grid, renewable energy out there. The design is super simple and dirt cheap. Using two reflective windshield sun visors, he creates a funnel to concentrate the heat onto the oven. Check it out! I might try this when the days get warmer. If […]

Homemade Dish Soap Recipe

I love to DIY everything, but dish soap is something I’ve had trouble with in the past. It always streaks on dishes, doesn’t lather, or leaves a horrible film that’s difficult to remove. However, I really hate buying dish soap from the store, because if it’s not super expensive, it usually contains harmful chemicals. Even the supposedly natural and eco-friendly brands like Seventh Generation still contain sodium lauryl sulfate, which is something I try to avoid, if I can. However, I found this recipe recently and really liked it! The key ingredient is Sal’s Suds, which is a Dr. Bronner’s product. […]

Beer for the Garden

Beer isn’t just great for the gardener after a hard day’s work, it’s also great for the health of your garden. One way to put this beverage to work for you is to use it to attract and to kill slugs that can damage your crops and even spread disease. Here’s how to use household items and little extra beer to keep your garden healthy and productive. You will need a small tin, like a tuna can or a cat food container, a large plastic bottle, and some beer. Empty and clean the tin. You don’t want to try to […]

Curing Bacon, Step by Step (Video)

Who doesn’t love bacon? One thing I love even more than bacon is seeing processes like curing meat, so this video was fascinating to me. One of my favorite YouTubers, Down South Homestead, wanted to show their viewers how they cure their own bacon. I’ve always wondered what the exact process would look like since I love cured meats of all kinds. They take you through each step of prepping the meat, preparing the cure, how the cure draws the moisture out, drying it, smoking it, etc. If you’re not hungry by the end of this video, there’s probably something […]

DIY Budget Grow Box

I am personally not a fan of trying to grow plants indoors on in any other artificial and costly setup, but having a grow box doesn’t have to be expensive. You can have a grow box that allows you to get your seeds started safely inside 6 weeks prior to the last frost in your area. This will give you a significant jumpstart and extension on your growing season. And this can be done for about $50 if you have purchased all the material, but you probably have most if it around your house already. Materials 18-gallon plastic bin […]

Mason Jar Aquaponics (Infographic)

I shared an infographic recently on the benefits of aquaponics, and I came across this the other day that I thought was really neat, and super easy to create. It is a very simple DIY mason jar aquaponics set-up. Obviously, you’re not going to be growing tons of your own food this way, but I thought it would make a great experiment for homeschool or even for curious grownups. It could even serve simply as a very cool upgrade to an indoor decorative plant or herb garden! The original post on Desima.co has a photograph of one in real life, it’s […]

How to Make Homemade Almond Extract

I love DIY everything, and extracts are surprisingly easy. At the store, extracts for baking and flavoring foods can be surprisingly expensive, especially if you’d like organic or natural extracts of any kind. Almond extract is great to have for baking of all kind as the subtly sweet flavor of almonds makes for delicious cakes and cookies. The process for making your own is very simple. Since it only requires 15 raw almonds, it shouldn’t be too expensive to make this organic and natural, with some decent-quality vodka as well. You could make this large batch and put into smaller bottles for gifts […]

Food for Healing (Inforgraphics)

I am a huge fan of using food for natural remedies and anything DIY. Not only does it save a bunch of money to use natural remedies made with food, but it’s most often much healthier and with more readily available healing properties than the over-the-counter alternative. I’m often recommending food items for DIY natural remedies, as you’ll know if you follow this blog regularly, and in my personal research I’ve often found Indian bloggers and vloggers are well-versed in using food, herbs, and other plants for natural remedies and beauty treatments. I recently came across this great set of […]

DIY Starter Log

Starting a fire, even in a fireplace or a wood burning stove takes time, time and kindling. It’s much more convenient to use a starter log. But starter logs cost about $5 a piece, and that quickly adds up in the winter. This video demonstrates how to make starter logs yourself, from material and tools that you likely have on hand already. So don’t spend your cold mornings in front of a stubborn fire blowing on kindling that doesn’t want to start. Make your own DIY starter logs and get your house warm quickly and easily. If you enjoyed […]

Dollar Store First Aid Supplies

It’s really important to keep a well-stocked first aid kit on the homestead. Scrapes, scratches, and bruises are common, and you also might live far away from a medical clinic or hospital and will need to tend to more serious wounds or illnesses yourself at times. There are a multitude of pre-made first aid kits out there, of course, but sometimes these are value-added products that are not worth your money. It’s better to build one yourself, for a few reasons. It’s more affordable, it’s easier to replace items as they diminish, and you can tailor it for the injuries […]

DIY Scrap Mouse Trap

Mice can be a real problem, this time of year they aren’t satisfied with staying outside. This means that they will bring all of their diseases with them, if you let them. Exterminators can be expensive, and traps can too. My favorite store bought trap is the igloo-like electric trap, and that can cost as much as $50 depending on where you get it. Poisons can be dangerous to children and pets, and might leave a dead animal trapped in your walls rotting. Like always, it’s better if you can just do it yourself. Here is a video demonstrating and […]

DIY Calamine Lotion

If you’ve ever had poison ivy, poison oak, hives, or any other kind of severe skin irritation that causes itching, you’ll know just how soothing calamine lotion can be. I always thought it was something specific, but it turns out the ingredients will probably be pretty familiar to you if you have a basic natural first aid arsenal. Even if you’ve never made your own home remedy, this is still an easy remedy with simple ingredients that aren’t too hard to find if you know where to look. Kaolin or bentonite clay are normally available at a health food store, […]

Natural Antibiotics That Are Better Than a Perscription

This time of year there are all kinds of bugs in the air, and you’re bound to get sick sooner or later. A lot of people will rush right to the doctor to get antibiotics if they suspect an infection, and antibiotics certainly are amazing miracles of modern medicine. But they can also be harmful to your immune system and will wreak havoc on your gut bacteria, which are necessary for a healthy body. Rather than resort to antibiotics right away, why not try some natural antibiotics first? These are some great options for natural remedies of all kind, and […]

Rope Making (Video)

When it comes to homesteading, I love plotting and planning for as much self-reliance as possible. And a huge part of that includes supplies. I love to see how other people make their own supplies, and this rope-making video is pretty cool. They have a pretty cool little contraption that wouldn’t be to difficult to make, and it’s really awesome to see the way they suspend the pieces of twine out on it and carefully twist the rope together. Check it out! If you liked this, you might also enjoy… Become A Master Healer With This Revolutionary Course… Traditional Hindu Yoga […]

Seed Tape

At $3 or more per packet, seeds can be one of the primary costs of gardening, especially if you are starting a new garden or expanding the crops you are growing. To some extent, it is an unavoidable cost, but all too often seeds are wasted and the cost of your garden grows needlessly. One of the most common causes for this is not properly spacing the seeds when they are planted. Seed tape is a great way to prevent this from happening and save you a lot of money on your garden budget. Here’s what you need and […]

How to Make Fermented Chicken Feed

Us humans love fermented food. It’s not just kombucha and sauerkraut for hippies, most of us eat fermented food in the form of beer, wine, cheese, yogurt, vinegar, pickles and sourdough and levain-style artisan breads, which are all fermented when traditionally made. I’m a big fan of fermentation because not only are most fermented foods delicious, they’re also packed with beneficial bacteria that can heal your gut and improve overall health tremendously. So when I first heard about fermented chicken feed, I was instantly intrigued. If you’re rolling your eyes, I understand, it definitely sounds like a pretty hippie thing […]