preparedness Archives - Homesteader DepotHomesteader Depot

Don’t Make These Common EDC Mistakes

When putting together an EDC kit, it can sometimes be difficult to tell the difference between selecting an item because it could really be useful, and selecting an item because it’s really, really cool. To start, ask yourself some questions as you contemplate each possible item. Will this tool be helpful in the region I live in? Example, an ice pick is probably going to be of less use in a tropical or desert region. How many functions are included with this tool? Double check to see how many different uses you can get from a single item. […]

Tips to Stockpile Food for the Winter Months

Growing up, one of my favorite things to read were the Laura Ingles Wilder books. Not only were they entertaining, but she also went into great detail on how their food was grown or raised, butchered or harvested and then processed to keep all winter long. Thanks to modern conveniences, most of us don’t really need to take these steps to ensure a comfortable winter, even on a homestead with electricity and appliances. However, it doesn’t hurt to prepare for a worst-case scenario to ensure you won’t get caught during a bad winter storm or power outage. Fortunately, when proper […]

How to Be Prepared for a Power Outage

What happens when you suffer a power outage? A couple of things could happen. You need to wait until the repairs are made and the electric company takes care of things to get the power restored, or you could get the generator going if you have one. Whether you are out in the middle of nowhere on your homestead and are dealing with generator issues, or you are homesteading in the suburbs, you should have some ideas of how to make the power outage as easy to handle as possible. A Light Source When the sun goes down, you need […]

Are You Making Prepper Mistakes?

If you are into learning how to survive and prepping, you read as much as you can on the subject, and you are generally willing to work hard to make sure you have everything you need when it comes to living after the SHTF. Of course, many out there do not take any steps beyond buying some “cool” and interesting gear, some freeze-dried food, and maybe some water. Those who fall into this latter category could be making some serious prepper mistakes. One of the big issues is people buying supplies and then never bothering to rotate through them. If […]

30 Non-Food Items to Hoard

Yesterday I wrote about 30 items to purge in the New Year for a clutter-free homestead, and one of the purposes for purging is to make room for hoarded items that you do need! So here is a list of important non-food items to hoard in the New Year. Keeping with the trend of that article, it’s important to make sure you have a clean and orderly way to store these items. Keep them dry, organized in categories, and regularly go through your stash to make sure everything is in working order, not expired, and will still be useful to you. It’s […]

How to Build Your Food Supply

It’s been awhile since I wrote a prepping-related post, but winter always makes me think of stocking up for disaster. If you are just getting into the field of survival and prepping, you know how important it is to have a good stockpile of food, but you might be intimidated by the amount of food that you’ve seen other preppers accumulate. Just because they might have a basement that’s brimming with canned goods and rice doesn’t mean you need to do the same thing overnight. Here are some tips you can follow so you can build your own food supply. […]

Calculating Your Wood for the Winter

Many homesteaders prefer to utilize wood stoves to help offset the cost of other power sources. It can help them to limit their dependence on the electric company, and if they have solar panels as well, it could eliminate the need entirely. However, if you are going to use wood for heating and even for cooking, you need to make sure you have enough to last the entire winter. Think about how often you will be using the woodstove or the fireplace. If you will only be using it during the night, you will need to have less wood on […]