Someone once told me that she attended a conference where one of the presenters asked the audience, “How many of you can’t stand the thought of a dead animal?” A number of people raised their hands. Then the presenter said, … Read More
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I was originally drawn to Plowing with Pigs and Other Creative, Low-Budget Homesteading Solutions because I am planning to raise pigs, but it turns out you really can’t judge a book … Read More
When it comes to jewelry on the homestead, you have to think about your safety, your animals’ safety, and your happiness, in no particular order. Fifteen years ago when we moved out here from the city, I loved to wear … Read More
If you have a farm or a homestead, odds are good that you have barn cats, whether you planned to have them or not. When we bought our homestead, there were 15 resident cats, according to my daughter’s count. She … Read More
You’ve probably thought about what you’d like to accomplish in 2017. I sure have! Most people talk about “resolutions” for the new year, but did you know that most resolutions are forgotten before the end of January? In fact, one … Read More
Because I’ve been at this homesteading thing since 2002, it gets a little tough sometimes to remember how things were in the early days. Of course, I will never forget my biggest bloopers and real tragedies, but I don’t always remember … Read More
When we first moved to the country in 2002, I had no idea what I needed to survive the outdoors during winter. That first year, I was so cold because I wasn’t dressing properly for the weather. Over the years, … Read More
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. When I started reading about how to make soap, I noticed that everyone said I needed to have a digital kitchen scale. Why do I need a scale to make soap … Read More
In 2002, Katharine Norton left her home in Ireland to move to east Africa to work in Bible translation. Last year, she and her husband and 9-year-old daughter moved to Nigeria where they started a homesteading lifestyle, along with three … Read More
Thanks to new laws currently on the books in more than forty-two US states, small-scale food businesses can now be operated from home kitchens. These state laws, often referred to as “cottage food legislation” or “cottage food laws,” have nothing … Read More
Thrifty Homesteader was created in 2012 after the publication of my second book, Ecothrifty. The name was coined by one of my followers because I said that I didn’t want anyone to think that they had to be rich to homestead or live a greener life....
