Self-reliance Archives - Page 14 of 15 - Backwoods Home Magazine

Earning money from home

By Patrice Lewis With the economy in uncertain territory, many people are looking for ways to earn money from home, either as “pin” money or even a full-time replacement for your previous employment. What’s the...

Cold process goat milk soap

By Michele Cooper Issue #171 • May/June, 2018 Making soap can seem scary to some people, but the truth is, it only takes a few steps. Tools & equipment The equipment you use to make soap needs to...

Make a Quick and Easy Tipi

By Bob Van Putten Issue #174 • November/December, 2018 The native peoples of North America were a very practical lot. Over the centuries they developed some very efficient tools. Yet, perhaps because of their appreciation of...

Your survival depends on water

By Jackie Clay-Atkinson Issue #167 • September/October, 2017 As you develop your preparedness plans, consider your water supply. You can go without food for weeks but when you lack water for as little as two days,...

Stay clear of young wild animals

By Tom and Joanne O’Toole Issue #86 • March/April, 2004 This spring and summer millions of wild animals and birds will be born. This is the new generation of wildlife, and their survival depends a great...

The raging torrent — Respect it even when you play

By Scott Stoddard Issue #70 • July/August, 2001 Years ago, while learning to sluice gold from a swollen mountain stream in southern California, I saw something that immediately sickened my stomach. The limp body of a...

Homestead water

By Patrice Lewis Issue #144 • November/December, 2013 It is the most necessary of homestead requirements: water. It is literally a make-or-break resource. There are some parts of our country blessed with an abundant and never-ending supply...

Homestead helpers

By Charles Sanders My parents were children of the Great Depression. They learned to get by on very little, to make or repair or reuse almost anything, and never throw anything away — it might...

Saving money on the homestead

By Jackie Clay-Atkinson Issue #148 • July/August, 2014 I come from a "penny-pinching-and-proud-of-it" family background and I learned the importance of saving a buck at an early age. Throughout my journey toward a self-reliant lifestyle, I've...

Woodstove cooking

By Cindi Myers Issue #127 • January/February, 2011 If you have a woodstove for heat, take advantage of the fire to cook your dinner for no extra cost and very little effort. The heat of a...

Growing and Using Bamboo on the Homestead

By Jereme Zimmerman  Issue #161 • September/October, 2016 Bamboo: The very word evokes an image of groves of tall, leafy plants swaying gently through the air...

Wash day

By Jackie Clay Issue #130 • July/August, 2011 I was in a Lowe's store yesterday and happened to walk past the appliance section, where I saw gleaming stainless steel, black, and white washing machines and clothes...

Shopping to beat inflation

By Darlene Campbell Issue #85 • January/February, 2004 Most of us who read BHM agree that self sufficient living can be debt free, but we also worry about inflation. The word inflation is used to describe...

Better wood heating

By David Lee Shop heater. This example is a 55-gallon drum and stove kit surrounded with leftover concrete blocks. I stack extra bricks, slates, and metal on the top to give...

Make a quilt out of Levis

By Dorothy Ainsworth Issue #77 • September/October, 2002 Back in the 80s I worked as a waitress in a busy little café where our mandatory uniform was a pair of Levis and a T-shirt. The only...

Making a great rug from the rag bag

By Lois A. Adams Issue #18 • November/December, 1992 Recycling makes a lot of sense in these days of dwindling landfill space and non-renewable resources. But I can remember practicing recycling in my home when I...