10 tips for selling your homemade product
By Lisa Nourse
My husband and I purchased our current property when we were young and poor — very poor.
Shortly after purchasing the property we got our first property tax statement. It was just under...
How to make money from storage building auctions
By Bill Wilson
Issue #83 • September/October, 2003
Buying and selling is a time honored way of making a living. However, like any profession, success in merchandising requires following some fundamental rules. The most basic of...
Simplifying simplicity
By Claire Wolfe
Issue #117 • May/June, 2009
In the bustling 19th century, Henry David Thoreau urged us to "simplify, simplify, simplify."
In the even more hectic 20th and 21st centuries, writer, philosopher, and frugalista Wendy McElroy...
The saga of Benjamin, the backwoods, homeschool boy who wanted to get a job
By Margaret Wright
Issue #37 • January/February, 1996
Raised in the woods of Northern Idaho, home schooled by loving, protective parents, he was a happy, carefree child for the first sixteen years of life. The sixteenth...
Fully Involved
By Diana Morgan
Issue #58 • July/August, 1999
A strident tone blasts me from sleep. I catch the words "fully involved" first time around. Where the heck are my glasses? Oh, God, I can't find my...
A guide to buying silver and gold
By Thomas M. Buckley
Photos By Steve Lindh
Issue #126 • November/December, 2010
The standard measure of weight used for precious metals is the troy ounce. A troy ounce (31.1 grams) is just a bit heavier than...
Homeschooling your dylsexic kid
By John Silveira
Issue #142 • July/August, 2013
I write and edit for a living. I'm the senior editor for Backwoods Home Magazine for which I've written numerous columns during the last 24 years. Before that...
Roasting coffee on a wood stove
By Lorinda McKinnon
Issue #175 • January/February/March, 2019
In hard times, comforts are important for morale. Some might stash a jug of whiskey or a case of cheese puffs, but for me, comfort is a steaming...
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...
For safety’s sake, homestead fuel storage must be handled properly
By Emory Warner
Issue #43 • January/February, 1997
Home storage of fuel is a necessity for homesteaders. Even if you are still on the grid, your truck, tractor, standby generator, etc. will still require fuel. I...
Foraging for wild berries
By Kristina Seleshanko
Issue #176 • April/May/June, 2019
I had just posted a photo online of some wild berries I was going to preserve, when suddenly I was inundated with messages: “Are those really safe to...
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...
A view of self-reliance from a more timid perspective — A woman’s opinion
By Claire Wolfe
Issue #94 • July/August, 2005
My fellow Backwoods Home writer Jackie Clay is a domestic wonder woman who can do anything from can kumquats to butcher an elk.
Not me. Unh uh. No way....
Cleaning a well
By Pat Barden
Issue #105 • May/June, 2007
We have a good well with sweet water. It was already in place when we bought our property and had been in use for more than 20 years....
Harvest your own firewood
By Pete Earl
Issue #83 • September/October, 2003
Harvesting firewood has many rewards: exercise, satisfaction, saving money, and the security of having your own fuel supply for winter warmth. Here are some pointers in the art...
Homemade Toys! — Easy to make, fun to play with, and great for gifts!
By Cynthia Andal
Issue #72 • November/December, 2001
The garden needs planting, animals need feeding, Baby needs to nurse, and that chicken coop simply has to be finished but, there are three children who want you...
