GiveAway and Gardening

Reminder ... don't forget about the Give Away You have until 11:59 p.m. (EST), Sunday May 15th, 20011 to get your entries in. 

Life has been crazy but we took a few steps to get back to simplicity. As most of you know, we are living in a rental due to the heat last Summer.  We're making arrangements to go back home soon though. We've prioritized and at this point, the only thing stopping us from getting things done at the ranch, is getting there. Our vehicle is broke down. We're on the market for a new one ... well, new to us. Someday!

We've pretty much got everything planned out ... the building plans, the power sources, the water system, the animals, the garden, the working etc We've got our bases covered ... I think LOL

Did you plant a garden this season? What did you plant?

We didn't plant a garden this year. Not being at the ranch and not having a vehicle to get up there, makes it harder to take care of it ... so we decided to wait until next year. Seeing prices of food go up so drastically though, we are regretting the decision. We did do tomatoes though. We'll get enough to can massive quantities of sauce so my husband can make his famous pasta sauce.

Pure Vanilla Extract and 1st GiveAway

Pure Vanilla Extract ... have you priced that stuff lately? It can be quite expensive. I know some places offer it at a more than reasonable price but I think that's rare. We, at OMA Ranch have started making it and are offering it for sale. So ... in honor of our newest business venture we thought giving away a couple bottles of our product would be fun!!! The prize will be a 4 ounce bottle of Pure Madagascar Vanilla Extract (two separate winners will receive one bottle each)

PLEASE BE SURE TO READ ALL THE RULES:

Minimum Requirements: (Must be done in order to receive ONE entry to GiveAway)

• Leave one comment on this post

Extra Entries: (For each step you complete, you will receive ONE extra entry to the GiveAway)

• Follow this blog & then comment on this post again, to let me know you follow
• Share the GiveAway post with friends on Facebook & comment with a link to your post
• Tweet the GiveAway on Twitter & comment with a link to your Tweet.
• Blog about this GiveAway & comment with a link to your blog post

Important: (Deadline for GiveAway Entries)

• GiveAway will end at 11:59 p.m. (EST) on May 15th, 2011
• Random.org will be used to chose the winner(s)
• TWO winners will be announced (each winning ONE item) on May 22th (please leave your email address in your comments so you can be contacted)
• Winner has until May 25th to respond to winning announcement email. If winner does NOT respond a new winner will be chosen by using Random.org
• GiveAway open for U. S. A. residents only (sorry)
• For each entry, you MUST leave separate comments 

Washing "Machine"

The subject of laundry comes up a lot when people discuss being off grid. There are so many ways to wash clothes. It saves money but takes a lot of hard work. I'm happy working hard and so is the rest of my family. I can honestly say that there is nothing better than the feeling you get from accomplishing something by the sweat of your own brow!!!

Options for doing laundry -

1) Rain barrels in the back of a pick up truck. Add clothes, water & laundry soap. Shut lid tightly and then drive around, running your errands. You don't need a lot of water & washing takes very little energy. The rinsing is done the same way, in a second barrel. The wringing out of water ... well, if you're doing it by hand that takes strength & stamina ... it's a tough job but well worth it!!! (You can always get a crank wringer too). The above picture comes from HERE It's only being used here to display how to set your rain barrels in the back of your truck.

2) Plunger/Bucket "machine" - as simple as it sounds. Get a 5 gallon bucket, cut a whole in the air-tight lid ... enough room for a plunger stick to fit through. Put clothes in, add water & soap ... plunge. Not too hard. Again, the tougher part is going to be wringing water out of the clothes. (A lid is optional but it helps to keep water from sloshing out of the bucket)

3) There's also the reliable, old fashioned washboard method. Really it isn't as hard as one thinks, especially if you let the clothes soak a few minutes. You can always use a wringer type mop bucket to wring the water out too.

The above methods are great. However, a couple take longer if you have a larger than average size family.

My personal favorite ... (and something we hope to build soon)

4) The bicycle powered washing "machine." YES ... I get so excited every time I think about building this!!! You can build two different types ... one is like a normal bike, with handle bars like in the above picture. The other is as seen in the video. (We'll be building the one in the picture above)

Preparing the "field"

"Grant, I heard a story about two farmers who desperately needed rain. And both of them prayed for rain, but only one of them went out and prepared his fields to receive it. Which one do you think trusted God to send the rain?" Well, the one prepared his fields for it. Which one are you? Mr. Bridges continued. "God will send the rain when He's ready. You need to prepare your field to receive it." ~ Facing The Giants

My husband wants to come home full time. He wants to build our dreams, spend time with his family, and not have to punch a time card. I want to have my husband home full time. We have fun working together. I love spending all my time with him ... I miss him when he's at work. Our children want their daddy home. They love spending time with him, learning from him, working with him. It's time ... so we are "preparing our fields."

We've always had home businesses ... but we are clearing the path for a family business, more specifically a family "homestead" business. It's time we live off the land God has given us. We will soon be adding a "line" of products to our new "FOR SALE" page. 

We will be marking our calendar. Exactly 2 months after we sell our first homestead product, my dad will be cutting his hours in half. Exactly 2 months after that he will be giving his 30 day notice.  Exactly 30 days from then, he will be home full time AND ... we will go back to living on our homestead full time.

The above plan gives us 6 months (it will take us at least 30 days to release our first homestead product for sale) to get some financial things handled and prepare our place for our homecoming. 

We are all so very excited!!! We are preparing for your rain, Lord!!!

Gas or groceries?

Gas prices are soaring and for some, it's come down to the choice between gas or groceries. Can you imagine having to choose? Feed your family or fill your tank to get to work ... to pay part of your bills and fill your tank again. What a horrible yet predictable problem! Let's talk about ways to combat high prices and different ways to save money (or be able to afford gas AND food)

1) Shop at grocery stores that have their own gas stations. They usually provide a discount on gas in return for you spending a specific amount on groceries. Of course, only do this if the store prices are lower than your first choice in stores.

2) Shop groceries very carefully. Limit the amount of "junk" food you bring in by only shopping the outer aisles. Only purchase needs and stock up when you find a good sale.

3) Use coupons when shopping (for groceries, personal hygiene items etc) and check receipts for coupons on the back and try to shop at stores that double and triple the coupon value.

4) Grow your food. Either all or some. Start simple if the thought scares you ... tomato plants. Then next year add another food or three. You'd be surprised at how much you can cut off your bill by growing your own produce.

5) Telecommuting: seems to be a great way to go. I realize not every company allows their employees to work at home but many are. It never hurts to find out if it would be accepted.

6) Carpool. With a group of people sharing the cost of gas it breaks down the expense a great deal.

7) Think of "gassing" up a different way. Maybe converting your vehicle to use water or vegetable oil as fuel. I have never done anything like this but am checking in to it. *If* it really works, I'd definitely do something.

8) Donate time in exchange for inexpensive food boxes through Project Angel Food

9) Join a food co-op

There are many ways to save money, so that one doesn't have to choose between gas or groceries. If you have any suggestions that I missed please comment so readers & I will be able to add it to our savings.

Container Gardening

I can't tell you how many times I've heard someone state that they couldn't garden because they didn't have the room or couldn't afford the containers needed to do "Container Gardening." You can see by the picture above, that my friend Jan proves container gardening can be affordable. There's no need for the "traditional" terracotta pots. You can honestly use just about anything. My friend Jan, over at SLOW MONEY FARM built a compost bin out of pallet wood and screwed recycled soda bottles in to the boards for her "container gardening." Her idea is far from traditional, can be done in small spaces and recycles. That's a win-win as far as I'm concerned! As I talked to Jan today, she mentioned that this was a hit & miss type project. It seems that some of the plants died & it's possibly from the containers (soda bottles) getting too hot. I'm wondering if a shade cloth or different climate would be the answer. We'll be trying this at some point this year because I really would like to see it work! I believe the old adage, "if at first you don't succeed ... try, try again."
Some other non-traditional containers would be those hard plastic, child pools. I've seen those and they work great for planting more than the soda bottles or small pots would hold. I'm thinking about putting things like squash, zucchini, cucumbers, strawberries etc in those. Small plants that yield larger quantities could benefit from the size of the pool.
I've also seen those "Rubbermaid" style containers used. I'll actually be using a few of those for larger/taller plants like corn and sunflowers. I may also plant potatoes by the layers in a few of those. I could use one of two bins for each type of potato I want to grow.  I could also use them for carrots.
Another non-traditional container we've considered using is a barrel. We'd use them mainly (and possibly only) for planting potatoes. I could actually see using them for crops all year long. I think they are thick enough to offer some protection from harsh weather ... and for extra protection from weather, you can put straw bales around the barrels & maybe even one on top to keep the weather away from the top soil. You could also put these barrels in a green house or garage, and keep them covered. Great option and in our area, cheaper than the Rubbermaid bins.
One last, container I'd like to discuss is rain gutters. You can attach them to the sides of your home or even build a structure to attach them to. Either way you can keep them at a specific level and plant as much as needed, with space not already used. It certainly keeps plants neat & orderly. We may be using this idea for herbs and small plants such as radish.

Container gardening has so many possibilities. It's just a matter of thinking outside the box ... or maybe inside :wink:

Solar powering

Speaking of power ... we'll be starting with a 125 watt solar panel kit. Purchased as a kit, we can get it (panel, charger, inverter, wiring etc) for just under $900.00 but purchasing individual components separately will save us roughly $100 - $200.00 That size will be perfect since we won't have much to power. Honestly, I think the only thing we'll have plugged in on a regular basis is the internet modem. We'll have our laptop but that can be charged through the plug in to our vehicle charger. The following is  list of things needing power ... we won't be using most of the items but it will give you an idea of usage.

Coach Battery Loads	Power Requirements	Hours Used	Amp-hours Used
Lamp bulb (3CFLs)	4.5 amps	4	18
Water pump	8 amps	.2	1.6
Small 12 volt appliance	8 amps	.1	1
Forced-air furnace	5 amps	4	20
Powered vent	1 amps	2	2
Refrigerator	5 amps	10	50
19-inch color TV	2.5 amps	4	10
VCR	4 amps	4	16
Coffee maker	83 amps	.2	16
Medium-size microwave	75 amps	.2	15
Curling iron	5 amps	.1	.5
Laptop computer	10 amps	2	20
Small power tool	42 amps	.1	4
Blender	25 amps	.1	2.5
Roof Mounted AC*	167 amps
Toaster oven *	100 amps
TOTAL			176.6

Our fridge will be propane so that takes a big chunk out of our power needs. We'll have a propane deep freezer too. Our water heaters will be solar heated ... building boxes, painting them black inside & then wrapping with cellophane. The cellophane will hold the sun's heat & distribute it through the water. 

Any way .... solar power isn't as expensive as people think. If you don't research or know what you need, salesmen can definitely take advantage of you. The cost will also depend on what you're willing to live without or change (such as a propane fridge instead of an electric one). Some things (maybe even most electrical) you won't even miss.

Think about it this way ... solar power gives you freedom as well. How much do you spend on your electric bill every month? We were spending no less than $200.00 per month every month ... during Winter the cost would go up though ... no less than $250.00 per month. Figure a conservative amount per year would be $2400.00 Our system is going to cost less than $900.00 so we save $1500.00 right off the bat!

How will you be powering your homestead?