Thursday, April 2, 2015

Steps Towards Self-Sufficiency/Homesteading(Week #4)-March 2015

Greetings again, Chaotics!
I know...this was supposed to be on here yesterday. I'm sorry.
In my defense, I have two additional children this week, and I'm trying to get my spring cleaning done.
This week's theme is self-sufficiency.
***Self Sufficiency***


There's really not too much to post for this month. I'm starting some seeds, not all of them, because of this nice handy chart I received from a local gardening store that tells me so:
My handy, dandy seed chart! 


I'm not winging it this year. Gardening *could* be just throwing seeds in some dirt and hoping for the best, but as I learned from last year, this is not our case. So, I want to be as prepared as I can.
This month's seeds are- cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, and tomatoes.

Sprouts! 

We also have some started plants of cauliflower, broccoli, strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. I've already got something trying to grow on the raspberry and strawberry plants! Whoot!!!
I haven't killed them yet!



I got our seeds from Seeds Now.com. They are not "certified organic", but if I've learned anything so far, it's not about the certification(because, certifying anything is tough), but the quality and care they do without having to be certified.

I love that they always have a personal "good luck!" message on their paperwork that comes with the seeds!

Plus, if I'm going to be totally honest, I LOVE the little baggies they offer their seeds in! Being able to see the seeds is definitely pleasing to my eyes. I know, I'm weird.
Seeds! Glorious seeds! 


This month, we received our tax return. Yes, a part of me wants to "act rich and ballin' ", but Papa and I have talked about it, and most of the return is going towards steps of self-sufficiency. Sometimes, he still has to reign me in on the spending, though....
Papa is clearly better at this than I am. That's why he's the one holding all the monies.
 Papa says "access denied" (*-_-)


I went  a *little* crazy at the local gardening store. And Walmart. Which, by the way, I'm not going to shop at anytime soon if I can help it(don't ask).
Buy all da gardening stuffs!

Grab all the plants!


Papa is finally paying off his car. This is a HUGE sigh of relief for both of us. One thing we're trying hard to do is not add any more debt to our name for the next several years, so we can start paying off the debt we've acquired before we got married. With his car payment out of the way, we can now redirect that money towards tackling some of the debt, and adding some to our savings.

Papa has done so much lately for our goals of being self-sufficient. All winter, he was figuring out our landlady's chainsaw, cutting the wood from the dead trees we had in our backyard, getting creative with wood, fixing things he's never dealt with before, and finding creative ways to re-purpose things we had around the house to make them more efficient. He's hoping to get a chainsaw of his own by the end of the month. So, if anyone has any recommendations on a good brand,etc. of a chainsaw, we're all ears!

Papa BUILT this bookshelf. 

Kids made the crosses(above), but Papa was the one who transformed the crosses into a clothesline! 


Papa's clothesline in action. Love it! 


I'm really proud of the man God has blessed me with. His creativity and ability to keep going even when it's beyond frustrating really "lights the fire in my bum" so to speak. He really encourages me to keep going even when I'm not sure I can do it/feel like a complete blond trying.


Oh, and I also tried my first attempt at a large(dry) batch of homemade laundry soap. Solstice helped.




You pretty much now have the recipe, in pictures. You're welcome. *wink* 




With that said, I'd love to know...what's going on in your gardening/homesteading adventures? Are you still just reading, wanting to try, but don't know where to start? Are you just starting out, getting your feet wet? Ready to take a leap of faith, but don't think you can?

Well...I have some good news! Seeds Now has blessed me with several $3 and $5 off coupons that I would LOVE to give away! If you have wanted to start with seeds and didn't know which company to trust, are curious about this company I keep mentioning, want to start some new seed varieties, or if you just want a way to cheaply start out, here's your chance! You can use it to buy seeds(nearly all seed packs start at 99 cents), or anything off their website!


Here's how to enter- on the Udder Chaos Facebook page(which can be found here), tell me one creative way you are getting closer to self-sufficiency this month. It can be a money saving tip, a budgeting tip, something you're doing outside(gardening, animals,etc.), something you're doing inside(cooking, conserving water,etc.) or building(a creative chicken coop, woodworking,etc.)....it can be anything!
Papa and I will be selecting the most creative entries and the winners will be announced next week!
Here's to a new Spring, and steps to self-sufficiency! Good luck!

Until Next Time,
Mama Jenn


No comments:

Post a Comment