Family Cashes in and Travels the Country in a 1950's Travel Trailer

These folks are really interesting. Listen to their story of bucking the system and choosing a life on the road in a 1950's style travel trailer.

Maryland Couple to Retire in $19K ‘Tiny House’ on Wheels

By Katie Kindelan

May 15, 2013 12:10pm

                                                                           (Image Credit: Kenneth Lam/MCT/Landov)

When Greg Cantori and his wife, Renee, are ready to retire, they will not only have to pack up their respective offices, but also downsize their home, in a big way.

The Cantoris of Pasadena, Md., plan to retire in a 238-square-foot house on wheels they purchased two years ago for $19,000.

Tiny House Blog Roll - Yes Please!

I read a ton of blogs. Some are good, some are fun, and some I wonder why I bother. I have been following lots of other folk's blogs for some time and it has taken a good amount of time to wade through those which contain valuable, insightful information and those who blog fade. It has also taken a while to amass a list of quality blogs that apply to the tiny house community and the homesteading community. I spent some time today creating a blog roll so that others would have a good resource for finding them as well. Scroll down in the right column and you will find the beginning blogroll list. I will continue to add to them over time. If you have a blog and would like me to list it on my blog roll, please let me know. Thanks!

Rancho No Dinero Podcast #4 Deal or No Deal? The Best Tools for the Job.

Building a tiny house requires tools. What tools are best for the job? If I buy them used online or at a tag sale, how do I know if I should buy it or walk away? Today's show helps shed some light on choosing tools, their care, and storage, and when a deal is a deal or you should walk away with no deal. Guest: Ralph H. Smith III

Check out this episode!

Also, check out this great article with the NY Times about tools that pay for themselves!

Comprehensive First Aid for Pets Part 1 - Dogs

My dog is a very important member of my family. In  the spirit of being prepared for any potential situation that may arise on my homestead, seeing as how I am going to be quite far from "help" in an emergency, I decided I better have comprehensive emergency supplies for all my animals. I currently own a cat, dog, rabbit, and two guinea pigs. I will add to my menagerie chickens and goats at some point. I believe that as an animal owner I take on the responsibility of making sure they are healthy and seek treatment for them when they are not.

My dog has an addiction to this thing called a Fling It. It is a way to launch a tennis ball much further than the average dog owner can throw it. My dog LOVES to fetch. One day after a particularly active day of running I noticed his paw was bleeding. Somehow he had managed to damage the pad off his foot. It bled quite a bit and I needed to apply medications and bandages to assist him in healing. Luckily I had supplies on hand, but I still needed to research on the internet just how to go about treating him.

I Hate Paper Towels - But Not These!

I love to crochet. I find it relaxing and you don't have to think while you do it, so I can watch a movie and keep my hands busy. Lately I am on a kick to make dish cloths and wash cloths for the homestead. I have already made family cloth and while beating around Seattle last week I came across reusable paper towels (aka un-paper towels.) They were sold in packs of one and were close to $6 each. I entertained the idea briefly before deciding I could make them. Today I finally sat down and played around on the internet, looking at what other people came up with for inspiration. I found a couple of blogs that inspired me. The first is Ginger Journals who came up with this style:

DIY Family Cloth

Family cloths are very easy to make should you choose to go that route. If you don't know what family cloth is, please read my blogpost here.

Step 1: Buy a Few Yards of Fabric

Recently the local fabric store in my area had a sale on flannel for 50% off which made it $2.99 a yard. You can get about 25 - 30 cloths per yard of fabric depending on how large you make them and how good you are at cutting up the fabric. I generally purchase half-yards of fabric so that I can use a variety of prints for interest. You can see from my picture here that I have a camping theme, birds, and a fluer-de-lis. There are some folks who would choose fabrics that match their bathroom theme or colors. Others buy one print for each family member so that the cloths are used only by one person. You get the picture. I look for old baby recieving blankets and fabric remnants at my local thrift store as well.

How To Repair a Tear or Hole in a Backpack

My Beloved Backpack Repaired

I have this fantastic backpack that I adore that developed a hole in the bottom due to use. Not wanting to pay $40 or more for a good replacement, I decided to repair the hole myself. I wanted to make sure to reinforce the integrity of the bottom so that my repair didn't make things worse. Here is how I did it so you can do it, step-by-step:

My Budget vs The Expense of Building Plans

Most of my readers know that I have a beer budget but champagne tastes. I like the best, but cannot afford to buy it off the showroom floor. As a result, I bargain hunt like no other and find great pleasure in being able to find what I like and desire at  a price my wallet will support.

I have been following the blogs of many Tiny House aficionados and enjoy seeing their successes. I love reading about the adventure of building one of these gems. Most have bought commercial plans to build their homes in some form or another. The plans I most coveted were over $1000, and frankly I feel that is entirely overpriced.  I understand this is a niche market, but the seller fails to understand that the majority of tiny home builders have tiny budgets as well and would like to put the money into the physical building. Since building plans are non-transferable, there is no way to "share" and spread the cost out. This is the sole reason I have not yet purchased a set of plans, but have been working on key components that don't require the building plans (i.e. water system, electrical, cabinets, etc.). But today I think my search for plans came to an end.

Prepping for a Homestead Suburban Style

I don't yet live on my property in Oregon. I can't for a couple more years for two reasons. One, I need to finish building the Tiny House and two, my 401k will be vested then and the amount will increase significantly. I would be a fool to leave my job before then. Meanwhile I am prepping and preparing all the things I can before I make the big transfer to the homestead. If you have a dream that you want to build a homestead of your own, but it is far out in the future at this point, there is nothing that says you can't start planning and building toward that goal.

One of the first steps you can take is to simply take inventory. What do you own right now that you would want to use or keep for your homestead?

Re-purposing and Reusing - Reducing Your Footprint

This week while I was in Seattle, Ralph and I went to some tag sales. I adore a tag sales. They are such a great way to reduce our footprint by reusing or re-purposing as opposed to just being consumers at the retail level. There are many, many people who discover they just have collected way too much "stuff" and having a yard sale, tag sale, garage sale, etc. is a great way for them to make a little cash while making a little space. Hitting these sales is a win-win for both seller and buyer. Most times I go "treasure hunting" (as I like to call these great sales) I find some gem and it rarely costs me more than a dollar or two.

Yard Sale Deals and Bargains

This morning we went to rummage sales, tag sales, yard sales, or to garage sales (depending on what part of the country you reside in dictates what you call it) and we found some FABU deals!! I love bargains!!! I found two wonderful scores I thought I would share with you today.

Tiny House, Happy Life?

Posted by Dan Stone of National Geographic Magazine on December 10, 2012

Video produced by Spencer Millsap / NGM Staff

Imagine stepping into a house 25 times smaller than your current abode. For the average American, that would amount to 100 square feet, a space so tiny it feels like it belongs in a tree.

That’s the way Jay Shafer has come home for the past decade. Shafer is considered something of a patriarch of the tiny house movement, a small but growing band of people who drastically shrink their living space in hopes of living a cheaper, less wasteful, and happier life.

Tiny house, big thoughts on Hampshire College campus

In a 130-square foot house, large lessons about life hi2

By James Sullivan / Globe Correspondent / March 10, 2013

Watch Interview Here

AMHERST — As a child, Hampshire College senior Nara Williams hated being told to pick up after herself. This semester, she’s learning to keep things tidy — very tidy.

RELATED

• Graphic: How to live in 130 square feet
• Pictures: Small houses in expensive suburbs

For her senior project, she is living in a 130-square-foot house to explore the realities and benefits of living small.

A few weeks ago, Williams took delivery on a model home used as a showcase for the Tumbleweed Tiny House Co., a leader in the burgeoning “small house” movement. Williams, a 21-year-old native of Oak Park, Ill., has become a bit of a student celebrity, with her experiment in efficient living situated prominently on the Amherst campus.

Home Made Mosquito, Ant, and Flea Repellant

Click here to find out what makes a Mosquito's Bite Itch

Why do mosquitoes have to itch? 

How can I stop mosquitoes from biting? 

Is there a recipe for home made mosquito, ant, and flea repellent? 

Wilderness First Aid Ap for Apple Products

Wilderness First Aid App

Wilderness App. Click Here

By Wildside Medical Education LLC

The Wilderness First Aid App is a handy, quick-reference guide with easily accessible wilderness first aid step-by-step guidance. The use of technical terms is limited, providing practical approaches and comprehensive explanations. This system-based, easy-to-follow guide assists the first aid provider to care for most minor and major wilderness emergencies, from cold and heat concerns and blister treatments to high altitude illness and lightning injury prevention—and much more.

Typically the most challenging decision in the wilderness is when to evacuate a person, and each section has detailed decision-making steps to inform you of when to be concerned, and when to get out. Filled with full-color artwork illustrating techniques and procedures and downloadable for access off-line, it is handy for travel into extreme environments. The Wilderness First Aid App is a must-have for every back pocket or backpack.

Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 5.0 or later. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.

Get the app here:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wilderness-first-aid-app/id631490478?mt=8

New Comprehensive First Aid Kit Podcast Released

First Aid Ap for iPhone

Yes, it is finally here. The new Rancho No Dinero Podcast #3 has been released. PLEASE, delete the old podcast (released July 2nd) and let's never speak of this again. It was horrible. This new podcast is so very much better and more clear. Thanks for your patience.

Be sure to go to iTunes and rate my podcast. Happy listening!

RND Emergency Preparedness

Join me as I speak on the imporatance of having a comprehensive first aid kit and how to build one on a budget. I also cover a bit about pressure cookers. Welcome to Rancho No Dinero. 

Check out this episode!

Nobody Knows It But Me by Patrick O'Leary

Nobody Knows it But Me

There's a place that I travel, 

When I want to roam 

And nobody knows it but me. 

The roads don't go there, 

And the signs stay home 

And nobody knows it but me. 

It's far, far away and way, way afar, 

It's over the moon and the sea, 

And wherever you are going, 

That's wherever you are 

And nobody knows it but me. 

-Patrick O'Leary

Other Uses for Coffee Filters - Who Knew?

Someone sent me this on Facebook. Here are some great ideas for extra ways to use coffee filters. Who knew that there are so many clever uses for coffee filters? Bonus: Coffee filters are compostable!

Oregon Legislature Unanimously Passes Tuition Free Higher Education

Oregon has come up with a plan to help provide higher education for free at their 7 state universities. Advocates of the legislation are calling it the “pay it forward” model. Students will be able to initially attend state universities free of cost. Upon graduating students will pay 3 percent of their paycheck for 24 years in order to help fund the program for future students. The model is partially based on the Australian model which has been fairly successful. Students will be able to enter college without the fear of being buried in debt by the time they graduate. Currently students who attend universities in Oregon graduate with an average of 24,616 dollars in debt.

The bill passed the Oregon legislature unanimously on Monday, ironically the same day interest on federal subsidized Stafford Loans doubled from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent. The bill is expected to be signed into law by Governor John Kitzaber this month.

Independence Day Should Be Celebrated July 2nd

Pennsylvania State House

Today is American Independence Day. We celebrate today as the day we told King George we would be his subjects no more. America has evolved since that time, finding her first steps faltering as we fought a civil war, and finally becoming one of the strongest nations on the planet. America means different things to different people, but to me she represents the strength of a people who, when united in a common cause, are not to be trifled with.

Puttin' By - Home Made Rice-A-Roni

Mix in the Jar

Lily's Dinner

I am a big fan of provident living or, as I call it, puttin' by. I believe that preserving part of the harvest and planning for lean times in advance is just wise living. I poke around the web frequently for recipes to help with variety in my pantry. I came across Lynn's Kitchen Adventures where Lynn had experimented with different recipes to make your own "Rice-A-Roni" like side dish.

Loving Dinner!

I mixed up a batch, but only had half the amount of chicken bouillon that the recipe called for, so I added half beef builion to it. I cooked it up tonight when we had Bunless Onion Burgers and Pasta Salad. My granddaughter could not get enough! I have to say, it was very good. It only takes 1 cup of the mix to make side dishes for 4. I made enough of the mix to make two full quart canning jars. I vacuumed out the oxygen from one of the jars and (dropped an oxygen absorber in there too) and kept the other unsealed to use it first.

Clever Idea from India's Solar Canals

I came across this meme today (sorry, don't know who originally created it. If you do, contact me so I can credit them.) on Facebook. It is rather clever, I think, and it got me considering ways I could implement this on my homestead. While I don't have a large amount of open water, such as in a canal or pond, I could help "shade" any area that I want to remain cooler by setting up my solar panels to do double duty: they can catch the suns rays for energy and to create shade. Setting up my panels on something somewhat easy to move around might be a good idea. This would give the added bonus of me being able to follow the sunlight in the winter/summer/winter transitions with less trouble as well.

What do you think?

Westboro Baptist Church Shut Out

That is my son, Edward, in the red shirt. I am proud of his empathy toward the families of the 19 hot shots who died fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire. He and a large group of folks in Prescott formed a human line to shield the families from the whack-a-doo's from the Westboro Baptist Church who had tweeted they planned to picket the candlelight vigil held in Prescott last night. While it appears they were wise enough to stay away, 500 + people showed up and the human barricade was quite impressive. Nice job!

Firefighter’s widow describes text messages before husband died

Mike Krumboltz, Yahoo! News 

Juliann Ashcraft, widow of Andrew Ashcraft, who was one of the 19 firefighters who died while battling the Arizona wildfire on Sunday, spoke to "Today" about the final text messages she exchanged with her husband.

Tragedy in Arizona

Yesterday, Sunday June 30th, a wild fire that was sparked by lightning on Saturday night, spread out of control through the town of Yarnell, Arizona. Yarnell is southwest of Prescott, AZ by about 35 miles. I lived in Prescott for 7 years and my son and his wife still live there. The fire overtook 19 elite firefighters from the Granite Mountain Hot Shots. All but one has perished. My heart cries out for these folks who laid their lives on the line to protect others. They gave the ultimate sacrifice in the protection of others. The average age on the hot shot crew was 22. Please keep them in your thoughts.