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.