Oil lamps are not only a sustainable source of light, but they also provide a tranquil glow to your home.
Living simply begins with making sustainable choices, from the food you eat to the light you use. A staple in our Amish community, oil lamps and lanterns are a dependable, sustainable source of light that never need an outlet. It’s no wonder that after all these years, folks around the world still use them – from remote, off-the-grid areas to suburban power outages. Continue reading
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
– Leonardo Da Vinci, brilliant Renaissance artist
I am not a fan of New Year’s Resolutions. Why should there be only one day a year when you are encouraged to make a fresh start?
That said, the beginning of a new year does make me think of ways to improve myself and the world in which I take up space. Because we stand for a simpler life, allow me to share some simple living thoughts running around my already-crowded brain this January. Continue reading
Important household skills, and the amount of people concerned with learning them, have majorly declined over the past century. Skills such as cooking and baking from scratch, repairing things, growing food, sewing or knitting clothes, and creating goods like candles and soap don’t seem to be on the priority lists of many anymore.
It’s easy to see why – modern times have us distracted with other important things, and to give us more time to deal with these distractions, companies have made much quicker, easier, and more automated ways of getting things done. Continue reading
If you had lots of unexpected free time on your hands, what would you do? What would you learn?
This was the question imposed on millions of people in the last year as our society coped with a lot of unprecedented developments, including the pandemic. But not all downtime was bad or difficult. In fact, with so much time on their hands, hobbies blossomed through 2020 as people refreshed old skills and learned new ones. Continue reading
If your Christmas wish list is average, it’s divided into roughly three categories: big-ticket items, smaller items, and stocking stuffers. If you’re a homesteader, soon-to-be-homesteader, or a wanna-be homesteader, Lehman’s is the place to find all three.
The best kind of gift for homesteaders is something that contributes to self-sufficiency. Does it help grow food? Raise livestock? Provide heat? Produce light? Make a job easier, safer, or more efficient? Reduce costs? Solve a problem? Deliver knowledge? If the answer is “yes” to any of these criteria, then it’s likely to be a welcome gift for the homesteader in your family.
Here are some suggestions for the do-it-yourselfer on your Christmas list: Continue reading
Photo courtesy of Sarah B. Gilliam
Since childhood, I’ve always felt burning wood was a cherished pastime. There are few things I place as much importance in on our farm as I do the cutting, hauling, splitting and stacking of firewood. The entire process is sacred and rewarding to me. Walking out to the woodlot during a warm summer evening as the fireflies begin their nightly show and taking stock of what I have ready for this winter, for next, and beyond, brings great satisfaction. There the firewood is stacked on pallets in rows fifty feet long and as I walk around the woodlot, I know I will have no trouble keeping my family warm, no matter how cold winter will get. Continue reading
The year 2020 has brought about many changes. One of the most exciting is the number of people embarking on new journeys toward a simpler life.
These journeys take many forms. While some people are restricted to growing a windowsill garden in an apartment, a huge number are moving to suburban or rural areas and starting over. In fact, there has been an enormous exodus of people leaving the cities, anxious to find their own version of a quieter and more self-sustaining lifestyle. Continue reading
Kathy Harrison, author of Prepping 101, shares her tips on how to prepare your family for the current pandemic.
For more than a decade I have been writing books and articles, teaching classes and presenting workshops on preparing your family for emergencies. I focused primarily on short-term events like fires, floods, hurricanes and winter storms because those were the most likely scenarios. In January, things changed. News reports began to filter in about a novel coronavirus, one with pandemic potential, Early in February, I sent out an email blast to family and friends suggesting it was time to take preparing seriously and get ready for long-term disruptions to supply chains and public services. Some people listened to me. Most didn’t. So here we are. While things are looking more hopeful in some parts of the country, it is clear that this virus is going to be impacting our lives for the foreseeable future. This begs an important question. Is it too late to prepare? To that I say an emphatic no! But where to begin? What are the critical areas to address that can help your family face the winter more comfortably and with less anxiety? Continue reading
September is National Preparedness Month. So, in celebration, we’ve gathered up our top posts all about being prepared, from providing safe water to emergency lighting. Continue reading
Doug and Stacy standing on the front porch of their off grid cabin
Editor’s Note: Today we’re welcoming two very special guest bloggers, Doug and Stacy from the popular YouTube channel OFF GRID with DOUG and STACY. They’re sharing with us their journey to a simpler life. Enjoy! Continue reading
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