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Welcome from Central NY!

Congratulations! You may find that you are sensitive to smells while pregnant. Use that as a guide as to what to avoid. Listen to your body and nap when you need to. Avoid lifting heavy things. In fact, the heaviest thing that you should be lifting is your finger when you point to something that...

FarmerJamie, your weather seems to be mimicking mine. It was 15 degrees when I got up this morning with lingering lake effect. It is only 25 degrees now.

Self-sufficiency means something different to everyone, it seems. In addition to wanting to produce more of my own food, it also includes being able to earn a living for myself rather than working for an employer. These days, even having a job is no guarantee of being able to provide for your...

Once I was sure that my family was complete..I got snipped! It just made sense for me to take a permanent measure.

I consider my hot water heaters (my home has two) to be a part of my emergency water storage. They each hold 40 gallons so that is 80 gallons of water that is always getting refreshed and rotated. In an emergency, I can shut off the main and drain the tank with the spigot on the side of each...

Just a comment about one item that always seems to be on stock-up lists: powdered drink mix. This is an item that should probably be included in every pantry whether you drink it or not. The reason is that there may be an occasion where someone (particularly children and elderly) may need to...

As Deb said, it can be done. I think that most of us just buy the lye and then make the soap.

I'm with ~gd on this one since I'm also in the snowbelt of Central NY. Another option is something that I do when a storm has been forecasted in our area. I bring snow into my chicken coop. They love to eat it. (It's like a novelty to them!) and snow doesn't freeze solid like water does. I still...

There's no harm in asking a question! Many people choose to make their own soaps and lotions so that they know how it is done. It also can provide some income once you get the knack of it. Some people sell those products in an online Etsy store or at a farmer's market or boutique. To me, the...

Hi, Mik! Great photos! I'm so glad to hear that you're getting settled in and enjoying life.

Sooo... How is life as a stay at home mom?

Your goals seem to be pretty realistic. Many times, people try to figure out how they can run all of the usual creature comforts off of a few solar panels and then realize that it cannot power what they've planned. While you've determined that you want to keep your freezers running by cycling...

Good point, Denim Deb! I think that a lot of people feel that a generator should allow them to go on with life as though there is no emergency situation going on. In reality, the purpose is to make things easier in an emergency. Unless someone has a medical condition or special medical equipment...

While I'm glad that so many here are safe, there is a piece of information that I would like to pass along that might affect some other forum members: I spoke to a relative that is an employee of National Grid. They are the British-owned power company that purchased Niagara Mohawk and a few...

I grow turnips for supplemental chicken feed and amaranth for supplemental feed for quail. I did switch to only buying gamebird feed for all of my birds. This allows me to streamline the feed. I then buy a 50lb sack of oyster shell and another of grit. We also supplement the chickens with...

I did not serve, but I have a lot of relatives that did. After being discharged, my father ran a New York State armory for a number of years and finally retired when I was 17. I've known a lot of soldiers over the years and try to always remember to thank them. For anyone here at SS that I might...

I now work one day per week, though it has nothing to do with being able to stay home and take care of the kids. Our children are grown with the youngest being 21. The opportunity to stay home came rather suddenly last summer, but we had been paying down debt and positioning ourselves to make...

We don't stock a lot of wheat, rice or dried beans and we have no buckets of anything. We just stock regular foods and dry other things ourselves. We live in the city so storing water is very easy. We can fill empty juice or soda bottles with tap water because it is already treated. I rotate the...

While I agree with the idea of having more generator power than you actually need, keep in mind that a larger generator will run through more fuel, even if you aren't using it to power a lot. It is sort of like driving a Hummer when a Geo Metro will suffice. It might be a good idea to invest in...