25 Reasons Why Living In The Alaskan Bush Is Awesome (And 5 Reasons Why It’s Not)

The Alaskan bush is unlike anywhere else on earth, and it is an amazing place to live. Life out here is no walk in the park, but there are plenty of reasons why I never want to leave!

25 Reasons Why Living In The Alaskan Bush Is Awesome (And 5 Reasons Why Its Not) SledDogSlow.com Continue reading “25 Reasons Why Living In The Alaskan Bush Is Awesome (And 5 Reasons Why It’s Not)”

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Why A Homestead Often Looks Like A Junkyard

What do you see when you look at pictures of homesteads online? Perfect fences, flowering garden beds, clean coops. Well, let me tell you, I can guarantee they don’t look like that all the time! In fact, homesteads often take on a junkyard vibe. When Kyle and I first moved out here and looked around our piece of raw land, he explicitly stated he did not want our place to look like that. Now we’re over a year into our journey and guess what? We are definitely taking on that look! Continue reading “Why A Homestead Often Looks Like A Junkyard”

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Pros And Cons Of Tiny House Living

Update: Check out our interview on tiny home living in The New Pioneer magazine Winter 2020 edition!

We live in a tiny house. It’s not the smallest I’ve ever seen, but it’s pretty small for two adults and a growing baby. Including our storage-only loft, our house is still less than 300 sq ft (Tiny House Living, Amazon link). I think it’s a mansion compared to what we started without here, which was less than 100 sq ft. As much as I love our little cabin, it has always been a temporary space. There are lots of reasons to love it, and just as many reasons to be excited to start our larger forever cabin. Just like every aspect of life, tiny house living has its pros and cons. Continue reading “Pros And Cons Of Tiny House Living”

5 Homesteading Secrets Revealed

Homesteading. Its all over these days. In the news, on television (Amazon), even in video games! That said, there is a lot of misinformation about what homesteading is, and who does it. Today I wanted to dive into those misconceptions and set a few things straight. Without further ado, here are 5 homesteading secrets, revealed.

Secret #1: You can homestead just about anywhere

Homesteading is all about being self-sufficient and the journey to get there. On 100 acres or a kitchen windowsill, as long as you are taking steps towards growing and preserving your own food, you could be considered a homesteader. Unfortunately, there is little opportunity to truly homestead,  where you would receive land in exchange for working it. The meaning of the term has changed with the times to encompass anyone looking to live a little more simply.

Secret #2: Homesteading is H-A-R-D

I hate to burst bubbles, but TV homesteading is overly romanticized. It’s not all barn raising and moonshine makin. Homesteading is often tragedies like dogs killing chickens, or essential equipment breakdowns. It’s problem solving, and problem having. Homesteading is working every day, without fail. This means no long vacations, or even weekends sometimes!

Secret #3: You can homestead without knowing anything about it

Have a hankering to grow your own food, but don’t know how? As long as you are willing to do research, ask questions, and try, you can homestead. There’s no required degree from the University of ‘Grew Up On A Farm’. The same applies to wanting to raise your own animals for eggs, meat and dairy.

Secret #4: Homesteading is expensive

It’s unfortunate, but true, homesteading costs money. Sure, there are ways to get homestead goods cheaply, but there are a lot of expenses, and they add up! From starter costs like seed, to expansion costs like land and equipment, homesteading means spending cash.

Secret #5: Homesteading can be fun

That’s right, even if you are broke and covered in mud (err, poop) you can still have fun homesteading! I love watching all the baby animals in spring, chasing around our goats, and digging my hands in the dirt. The satisfaction if living this life seems to make nearly every aspect of it more enjoyable!

Are you a homesteader with secrets to add? Share them in the comments!


How We Have Running Water Off Grid

Do we live off grid? Yup. Do we have clean, drinkable, running water off grid, and on tap? Yup, got that too! I thought today I’d talk about how we cobbled together our water system to create clean tap water off grid.

Check out this video detailing our system!

Continue reading “How We Have Running Water Off Grid”

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