Category Archives: Natural Remedies

Budgeting, DIY, Frugal Living, Gardening, Homesteading, Natural Remedies

DIY Worm Spray Home Remedy For Your Garden

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Hello Lovelies,

Worms, pets, gnats, you name it, are quite bothersome and most annoying in a home garden.  After all, it takes effort and planning to garden and is not an easy feat to get rid of what ails it. Pests come and go and there is every chemical on the market to get rid of them.  What is hard to comprehend, is why put a chemical on your garden when if you are like me, your garden is organic and made with homemade compost.  It defeats the purpose.

Most recently, it was discovered that cabbage worms have made their beds among the baby brussel sprout plants.  Here is how to make your own inexpensive “Worm Spray”.

You will need:

  • Small plastic spray bottle (what is shown is travel size)
  • Fish Oil Capsules
  • A pin to pierce the capsules
  • Garlic Water/Juice
  • Water

20170427_084609Take an empty spray bottle and fill 3/4 with water.

With a teaspoon, measure two teaspoons of juice or water from your minced garlic jar. To make a homemade version if you don’t buy jarred garlic, mince a clove of garlic and add water letting it infuse in the fridge for a few days.  That garlic acts as a deterant for the butterfly so they don’t land on the leaves to lay eggs.  Pierce a few fish oil capsules and empty in the bottle. I would highly recommend wearing gloves for this because the fish oil smell lingers on the skin. Yuk! Two liberal applications emptied the spray bottle so there is no waste depending on the size of the area you are spraying.  I had just four plants.

Shake and spray!  It is that easy.  It smelled like fish, but was very effective.  It took about two applications within a week avoiding watering the leaves, but rather let the water run near the stem to not wash off the mixture.  It has been about two weeks and the plants show no signs of new eggs or new worms.  I’m not sure if this remedy will work on all plants.  But for brussel sprouts it worked like a charm.  Cabbage worms seem to love really green veggies like broccoli, cabbage, and brussel sprouts.  Best part is most people already have the ingredients in their home making it a very affordable option.

Total cost for this little project was .50 for the travel size spray bottle.

Happy Thursday!

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Frugal Living, Homesteading, Natural Remedies, Reflection & Ramblings

They Say, Don’t Pull All Your Eggs in One Basket

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Good Morning Lovelies,

It’s been super busy here on our little homestead and I can’t honestly say that I am overwhelmed, but I’m trucking along.  I have a lot planned for this year and I can’t help but wonder if I’ve taken on too much.  We are onward and upwards with repaying our debts, planning container and raised bed gardening, and I plan on canning a lot more.  I am dumbfounded how all of these homesteaders find the time to get it all done!  Most of the women I follow, do it alone while their husbands work outside of the home like me and the only things they have that I don’t are animals.  What’s their trick?  Anyone know?

In looking at how we live, how we are planning to live, and how we dream of living, I’ve french-kaolin-clay-detox-body-bar-mpdiscovered one thing.  I’m so much happier than I’ve ever been.  I know my husband feels it too.  There is so much joy and sense of self accomplishment in doing things for yourself, by yourself, and not relying on someone or a piece of machinery or that it will be available in the store.  It’s satisfying and yet exhausting.  I buy very little consumer products at the store and more recently even embarked on a new little journey of old fashioned soap making.  You can visit our Etsy Shop off our blog if you are interested.  Using the lifestyle of self sustainability as my guide, I make natural soaps using basic pantry ingredients and essential oils.  Last year I absolutely fell in love with essential oils and so much so that I have over 40!  My son loves them too and just found our during one mean head cold last week that inhaling essential oils can help him breathe and open up.  Now he thinks I’m the best mom ever!  Like I didn’t know 😉

I’ve got our little business off to a great start which is our third form of income again not putting all of our eggs in one basket.  I’ve been planning my order from Baker Seeds and I’ll have that on my agenda for the first of March.  We’ve purchased more guns and ammo, and will be going for our certification next month.  We will try water catching for our garden to save on water.  So much planning.  My brain hurts. All good things come with hard work and determination.  I was thinking of all of the things I do and I’m convinced I need a clone!

Canning, Gardening, Freezer Cooking, Cooking from Scratch, Bread Making, Dehydrating, Composting, Home Remedies with Essential Oils, Wood Fire Cooking, Soap Making, Fermentation, and all of my wifely duties on top of that.

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I’m exhausted.  For those who do it all, how do you keep up your energy?  Me and coffee are already besties and I’m pretty sure they don’t make it for an IV haha.  With January coming to a close shortly, this month was a busy one.  We are trying to stay proactive in our approach to homesteading because we want to be fully equipped to live the lifestyle we want, before we are forced to live it.  By incorporating different elements, we are on our way to self sustainability.  And I can’t be more excited.

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Budgeting, Everything Food, Frugal Living, Homesteading, Natural Remedies, Recipes

Homemade Pickled Ginger 

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Hello Lovelies,

There is nothing better in my opinion than pickled ginger. Homemade is even better! This can aid in a lot of different ailments due to its anti-inflammatory properties.  Often it’s used as a palette cleanser and to aid in digestion. There is so many more reasons to eat ginger, but I never went to medical school so you’ll have to research. It’s so yummy!

You will need:

-1 young fresh ginger root about 7-8oz

-1/4 tsp salt

-1/2 cup vinegar (to make it authentic use rice wine vinegar)

-5 tbs sugar

-1/2 cup of water

-bowl of cold water for soaking

-1 pint jar or glass jar with lid

Scrape your ginger with the back of a spoon to remove the thin skin. Cut the ginger into small pieces. You can either use a fancy mandellin or cut by hand very thin slices. The thinner the better. You want to cut against the grain so it doesn’t break apart and for the best texture. Soak in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes. This will get rid of the super pungent flavor and remove any debris. Remove and pat dry. If you dont, it will add additional water to the end result.

In a small pot combine salt, water, and sugar. When the sugar is completely dissolved remove from the heat and add the vinegar. I used white vinegar because I would never use Rice wine vinegar if I bought a bottle.  ☺

In the same small pot bring some water to a boil. Boil the ginger for 1 minute. If you want a milder flavor boil for an additional 30 seconds.

Drain and put in a clean sterilized jar. Pour vinegar mixture over ginger and refrigerate for a day. It’s that easy!

Total cost: 90 cents for the ginger! I had everything else in my pantry. Buying pickled ginger in a store costs about $3-$4.

Frugal Living, Gardening, Homesteading, Natural Remedies

Rain, Rain, Go away!

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Hello Lovelies,

Here in North Dallas we’ve been getting soaked!  I’m talking days of rain and very heavy at times.  Last night we even got quarter size hail.  Needless to say, my green thumb is turning black quickly and it’s the most irritating thing.  I have such good intentions and do oodles of research only to fumble every time. I tried my hand at starting my own seeds to have that fail due to gnats.  I planted outside Mid-February and reason being is because I did the most horrible dumb thing and listened to the lady at the nursery.

Bad idea!  While I’m sure they are experts in the art of gardening, they also want to sell.  And selling she did!  I spent over $100 only to succumb to Mother Nature.  While this cannot be predicted mind you, Mother Nature is is being nasty to me to this year.  Heck she has been for three years now.  I just cannot get the knack of gardening in my area.  My soil is horrible, the sun is a sauna, and the weather is well….drastic.  When I planted we were having temperatures in the mid 60’s with nights in the 40’s.  The weekend after I panted the temperatures plummeted near freezing and just two short weeks later a frost.  UGH!  You should have seen me and babydoll running out in the pouring rain with stakes and a sheet of plastic.  It was hilarious if my fence could talk hehe. I salvaged what I could and then came the rain.  So much rain that it literally drowned my plants. Now, I have a huge patch of water logged soil mixed with black mulch. That’s it!

I don’t want to give up.  I want to keep trying.  Every year I waste over $100 in preparing my garden, the soil, and invest in organic materials so I am frustrated to say the least.

Are any of you from the south? What techniques do you try?  HELP!!

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Budgeting, Frugal Living, Homesteading, Natural Remedies, Pets

Frugal Friday: Saving Money On Pet Care

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Hello Lovelies,

This Frugal Friday tip is all about our pets.  I’ve had a few dogs in my time and just got a new little puppy a few weeks ago.  Having a pet can be very expensive, but using little tricks can save you a ton!

Disclaimer:  I’m not a vet nor do I claim to be.  I simply use my knowledge, a little thinking, and things I already have on hand to keep my pets healthy.  These are my opinions and things I’ve tried that have worked for me.

Hygiene:  I could spend a fortune buying those expensive shampoos and doggie sprays at Petco or Pet Smart but there are more frugal ways to keep them clean.  It has been proven that Dawn Dish Soap is very effective in cleaning animals.  It is mild yet effective in cleaning oils from an animals skin.  I use about a teaspoon with warm water to bathe my dogs.

Worms:  I got my puppy a few weeks ago and unfortunately he had worms.  It is very common for a puppy to have worms and most often the condition is passed on from the mother.  Natural remedies that I swear by is the use of natural foods and Diatomaceous Earth (food grade).  DE as it is often referred to is the skeletons of diotoms. Under a microscope the granules look like broken glass.  Its as fine as baby powder and there is a lot of uses for it in the homesteading community.  A lot of homesteaders give it to their livestock.  People themselves use DE in their smoothies, teas, and food to stay healthy and free of toxins.  As DE goes through the pets intestines, it pretty much cuts through all the worms breaking them up into pieces and therefore excreted when the dog has a bowel movement.  It rids the intestines of toxins. Be sure to buy food grade!!!  If you don’t it is a chemical used in swimming pools.  They do sell DE at most all plant nurseries. While I wouldn’t use this to replace deworming, I would use it periodically to ensure they don’t come back or use it combined with deworming.

Another method is carrots.  Chunky raw carrot when eaten scrapes the lining of the intestines and also forces the worms out.

Grain Free Food:  is a must have in my house and I will buy no other.  By using a grain free dog food you are giving your pet a high protein diet with healthy carbs such as sweet potatoes and brown rice.  It also eliminates a lot of additives.  Commercial dog food is made with byproducts and “chicken meal” instead of just chicken.  YUK!  It’s like us eating a burger from McDonalds versus making a fresh clean burger at home.  If you wouldn’t eat this way on a daily basis, why would you want your pet to eat this way? Just like humans, bad food overtime causes a ton of health issues.  The same goes for dog food.  It  has eliminated vet bills for me as well.  I’ve had dogs who have had constant ear infections from their floppy ears.  By going grain free, it eliminates the yeast found in other food and doesn’t contribute to the infections.  Think yeast infection. Yes, you will pay a little more for dog food, but think of the vet bills you will save!  Just like the saying, an apple a day keeps the doctor away.  Same concept.

Good Fats and Oils:  I use coconut oil once a week in my dogs food.  Not only is this a good fat, but it helps make their coat shiny and their skin from itching.  Less itching means less shedding.

Ear Infections:  I use mineral oil in my dogs ears and a few drops will do ya.  It soothes the irritation while keeping the ear moist enough so they stop itching.  A lot of the infection spreads and gets worse by their constant itching. Mites cannot thrive in an oiled environment because they suffocate.  The oil traps them and when the dogs shake their head naturally, the oil loosens the mites and they shake it out.  I also use white distilled vinegar to wipe in the ear and outside of the ear.  It’s a natural deodorizer, anti-inflammatory, and disinfectant. I do this daily until the issue is resolved then every few weeks give their ears a nice cleaning.

In my opinion, our pets should eat as we do.  I know in my home, our pets are our family and they depend on us to give them the very best.  By giving them a healthy, natural diet and using common sense they will be healthy and  be free or almost free of any issues. After all, they are like little people with paws 🙂
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