How We Homestead... With No Land, No Time, and No Money! | Back To The Good Life 🌱

[@beccaleigh7744]

Someone once said to me "simple and easy aren't the same thing" and that struck me as really true and applicable.

[@BackToTheGoodLife]

Oh that is VERY true!! This simple life is not the easy life by any means. It is good though, it's the good life!😁 Thank you for watching! 🩷

[@azgardenlover370]

I have a carey electric canner, and i love it. I can brown, cook, water barh can or pressure can with it. It holds 4 quarts or 5 pints. You can also double stack the short half pint jars if you want. It is wonderful for small batch canning. Very little work to get it filled, then let it do its thing.

[@BackToTheGoodLife]

Ohh that sounds good! I wonder if they are available in the UK? I'm coming more and more to the conclusion that electric Canners are the way to go for me at least, I like he hands off approach! Thank you for watching! 🩷

[@RCPrepping]

Greetings from central Florida USA.

[@BackToTheGoodLife]

Hello!! Never been to Florida, hope to one day! Thank you for watching!🩷

[@SlowLivingWithAutism]

New here 😊 I'll subscribe. It all takes work, time, patience, persistence. I was a single mom - I never imagined I'd actually live in the country, so we made a list of things we could learn and do right in the big cities we lived in. If you do things long enough and consistent enough, you get a good idea of what's worth doing and what's not. Trying to do everything can end up backfiring by stressing you out and burning you out. It's damaging for your health (in my experience, anyway). So over the years I've learned how to choose what's priority for me and let go of what isn't. Of course this will be different for everyone, and even individually seasons of our lives change. I just do my best and make a very conscious decision to not stress out over what's beyond my best. ❤

[@BackToTheGoodLife]

I love that! That is such a breath of fresh air!❤️ There is SO much content around what we can do and what we should do, but there's not nearly enough content celebrating the small wins!! What are the little things and forgiving yourself for the stuff you can't do or just haven't got the energy to do right now. Kindness is most of the battle! Thank you for watching and subscribing, I didn't actually expect this video to get so popular, I thought it was just ok!😁 Just goes to show! 🩷

[@pamelawalton1255]

Hello I can so relate to making mistakes😂 fretting over trying to be as eco friendly as possible, especially with zero waste how I envied the people who put into a large jar the waste they had produced in a year and I was failing miserably trying to negociate a system of shopping where there was no system to support waste reduction I couldn't afford to use the refillable shop or the local butcher because it was too expensive, lobbying tescos and aldi about their excessive packaging but I've learned over time not to fret and fuss as much as I did trying to emulate perfection or as so I naively saw it. The goal is to enjoy what you are trying to achieve and be satisfied when you achieve the small things ❤

[@SlowLivingWithAutism]

@BackToTheGoodLife you never know what seemingly random things will catch attention. 😀

[@SlowLivingWithAutism]

@pamelawalton1255 YES!!!! Don't become a slave to your ideal ..... let your ideal be a blessing to you. Just do your best - which is definitely meaningful. 😊❤️

[@BackToTheGoodLife]

Totally true, as much as I'm an eco-warrior I think zero waste is a scam. Makes people feel bad and then not try at all. Rather everyone doing their best!😁

[@antonianovoa6416]

Nice video and great ideas. Would enjoy a video on Q-codes. Nerds ROCK!

[@BackToTheGoodLife]

Haha yes!! We are a special breed aren't we!? I will put together a QR code video, it's crazy but it works really well! Thank you for watching! 🩷

[@shantispliff9284]

I can my left overs, the goal is to make at least 1 jar of food from every supper. It adds up and before you know it, you have a decent doomsday pantry prepped.

[@BackToTheGoodLife]

Oh that's a good idea! I try to cancel as much as possible leftover wise, it certainly saves on freezer space! I'm not sure which recipes are "safe" or not, but we do our best! Thank you for watching! 🩷

[@pamelawalton1255]

New here too so Hi, been living the slow simple life for years on a minimum wage 2 up 2 down terrace house tiny back garden in the middle of a busy town. My veg harvest was pants this year not enough light or warmth, the tomatoes did okay in the greenhouse the herbs need no looking after what's so ever are years old and used everyday when cooking, meal planning eating healthly protein veg and fruits and cutting out sugary processed foods. The main thing I've learned is to have a kakeibo style budgetting plan and maintain intentionality on managing it, the focus is saving not spending what I have I use the library, walk mostly everywhere I can. When I want to treat myself I do without having any guilt I've just bought a Boden dress from ebay £13.00 instead of the £80.00 that was the price new. My mantra is a quote I spotted somewhere which now I can't recall, A wise woman builds her home through patience, prudence and perseverance. It's always a good reminder xx

[@BackToTheGoodLife]

Oh that's a lovely quote! I like that! Similar maybe to something I saw the other day I can't even remember where, "I don't build food preps, I build a pantry" I like that, less about food storage and more about resilience! You sound like you've got yourself in a good position and treats means treats too! Thank you for watching!🩷

[@EmbracethechaosPortugal]

You are being pushed by you tube .popped up on my feed here in Portugal! Subscribed

[@BackToTheGoodLife]

It's all gone a bit crazy this week! Very exciting though, thank you so much for watching! 🩷

[@janetbransdon3742]

Love your ideas and realistic attitude. SUBSCRIBED 😊❤🥘🌱🌻

[@BackToTheGoodLife]

Aw thank you! My main aim with this channel is 100% keeping it real! When we win, we share, but when we lose we also share. That way everyone learns!😁 Thank you for watching 🩷

[@TheEnglishladyskitchengarden]

Just subscribed. Now I need to watch more of your videos ❤❤ gotta love someone that eats rice pudding for breakfast.

[@BackToTheGoodLife]

Haha well, thank you! 🩷 I don't *always* have rice pudding for breakfast... But I should more often I reckon!!🤣😁🩷

[@MyLittleRealities]

Just found you and love your channel. Thanks for all you share! Felicia

[@BackToTheGoodLife]

Ohh thank you so much! It's all a bit overwhelming but it's lovely! 🩷 Thank you for your kind words and for watching!

[@tawnaparko3388]

I love my instant pot and recently purchased a nesco electric pressure canner. I have not canned yet but i like the size for pressure cooking turkey breasts. One not is i can pressure cook most items with 4 minutes high pressure. Some i use natural release carry over cooking. When you have a little time try 4 minutes and you can always reseal and cook longer. Saves a lot of power.

[@BackToTheGoodLife]

ohhh That's a really good tip! I have noticed that when my PKP finishes whatever it's doing it tends to stay on the keep warm feature, super useful to keep things going a bit longer. I will try the 4 minute trick! Thank you for watching! 🩷

[@sharonmcharg8234]

Great vlog, thank you. We bought an instant pot this year too, primarily for canning tomato harvests but loving learning to cook in it also. Would be great to have more of your thoughts on this. You tube is definitely my learning friend but I do spend a lot of time just thinking and planning (and looking at our little stash of preserved food which is tiny by American standards ). Great to hear you are both smiling again. Have a happy day. x

[@BackToTheGoodLife]

Thank you! 🩷 Glad you liked the video, I was worried this one is a bit rubbish to be honest but if it was helpful then I'm happy! I think we can get swayed by big houses, lots of storage space, etc, but we need to do what's right for our own families! I've got two videos coming up about convenience food preservation, the jars are currently sitting on my stairs! 🤣 Thank you for your kind words! x

[@DebbieKirk-e5e]

Just found you and love your mindset and outlook will defo be watching your channel

[@BackToTheGoodLife]

AHH thank you so much, this video got way more attention than I expected!😁 Glad you like it though and thank you for watching!!🩷

[@jenniferbrazil7662]

At first that QR code sounds like so much work, but it might be a game changer to know what’s in there and be able to meal plan. I would love to know how you did it.

[@BackToTheGoodLife]

I am working on a video, I'll try to get it out Monday/Tuesday next week. It takes a bit of set up but it works really well!😁 It's easier than it looks too!😅 Thanks for watching! 🩷

[@iriswelch3553]

Hello from Oregon! I bought a simple dehydrator at a yard sale for $5. It's great for squash, tomatoes and herbs!

[@BackToTheGoodLife]

Hello from across the pond!!😁 I love my dehydrator! I got it must be about 10-12 years ago maybe from Groupon for £25 and that thing has lasted AGES! It seems to be nearly permanently on almost year round! I hope you continue to get joy out of yours, thank you for watching! 🩷

[@lindseyeckert5914]

Hello from Vermont, first snow here!! 23 degrees and climbing back to 76 for Halloween, enjoyed your video. Just got a chest freezer, can't wait to batch scratch cook!! Long winter here, plenty of soup!

[@BackToTheGoodLife]

oh wow! That's a fluctuation of temperature alright! I think the lowest we've been down to so far is around 3C which is about 37F I think. We probably won't get snow until the end of January where we are, but higher up in Scotland they will get it sooner. My cousins grew up in the North of England and they used to regularly get white Christmases, we just get grey drizzly Christmases! Halloween is my favourite time of year though, love the colours and the autumn weather! Thank you so much for watching! 🩷

[@lindseyeckert5914]

@@BackToTheGoodLife Yes it is an exciting time of year, it WAS a beautiful autumn till the winds came and blew away all the colour! At 76F I am so stoked to be able to wear my costume which is a white witch (flowey thin white silk dress) and my Boston Terrier is a blue green baby dragon! We ALL (kids and adults and pets) dress up in this quaint old New England town and go out in the street cuz there's not much else to do otherwise. My son and his dad will deer hunt next week. A white Christmas is why I moved here from the big city many years ago, we usually have one! Best of luck with your channel, I will keep watching! Peace 🕊

[@BarryJPage]

I'd be interested in the bar/q r code video.... thanks.

[@BackToTheGoodLife]

I will get on and film it, hopefully out end of November! 🩷

[@KirstyHart-nq4wk]

For us I try to make multiples of everything. This is for meals, snacks and products. For example, I make deodorant to last us a few months, extra batches of cookie dough to store in the freezer and enough chicken korma to can for another day.

[@BackToTheGoodLife]

YES! Sometimes it's about over-making so we can have extras!! It's less effort to cook extra I think! I also make deodorant that lasts about 6 months I think my little tb, works amazing too!!

[@GoingGreenMom]

Always looking for newl recipes and love my pressure cooker!

[@BackToTheGoodLife]

Ha they are amazing aren't they? I sometimes forget how good it is, but one thing I will never forget is doing rice! Less than 10 minutes from cold rice and cold water to perfect fluffy rice. Seriously amazing!😅 Thank you for watching 🩷

[@GoingGreenMom]

@BackToTheGoodLife Have you tried it for hard boiled eggs yet?

[@BackToTheGoodLife]

@@GoingGreenMom ohh no! This I must try!!

[@vangeneche]

Hello from Sweden. :) Have you thought about water bath canning? It's something done all over Europe, no special equipment needed and it has been done for many generations.

[@BackToTheGoodLife]

Yes! We do water bath canning here too! I've got loads of jars that don't fit into my Pressure King Pro, so I water bath stuff as well as PC. I'm from the UK too, so we do open kettle also. Get stuff sterilised and hot, hot preserves in the jar, lid on, let it seal naturally! Jams and chutneys are always done like that!! From Sweden too! That's amazing, hello!!🩷

[@Susanne-dk4of]

Hello from Australia. Do you water bath meats? I have been told that it is not safe by some people, and others say it is safe. I am confused.

[@reginarenoude1098]

Im in the U.S. and waterbath can only

[@BackToTheGoodLife]

Hello! I would personally say yes. There's a long tradition of water bathing being used in Europe, the UK to some extent and even in more traditional communities in the US (Amish and Mennonite, etc). I would say though do what you feel comfortable with. Some folks are very strict, others quite lax. There's a FB group called Rebel Canners that may be able to help, and the Le Parfait website has European water bath timings and great recipes (translate the French site, you'll get more recipes). Biggest thing though: your kitchen, your rules! 🩷

[@ValerieinSC]

KZbin recommended this video for me and I subscribed. Hello from SC/USA. Which country are you in? I’d love to know how to make the QR codes. Valerie in SC

[@BackToTheGoodLife]

Ah! Thank yu so much! I will make a video about the bar code thing, its much easier than it looks! I'm in England, soon to be moving to the Welsh boarder, but still on the English side! Thank you for watching! 🩷

[@artsylady3187]

think about using a bamboo cutting board instead of plastic....I think those tiny cuts in the plastic get tiny plastic in your food.....

[@BackToTheGoodLife]

That's such a good point. We are actually going to be moving house imminently (hopefully in the next 12-14 weeks) and have our eyes on a few new chopping boards. I want to swap out a lot of our cooking stuff to be honest the more I hear about them 🤢 thank you for watching 🩷

[@heatherfoley4945]

Do you wash and reuse the bags?

[@BackToTheGoodLife]

Hello! Yes we wash and reuse the bags loads of times! They're very strong! Usually I do them by hand as I've found the dishwasher doesn't do a great job, sunny days I hang them out on the line to dry (yes they look really strange!😂). Thank you for watching! 🩷

[@bybeccalewis]

Give yourself some grace, and don't try to do it all. Take a breath and slow down, you know the old saying less haste more speed. That was exhausting to listen to please don't burn out you are enough, one blog post a month is enough one IG post a week is enough, delete Facebook. Focus on just one platform ie you tube. We are a couple living in a small house with a small garden on a very low income growing some of our own food and keeping bees. My partner is retired because of his health and I am his full-time caregiver,I run a small stationery design business 2 hours a day to top up our small fixed income. We are very selective with where we put our energy. my advice is just my opinion and given with love you will make yourself ill if don't take time to just sit and enjoy the moment. slow down sister you are enough.

[@BackToTheGoodLife]

🩷 that was so beautiful, thank you. So appreciated too! It's so easy to say "yeah sure I can do this too" when actually just chilling out is good for both mind and body! Hope your business does well, independent businesses are the best 😁 thank you for watching! 🩷

[@auntieducky]

I'm super interested in your spreadsheet

[@BackToTheGoodLife]

Hopefully it works for you! I've been using it so long I actually forgot how to set it up!😅🩷