Essential Fall Pantry Checklist + Trusting Your Gut

In Today's Edition:

1. Homestead Tip 🌱

2. Poll Results From Last Thursday 📊

3. All Things Homestead: Getting Your Fall Homestead Pantry Ready 🍚

4. Personal Development: Learning to Trust Yourself 💕

5. Today's Top Picks 🛍️

6. Let’s Keep It Reel 🤣

Poll Results From Last Thursday 📊

How important is coffee quality in your daily routine?

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Essential, I’m very particular about my coffee

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Important, but I’m flexible

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Somewhat important

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Not very important

🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ I don’t drink coffee

via @beehiiv polls

Feel free to participate in fun polls in our next newsletters! 😉

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All Things Homestead

Getting Your Fall Homestead Pantry Ready 🍚

As fall arrives and the days get shorter, I would suggest you start thinking about getting your homestead pantry in order. A well-stocked and organized pantry is essential, especially with winter on the way. Let’s go over some simple tips to help you create an efficient fall homestead pantry.

Start with the Essentials: What to Stock Up On

1. Food Supplies:

   • Why It Matters: When the weather turns cold and the roads get icy, you don’t want to be without the basics. Stocking up on essential foods now will save you from having to make trips in bad weather.

   • What to Stock: Focus on long-lasting staples like rice, beans, pasta, and canned goods. These items have a long shelf life and can be used in many different meals. Don’t forget about basics like cooking oil, salt, and spices—they’re small but make a big difference in your cooking.

2. Firewood and Fuel:

   • Why It’s Important: Keeping your home warm is a top priority in the winter. Having enough firewood or heating fuel is crucial.

   • What to Do: Start gathering firewood now so it’s dry and ready to burn when you need it. If you use a wood stove or fireplace, make sure the wood is properly seasoned. For other heating methods, check your fuel supply and restock as needed.

3. Animal Feed and Supplies:

   • Why It’s Essential: Your animals rely on you, especially when the weather gets tough. Make sure you have enough feed and bedding to last through the winter.

   • What to Stock: Buy extra feed and store it in a dry, cool place to keep it from spoiling. Consider adding extra bedding materials like straw or wood shavings to keep your animals warm and comfortable.

4. Emergency Supplies:

   • Why It’s Essential: Winter can be unpredictable, with storms or power outages disrupting your routine. Having a few emergency supplies on hand gives peace of mind.

   • What to Include: Besides your regular food stocks, consider keeping a stash of emergency items like bottled water, flashlights, batteries, and a first aid kit. These don’t take up much space but can be lifesavers if things go sideways.

Organizing for Easy Access

1. Keep Things Neat:

   • Why It Helps: An organized pantry makes it easier to find what you need quickly and helps prevent food from getting lost and going bad.

   • How to Do It: Use clear containers for dry goods like flour, sugar, and grains so you can see what you have at a glance. Label everything with the contents and expiration dates. Group similar items together—like canned goods in one spot and baking supplies in another—to make finding things a breeze.

2. Rotate Your Stock:

   • Why It’s Important: Food doesn’t last forever, so it’s important to use the oldest items first to avoid waste.

   • How to Do It: When you add new items to your pantry, place them at the back and move older items to the front. This way, you’re always using up the oldest stock first. Regularly check expiration dates and plan meals around items that need to be used soon.

3. Keep an Inventory:

   • Why It’s Helpful: Knowing what you have on hand prevents you from buying things you don’t need and helps with meal planning.

   • How to Do It: Keep a simple list of what’s in your pantry, and update it as you use items or add new ones. You can do this with a notepad on the pantry door or by using a digital homestead planner.

So, take some time now to get your pantry in shape, and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with being well-prepared.

Personal Development

Learning to Trust Yourself 💕

Do you ever catch yourself second-guessing your choices or doubting that gut feeling? Many of us struggle with trusting ourselves, but learning to do so is key to living confidently and staying true to who we are.

Inspired by Brené Brown’s book, The Gifts of Imperfection, let's jump into how you can build self-trust and start feeling more confident in your decisions.

Why is Self-Trust Important?

1. Boosts Your Confidence:

   • Why It Matters: Trusting yourself makes you more likely to take risks, try new things, and step out of your comfort zone. This leads to personal growth and new opportunities.

   • How It Helps: Think about starting a new project on your homestead, like growing a new crop or building a shed. If you trust yourself, you’re more likely to go for it, even if it’s something new. You know that, no matter what happens, you’ll figure it out.

2. Less Reliance on Others:

   • Why It’s Important: It’s great to get advice from others, but always relying on their opinions can make you doubt yourself.

   • How It Helps: When you trust yourself, you can listen to others' advice but still feel confident in making the final call. For instance, you might ask a neighbor for tips on gardening, but you trust your own judgment to decide what’s best for your garden.

3. Living Authentically:

   • Why It Matters: Living authentically means making choices that align with your true self, rather than trying to meet others’ expectations.

   • How It Helps: Trusting yourself allows you to make decisions that are right for you, even if they don’t match what others think you should do. Whether it’s choosing a simpler life on your homestead or pursuing a personal passion, self-trust helps you stay true to who you are.

How to Build Self-Trust:

1. Listen to Your Gut:

   • What to Do: Pay attention to your gut feelings when making decisions. Often, your instincts are trying to guide you in the right direction.

   • How It Helps: The more you listen to your gut, the stronger your intuition becomes. Start by trusting your instincts on small decisions, like what to cook for dinner, and gradually move on to bigger choices.

2. Remember Past Wins:

   • What to Do: Think back to times when you made good decisions or handled challenges well. What did you do right? How did you feel afterward?

   • How It Helps: Reflecting on past successes reminds you that you are capable and have made good decisions before. This boosts your confidence and strengthens your self-trust.

3. Be Kind to Yourself:

   • What to Do: Practice self-compassion, especially when things don’t go as planned. Everyone makes mistakes—it’s part of the learning process.

   • How It Helps: Being kind to yourself helps you trust yourself even when you mess up. Instead of beating yourself up, recognize that mistakes are just opportunities to grow.

4. Set Small, Achievable Goals:

   • What to Do: Start with small goals that you can accomplish on your own. It could be something as simple as trying a new recipe or fixing a minor issue on the homestead.

   • How It Helps: Achieving small goals builds confidence and reinforces the belief that you can trust yourself. Each success boosts your sense of competence and encourages you to take on bigger challenges.

So next time you’re faced with a decision—big or small—take a moment to trust yourself. You’ve got this!

The Steady Home’s Giggle Chamber

Why did the seed break up with the soil?

It found someone more nurturing.

Today's Top Picks 🛍️

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Let’s Keep It Reel!

I've put together some fantastic farm videos that are sure to make you laugh. Take a look and enjoy the fun!

1. When they call you out for always baking on your homestead, but you’ve got the Britney Spears comeback ready:

@sweetmadespecial

It definitely makes me happy 😅 #baking #relateable #cakememe #bakersgonnabake #alwaysbaking #funnyvideos #bakeallday

2. POV: You called a meeting with your cows, and they were like, “Couldn’t you have just emailed us?”

@manny705

Setting the tone for the coming months. Is Important to keeping a well behaved herd! 😏 #cow #agriculture #ranchlife #farmlife #comedy #funny

3. When you’re working hard to make your garden bloom, but the concrete patio just pops up a flower:

@tedlaregardencenter

😭🤬💀 #funnyvideos #CapCut #funnyvideo #funnytiktok #fyp #gardening #gardeningtiktok #gardenhumor #gardentok #planthumor #greenthumb #flower... See more

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