When I think about quintessential summer, one of the first things that comes to mind is hosting a barbecue with friends and family. I have many fond memories of hanging out on the back patio of a relative's house during the summer, eating hotdogs and playing HORSE or winning a watermelon seed spitting contest. But, hosting a gathering can be expensive. Here are some tips and ideas for hosting the best ever BBQ without breaking your bank! BBQ Planning Tips Plan for weather - It's going to ... [ Read More ]
Living an Old Fashioned Life in a Modern World
I'm probably preaching to the crowd when I say that living an old-fashioned, simple life is pretty much amazing. However, I have noticed quite a bit of discussion and even confusion on exactly what it means to be "old-fashioned" in today's world. Can you be 'old-fashioned' if you live in an apartment in the city? Are you really 'old-fashioned' if you have internet and a smartphone? What if you don't like gardening or prefer to use boxed laundry detergent? Living an old-fashioned life today ... [ Read More ]
Old Fashioned Weather Forecasting
Today we have all kinds of high-tech methods for forecasting the weather including weather satellites and sensors and all kinds of other technology. But, personally, I've always found that some of the old-fashioned methods that people used for telling the weather were just as accurate (if not more accurate) than anything the weatherman could tell you. So today, I've gathered some of my favorite old-fashioned weather forecasting wisdom for you! Here are some of my favorite tried-and-true ... [ Read More ]
Staying Cool Without AC
I have a love/hate relationship with air conditioning. On one hand, having my house a comfortable temperature when outside it's sweltering is pretty amazing. On the other hand, running the AC is expensive and having it on constantly not only makes the house feel a little stuffy and is terrible for my sinuses. Not to mention sleeping without AC is rough sometimes. So, obviously, I've found plenty of tricks to stay cool without having the air conditioning unit running constantly. Here are a few ... [ Read More ]
11 Signs You Are Old Fashioned
I can't count how many times my friends have called me old-fashioned, despite the fact that I actually rather like technology and I am probably just as savvy as they are on some things. Regardless, it got me to thinking, and I came up with a handful of signs that you, too, are probably considered old-fashioned.... ... [ Read More ]
15 Things to Always Do the Old Fashioned Way
As you could probably guess by the sheer fact that I'm running an internet blog, I have absolutely no problem in embracing some technologies. A lot of the technological advances that we have made in the last century have been for the better, and I absolutely love having a car, basic medicine and even the convenience of the internet. However, there are some things that I think will always be better when done the old fashioned way. Here is my list of things you should always do the more ... [ Read More ]
The Lost Art of Old-Fashioned Conversations
Modern day life is insanely busy, hectic and distracting. There are a million things to do every day: there are social media posts to Like, tweets to send, friends to text back and emails to be read (and subsequently erased). Today we are arguably more connected to the people around us than ever, but I can't help but notice that conversations just aren't the same. In fact, it seems like no one has time for a good old-fashioned conversation. You know, the kind where people actually look at ... [ Read More ]
10 Homesteading Misconceptions
Homesteading has been around for centuries in one form or another. As all of you know, it is hard work and certainly isn't for everyone. In fact, homesteading looks a little different to different people and in this modern day and age has changed considerably from what it once was. So, for today's article I turned to some city friends of mine and asked them what, exactly, they thought homesteading was. Their answers were absolutely shocking, and the more people I asked the more I realized ... [ Read More ]
Ideas for Giving Kids an Old Fashioned Summer
As many you probably know, I grew up in the country and I have many fond memories of summers spent almost entirely outside with my older brother. We made forts and caught tadpoles and explored ever corner of my parent's 40 acres. We'd spend the entire day playing in the woods, tromping through the fields, eating wild apples or gooseberries or blackberries (depending on the season) and taming the barn cats (some of which I am fairly certain were actually wildcats). My brother and I only ... [ Read More ]
How to Live an Old Fashioned Life
If you're reading this blog, then it's probably a pretty safe bet that you're more interested in living a simple, old-fashioned lifestyle with less stress, clutter and more self-sufficiency. I personally feel like that's something that our society needs a bit more of. However, it seems like every time I say something like that, there is someone on the sidelines who quips about how most people tend to look at the past through a rosy glass, and that things weren't really all that great. Women's ... [ Read More ]