Issue #005, September 26, 2008. In This Issue...

Eight reasons to make your own soaps, bath salts and home cleaning products, plus recipes!

--Why the internet is the farmer's market of the future.

--Bath salt recipes using pure ingredients that heal both body and soul.

--Handmade bath care - luxurious bathing at a fraction of the cost.

--Homemade cleaners for a safer, more natural and more economical clean.

--A handmade soap recipe for beginners.

--For the really radical soap makers - how to render fat.

--The Homestead Beekeeper - tips on keeping bees for your own source of fresh, raw honey!

--And from the Homestead Kitchen: Try this cheesy vegetable quiche recipe - a delicious way to use up those extra eggs!

Whew! Lots of great information here. Read on and become even more self reliant!

Make It Yourself - Eight Reasons To Make Your Own Soaps, Bath Care and Cleaning Products

Actually, there are eight great reasons you should be making these wonderful, all natural products from scratch:

1. The Cost

When you buy a product from the store, you are not only paying for the ingredients, you are also paying for the labeling, advertising, and shipping costs. Make it yourself, and you have a better quality product for a fraction of the cost.

2. It’s Safer and Healthier

When manufacturers make cleaning products, they are making items that must be able to sit on the shelves of your supermarket for months, sometimes years. Think lots of preservatives and chemicals, many of which are toxic. The products you mix together at home are made of natural ingredients, usually items such as pure soap, vinegar and salt that won’t give off harmful fumes or pose a risk to your children.

3. Better For The Environment

Using all natural ingredients in your home cleaners, bath salts and shower gels means less toxic chemicals going down the drain and eventually ending up in our water system.

4. Greater Security

There is always the possibility of a potential disaster, either natural or economic. A time may come when you might not have access to a nearby grocery store. Knowing how to get clean in a pinch is useful knowledge that gives you a secure feeling.

5. They Make Great Gifts

Deliciously scented, handmade soaps and bath salts are usually much better quality than what you can find in the store, and they make excellent gifts. Think huge savings when Christmas time rolls around. Better still, you can make your soaps, bath salts and shower gels months before the holiday and be prepared. No standing in lines at the mall in December!

6. Potential Home Business

Make your wonderfully scented bath products and then take them on the road – to county fairs and farmer’s markets. Better still, sell them online. It’s a fun way to earn a part-time income.

7. Teaching Opportunity

You probably won’t want to make lye soap with your children, but you could certainly make melt and pour glycerin soaps or mix bath salts with your kids. They’ll have a blast, and you can throw in a lesson about chemistry.

8. Tremendous Satisfaction

Making things yourself is a great way to get back to basics. It’s tremendously satisfying knowing you don’t have to run to the store and that you can make a fabulous product you’re proud of.

So try a few recipes. Trust me, you’ll get hooked and never want to browse the cleaning aisle of your supermarket again!

Why the Internet Is the Farmer's Market of the Future

You have a really great product, and…

People can find you.

If you’re looking for a craft to make and sell, reading this issue of Successful Homesteading could get you headed in the right direction. Why not make handcrafted soaps, shower gels and bath salts with luxurious scents you mix yourself by experimenting with essential oils? Try these recipes, practice them to perfection and then come up with a pretty package.

But you also want to make sure people find you. If you open a real, physical shop, the key to success is location, location, location. You need to be where people are looking for handmade soap. That’s where a farmer’s market comes in.

But if you want to sell your fine quality, handmade crafts on the internet, then the key to success is information, information, information. Think about it. People surfing on the web, generally aren’t looking to buy your product. Instead, they are looking for information. Provide a great quality website with lots of information and you build traffic. Build traffic, and you’ll build sales.

So how do you do that? Try Site Builders International. There is no other company out there that equals the fabulous service they provide. They not only provide you with web hosting, they give you so much more, including step by step instructions on how to build a great site that gets the clicks.

I can't say enough about this great company, but don't just take my word for it. To hear what others have been able to do thanks to SBI, click here.

So What's New?

Ready for a luxurious bath that will heal both body and soul? Then try these bath salt recipes. They'll leave you both refreshed and wonderfully scented.

Want to not only get clean but indulge yourself at a fraction of the cost. Then these homemade bath care products, including massage oil, bubble bath and shower gel recipes.

Get your home clean the natural, safe way with these fabulous homemade cleaners. I've included recipes for everything from an oven cleaner without the fumes to an all-purpose cleaner and disinfectant without the harmful chemicals.

Have you always wanted to make soap? This homemade soap recipe. Want to go all out and even render your own fat for soap making? We've got a recipe for that.

Want To Learn About Beekeeping?

There's no better form of self-reliance than keeping your own bees for a fantastic source of fresh, raw honey. Here are some tips to get you started.

From the Homestead Kitchen

The great thing about hens is they give lots of eggs. The problem with hens is figuring out what to do with all those eggs. Here's a great solution: try this delicious cheesy vegetable quiche recipe.

And until next time, happy homesteading!