Ditch The Store

I asked you to send in your stories about how you're ditching the store, and one person did. So this week we hear hers, plus a few real people from around the world who are breaking up with the supermarket in their own way. A jar of hot sauce, fourteen garden beds, a city balcony. Different starting points, same direction. If you've ever looked at someone else's homestead and thought &...

Picture your weekly shop with half the items in the trolley, half the bill at the checkout, and half the time spent on the whole process. That's what this episode is about — not giving up the supermarket entirely (we are never, ever giving up shop-bought toilet paper), but cutting it back to just the things that are genuinely too complex to make or grow yourself.  WHAT'S IN THIS EPISODE  -...

⚠️ THE 7 BIGGEST MISTAKES NEW HOMESTEADERS MAKE (AND HOW TO AVOID THEM)G'day everyone, CJ here, and welcome to episode 183 of Ditch the Store! Today I'm walking through the seven biggest mistakes I see new homesteaders make. I know them all because I've made every one of them, some of them twice. For each one I cover how it happens and, more importantly, how to avoid it. As the sign in...

🧾 THE DITCH THE STORE METHOD: A SIMPLE FRAMEWORK TO STARTG'day everyone, CJ here! Before you watch this one, do me a favour: go and find your last supermarket receipt. It might be in the car or the bottom of your handbag. Don't guess what's on it; get the real one. Today I'm walking you through the exact method I use to start breaking up with the supermarket. It's the same one...

🌱 WHAT WE LEARNED FROM THE FIRST DITCH THE STORE CHALLENGE (and what's coming next!) Hey everyone, CJ here. Last week we ran the very first Ditch the Store Challenge on Skool, and today I'm recapping how it went, what surprised me running it, and — the big news — where this goes from here. In this episode: What Skool actually is for anyone who's never heard of it, and why I like it a...

DAY 5 of the 5-Day Ditch the Store Challenge: where do you go from here? I'm CJ, and if you've made it to the final day — congratulations! Even if you've only landed two small changes out of the four categories, that's genuinely worth celebrating. Today I'm recapping the big lessons from this week (progress over perfection, one change at a time, and building skills even before you "need" them) and...

DAY 4 of the 5-Day Ditch the Store Challenge: building confidence one skill at a time. I'm CJ, and today's episode is about something bigger than any one skill — how real confidence with homesteading actually gets built. I'll tell you about growing up on 400 acres with parents who taught me to milk a cow, make our own butter and cheese, and grow our own food — skills I didn't realise weren't the n...

DAY 3 of the 5-Day Ditch the Store Challenge: the biggest mistake beginners make. I'm CJ, and today I'm naming it straight up — the single biggest mistake I see when people start homesteading and ditching the store is trying to do too much, too soon, too quickly. Bread, ketchup, BBQ sauce, yogurt, milking goats, chooks, fruit trees — all at once, all in one week. It never ends well, and I've been...

DAY 2 of the 5-Day Ditch the Store Challenge: progress beats perfection. I'm CJ, back with Day 2 — and today's for anyone whose Day 1 attempt didn't go perfectly. Spoiler: that's most of us, and it still counts. Quick recap for anyone joining late (totally fine to jump in on Day 2), then straight into my "done beats none" philosophy, and the honest story of my first loave...

DAY 1 of the 5-Day Ditch the Store Challenge One small change starts everything. I'm CJ — farmer, homesteader, mum, and full-time off-farm worker — and today kicks off five short daily episodes (under 15 minutes each) walking you through one small, doable change a day. No farm required. Today's task: grab your last supermarket receipt and pick one item from each of four categories — a pantry stapl...

For years I thought being good with money meant saying no to everything. Turns out that wasn't frugal — that was just stingy, and it was making me miserable. This week I'm talking about the real difference between frugal and stingy, why it took me years (and a money boot camp) to see it, and what actually spending with intention looks like day to day. Plus a farm update on Loki and Doogie&...

Why Most People Never Start (Ep. 178) | Homesteading, Perfectionism & The Excuses That Hold You BackDESCRIPTIONIt's not that people don't want to grow their own food or stop handing money to the supermarket every week — nobody wants that. Somewhere along the way, "getting started" turns into a huge, all-or-nothing thing in their head, and that's what actually stops them....

Episode 177: My second book, Eggs Without Cartons, goes live on Amazon this Friday — and I'm too egg-cited not to talk about it, even in the middle of the hardest work fortnight of my year. This week: why I split my chicken books into two (one for meat, one for eggs), three free tips straight out of the new book — including a myth about fertile eggs that genuinely blows people's minds — pl...

What To Stop Buying Before You Plant Anything DESCRIPTION Spring success doesn't start with buying seedlings — it starts with deciding what you're going to stop buying from the supermarket. In this episode I walk through the exact planning process for a spring garden that actually cuts your grocery bill, the mistakes I see people make every year, and a sneak peek at my upcoming 5-Day Ditch...

Think $25 can't do much for your garden? Think again. In this episode I break down the exact numbers on why buying seedlings (not seeds) this year could save you well over $200 in grocery money — and I show you every calculation so you can do it yourself. In This Episode Why sometimes buying seedlings beats saving seeds (and that's okay!) A farm update — walking without crutches after 10 m...

Do you really need to buy new seeds every spring? The answer is… not always. In this episode, we're talking about one of the simplest ways to become a little more self-sufficient—saving your own seeds. I'll explain why seed saving is worth learning, the difference between heirloom and hybrid varieties, and which vegetables are the easiest for beginners to collect seeds from. I'll also...

Have you ever wondered why some gardens seem to thrive while others constantly need more fertiliser, more water and more attention? In this episode, we're talking about the biggest mistake many gardeners make – focusing on feeding the plant instead of feeding the soil. I'll explain why healthy soil is the foundation of every productive vegetable garden, how poor soil can become an expensiv...

Eggs are one of the most valuable foods you can produce—or buy—but most of us only think about them at breakfast. In this episode, I share 10 practical ways to use every egg well , reduce food waste, save money, and get more value from your backyard chickens (or your local egg supplier). We'll cover preserving eggs, meal planning, using leftovers, making homemade mayonnaise, and simple ways to...

Everyone says chickens are the perfect first homesteading animal—but are they? In this episode, I explain why I love chickens, why they're still one of the best additions to any homestead... and why they might not be the first step for everyone. If you're just starting your journey towards self-sufficiency, we'll look at the practical skills that can save you money, build your confiden...

Have you ever watched a beautiful cabbage, zucchini, or box of fresh vegetables slowly turn into compost while sitting in your fridge? What if there was a way to preserve that food for months, improve its flavour, support your gut health, and do it all without a freezer, pressure canner, or expensive equipment? In this episode of Ditch the Store, we're diving into one of humanity's oldest food pre...

Bird flu has officially arrived in Australia, and if you keep backyard chickens, you've probably seen plenty of headlines, social media posts, and opinions flying around. But what does it actually mean for your flock? Should you be worried? Do you need to lock your chickens up? What practical steps can you take to protect your birds without falling into panic mode? In this episode of Ditch the Sto...

Winter has settled in. The garden has slowed down, the chickens are taking their annual leave, and the shortest day of the year is almost here. But what if this wasn't something to endure? What if it was something to celebrate? In this episode of Ditch the Store, CJ explores the history of Yule, the ancient midwinter festival that celebrated the longest night of the year and the return of the...

Have your hens suddenly stopped laying eggs? Before you panic and start questioning your chicken-keeping skills, take a breath. If it's winter, there's a good chance your girls haven't quit their jobs—they've simply gone on annual leave. In this episode of Ditch the Store, CJ explains why egg production drops (or stops completely) during winter, what a molt actually is, how dayligh...

Southern Tablelands, NSW and cool-temperate Australia — June, July, August LEAFY GREENS Kale: Cavolo Nero / Tuscan Kale, Curly Kale, Red Russian Silverbeet / Rainbow Chard English Spinach: Bloomsdale, Winter Giant — direct sow only Mustard Greens Asian Greens: Bok Choy, Pak Choi, Wombok/Chinese Cabbage BRASSICAS Broccoli — plant as seedlings Cauliflower — plant as seedlings, frost cloth on hard fr...

Frost season is here — and if you’re in a cold pocket like the Southern Tablelands, you already know it can wipe out a garden overnight. In Episode 165 of Ditch The Store , I’m walking you through frost protection basics : what frost actually is, how to judge your risk, the cheap methods that work , and the common mistakes that make things worse. Quick personal note first: Tuesday was my “D‑Day” —...