The Hometown Homestead is my passion project. Here I share our life as a family of 7, growing up in a small, rural town in the center of the U.S.A., where my husband and I grew up.
The focus here is on all things homemade and homegrown, with an emphasis on cost effective solutions that do not sacrifice quality, as well as solutions that make like easier!
Please send business inquiries to: TheHometownHomesteadBlog@gmail.com
I would be surprised if you get less than 10 years from the Speed Queen set, but I would be far more surprised if you get more than 20 years. Speed Queen is good with regard to reliability, and they are way better than the GE, but they are not as bulletproof as Alliance wants people to believe. Also, this TR set has a different wash action from traditional top load washers with agitators (& the TC series). My experience is that its cleaning performance of the TRs is on par with top loads that don't have an agitator, but can't compete with traditional agitators or with front load washers. I will be interested to hear if you find it adequate for the laundry you do.
I completely agree with you that if you have the ingredients at home that it is definitely cheaper to cook at home. But if you are having to buy all the ingredients then make it. The initial ingredient purchase is what I think most people mean by it’s cheaper to eat out than cook at home. I know of someone that says that all the time till I told her once you buy it most of the stuff can be used more than once like flour, sugar, seasonings. That’s when she understood what we mean when it’s cheaper to cook at home.
I totally see that, and hopefully people will see that 90% of the time, home saves a ton of money, even if the initial trip is more expensive. Thanks for watching and giving your feedback! Hope to see you back soon!
I meant to note it, because I always get asked! It’s a Goodwill find, sadly! I recently went to drop a donation and just “happened” to walk inside. I always cruise the dresses , and came up empty. I went to the back and it was hanging by itself in the home goods section! Meant to be. I’d take it in 3 more colors, if I could find it. The brand is Easel. I looked online and can’t find this exact one, but here are similar option from Amazon. amzn.to/3SixRp3 Thanks for watching!
Thanks for sharing this video with us. Your beef jerky looks so yummy. Your garden is beautiful and very bountiful. Thanks for showing us how we can use all the cucumbers that we seem to get in large quantities. 🥒🥒 Have a wonderful week!
Thank you! That jerky didn’t last long, so we have 3 more pounds of meat thawing out. 😆 Thanks for watching, and I hope you have a fabulous week as well!
the vitamix composter is neat. got one last year, prefect place to throw bones, tissues and fresh scraps into. makes a fluffy powder after 8 hours and i save in a bin until spring rolls around, mix it into the soil & you're set! quality content in your videos <3
Another great video!! Your garden looks awesome...love the sunflowers and seeing the kids involved in food preservation. Thanks for the cucumber ideas!
I heard SQ is the best in US, but nothing can compare to the front load washing machine washing results. Yes theres is room for more improvement for sure. But the results are better in terms of washing then top loads. There is tons of proof of that. Congrats on the new units
This issue has been well documented for over six months some simple weatherstripping, correct it plus it never hurts to shop vac the coil every so often just like you’re supposed to do with your refrigerator that nobody ever doesIMHO And I did reach out to GE customer service and detailed this issue as well as the quick field fix lol that was three months ago never heard anything back but they may be designing a new filter Plus, you should be cleaning the lint filter after every cycle common sense says just like you would do after every cycle on your dryer In my opinion, GE never should’ve said to only clean every five cycles that was probably done as a marketing convenience factor ploy. Unfortunately, also sounds like you were the victim of a repair person that was not very bright. They should not have left the unit down and out. They should’ve left it to where you could still continue to wash only so that is on them.
While I do appreciate that you can fix some of the issues with weatherstripping, I still maintain that the machine should be able to be used as the manufacturer states without the unit overheating multiple times per cycle and experiencing a “critical” failure.
We just got this a week ago and it opened up our small laundry room up really well! It seems that the longer wait for it to wash and dry would be a problem but it has not since everything is automatic with the smart detergent dispenser. Usually with our separate washer and dryer, we would often forget about it and it would take longer overall. I enjoy the app with the timer and other functions. The only downside is sometimes it does a series of clicks pretty loud for about 10 seconds then it stops, then it starts over again. I read this is normal. So far we have enjoyed this!
We are trying our queen size cotton, fluffy comforter. It is packed so I hope it gets washed since it says it can do a king comforter. We've had good success too on most things! Helps having same material fabrics and sizes like you mentioned. And hey we homeschool too! Thank you for this video!!
Another youtuber mentioned you, and this is my first of many. We were in a big metropolitan up there what they call country. Now we live in NC and trust me that wasn't country LOL. Learning garden and food prep thank you for a very informative pantry tour, I have signed up for Azure just haven't made the leap, I work from home and look forward to canning, yeah a guy at the age of 62 learning canning. Yeah they say old dogs can't learn new tricks, this old dog built his first three chicken coops, raised garden and deck this year.
@@packy0462 who mentioned me? I’d love to go check them out! My mom is older than you, and started down the journey in the last few years also. I think it’s AMAZING that you’re jumping into canning. Check out some of my canning content too. It’s such a GREAT asset to your food storage! Thanks for watching, and I hope to see you back soon!
I've been binge watching videos about food storage and food rotation also restocking trying to learn so I don't waste food. Many in their videos say they will use certain ingredients in "no time" or "quickly". What does "in no time" mean in your home? Does that mean a day or a week?
Depends on what you’re talking about, but typically a 5 gallon bucket of flour will last me 3 months, depending on baking needs. 1/2 gallon of chocolate chips lasts about a month. 😆 Anything you’re questioning specifically?
We’ve had ours for a full year now with zero issues ever. We don’t do laundry excessively so that could be why. We do a load every other day. I did buy the factory extended warranty so I should be fully reimbursed if anything were to ever happen. And I’ll gladly have them replace with the same unit. Not to impressed with the other combo units that have hit the market
Just watched for the first time and I enjoyed it. I can’t imagine how you do all that without pulling your hair up and out of the way! Thanks for sharing!
I agree you can choose the quality of the ingredients at home. Those are worth it ! Good local farm fresh grass fed meat tastes much better than cheap ! That is worth the money !
We bought a HE Energy Star-rated LG WashTower 20 months ago to replace our 15-year-old Maytags. Wifey loves the extra space it freed up in the utility room as a nice bonus. We have no complaints, it sips electrons as compared to the OLD Maytag. We did look at this model but figured the tech needs a few more years to work out all the bugs and get real-world user data, especially performance and reliability. We are 72 and a unit like this would be perfect if it was perfect, given we have solar with Tesla Powerwall batteries we normally curtail doing laundry during grid outages but the efficiency of this model could allow us to live our lives uninterrupted. We were also looking to replace our 5-year-old electric water heater with a new HP model, but the reviews are all over the board hence my reluctance to buy into TODAY. We'll revisit this new tech next year. We are not early adopters. Funny, living in Europe while serving in the USAF the Europeans have had ALL-IN-ONE units for DECADES. So I guess the US is behind the power curve.
We also have solar, but haven’t taken the leap for the Powerwall yet. We would need several to cover our home, but I’d love to head in that direction sooner than later. You’re happy with them, correct?
My combo is 8 months old and I’m starting to have problems with drying. I have bragged on this machine to all of my friends how much I loved it! No error codes yet, but trouble is definitely brewing. I’m so sad!
Clean out your lower filter but be ready for a flood. When mine started having issues drying, that thing was full and I had even cleaned it within the month. Gallons of water backed up. Be prepared.
@@thehometownhomestead I do clean that regularly. Even when it’s freshly cleaned I can get a load that absolutely won’t dry. I have 2 choices when that happens. Hang my dripping clothes on the clothesline OR start the load completely over from scratch, including wash. That has resolved it each time so far, but I’m afraid that won’t always work.
You need to purchase the top filter modification kit or do watch the video and do it yourself. The problem with the GE all-in-one compared to LG and Samsung is that it doesn't have a self-clean mode that rinses the coils on the heat pump and when the lint gets pass the filters and settles on the coils it causes the unit to fail.
I need more of these because it’s only useful clips! Im so tired of watching other moms do their freaking makeup everyday when all i came 4 was to learn - your videos are straight to the point. Thank you!!❤️
@@saintamerican6105 thank you for the kind words! My makeup routine wouldn’t make a very intriguing piece of long form content. Prob more like a short. 😆 Hope to see you back soon!
I do think it depends on the quality of ingredients and where you are eating out. For example, I can feed my family McDonald's for less money than I can make burgers and fries at home. In our area we can get a McDouble bundle, which is a double cheeseburger and small french fries for $3.49 per person, which is about $28 for our family of 8. Ground beef is almost $10/lb in our grocery store. Even when I but meat in bulk, it's close to $6 per lb. I literally can't buy meat, buns, cheese, plus condiments, pickles, onions, etc and potatoes for less than I can get burgers at a fast food place. Flour and yeast are also expensive in our area (we are in Florida) so even making my own bread is more expensive than buying it, although I do make it anyway to avoid ingredients I don't want to feed my kids. There are times when eating out is cheaper, yes. And some families just don't have access to all the cooking tools I do. But I'm fortunate to have the time and ability to cook from home, so I just don't make the meals that are more expensive at home. What I can do instead is not make burgers very often. Instead, I'll buy a whole chicken and a bag of carrots for about half that price and make at least two more nutritious meals out of that.
Great comparison! And you made a great point near the end when you were talking about the level of doneness of the meat, and that is that when you cook it at home you also make it to your personal preferences.
I worked in four different restaurants. Unsanitary is my conclusion. You have a prep and cooking area that's cleaner. Many employees don't wash their hands.
Great (disgusting) add to the conversation. You are correct. I am very big on keeping a clean kitchen, and I’ve seen many gross health department reports from local places. Thanks for sharing!
Trying to smile thru the pain cuz my husband controls everything. Im not allowed to buy anything without his consent. Which makes sahm mom 2x’s challenging lol, i love your structured system but unfortunately i cannot mimic cuz my husband thinks we save more with me grocery shopping (on foot) 2x’s a week. Thankfully everything is fresh, organic and grass fed :-)
I want to know where those people are eating that Vitale’s to eat out than to cook. Seriously, even if you don’t grow your own food, buy in bulk or get your beef from a local farmer it is still cheaper to cook at home.
I think they are looking at the overall cost of purchasing the ingredients without considering that you can get more than one meal out of the those same ingredients. While the overall bill at the store is higher, you’re eating for much longer than one meal. I think it also shows that some can mount an argument for any position, even if unrelated to reality. That said, if you’re buying a bunch of preprocessed/box foods, which are astronomical, then maybe a run through McDonald’s is cheaper. (I recently sat $7/bag Doritos, for example.) All in, we save a ton, and eat higher quality food. That’s a fact, but I enjoyed a “reason” to eat out nonetheless. 🙌🏻 Thanks for watching, and taking the time to comment! Hope to see you back soon.
Wow.... that's a big difference in cost... restaurant vs. home cooked!! Also, a big difference in time for your 45 minutes cook time vs. sit down time at the restaurant...plus travel time!! Beautiful garden and your pantry with home canned food is inspiring! Thanks for the comparison!!
@@bobbieasche1996 I usually make a plan on Sunday and pull out the meat. I write down our weekly plan next to it to help everyone keep track of what we have planned, and there is a spot for grocery list on the side, although I usually don’t add much to that. I add the needed items directly to my Azure order for the next month on my phone.
@@jenniferr2057 this place is a true gem. While they are a Mexican restaurant, they make an awesome burger and fries too, which is the only thing my little girls want to eat out. 😆
OMG, we are 8 months in, getting this same fault code…and the runaround from GE, who told me they didn’t know what it was…as did their service tech, who also told me he couldn’t move the unit to service it. Class Action lawsuit anyone?
@@RandomDudeFromSomewhere our repair guy was helpful, but for the fact that it wouldn’t even wash when he left. They definitely know what the code is, because you can Google it. 😆 Maybe your guy isn’t strong enough to move it? That thing is a beast. Tell them to send help and fix the dang thing!
@@thehometownhomestead he told me GE wouldn’t pay for another person to come help move it. I contacted GE directly and they told me the same thing. My wife and I are going to find a new, stackable set and get rid of this one. I doubt I’ll be able to get any sort of refund like you did, but will try. But I will never, ever, purchase another GE product.
This is such a helpful video. Thank you! We have so many cucumbers that need pickling, and I want sure how to best to go about this process-now I know! Thank you!
@@thehometownhomestead , It wasn’t our choice, we pushed for GE to give us a conventional washer and dryer but they refused. They did extend the warranty for two years
I LOVE your dress. That looks so comfy I have to make one like that for myself. New to your channel, always admiring those with lovely large amounts of space to store food. Our place is really small so hard to buy in bulk but I do love to cook from scratch and the money savings.
Thank you! I do have great space, but I have friends with much less that still buy in bulk. Perhaps you could reclaim a hall closet or under bed space? I’ve had all sizes of kitchens, and while it can definitely add a layer of perplexity, it’s often something that can be worked around. I’ve even seen a few who add shelving to a corner of a bedroom or dining room. Thank you for watching, and I hope to see you back soon!
Thank you for sharing your recipe! Did you put something in the bottom of your cauldron when water bath canning? I know the the water bath cauldron usually have something at the bottom of it to put the jars on. I'm very new to canning and your video was very instructive.
@@emiliebrault6424 yes. I linked it in the description. It’s a wire rack. You can find it here. Canning Jar Rack: amzn.to/4cwV4M5 (affiliate link) Glad it was helpful!!
