Monica H Baker - Beginner Homesteading & Simple Living Coach

Shows

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsEP 202 // Why Slow and Intentional Living is Essential for a Simplified Life that You Enjoy Every Single Day with ADHD.Hello Friends! I am thankful to be able to do what I love every single day! I had to go back to what I love as I could go in many different directions since I am so multipassionate with undiagnosed ADHD. I enjoy working 2 hours a day with my business, but I had so many other people reaching out and wanting me to coach them to make money online and that really wasn’t my passion, it is a portion of it I love though! My passion is simplicity and having a flexible sched...2025-05-1305 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsEP 191 // Simplifying Your Daily Homestead Routine: 3 Tips to Make Farm Life EasierHey Friend! Simple Passive Income-> https://www.claimingsimplicity.co/ Today, we’re diving into the heart of homestead life with three practical tips to help you simplify your daily routine. Whether you're raising animals, growing your own food, or just trying to balance cooking from scratch, homeschooling and homestead tasks with family life, this episode is for you. Tip 1: Streamline Chores by Creating a Rotating Schedule One of the most common challenges on the homestead is managing the never-ending list of daily chores. The key to simplifying your routine is to sto...2024-09-2305 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsEP 186 // Freeze Drying Experience and 3 Tips to Prepare for Winter9-10-24 EP 186 // Freeze Drying Experience and 3 Tips to Prepare for Winter Simple Passive Income-> https://www.claimingsimplicity.co/ Welcome back to Claiming Simplicity where I like to keep everything as simple as I can so you can live a more fruitful life! If we haven’t met, I’m Monica H Baker and I’m just a small town girl, just soaking up every minute on this earth doing God’s Will and helping as many people create an intentional life, homesteading and enjoy all God has created for us! We have been busy...2024-09-1006 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsEP 182 // Dream Again: The SIMPLE Path to Financial Freedom for Busy FamiliesHey Friend! Welcome to a new series called Freedom Fridays to simplify life. If you're juggling work, home, and everything in between, and you're exhausted from the daily grind of that 9-to-5, this episode is for you. Today, I want to talk about something that could change your life—making a significant passive income online in just 2 hours a day with a simple, automated system no matter where you live in the world. Imagine getting paid while you sleep I want to show you how you can take back control of your time lik...2024-08-2306 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsEP 181 // The Truth About Homesteading and Farming that You Need to KnowHey Friend! Today I just want to be real about the less appealing part of homesteading because it was a rough week here a few weeks ago. There is so much more to homesteading and farming than living a fairytale life . Yes, it sure feels like an incredible life and we enjoy it so much, but there are many ups and downs that people don’t talk about and I just want you to know what you are getting into as you grow your farm or homestead or just thinking about it. First, hom...2024-08-2107 min

ASSURED: How to Homeschool and Not Get Burned Out By ItHomesteading Homeschool Simplicity Secrets That Will Change Your Life (with Monica Baker) | S4 EP6Juggling a homestead while homeschooling takes a lot of effort and energy! That's why I brought Monica Baker to chat about practical ways we can claim simplicity as homeschooling moms. With examples ranging from pre-school to high school, we unpacked the simplicity secrets you need to know to ensure you create a rich learning environment that is woven right into your lifestyle. Connect with Monica: Website: https://www.claimingsimplicity.com Email: monica@claimingsimplicity.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/ Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups...2024-08-1227 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsEP 180 // The Perfect Homestead Life is Simple Living and Intentional Time Creating MemoriesHello Friend! I'm just popping in today to let you know I am still here, just very busy on our homestead and making memories with kids and grandkids. Summer is the perfect time to enjoy a more intentional life. Slow living and saying no to things that are not the most important is possible and attainable! Love you! Monic Website and Waitlist: Claimingsimplicity.com Simple Homesteading for Christians-> https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimingsimplicity/ Email -> monica@cla...2024-07-1907 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsEP 179 // 3 Reasons You Should be Using Essential Oils in Your Home to Save MoneyHappy Memorial Day Friend! You have never tried using essential oils for your health and home? They are just a part of our every day life that I couldn’t ever imagine having to use anything else! We use them for cleaning, hair and body, laundry, having more energy, any illness we feel coming on, bug bites, preventing spiders or ticks-absolutely everything!!! This last week, my husband had planter fasciitis and that helped with that too. Now I am not saying they cure things, but they sure help!!!!! Once you realize that your cleani...2024-05-2704 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsEP 178 // Simplified Spring Cleaning Tips to Reduce Stress So You Can Enjoy Your Summer Outdoors or Gardening and Less Time Indoors Cleaning for Busy FamiliesHello Friend I know you are looking forward to summer and if you want to spend most of your days outside instead of cleaning inside, you are going to want to do these steps now so you have less stress when summer comes! When you simplify your Spring cleaning system, you will feel less overwhelmed and more at peace. There was a time when I felt that I was wasting so much time always cleaning, but that was before I simplified my life. It felt like a never ending cycle of cleaning one area and by t...2024-05-2005 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsEP 177 // Stop Searching for Ways to Lose Weight and Instead Nourish Your Body with Nutrient Dense FoodsHello Friend Are you constantly searching recipes for the fad diets that keep you on the roller coaster of diet trends for years that mess with your metabolism? I don’t even know what the newest thing is out there right now since we just switched to nutrient dense food years ago and cooking from scratch. From that time, I started learning about what is in the food we eat and how to eat more nutrient rich foods so I don’t ever have to diet. We want our kids to know how important it is to...2024-05-1305 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsEP 176 // 3 Time Management Tips to Organize so You Can Create More Time in Your Busy Schedule Even With Possible ADHDHappy May Friend Simplify your home-this will save you many hours of having to manage items and cleaning.This will truely create more time in your life. I didn’t realize how much my life would be simplified by decluttering. I now have less stress trying to manage all the stuff and if you have not done this yet, reach out and I will help you get started~the hardest part is figuring out where to start. When everything has a place, it tends to be super simple to keep up with and when you have a sup...2024-05-0607 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsEP 175 // Getting Creative with Your Simple Meals to Save Money on Groceries as the Grocery Prices RiseHey Friend! I still can’t believe how much prices have increased at the grocery store and I am extremely thankful we grow and raise as much food as possible, so we don’t have to spend much at the store, but there are always items you can’t grow in your location, so we do rely on the store a little and azure standard for our bulk items. I might notice it more as I don’t have to buy items very often and am still not used to it! If you are tight on money, start clea...2024-04-2907 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsEP 173 // 3 Steps to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed With All the Homesteading Things You Want to Do so You Can Have Less Stress, Enjoy the Journey, & Simplify Your LifeHello I know you want to be doing all the homesteading things you see on instagram and social media, but the truth is, you are going to get burnt out trying to do it all. I want you to stop and think about what is important in your life. I know that when my kids were young, there is no way that I would’ve been able to do all the things that I do now that I have teenagers that are able to help out and are also independent and that makesa big difference. Littles need so m...2024-03-2508 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsEP 172 // What You Can Do When You Have Unlimited Eggs From Your Chickens Even When You Have a Busy ScheduleHey Friend Now that we will have 100 laying hens, people always ask what we are going to do with all the eggs! Just for your information, we will not be keeping this amount of chickens, we are raising some to about 12 weeks for friends, 25 of them could be roosters or hens, so the roosters we will be butchering because we have our one and only gentle rooster named frank sinatra that we love so much and don’t need another rooster at this time, so we could be less than 75 before we know it! My teen...2024-03-2105 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsEP 171 // Simplify the Food You Buy at the Store Once You Understand Ingredients In Them and Imporove Your Family’s Health by Learning to Make Food from Scratch at HomeI really do beleive that alot of it has to do with the food we eat. There are so many hidden poisons in packaged food that are banned in other countries, so I believe diving into food labels and simplifying our choices can have a profound impact on our health and well-being. This topic is close to every homesteader's heart – we all want to deciphering those food labels and embrace the beauty of minimal ingredients. Picture this: you're standing in the grocery aisle, scanning rows of products, each has an array of ingredients you can barely pronounce. Sou...2024-03-1805 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsEP 170 // 5 Simple Growth Mindset Tips to Help You Go From Scarcity Mode to Thriving with a Stress Free Simpler LifeHey Friend As you know, I’m very passionate about personal development and growth mindset and I want to give you some simple tips today to help you get out of the scarcity mode and start living your dreams of a stress free simpler life! Imagine your mind is like a garden. In this garden, there are two main types of mindsets: fixed and growth. Picture a garden with rigid, unchanging plants. People with a fixed mindset believe that their abilities, intelligence, and talents are set in stone. They might think, "I'm just going to...2024-03-1407 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsEP 168 // Simple Laundry Detergent Made in Minutes and How to Make Your Own Washing Soda and Many Uses for itHey Friend I have been making my laundry soap for years because it is super simple and cost effective, but I was so excited that I just learned how to make my own washing soda and that is just as easy, so I wanted to share that with you along with several uses for it. I made laundry soap over 20 years ago and I had to quit because it was gunking up the hoses, so my husband didn’t want me making it anymore until I found a good recipe that didn’t use the shre...2024-03-0706 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsEP 167 // Simple Strategy to Beat Food Inflation and Eat More Fresh Produce by Starting a Garden to Save Money and Enjoy Easy Healthier Meals Even with Limited Time as a Busy MomHello Friend! Are you tired of spending hundreds of dollars at the grocery store each month? Since we have been gardening and growing our own food for several years, I was shocked at the cost of food at the grocery store! I had to buy more food this year because we moved and I wasn’t able to have a garden last year. It is no wonder why families can’t afford healthy food from the store. Not only is it so much more expensive, but even buying organic doesn’t guarantee that your food is toxic free. Wh...2024-03-0406 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsEP 166 // Why are You Scared to Declutter and Simplify Your Life?Hello! Decluttering changed my life so many years ago. I used to think that I didn’t want to get rid of something just in case I would need it again, but that is not the case. If I have something that I havent used in years and it would be less than $50 to replace, I donate it because I know how much energy it takes to keep that item, but honestly I haven’t missed anything other than a few weeks ago I was missing my heart pan to make pizza on or a big heart cookie...2024-02-2905 min

Financial Coaching for Women: How To Budget, Manage Money, Pay Off Debt, Save Money, Paycheck Plans215 | Feeling Overwhelmed by Finances? Discover How Simplifying Can Transform Your Money Management - Budgeting Tips & Financial Freedom Insights w/ Monica Baker⁠Snag Our Signature Budget Template!⁠ Ready to witness a financial transformation in action? This episode throws you into the deep end of financial coaching with Monica Baker, the voice behind "Claiming Simplicity." Watch as we guide Monica, a homesteading enthusiast and simplicity advocate, through the maze of personal and business finance management, offering tools and strategies to streamline her financial life. Key Takeaways: - Real-Life Financial Coaching: Experience firsthand the power of financial coaching as we walk Monica through the steps to declutter her financial practices, emphasizing the importance of joy and simplicity in m...2024-02-2332 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsEP 164 // Are You Loving The Life You Have Created and What Can Make it Better When You are Hustling Every Day to Get Everything DoneHey Friend! As I get older, I think about what I can do to help others as that is very rewarding for me. I love being a nurse for this reason and even though I only pick up a few shifts around my family’s schedule. Its in my nature to give great care just as I would want my family to be treated, but I also like building my own dream and not someone elses for the freedom it provides which includes helping others as well. Are you loving your life right now? I rememb...2024-02-2204 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsEP 163 // Cooking From Scratch with Whole Foods and Nutrient Dense Foods Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated! Keep Cooking SimpleHello!! I just got my vegetable seeds for my garden ordered! It sure seems like Spring here and so maybe I will be able to plant my seeds before the end of May this year! We have so much work to do on this new garden designed and trying to figure out where everything will go. We have plenty of land for several garden spaces, but we have to have good fencing as we have too many deer and animals that enjoy our vegetables and fruit just as much as we do. I ha...2024-02-2007 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsEP 158 // Do You Want to Live With More Contentment in Your Life so You Can Enjoy Time Doing What You LoveHello Friend! Where are you looking for contentment in your life? Contentment refers to the state of being satisfied and at ease with one’s life and circumstances. Embracing contentment involves appreciating the present moment, finding joy in the little things, and cultivating a sense of fulfillment in the midst of life’s challenges. Contentment is the lifeblood of happiness. Your journey toward purpose and joy will be short lived without it. Learning contentment is difficult in our society that says the more you have or do, the better, especially when you are constantly trying to kee...2024-01-3104 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsAre You Exhausted Trying to Keep Your Home Clean as a Busy Mom With Kids? My Best Secret for Keeping the Cleaning Schedule SimpleHello Friend! I book, working on a beginner homesteading course, gathering animals on our farm and running kids with sports and yet I have been able to easily keep up with keeping a clean house. I will tell you that I still have an enclosed trailer sitting in my yard that we have not emptied yet and to tell you the truth-I really don’t want to add anything else to our home right now. I’m leaving that stuff to do during the winter when we seem to have a little more down time! 2023-12-2004 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple Systems7 Simple Ways for You to Change Your Mindset to be More Thankful Through Good Times and Hard Times Especially During the Stressful Season or in the Season of WaitingHey friend! As I was reflecting on this year, I thought about how hard it was. It was hard to move away from a home we have done so much to and had so many memories over the last 10 years. It was hard to live in our fishhouse for 3 months. It was hard to move to a home that needed alot of work and still needs alot more. It is hard writing a book when you have so many many obligations and distractions-I want to do it all. It was hard to get so many outside projects do...2023-11-2906 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsEvaluate What Material You are Consuming and Making Sure it is Biblically Sound so You Don’t Get Sucked into Something that is not of GodHello I have an important topic to talk about and I’ll be diving into the essential aspect of ensuring that the sources you follow and the guidance you seek are rooted in our faith and values. In today's digital age, we're bombarded with information from various sources. It can be challenging to discern which voices are in alignment with our biblical beliefs. Let's start by acknowledging the noise and confusion that surrounds us. Information overload can lead to confusion and anxiety. I talk to my teenagers about this ALOT. There is alot of conf...2023-11-0606 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsHunting for a Simpler, More Sustainable Homestead Life: Embracing Self-SufficiencyHey! Hey! Welcome back friend to another episode of Claiming Simplicity. I’m your host, Monica H Baker and your fellow homesteader here in the heart of Minnesota. Before we even start, I should say that you do not need your own land to hunt on. There are many places you can hunt for free such as state land, but also remember that there are many farmers that don’t hunt and are happy to have someone that can use the meat to stop the deer from eating their crops, so if you want to hunt e...2023-11-0206 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsSave Money on Groceries with Breakfast Food Swaps so You Can Feed Your Family Nutritious Food While Spending Less MoneyWow, I’m so glad you are enjoying this podcast-if there is anything you want me to talk about, just send me an email. I always love to hear from you! Since you loved the last episode on saving money on snacks so much, I thought I would do a quick episode on saving money on breakfast foods. Breakfast food is so simple to make and cheap compared to most other foods! When I want to stretch our budget even further, we will add breakfast meals as dinner meals. In the season we are in right now with li...2023-10-2605 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsWhere is Your Money Going? Creating a Budget and Being Frugel Will Help You Save Money on Your Farm Whether You are a Beginning Homesteader or Seasoned HomesteaderHey Hey Friend if you are not budgeting and spending large amounts of money and don’t know where every penny is going, it won’t seem like you are making anything and you need to be conscious of that. It is like a job, I’m sure you know people that get a pay increase, but because their spending goes up with it, they don’t even notice the additional income. I’m not saying that you won’t ever have a loss because there are season’s where you are doing alot of investing to grow and that is...2023-10-2007 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsSimple Ways to Make Money Homesteading So You Can Earn Money While Enjoying Living a Simpler LifeHey Friend! Homesteading can be a fulfilling lifestyle, but it can also be challenging to make a living solely through homesteading activities. However, there are several ways to generate income while homesteading: Sell your produce: Homesteaders can grow a variety of crops, fruits, and vegetables to sell at farmer's markets, local stores, or online marketplaces. You can also consider starting a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, where customers can purchase a share of your harvest at the beginning of the season and receive a weekly box of fresh produce. You can sell eggs and sourdough, but t...2023-10-1604 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsComplete Pantry Staples. What I Keep Stocked and How I Organize My Pantry So We Don’t Ever Run Out of Common Food ItemsHello! I'll discuss the essential supplies you need to keep your pantry well-stocked and becoming somewhat self-sufficient. Whether you're a seasoned homesteader or just starting your journey, you're bound to find some valuable insights in today's episode. Let's talk about why having a well-stocked pantry is essential for homesteaders. In the last few years, the importance of self-sufficiency, food security, and being prepared had caused me to grow my pantry must haves to an even bigger list. Anything I don’t have to buy at the store is a bonus and I am continually learning! It i...2023-10-1306 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple Systems7 Proven Strategies to Save Big on Groceries Each Month and Why You Want to Start Your Homestead Journey NowHello Friend! Here are some ways to reduce your trips to the grocery store by producing and preserving your own food First up, we have homestead meal planning. One of the keys to reducing your grocery store visits is planning your meals around what you produce on your homestead. Whether it's fresh vegetables, fruits, or even homemade dairy products, creating a monthly meal calendar based on what's in season and available can significantly cut down those trips to town and then plan weekly using up what you have. Find locally sourced raw milk, meat, eggs...2023-10-0905 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsKeeping Life Simple and as Minimal as Possible Means Surrounding Yourself with Other Homesteaders and Building Community With Other Like Minded PeopleHello and Happy Labor Day Today I want to discuss how important community is as we have been so amazed by the neighbors within a few miles of our home. Everyone helps everyone and it has been such a blessing in so many ways. The weird thing is that we only moved 5 miles, but we have been surrounded with the most helpful people we call friends as they have helped us navigate so many things with adding 23 pigs and helping us get ready for our 4 dexters coming in about a month to helping us casterate piglets for the...2023-09-0405 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsHow to Build a Small Farm as Homesteading Beginners When You Work Outside the Home and Time is LimitedHello I know you are busy and overwhelmed as a beginning homesteader working outside the home, but I want to help you to get started with less stress so you can enjoy the process of building your own homestead! It can be exhausting thinking about all the things you want to do and could do, so I always suggest, start slow because there are so many things you can learn as you are trying to become somewhat self-sufficient! One of the simplest things you can do is plant some fr...2023-08-2804 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsPerfection and the Pursuit of Homesteading as a Busy Overwhelmed MomHello Let’s explore how the pursuit of perfection influences the homesteading lifestyle, and how the ideals of self-sufficiency and simplicity intersect with the human desire for perfection. Do you strive for perfection in various aspects of life? I think of how perfection may stall you in your pursuit of homesteading. Most things here on our little farm are not perfect…in fact I don’t know of anything that is, but if I was waiting for perfection, most things may not get done. Here is an example from this last week. We got 21 pigs 2 days afte...2023-08-2104 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsSimple Meal Planning is Important for Eating Healthy, Wasting Less Food, and Saving MoneyHello Again! This is so fun to be with you every day this week!!!! Remember, it is my Birthday week and I am going to give away 4- ½ hour coaching calls because it is the last year that my age will start with a 4!!!!!! I help women simplify areas of their life they are struggling with…..it might be motherhood, saving money, decluttering, cooking from scratch, or homesteading so you can reduce overwhelm. I like to keep everything simple and I love helping others do the same. All you have to do to enter the giveaway is give a ratin...2023-08-1505 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsBuilding a Homestead Takes Time and Everything Doesn’t Need to be Done Right Away So You Can Enjoy the JourneyHey There! I am so excited to be doing this podcast every day this week and I hope to give you many nuggets that you can put into practice. I am going to give away 4- ½ hour coaching calls because it is the last year that my age will start with a 4!!!!!! I don’t even think I have talked about my coaching on here, but I help women simplify areas of their life they are struggling with…..it might be motherhood, saving money, decluttering, cooking from scratch, or homesteading. You know me, I like to keep...2023-08-1405 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsSimple Living Means Slowing Down When You Need to Even When Homesteading So You Can Keep Your Priorities and Values in OrderHello! Thanks for all the love and reaching out while I was in the trenches of this move! I will say that this was one of the hardest moves we have ever made even though we only went 5 miles! I’m not sure if it is because we are 10 years older, if it is because we had alot more animals and things that go along with that when you have a homestead, or if it is because we had so much work to do on the house before we even moved in! We are still workin...2023-08-0703 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsHomesteading, Simple Living, Saving Money, and Frugal Living are Becoming More Popular and The Truth is That Living Intentional and Slow Living are so RewardingHey Friend! I just wanted to reflect on this simple living lifestyle and intentional living. I say slow living sometimes, but honestly, sometimes-or most times, it isn’t slow, but it is very intentional. I think slow living is not sitting in front of the tv, but spending time doing things you enjoy doing. I thrive on getting stuff done and learning all I can in so many different areas. There are just so many many techniques and skills and everything can be tailored to how you want to live. Do you want to become somewhat self-sufficient? I...2023-05-0513 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsDo You Want to Raise Chickens in Your Backyard? 5 Benefits of Having Your Own Chickens When You Are a Beginning HomesteaderHello! I am going to warn you right away…..we are talking about chickens and they can be an addiction! They are so fun to watch and I love having fresh eggs every day and I dont ever want to run out, so I like to get some new chicks each year and now we are up to about 24 chickens. Some are not laying daily, but they are so beautiful and they sure are good bug pickers, so I just can’t get rid of them! Before we get into todays episode, I want to remind y...2023-04-1704 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsWhy Would You Even Want to Homestead When You Didn’t Grow Up With it? Do You Want to Learn How to Preserve Food, Become More Self-Sufficient, Save Money and Reduce Expenses?Hey Friend! Never grew up homesteading, but you want to start? I grew up on a dairy farm, so that is where I get my work ethic, but I didn’t grow up with a garden, canning or making too many things from scratch! It wasn’t until after I was married and had a few young kids in my early 20’s when I even had any interest! Much of it came out of necessity at that time. I wanted to raise my own kids, so I had to find creative ways to save money and that is just w...2023-03-0605 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsAre You Listening to God or Are You Just Trying to Do Everything on Your Own? I Wrestled With God About Growing My Online Business With Social Media and He Made it ClearI am so glad you are here! I am going into this 2nd year of podcasting and I just want to say that I never in my life ever had a dream to podcast, I’m not a natural speaker, and I didn’t think I had anything to talk about, but God….. He had plans, and if you are listening, you must want to live a simpler life because the podcast has grown to the top 2.5% globally, so that is exciting! This podcast is All God! When I first started, it was be...2023-01-3106 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple Systems20 Simple Ways to Become More Sustainable and Eco Friendly in 2023Hello There are so many easy ways you can become more sustainable and many of them you can implement immediately and they are frugal as well! Just as we talked about homesteading last week and going slow to avoid overwhelm, I suggest you start making small daily changes and habits to start out with becoming more green or eco friendly as well so that you become more sustainable and envirnonmentally responsible. 1.Grow your own fruit and vegetable garden. Plant fruit trees Use non toxic weed killers and fertilizers Make a compost pile Only water ear...2023-01-3008 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsHave You Started Planning for Your Homestead Projects for This Year? If You Don’t Have This Done, You are Going to Want to Plan Soon so You Don’t Run Out of Time to Get Projects Done!Hey Friend! There are so many many things to do when you homestead, but with a plan, it will seem alot easier to get your projects around your homestead done. First, Make a master list of all the things you want to do in the future. This may be adding some animals, growing a garden or adding to it, building a shed, shelter or shed, fencing, getting a freeze dryer, putting in a wood boiler and the list goes on and one. This could be a very huge list that you can do over several yea...2023-01-2604 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsWhat Does Homesteading Mean and How Can You Begin to Homestead and Live a Simpler Life with Less Stress and Less OverwhelmWelcome Friend! I love love love to talk about all things natural, homemade, and living a simplified life, so today, I wanted to talk about what exactly homesteading is because there seems to be so many different ideas. Homesteading is a lifestyle of self-sufficiency, so homesteading life for each of us can be so very different, so now you know why people have so many different thoughts about it!! You can live in an apartment, city, or in the middle of nowhere and you can still homestead no matter what your situation is. You can li...2023-01-2305 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsHow to Process all the Potatoes from this Year’s Harvest. 4 Simple Ways to Preserve Potatoes to Last You for a Year!Welcome Friend! Because it froze last week, we have been working hard processing what could have potentially froze and now we are starting to dig our potatoes since they are underground and we didn’t have to worry about them freezing. Have you seen the price of potatoes in the grocery store lately? This should be the time of the year where they are quite cheap as we are harvesting them, but they have at least double in price in the last few months. It makes me curious what they will get up to in the wi...2022-10-1004 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsQuick Tip to Eliminate Fruit Flies When You are Harvesting and Preserving Your Garden and Have So Much Produce Around Your HomeHey Friend! Here is a very simple solution to eliminating the pesky fruit flies when you have so much produce sitting around while you are harvesting and preserving. I was out in the dark after a volleyball game for my kids last night trying to gather all the tomatoes as we had our first frost, so I have a ton of produce in my kitchen as I can only do so much at a time and those darn fruit flies seem to come into the house as well, so I just wanted to pass on this simple a...2022-09-3002 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsAre You a Mom Feeling Busier Than Ever? 3 Steps to Take to Simplify When You Feel Overwhelmed With So Much to DoHello Friend I had to take a few steps back and re evaluate all that I have been doing lately! I have so many irons in the fire and I was starting to feel like I was just barely staying above water this last month! I love to do so many things and have so many passions! Sometimes my body can not keep up with my mind as I am a visionary but I do know that I need my 8 hours of sleep and I can’t do all things even though in my mind I wou...2022-09-2706 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsDo You Want to Know How to Ripen Tomatoes Quickly Before it Freezes? Another Great Gardening Tip and a Failure I Had This Week to Help You!Hey Friend! What a fast week it was! I was very blessed to spend part of the week in Utah with some great friends! God has really surrounded me with the best Christian Women and I sometimes have to seriously hold back the tears when God reveals all that He is orchestrating. I have learned to be patient and wait on Him as He leads each and every step. I can only do what I am doing through Him and I truely give Him all the glory!!!!! This week I want to pass on another amaz...2022-09-2004 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsDoes the Thought of Starting Your Own Homestead Make You Anxious with All the Things That You Want to Do? Keeping it as Simple as Possible is Key for Busy Moms with Little TimeHey FriendStarting a homestead does not have to cause you anxiety and it should not be stressful! If it is a dream of yours to begin a homestead but you are not living in your ideal place, start right where you are at! It doesn’t matter if you live in an apartment or live on a city lot, you can start learning the skills so that someday when you find your perfect property, you can grow your own food and raise your own livestock, but you will already have some of the skills needed. I hear it all the t...2022-09-1205 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsAre You Feeling Overwhelmed with all the Stuff that Needs to be Done and the Kids Starting School? 2 Tips to Add More Peace in this Busy Season for the Whole FamilyHello! With the start of the new school year here in the United States, it seems like so many people are really scrambling to do all the things. Summer is winding down and now people have begun the shopping for school clothes and supplies, preparing for the homeschool year, and then adding new schedules such as sports and youth group, ect.~all the new activities the school year brings. Plus trying to get all of your produce harvested such as canning and freezing and it all can really be a very busy time. It all adds up a...2022-09-0505 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsAre You Thinking About Homeschooling Your Kids but You Never Wanted to Homeschool? Going From Public School to Homeschooling Starting in Middle School and Jr High and the Lessons We Learned.Hello Friend! If you are like me and never really wanted to homeschool, but knew it was the best for your kids, you are going to want to listen to this episode! We have only been homeschooling for 2 years and we started when our kids were 10 and 12 and even though it would be much easier to send them to public school, it has been so fun watching them blossom! It has not been an easy journey, but when we realized how much better it was for them, we made sacrifices and have learned all we c...2022-08-2210 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsSimple Way to Make Amazing Pickles Without a Pressure Cooker or Water Bath Canner That Anyone Can Make Using Your Cucumbers.Hello! I am so excited this time of the year. Harvesting so many different things from out garden and preserving as much as I can! Even with so much to do, it never seems like work! In this episode, I will teach you a very simple way to make your own pickles without a pressure cooker or a water bath canner. It is so simple that you probably won't ever buy pickles from the store again! The flavor is amazing! If you don't grow your own cucumbers, go to a local farmers market and try to pu...2022-08-1509 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsHow to Easily Keep Animals from Eating Your Flowers, Vegetables or Anything Coming up in Your Garden or In Your Yard. Simple Natural Solution to Deterring Pests Away from PlantsHey Friend! I thought you might enjoy this quick episode because I just found some mums recently that have been chewed on and I realized I need to do this again! I do have a fenced in vegetable garden, but I have several other areas on our property that have flower beds, pots, and the riverbank that has alot of flowers and this works wonders to keep the rabbits, deer and most animals away from. I learned this tip from a neighbor who I thought was a gardening goddess. She has gardened for many many year...2022-08-0104 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsBe Content Daily by Doing Something That Lights You Up! 3 Questions to Ask Yourself So You Can Choose How You Live Your LifeWelcome back to another week of Claiming Simplicity! One of my adult daughters reminded me recently that I don’t have to work as a nurse. She is totally correct because I was able build my businesses while I worked and we eliminated our debt. I now CHOOSE to work as a nurse on occasion because I love it and I don’t feel the pressure that I have to. I have the choice to work where I want and what I want to be doing. At some point when my businesses get too big to run i...2022-07-2507 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsHarvesting Worm Castings to Make Black Gold Fertilizer for Your Garden is SimpleHi Today I want to let you know how we harvest our worm castings, but First you will want to feed your worms in 1 corner a few weeks prior to harvesting so the worms go to 1 side. If some worms do get through, it is not a big deal. Having worms in your garden is great too! After all the worms are to one side, you can scoop out the worm castings from the other side. If you want to scoop them and put them into a pail and don’t have a screen...2022-07-1805 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsHow to Fight Inflation for Your Family with These 3 StepsHello Friend! I think it is more important than ever to try to fight inflation wherever we can with the quickly rising prices. I will give you three steps to make a difference in preparing for and helping your family with the inflation rates. Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Gardening, Homesteading & Holistic Home for Beginners Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/ Enjoy your week! Monica 2022-07-1104 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsWhy Would You Even Want to Grow Your Own Garden as a Busy Mom? 3 Reasons You Should Grow Your Own FoodHappy 4th of July!!!!!! In this podcast, you will learn the 3 reasons you should be growing your own garden even as a busy mom! Our garden is beginning to produce strawberries so far as we got a late start because of the weather here, but as I was thinking about how delicious fresh food from the garden is, I wanted to give you 3 benefit of it! Visit our Facebook group and get a garden tour when I get back from vacation!!! I would love to meet you! Nothing better than connecting with like minded friends ...2022-07-0406 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple Systems3 Steps to Determine Where Your Focus is so You Can Live in His AbundanceHello Friend! Sometimes we can easily get wrapped up into ourselves and some people even see being “busy” as luxurious even though they hurt others in the process. You may not even realize how much your actions affect others just because you are so self focused. I just want you to become aware of this so that you can live your best life because this life isn’t just about you. It can be hard to even notice because your life motto is "Me" is more. I have heard it called MEism and it is easy to see...2022-06-2704 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsHow to Make Your Own Worm Composting Bins and How to Feed the Worms so You Can Use Them for Your Garden for an Organic FertilizerHello Friend Are you ready to make some black gold? Today, I will tell you how to start your own worm bin at home and how and what to feed the worms so you can make your own organic fertilizer for your garden! Let me know if you start your own bin! Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Gardening, Homesteading & Holistic Home for Beginners Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/ Blessings! Monic...2022-06-2207 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsLearn About Vermicomposting and 3 Benefits to Making it for Your Garden.Hey Friend Have you ever heard of vermicomposting? It is an amazing way to repurpose waste and turn trash into nutrient-dense soil. In this episode, we will talk about what vermicomposting is, 3 benefits of it, and what kind of worms you will need. So you are wondering what vermicomposting is? Vermicomposting, is also known as worm composting, is the process of having worms eat natural material, such as vegetable and fruit peels, and then break it down through digestion. Once the scraps pass through their system, they excrete it in what's k...2022-06-1305 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsHaving an Abundant Life Even Through the Struggles and Hard TimesHello! You can live the most abundant life~the choice is yours!!! Life of abundance doesn’t mean that you have all the money you want or the perfect life-it means that you have peace that passes all understanding and you have a spiritfilled life. When you are in the midst of pain, you can still feel fully abundant in the Lord!!!!! Blessings! Monica Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Gardening, Homesteading & Holistic Home for Beginners Email -> claimingsimplicity@gmail.com Instagr...2022-06-0604 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsWhere Do You Begin When Planning to Homestead? First 3 Steps to Getting Started for BeginnersHello! If you ever thought about homesteading or wanted to learn about where to begin, this episode will give you a good idea how to get started and some of the things you can do to prepare. It can be a very simple process and the journey is so different for each of us! There are some who homestead that don't even have animals, so it is up to you! It is such a blessing to be able to give you this information. Reach out to me and let you know what you want to know...2022-05-2310 min

THE INTENTIONAL EDIT PODCAST - Simplify Life - Organization, Decluttering, Home Routines, Family SystemsEpisode 57 - How to Implement an EASY CLEANING ROUTINE in Every Home, with Special Guest Monica Baker of Claiming SimplicityKeeping the house clean and picked up can be overwhelming and difficult to manage. On this episode of The Intentional Edit Podcast we have a special guest, Monica Baker of Claiming Simplicity, sharing ideas on streamlining and implementing systems for an easy to follow cleaning routine in our homes. Connect with Monica Baker on her podcast - Claiming Simplicity - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/claiming-simplicity-simple-living-reduce-expenses-homesteading/id1593746902 Monica is also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/ Make sure you subscribe so that you never miss an episode of The In...2022-05-2022 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsWhat I Learned in the First Few Weeks of Having Baby Goats, A Must Know Tip if you Have Deer or Rabbits Eating Your Flowers or Vegetables, and an Update of the Social Media FastHello Friend! Thanks for being here! Today I want to let you know what I learned the first few weeks of owning baby Nigerian Dwarf Goats! It has been quite the learning curve! I also want to let you know of a simple little secret that I use to keep rabbits and deer out of my garden and from nibbling on my flowers! And Finally.....an update on my 8 week social media fast! Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Gardening, Homesteading & Self Sufficient Lifestyle for Beginners Email -> claimingsimplicity@g...2022-05-0909 min

Claiming Simplicity | Simple Life, Natural Living, Cooking from Scratch, Intentional Living, Save Money, Simple SystemsEXCITING NEWS! What is Happening With This Podcast and What the Future Looks Like!Hello! I can’t even tell you how excited I am to REALLY know the direction that God is leading me. As many of you probably know, I am very multi passionate & I love to do so many things! I absolutely enjoy being a nurse and the patients are amazing and being a helper is one of my gifts which I also find alot of value in at home being a wife, mom, and grandma! Working as needed at the clinic has been perfect for me, but honestly…..I am busier than ever at home! I am the type...2022-04-1804 min