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Homemade Ultralight Backpacking Water Filter

04.26.2012 by Matt Jabs //

This is a photo essay of the homemade ultralight backpacking water filter I use.

Use What You Need

Don’t waste your breath telling me this filter isn’t enough for me – or anyone else choosing to use it – and we won’t tell you your over compensating for water filtration.

It’s a free country so leave everyone to use the filter of their choice.

I’m not a water expert so only take my advice if you’re confident it will serve your needs.

Step 1

Get a 1 Micron Singed Polyester 7″ x 16″ Filter Bag Felt Biodiesel Sock Size 1, open the sock into a  flat piece of cloth, draw as many 8″ circles as you can (we fit four 8″ and one 7″), and cut them out.

Step 2

Fold them into quarters and glue the seam (I use a hot glue gun).

Step 3

Create a protective sleeve to store your filter.

These biodiesel socks will catch a lot of dirt and natural material when you lay them on the ground. To combat this I sewed fiberglass screen material to fit over the filter as protection.

You don’t have to make this cover, but it helps keep the outside of your filter clean.

Step 4

Put it all together and give a few to your cheapskate, ultralight backpacking friends!

Enjoy!

Save Money

Effective water filtration at a fraction of the price.

What are your money saving tips for ultralight backpacking?

*******

Resources

  • OA Guide to Water Purification on Princeton.edu
  • Guide to Drinking Water Treatment for Backcountry Use on CDC.gov
  • PDF version of Drinking Water Treatment Methods for Backcountry on CDC.gov

Categories // Simplify Tags // DIY, save

Beat The Odds and Save Money by Doing It Yourself

03.26.2011 by Matt Jabs //

So… we’re inundated with many thousands of advertisements every day.  Almost everywhere we go and everything we do involves ads… and it’s really hard to get away from it.

Here are just a few of the ads you will experience today:

  • Television ads in your living room.
  • Radio and billboard ads while driving.
  • Website ads while browsing the Internet.
  • Mobile ads while using your phone.

Alongside all these ads you will also see signage ads everywhere!  Store signs when driving down the road, placemat ads when dining out, packaging ads when shopping for anything, etc., etc., etc.

Despite what we may like to believe… these ads strongly effect not only the way we shop, but also the way we think!  Think about it… If this were not true, marketing would not be a multi-billion dollar industry.

Buying solutions

Let’s assume you want to start your own seeds for your garden this year.  How would you go about it?  What would be the first step you would take in finding a solution that delivers the results you’re looking for?  Chances are you would go to your local hardware and/or lawn and garden center looking to purchase a seed starting solution – and I’m sure you would find something that would help you start seeds.

But did you ever think to make your own solution using free and/or scrap materials?

The truth is, unless we force ourselves to think of creative solutions, we will always end up at the store paying more for a solution someone else created and marketed to us!

Creating solutions

If you haven’t already picked up on this, I like to stick-it-to-the-man whenever possible.  Sometimes that’s a blessing and other times it’s a curse!

Don’t worry… in this example it’s a blessing.  🙂

Consider the following seed starting solution that uses free materials found around the house or somewhere close by.

  • 3 bales of straw
  • 1 piece of plexiglass
  • Dirt

Arrange the 2 bales of straw horizontally against the south wall of your home.  Arrange the 3rd bale parallel to your home at the far end of the other bales creating a box.  Fill the box with dirt (only up to the foundation, do not pile dirt against your siding.)  Plant your seeds.  Put the plexiglass over the box.

You have just created a greenhouse to start your seeds in… for free.  Water it several times each day and enjoy the proceeds.

The challenge

The point is… stop automatically thinking you need to buy consumer solutions and force yourself to think creatively about alternative DIY solutions that save you money.

Next time you think you need to buy something I challenge you to think of how you can do it yourself.  Make sure to let us know what you did in the comments.  🙂

Here, I’ll start.  Instead of buying “stoppers” to go behind the tires of our pop-up camper I used pieces of wood instead.

For more reading on this topic I suggest the book Early Retirement Extreme by my friend Jacob Lund Fisker.

Other solid personal finance articles

  • One More Year Before Comfort
  • Do You Need a Financial Advisor?
  • 10 Ways To Make Money Writing Online – If you have read many articles on the internet in the last few years, then you may have heard this phrase: “Content is king.” With such demand for content, it logically follows that writers would be in demand as well!
  • Interactive Brokers Discount Brokerage Review
  • Finding Health Insurance When You Are Self-Employed
  • Market Corrections: Do You Buy, Sell or Ignore? (I ignore!)
  • How Much Control Should The Government Have? (I say Less!)
  • What Happens If Your Broker Goes Out of Business? – Ever wonder what happens if your stock broker fails? Well, here’s the answer.
  • How to Become An Independent Contractor – If you’re having trouble finding work, you can actually launch your own business by becoming an independent contractor and find work faster – here’s how and why.
  • What You Need to Know About the Standard Tax Deduction
  • When Should I Take Social Security Benefits?
  • Extension to File Taxes vs. Amended Tax Return
  • Amazon Mom Review – Free Amazon Prime As Well As Discounts
  • How to Save Money with Your Mortgage
  • How to Lower Your Mortgage Payments – There are three good ways to lower your mortgage – refinance, challenge your taxes, or reduce your insurance expenses.
  • How Much Money Do You Have to Make to File a Tax Return? – Do you really have to file taxes if your income is low?
  • Nuances of Completing Your College Savings Application Correctly – Here’s the steps you need to know to fill out your college savings application correctly.

Categories // Money Management, Rally, Simplify Tags // DIY, Rally, Reduce Expenses

Where Are the DIY Product Posts – Stacy Answered

01.18.2010 by Matt Jabs //

In case you haven’t heard, I am offering free debt help.

Visit the Ask Matt Jabs page and fill in the form to ask your question… for free!

Where are all the homemade posts?

DFA reader Stacy asked:

I can’t find the “homemade” section to learn how to make homemade dishwasher detergent. I love the homemade laundry detergent I learned how to make from your site. Is all of that still on here w/ the new look?

How can I find the “homemade” stuff on here?

Personal finance vs. homemade DIY natural info

Hi Stacy!

Thanks for reaching out and thank you so much for all the encouragement you gave in your recent comment.  I absolutely love writing about personal finance, love writing about the Lord, and love helping people navigate the waters of modern personal finance.

I actually moved all my homemade posts to a different domain to make it easier for everyone to find, and to separate the two differing topics of homemade DIY Natural products and personal finance.  I know that it seems that they go together, but regarding Internet search traffic, advertising, and reader navigation… it makes more sense to move them to their own location.  The new domain is diyNatural.com

Thank you for bringing this up and reminding me to update everyone!

What do you think?

Are you happy that I separated the topics to make it easier to navigate each?

If you need debt help or personal finance advice – Ask Matt Jabs.

*Disclaimer*
We accept no liability whatsoever for any loss or damage of any kind arising out of the use of all or any part of this material. Our comments are an expression of opinion. While we believe our statements to be true, they always depend on the reliability of our own credible sources. Any advice taken from this site does not in any way establish a client/advisor relationship.  We always recommend that you consult with a licensed, qualified professional before making any financial or investment decisions.

Categories // Homemade Tags // Advice, DIY, Homemade

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