Ditch The Store

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 there myself.

Today's task is growing fruit, veg, or herbs — even if that's just one pot of parsley on a veranda, like mine (wild rabbits mean my herb garden lives in pots until it's established).

I'll also explain what Skool actually is for anyone who's heard me mention it but hasn't looked it up, and why picking ONE small thing per category — not five big ones — is the whole point of this challenge.

🔗 Join the free 5-Day Challenge community on Skool (videos stay live even after the official run): https://www.skool.com/ditch-the-store-6174/about

🔗 Follow: Ditch the Store on Facebook & Instagram

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mojohomestead

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mojohomestead/

Website: https://www.mojohomestead.net

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 loaves of homemade bread — twenty in, some of them genuinely rock hard — and why that didn't stop me.

Today's task is pantry staples: bread, ketchup, mayo, BBQ sauce, stock — the everyday stuff quietly padding out your grocery bill. I'll also tell you about a poster that changed how I think about mistakes, and why I want to see your wins AND your flops posted in the Skool community.

🔗 Join the free 5-Day Challenge community on Skool: https://www.skool.com/ditch-the-store-6174/about

🔗 Follow:

Ditch the Store on Facebook & Instagram

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mojohomestead

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mojohomestead/

Website: https://www.mojohomestead.net

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 staple, a fruit/veg/herb, a protein, and a cleaning product — that genuinely irks you to buy. I'll share mine (spoiler: sourdough bread nearly broke me) and why writing this down matters more than you'd think.

Whether you're on a 120-acre property or in an apartment with a windowsill, there's a version of this you can do today.

🔗 Join the free 5-Day Challenge community on Skool

🔗 Follow: Ditch the Store on Facebook & Instagram

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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's new digs, prepping the property for snake season, and a first look at the 5-Day Ditch The Store Challenge starting September 14.

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Denise Duffield-Thomas — Money Boot Camp - https://www.denisedt.com/

The Barefoot Investor (book, plus the kids' edition) - https://link.amazon/B07tStfrH

Join the free Ditch The Store community on Skool — https://www.skool.com/ditch-the-store-6174/about

5-Day Ditch The Store Challenge: September 14–18, hosted inside the Skool community

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. This week I pull apart the excuses I hear all the time (not enough land, not enough time, I'll mess it up, I'll start when things settle down), why none of them hold up, and what starting small and imperfectly actually looks like.Plus a farm update, big news on my second book, and a first look at the 5-Day Ditch The Store Challenge running September 14–18.

RESOURCES MENTIONEDJoin the free Ditch The Store community on Skool — https://www.skool.com/ditch-the-store-6174/about5-Day Ditch The Store Challenge: September 14–18, hosted inside the Skool communityEggs Without Cartons: The Step-by-Step Guide to Raising Chickens for Eggs — live now on KDP https://link.amazon/B038oHMhc or https://link.amazon/B00elw2LrFrom Brooder to Plate — my first book, on raising chickens for meat https://link.amazon/B0fejzIlkThe Barefoot Investor — mentioned as a starting point for practical money guidance - https://link.amazon/B05l8gkTE

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 — plus a quick farm update and an honest look at why this book took as long as it did to write.

Grab it this weekend on Kindle at a discounted price, and if you read it, please leave a review — it's the single biggest thing that helps people find it.

📖 Books: [LINKS BELOW]🔗 Follow: Ditch the Store on Facebook & Instagram [LINKS BELOW]

Eggs Without Cartons (Kindle): https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0HGG6XKZGFrom Brooder to Plate (USA & Kindle): https://amzn.to/44yQr2LFrom Brooder to Plate (Aussie): https://amzn.to/4eTcGnwFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/mojohomesteadInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mojohomestead/Website / email list: https://www.mojohomestead.net

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 The Store Challenge.

Plus a farm update: our new Anglo Nubian buckling Loki, fencing progress, and why I'm finally getting back into the beehives after a year off.

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Eden Seeds (Australian seed supplier) https://www.edenseeds.com.au

Brooded or Plated — my book on raising your own meat chickens

Brooder to Plate - USA and Kindle https://amzn.to/44yQr2L

Brooder to Plate - Aussie version https://amzn.to/4eTcGnw

Mojo Homestead on social media — follow for photos and videos of Loki @mojohomestead

Take the Ditch The Store quiz and join the mailing list: www.ditchthestore.com/dtsscore

#DitchTheStore #Homesteading #SpringGarden #GrowYourOwn #Homestead #Self Sufficient Living #AustralianGarden #FoodBudget

Thanks for watching — see you next week for episode 177.

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 months, garden prep, and Loki the buckling melting hearts
• The exact 5 punnets I'm buying at Bunnings this year, and why
• The real dollar-for-dollar maths on seedlings vs. supermarket prices
• Why "don't buy crops you don't eat" is the golden rule of getting a good return
• What you still need to budget for: water, soil health, and sunlight
• This week's challenge: plan your own $25 garden

$25 Seedling Maths

Five punnets from Bunnings, total cost $24.08 — here's what came out of the ground:

Seedling Cost App. Yield S/market Return

Iceberg lettuce $4.85 ~6 lettuces $3.50 each = $21.00 ~4x

Cherry tomatoes $4.85~3kg p/plant x6 $29.50/kg = $531 ~110x

Spring onions $4.85 ~12 bunches $3.00/bunch = $36.00 ~7x

Baby spinach $4.85 ~200g $49.00/kg = $9.80 ~2x

Parsley $4.68 ~9 bunches $4.50/bunch = $40.50 ~9x

Total spent: $24.08 → Total value: $254.80

That's not a one-off harvest either — tomatoes, spinach, and parsley in particular keep producing for months, so this isn't a "pick it all at once" return. It's ongoing.

The Golden Rule

Don't buy seedlings for crops your family won't actually eat.

Grow what replaces your regular supermarket purchases — for us that's lettuce, tomatoes, spring onions, baby spinach, and parsley, because they're things we'd otherwise be buying (and often wasting) every week.

Don't Forget

• Water — hand water if you're not getting regular rain
• Soil health — dig in your compost now, ahead of planting
• Sunlight — make sure your bed gets good light through the day
• Frost protection — cover seedlings on cold nights, mulch around the base

This Weeks Challenge

Start planning your own five punnets now for September planting:

1. Pick five crops your family will actually eat
2. Check prices on the Bunnings website
3. Prep the garden bed (and any frames you'll need for climbers)
4. Track what it costs you vs. what you'd have spent at the supermarket over summer

Links

Take the free Ditch the Store Score quiz: www.ditchthestore.com/dtsscore

Enjoyed this episode? Share your "store swap" pick — lettuce, baby spinach, spring onions, or parsley — and tag me on social media.

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 share a farm update, explain why some plants don't play by the same rules, and walk you through how I store my own seeds so they're ready for next season.

In This Episode

• Why I stopped buying as many seed packets each year
• How seed saving helps you become more self-sufficient
• Choosing the best plants to collect seeds from
• Heirloom vs hybrid seeds explained simply
• The easiest vegetables to save seeds from
• How to save seeds from:
• The biggest mistakes beginners make when storing seeds
• Which plants don't grow true from saved seed
• Why pumpkins, zucchini and cucumbers can surprise you next season
• This week's Worth Spending Money On
• This Week's Store Swap
• This Week's Challenge
• Take the FREE Ditch the Store Score

Saving seeds won't make you completely self-sufficient overnight, but it's one less thing you'll need to buy next season. It's a simple habit that can save money, build resilience and help your garden become more self-sustaining year after year.

Resources

🌱 Take the FREE Ditch the Store Score:
https://www.ditchthestore.com/dtsscore

📲 Follow along on social media:
@mojohomestead

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review and share it with someone who's ready to grow more and rely a little less on the supermarket.

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 expensive cycle to break, and the simple things you can start doing now to build a garden that produces more while relying less on fertilisers and other bought products.

I'll also share a farm update, introduce our newest Anglo Nubian buckling, Loki, and chat about what we're doing around the property as we get ready for spring.

In this episode:

• Meet Loki, the newest (and noisiest!) member of the farm

• Why poor soil costs you more than you realise
• The fertiliser treadmill and how to avoid it
• Why healthy soil grows healthier plants
• What nature can teach us about building fertile soil
• Five practical ways to improve your soil naturally
• The pros and cons of different animal manures
• What green manure crops are and why they're worth trying
• A simple explanation of crop rotation
• This week's Worth Spending Money On
• This Week's Store Swap
• This Week's Challenge
• Take the FREE Ditch the Store Score

Whether you're just starting your first veggie patch or looking to improve the one you've already got, this episode will help you build healthier soil, grow stronger plants and spend less at the garden centre over time.

🌱 Take the FREE Ditch the Store Score:
https://www.ditchthestore.com/dtsscore

📲 Follow along on social media:
@mojohomestead

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review and share it with someone who's ready to rely a little less on the supermarket.