Homesteading & self-sufficiency

I am researching what cell phone to buy.

I want two phones that will have good coverage, unlimited or big amount of internet usage, max. cost is 50 bucks a month max for each and no contract! I like the android phones. 

It is complex because each company has different cell phones that have different capabilities and different service areas.

I am looking at 5 different plans - net 10, virgin mobile, boost, straight talk and go. I can't do anything with that area covered by t mobile because in Washington the coverage is inadequate.

Does anyone have a clue how to figure out stuff like 30 mega bites down load? What the heck does that mean?

Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks

Dave
-->  The unaimed arrow never misses....
-->  If can, can. If cannot, cannot.
http://s154.photobucket.com/albums/s274/flintlock1/

So I plan to build a "pioneer style" cabin and intend to do everything extremely simple and old fashioned and some thoughts I have had are about disposal purposes. I know that food and green waste can be composted, but what about the out house? Living off the land is it ok to just dig a big hole and let it be or is it even possible to somehow compost that waste as well? What about burn barrels and ash from the fire pit? Is it ok to just spread it around?

With living off the land I want to make sure that I am having very little impact on the wildlife, and waste material is always a big concern.

Thanks in advance,

Joshua

Ok this from John Pence to me It way wash cloth free and off the grind no power.

Kinda cool i bet works just good use a machine

http://www.breathingwasher.com/7.html

I recently came across a "re-store" operated by Habitat for Humanity.  The building was filled with doors, windows, trim, appliances, paint, stains, sinks, fixtures and so forth.  Most of it was used but some was new items donated to help fund HfH.  They seem to have quite a few stores spread out across the country, you can check out a location http://www.habitat.org/env/restores.aspx

DocJ

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/zip/1885141757.html

A couple of months ago, I saw a description or reference I can no longer find on this site.  If anyone can steer me there again, I'd appreciate it.

A man has a large container of water in his basement, with a copper coil in it (IIRC), and that water will become ice.  The copper coil goes up and outside, and is connected to a heat exchanger/radiator mounted on the soffit above his garage door.  

When the outdoor temp drops to 20 degrees F outside, the refrigerant in the system condenses in the radiator and gravity takes it down to the basement, which is warmer.  The water/ice warms the refrigerant, and that vapor rises again to the outside heat exchanger.  When the outdoor temp rises, the refrigerant is all vapor and nothing more happens.

The ice block lasts until August.  When I read the description, the system had been operating 17 years.  It is an ingenious system, inexpensive, and couldn't be more simple.  Can anyone tell me where I saw that system documented?

Peter

I am trying to kill some ants (big red and black) with some home remedies because I don't want to put chems in my soil, but am fighting a losing battle.  I have some big ant hills on my land where I am building and want them gone.  So far I have used:

Quick grits (has homeny) - Killed only a few due to a small rain that came through but basically just fed the ants!  The red ones ate it but the black ones were not interested.

Instant grits - Just fattened up the ants!  Now they are well fed ants.  Again the reds went for it but the black ones didn't.

Borax mixed with sugar - Now they are clean and fat ants!  Well, it looked like it worked, but looks like I again had some mixed results.  Again the black ones were not interested.

Next up....Dietamaceus earth!  I am not so excited anymore about these solutions working.  I believe the black ants are of the carpenter ant variety so are more interested in wood than sugar.

Any other thoughts??

What is the first step to take towards building a green residence? Does it cost more than traditional buildings? Thanks.

Too many questions.

Went to PC's for college, and have been away from Macs for too long.  Where I'll be living I won't be able to get a connection (no, no phone either) so I was thinking:

1. Without spending too much money, what Mac laptop do I buy (G4?)

2. I plan to stop at (legal, without stealing) WiFi hot spots.  I'll only get online or my mail ad se updates every week or two.

3. Can I have free intenet access if I have a free e-mail account, and WiFi?

4.What do I need for a WiFi connection?

G'pa