How do you keep track?
 

We've been in our new little homestead for 3 weeks now:sing:

As we've been improving things and making plans for the future, I thought I should find out how others keep track of what, when, how much, etc. So there are records of what works, what doesn't, what grew here this year, all the week to week operations that would be important to know.

Do you use a computer program, is there a website that is organized with this kind of information? Or do you just use a journal (blog, paper, etc). Someone had posted a neat little journal for timelines for planting and I wondered if there was something already out there so I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel.

I'd love your input!

Rickki

We have a calender with a 2 1/2 " square for each day. At the end of each day we write the important things that happened that day in the square. Life is too complicated, I like the simplicity of this system.

My Eight year old grandson spent a couple days with us last week, and the first night he asked "grandpa what are we going to do tomorrow?". I started off telling him about six or seven things we would do and said "shouldn't we be writing a list?". I replied, you should never put a job list in writing, if jobs are in writing you are more committed to do them. We might get up tomorrow and feel like doing something else and we might not feel like doing anything.

"O"

English Oliver, I sure do like the way you think :)............... the simple way of life, Bravo!

"I replied, you should never put a job list in writing, if jobs are in writing you are more committed to do them. We might get up tomorrow and feel like doing something else and we might not feel like doing anything."

My computer doesn't have enough gigabytes to run a program that will compute all the curve balls that homesteading throws at you. Only your brain and common sense can do that.

"O"

http://myfolia.com/ a site for keeping track of all your gardening, asking questions, much like this site.

I just used a standard spiral notebook, and would jot down notes journal style. Could cover any topics at once, and it is nice to go back over and read about years' past. I forgot half of the stuff we've done over time!

And also to go back and read what you were so worried about and how you were going to fix/avoid it. Then to think that most of those things never became a problem.

I have a home office, complete with 'bill paying and planning' desk, and a separate computer desk--and of course, files, reference books, etc, etc. But I use a large yellow pad for planning out the big picture job list, and use small ones for grocery lists and shopping trips. All the appointments, birthdays, and important dates and stuff go on a calendar(always the John Penrod Michigan engagement calendar) right in front of me. Once in awhile I set up an Excel spreadsheet to track something--like gas bills and electric bills. The large yellow pad gets added to, revised, rewritten, and it's always so much fun to cross off one of the jobs as they get done.

I bring my first morning cup of coffee in here six days a week to start off the day. I am on a "one chapter a day" Bible reading kick right now with a new version I'm trying to get familiar with, then the computer goes on and I check the weather radar and, of course, Homesteading Today. Then I can pay bills, make lists, check out the catalogs, and plan, plan, plan.

I've done this routine nearly all my life in some form or another, ever since my Dad got me a little tiny roll top desk when I was about eight years old......

We are moving to our new place tomorrow and I am not sure where to even start the work as so much to do and want done. Not sure if a program would help or not.

Before we went totally non electric, I printed out a spreadsheet for food usage. Every time we cooked a meal, I marked what we used on the spreadsheet. This gave me an idea of what we ate for a year and how much. It was not an exact, but it gave me a good idea of how much I needed to put into the root cellar to get us through until garden time next year, as well as how much meat we need before deer season begins.

A journal is great as well. I have access to the internet at work. I have kept an online journal for over a year. It has been nice to go back and read through the struggles....and know that we can make it and will make it. If you don't have access to doing an online journal through a website, or a blog on a forum, or something like Livejournal, MySpace or something, then get yourself some notebook paper and a binder. Keeping a hand written journal is a wonderful thing. I cannot tell you how many time I have pulled mine out and read back through the struggles, the first weeks of going non electric, the laugher.....and even the tears we shared on this journey. Besides being a record for you, think about your grandkids and on down the line. My granddaughter loves to read through the pages of the journal and I just think some day, her grandchildren will be sitting somewhere some day reading those pages about their ancestors.

Uh...we're supposed to be keeping track?

:bow::bow::bow:

You guys are amazing. My list looks like Oliver's.....

Ditto!

Another Ditto!

After a while, things on your homestead will become routine. You'll learn what the planting times are in your area. You'll learn how many rows of green beans to plant to can each year.

Journals, to look back, are good. With today's digital cameras, include pictures in your journals.

To-Do lists are important, especially in the beginning. Keep several lists going, and update them, as needed. Goats, heating/firewood, canning, pantry, garden, or whatever is applicable. Saves a lot of trips to town, as you review your lists to see if it's time to pick up x y and z.

Over the long run, IMHO, the best thing to do is to build a reference library. This can be a combination of books, magazines, file folders, and materials you've printed out from the Internet. Don't rely on the internet. Your computer can fail. The power can go out. Your favorite on-line web site can go down. They can update the site and delete things that are important to you. Had that to happen recently to one of my favorite reference sites. Now I regret not printing out everything they had in one section. (sigh)

By building your library, it's easy to pull out the applicable information when you need it. Don't really need a tracking system. Just grab the book/folder/notebook on gardening or canning or rabbits, or candles, etc.

Lee

I keep to-do lists sorted by what kind of day they require. My rainy-day list, my sunny-day list, my drive-up-to-Tukwila list, etc.

Once something is done it goes in my journal on the computer. That way if I have a question years down the road I can search for a relevant word and pull up everything related.

I can't stress enough the importance of keeping backups, whether your records are electronic or on paper. I send my journal entries via email to two good friends, so if need be I can reconstruct them the hard way, as well as keeping an on-site electronic backup.

My parents did not have an off-site backup and lost all their records (and photographs, etc) in a house fire last year.

i am a big journaler..and I've found that the journals that i keep are good sources to go back to and glean knowledge from.

i keep a daily diary type journal of personal things as well as weather..etc.

i also keep several garden/yard/house journals..

one of my garden journals ..i take the magazine clippings or seed packets or tags of things i buy for the gardens and yard and put them into the journal and write down all the information for caring for, pruning, fertilizing, etc..that i can for that particular plant..write when i plant it, what it does..if it does well, if it dies..etc..

I also keep a garden map journal that has lots of information of what i have done and what i want to do, has sketches of where things are planted and when i divide or move a plant or put in a new plant, it goes on a sketch in that journal..if i have plans for future plantings, i write notes in that journal.

i also keep a spiral bound to do book, in the front it is sectioned off for things iniside, outside, yearly, monthly, etc..important, non important..prioritized..i cross off things that are finished.

when ever i think of something or see something that needs done i can't do right away i jot it down..(just like you would a shopping list)

i buy those spiral bound notebooks when they are 10c in the back to school sales..along with a few other things..like glue sticks and pens..

they make a great cheap way to keep track of things.

it is easier for me to pull them out and walk around with them, then to turn on the computer.

i have notes from back in 1971 when we bought the house

I think keeping a journal of some sort is very important... especially for gardening and breeding of livestock. The method must has to work for you... I don't think there's any one right or wrong method.

We use calendars and I have a computer based journaling program I use to keep track of livestock breeding.

We also take lots of photos and use iPhoto on the Mac to organize the photos. Because our digital camera date-codes all photos we have a running photo-journal of projects from around the homestead. I've been surprised to find how often I use my photo library to determine "when did we plant this?" or "where exactly is that water line running?" It's all right there and visually indexed... making it very easy to find specific info... or at least narrow in on a time frame.

One way or another... the more documentation the better.

I keep records of livestock feet trimming, breeding etc as well as the medical records and animal movement records we have to keep for the government (Don't you have to do that? -lucky things if not!)
I have several card index boxes which I find really useful for crops - seed types, date of planting, date of germination etc. If I ever lost those boxes......!

Projects
 

As far as projects go. we have a large ( from the top of the closet door to the bottom) on going list. Each week or so we pick something and work on it until it is done. DH gets to mark it off, it makes him feel so good. If we are short on money we pick a job that is just hard work. if we have money we go to the store get what we will need and get to. Vickie

I have a calender for my garden and a separate sheet for additional information.

The calender will list super souix tomato planted: the additional sheet will say that super souix tomatos are indeterminate and from wintersown seeds. I can see at a glance what has been planted, but if I need more info I have that also.

I can put "Fertilized squash" on the calender, and if I need to know what I used it is on the paper. So, I can see at a glance which veggies have and have not been fertilized.

Etc.

Most ranchers I know (including mine) have a calf record book of some kind (the linked one is most popular) that they keep in their left breast-pocket.
In it goes not only calving info, pasture rotation and notes, herd health, address/phone info, and notes.
Starting around Christmas, every vet has some that they'll either give you, or sell you.

DH totes around the current one in his pocket, but the past few years' are always somewhere readily accessible like his glove box, or the drawer in the kitchen. He refers back often.

I would think there's probably something similar for farmers, but I don't know too many farmers so wouldn't know where to get one.

I have friends that spend so much time planning and making lists they don't get any work done. What I have found when I make plans is that mother nature or some of the stock have a different idea than I did and my plans go down the tube.

"O"

I make a detailed drawing of my garden every year. In fact, I have been known to spend most of the winter planning the garden. I even used a drafting-designing program to draw it all up to scale! I have it laid out on paper so perfectly. Then, planting time comes and oops! Where is that list? Oops! I have three more tomatoes- I will just squeeze them in here....

That listy thing just really seems to work for some, but for me - it is a form of procrastination. I revere those that make them and follow them. DH thinks I am so organized that I am scary......compared to him anyway. LOL!!!

I have a dayplanner program (a&b shareware from long ago) and I put important things on an annual reminder 'first frost 2003' etc. I make a list of things to do when I think of them and then if I keep putting it of for months or days I finally delete it or move it to a few months or weeks out. The program lets me pull up things alphabetically- 'done' or in future- so I can pull up all 'rain.. to see how much I've gotten when by using rain as the first word every time. Also 'storage... lists stuff FLyLady or whoever said to list of stuff put away- though I also have them pop up every 3 months or for seasonal stuff at start of those seasons eg 'girls 12 yo clothes E attic' when DD will be 10-11 and 'snowboots and down coats guest room closet' every November. I've kept this for a decade or more (lucky it still works I guess- remember Lotusworks? Really bugged me to go from that to excel.) Love reading 'first snowdrops 2003' and missing that place and time (no snowdrops grow here though I'm gonna try as usual)

Speaking of Excel I haven't kept up with garden planner or even family tree software but have put my garden I mean yard on a spread sheet where I modified the cell size to square and call each one one yard. Have a long diagonal line reading n- o- r- t- h- b-o-r-d-e-r- c-h-a-i-n -l-i-n-k etc. Just this past 3 years, before that used graph paper pads that would get lost. Then I have the trees and shrubs and garden beds plotted out with cultivars year planted etc. And change color to grey if it dies... Need to put my new 'antique rose emporium' purchases on the map.

For a while was good and did each square foot of planting beds but don't bother anymore.

I don't use anything to keep track of anything. Usually if something fails bad enough it'll stick out in my brain enough where I won't do it again. Like trying to plow the field when there is standing water out in the field :rolleyes: Or using a 2wd pickup truck to pull stumps (got a nice twist in the bumper from that one). Usually this works for me unless it isn't something I failed hard enough at. Then I am usually doomed for a couple more repeats :mad: But by then I'll remember it for good :D Usually things never go to plan and most things happen when they want to and not when you want to. Murphy's law is especially applicable to homesteading I have found. Best to figure out what you want to do for the day and figure you'll only get half of it done.

When I started raising my bait worms I began using my free extension service money and farm management calender as a log. If I need more data space than the 1 inch square block, I use a black marble 100 page sewn spine notebook I buy at the dollar tree and notate the notebook page and topic on the calender.

At the end of the year the calender and the notebook get put away for future reference if I need it.

I found that I work best using the KISS method.

One calendar for gardening, (I also have a spiral notebook for in depth gardening stuff that I only use periodically) another for everything else. It's on the refrigerator & is so simple to jot the weather, animal shots, feed costs, etc. down.

PS: Homesteading Today calendars are inspiring! :bouncy: Everyone here needs one, especially in light of all Chuck is doing for us to keep this a free site.

Journals are for those who have time to write. Logs are for those who want to be exact. Calendars are for those who don't know what day it is.(somewhat).
Nature will take it's course without any of the above, I guarantee it. God is in charge anyway.

I have a huge 3-ring binder divided into 12 sections, one for each month. So, the first section is Jan of 02, Jan of 03, Jan of 04 etc. That way I can compare what I did from one year to the next. I don't write in it every day, like a journal. I only write when something happens that I need to remember, like vaccinations and worm medicine, how much I spent on new chicks or when the cow comes into heat. I keep my seed orders in it, how many jars of green beans I put up and whether it was enough...that sort of thing.

I use my Homesteading Today calendar to write things on...I don't write enough, but I do ok :)