For People who Like to Grow, Make, and Figure Things Out
Gardening, food, preparedness, recipes, quiet reflections, and old-fashioned know-how — shared weekly from our Wisconsin homestead. To subscribe, just enter your email in the sign-up form below.
Can’t see the sign-up form?
Some browsers and privacy settings block embedded forms. If that happens, you can comment below and I’ll add you manually.
What you’ll receive
- A weekend newsletter with new and seasonal posts
- Practical gardening, food, and preservation guidance
- Calm, realistic preparedness ideas
- Recipes, home remedies, and wild food knowledge
- Occasional updates on free classes, guides, or trusted partner offers
Free Subscriber Bonuses
- Common Sense Homesteading 101 Printable Guide
- Printable Garden Planner
- Bread Baking Troubleshooting Guide and Q&A
- and more
This newsletter is for you if you…
- Enjoy learning practical skills at your own pace
- Prefer real-world experience over quick fixes
- Want to be more capable without being extreme
- Like a calm, thoughtful approach to preparedness
- Appreciate occasional reflections from life on a working homestead
You don’t need land, livestock, or a perfect plan — just curiosity and a willingness to learn.
A Note about Common Sense Home
I’m Laurie Neverman, creator of Common Sense Home. Common Sense Home is run by our family from a small homestead in northeast Wisconsin. We grow and preserve much of our food, experiment with practical resilience projects, and share what works (and what doesn’t) along the way.
We’re not perfect, and we don’t do everything ourselves — but we believe in learning, adapting, and using sound judgment to build steadier lives. Along the way we’ve gone through job losses, economic upheaval, and the Great Toilet Paper Shortage of 2020. (More about us here.)
What Readers Say
“You make us readers feel like family, and you have solid advice because you and your family have paved the way for us to follow however it best fits our lives. I also love your recipes! ❤ Thank you for all you do.” – Krystal C.
“Your newsletters always feel like a note from a friend.” – Heather N.
“I like the sense of home and family and down to earth real living. You’re like my country cousin who teaches me the good ways.” – Roxyann B.
“I love the free guides. They are such a big help for me. All of the ones I have down loaded I have saved in my I-books. My husband and I have been slowly working on homesteading for the past four years and are planning a big move during this year. All of the information you share is awesome and I love it!!” – Nikki D.
If this sounds like a good fit, we’d be glad to have you along.
To subscribe, enter your email in the sign-up form above, or leave a comment below if you can’t see the form.
We send one main newsletter most weekends, with occasional extra emails when something feels especially useful. You can unsubscribe anytime.
— Laurie, Common Sense Home
Your very sweet and i appreciate that you are so helpful especially under all the time consuming demands glad to be apart of the crew.
Welcome Sheila.
I’ve baked bread for years, but learned so much more with the wonderful presentation. I would enjoy seeing more of Laurie, demonstrating additional food preparation skills.
Thank you very much.
Mary
Thank you for your kind words, Mary. I hope to make more time to do videos this winter, once our big building project is done and all of the garden (except the greenhouse) is sleeping. We’re tackling building a combination garden shed/coop this fall, and it’s turned into quite the project.
Alas, I too am one of the buttonless who wish to subscribe! Loved your presentation at the Mother Earth Homesteading Summit! Looking forward to the bread info and ebook link…thanks! Using Firefox, newest version….
Information entered – check your inbox, and welcome!
Laurie: I’m already subscribe to your news letter and I saw your presentation on the mother earth homesteading summit on bread baking, so I wondered if I can still get a copy of your “Bread Baking Troubleshooting Guide”. loved the presentation. thanks
I’ll be sending out the link to the bread making printable in tomorrow’s newsletter for all current subscribers.
I was wondering the same thing. Thanks for being ahead of the game.
I promise the newsletter will get out sometime today! Just running behind with other projects again. I need a clone!
Barb Herron again-I would love your e-book about bread making. Thanks!
I’ll be sending out the link to the bread making printable in tomorrow’s newsletter for all current subscribers.
Hi Laurie- I have been a subscriber and I must admit that I always read it. I feel like I know you from your posts. I have been baking bread for years, more so now that I am retired!! I am on the lookout for the bread pans that you use, bread sometimes burns a little on the bottom. I have always been the “odd one” in the group because I don’t use my dryer-I have maybe 10 times over the last 8 years. I love to hang out clothes, they smell so wonderful especially when it is cold!! Thanks for all the inspiration, yahoo!
If you know someone who sells Pampered Chef, their stoneware loaf pans are my absolute favorite.
I am already subscribed, but would like to receive the ebook.
Cathy, I’ll be sending out the bread info and ebook link to all subscribers in tomorrow’s newsletter.
Please add me to your email list.
thank you!
Information entered. Watch your inbox for a confirmation email.
Hi, These days I am home bound due ill health, so I am looking for new things to do here at home; looking to improve health awareness.
Welcome, Susie.
There wasn’t a subscribe box. I use Safari but I also have Chrome. Maybe Ill try on Chrome and see if there is a subscribe box. I love your site. Im a total amateur but Im enthusiastic and teachable! 🙂
Looks like you got it to work on Chrome. Welcome!
Hi Laurie. I’ve been enjoying the two newsletters I received since I subscribed on May 2. Somehow I must have missed the download directions for “Common Sense Homesteading 101” and would enjoy that as well. Please let me know how to do that. My parents gardened organically fifty years ago, and I have done so off and on since my family was young. Now that I’m retired I live in my parents’ old house with forty acres and want to do more. Thanks, Marilyn
THANKS
for your early reply I was just wondering the net to find some agriculture related articles for time pass and came across your wonderful website, I am encouraged by the history shared by you and about your husband. I have the similar story but lacking courage and waiting for the right time and miracle to happen. I am masters in agronomy and after serving in fertilizer company have lost my job in MAY 2015 and still in shock to recover from the disaster.
Your history gave me courage to write these lines and will provide me the energy to see the world differently.
Regards,
Atiq ur Rehman
no button to subscribe
Dena, I entered your information and your confirmation email should be on its way.
I love your newsletters and have been a member for a short time now and I was wondering if old members can still get your ebook Common Sense Homesteading 101. I would even be willing to pay for it. Thanks so much, Teresa
On its way!
I use Firefox. Please sign me on and send the link for your ebook. Thank you so much I am excited about all you say. Blessings and Thanks.
I just put in your info and your confirmation email with download link should be on its way! Welcome!
i subscribed and have not recieved the confirmation email or the link for the e-book as of yet.. Help please.
Are you sure you haven’t received it, because I just checked the email service and it says it was sent on May 30th and that you verified, and you’ve been opening newsletters – unless you’re sharing your account with someone? I’ll email you shortly with more info.
Using Firefox, so I guess there is still a problem. Please sign me on and send the link for your ebook. If it’s as good as your site, I don’t want to miss it. Thanks.
Gail, watch your email for a confirmation link.
I would love to have the ebook that is free to subscribers. I had already signed up and I can’t figure out how to get it. I saw on another post that it is a PDF…but I can’t find a link (if there is one…lol). Thanks!
There is a download link on the successful subscription page, and in the welcome email, but I’ve sent a copy to your inbox for your convenience.
Hi.
I would like to subscribe and receive your free e-book. My web browser is Opera on a windows 8 pc.
I have your information entered, so you should be receiving a confirmation email shortly.