| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| country roads |
Posted - Mar 02 2009 : 10:53:37 AM
YAY!!! This fall I WILL beat the gas company at there own game!!! Hubby and I went to Tractor Supply yesterday and bought a woodstove. It is more than big enough to heat our trailor. I just can't wait to get it all set up. It should cut our gas bill down to a quarter of what I pay now! That means more money in our pockets and not theirs. YAY, WE WON! WE WON!!! 
Take care, Melissa.
Farmgirl # 352
~Think happy thoughts~ |
| 22 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| shepherdgirl |
Posted - Mar 11 2009 : 8:25:00 PM
We live in the house that my husband grew up in. It has built in electric wall heaters in 4 rooms, but they are ANCIENT and were disconnected years ago. This old house has been heated with wood for who knows HOW many years! Since my husband was a boy, and he'll be 44 this Summer. (we actually have TWO wood stoves. One in our dining room (which will be used for another purpose one day soon, and one in the porch, which will become my Dining room! Once we get the upstairs rooms finished we'll have a THIRD) I don't worry much about chimney fires. My hubby cleans the chimney every year before we fire it up, and he's a volunteer fireman, so he's very careful about that sort of thing.
The only time I have a problem with the whole thing is when I have to load up wood and haul it to the house in the rain!!! I HATE that! (and sweeping up the wood chips and ashes every single day) But oh, the snap, crackle, and WARMTH of a wood fire.... ahhh.... there's nothing to compare it to. Not to mention, I LOVE the smell!!!
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. ~~ George Carlin |
| Room To Grow |
Posted - Mar 11 2009 : 7:44:49 PM
Sharon, My hot water heater is electric. So I dont have to use the propane for it.
Deborah
we have moved to our farm...and love it |
| simplyflowers |
Posted - Mar 04 2009 : 04:21:28 AM
I did like the woodstove I had at one time in my life. It was cozy and nice, but always MY responsibility. The guy I was with at that time [a looong 4+ yr relationship...] just never helped at all. And if I didn't throw another log on mid-night...oh was it cold in the morning... Have you even tryied to wake up a child when it was 45 degrees in the house. Other than that, it was a good thing to have.
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." -- Thomas Edison
Check out my blog!! http://bestcoupleintown.blogspot.com/ |
| Maryjane Lee |
Posted - Mar 03 2009 : 10:24:48 PM
What an awesome wood burning fireplace Melissa! Look at that fire glow!
Hugs,
Maryjane Lee
Farmgirl #44
Sisters on the Fly #595
http://thebeehivecottage.blogspot.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5202149
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| country roads |
Posted - Mar 03 2009 : 9:42:12 PM
Debbie, my hubby is always saying that one about mama not being happy, it always makes me laugh.
Sharon, we own our land so our wood will be free too.(YAY another way to save money!) We are having the front hill logged right now(not all of it) and the man that is cutting for us is going to skid the tree tops down to one of our food plots. Then we can cut it and haul it down to the house to be split and stacked. Hubby has banned me from using a chainsaw...and I just don't see that as a bad thing! :) I guess we've both become rather attached to me having all my extremities! LOL! I told him thats fine, I'll use the wood splitter and stack.
Take care, Melissa.
Farmgirl # 352
~Think happy thoughts~ |
| country roads |
Posted - Mar 03 2009 : 9:26:31 PM
I have had a little taste of what its like to have a woodstove. When hubby and I were first married(many years ago) we lived with my in-laws and I helped with the wood. Our hunting camp is heated with a woodstove. Also my FIL has had surgery the last 3 winters in a row and was told he couldn't lift anything heavier than five pounds. So til he was back on his feet again Brian and I kept the cellar well stocked with wood and the stove full. I enjoyed being outside, the fresh air and actually having a good reason to be tired. :) I have to admit I could have done without squashing my finger between a block of wood and the chute that goes into the cellar!!!
Take care, Melissa.
Farmgirl # 352
~Think happy thoughts~ |
| Calicogirl |
Posted - Mar 03 2009 : 4:09:25 PM
Deborah,
I found ours in the paper for about $800.00 and it is a Woodstock Soapstone that retails for about $1500.00
Something else I would recommend as money allows is investing in an On Demand Water Heater. Initial cost can be close to $1000. but it has cut our propane bill drastically, takes up less room and we never run out of hot water or have to wait :)
~Sharon
By His Grace, For His Glory |
| Room To Grow |
Posted - Mar 03 2009 : 3:16:19 PM
We are going to buy a woodstove for next yr if they go on sale...and even if they dont go on sale. I just about had a cow when we got a 200.00 electric bill last month. And we have a very small house. So Hubby said that was that and we are not going to pay that high of a bill again in the winter. When I lived in Maine (in my mid 20's). I had a woodstove. Sometimes we had to open windows because it got so hot in the house. Deborah
we have moved to our farm...and love it |
| Calicogirl |
Posted - Mar 03 2009 : 2:38:01 PM
I love using a woodstove!
Congratulations Melissa!
It has also saved us alot of money, especially since we can cut Cedar, Pinion, Aspen and Cottonwood for free :) I love helping my husband chop firewood and enjoy lugging it in the house (except when I am hurting :)) The only downfall for me is it sometimes gets too hot and I like to snuggle :) Oh, and the dust I could do without.
Enjoy!
~Sharon
By His Grace, For His Glory |
| Amie C. |
Posted - Mar 03 2009 : 12:43:25 PM
My husband grew up with a woodstove too, and fuel would have to get *extremely* expensive for him to go back to it. For one thing, by the time he was 25 his doctor told him he had the back of a 65 year old! And my back is just as bad (although it's hereditary for me) so neither one of us is in a position to be responsible for supplying the heat for our house.
Having never had a woodstove, though, it still sounds appealing to me... |
| harmonyfarm |
Posted - Mar 03 2009 : 12:12:39 PM
Melissa...warmest spot in the house...eh?
Well you know the old saying..."if mom ain't happy, then nobody's happy"...you enjoy your little spot...
I love quotes. Who was it that said, "Wood heat warms ya many times....cutting it, splitting it, lugging it and then burning it"?
"If you can't find the time to do it right...how will you find the time to do it over" |
| country roads |
Posted - Mar 02 2009 : 9:27:43 PM
My hubby grew up with only a woodstove for heat. I think that is why it took me so long to talk him into getting one for us. He is well aware of all the work in cutting, hauling, splitting and stacking and he doesn't find it as much of a novelty as I do. He is now looking forward to having the heat from it to, especially these last few days that have been so cold. It would be great to have it to sit by tonight, it's only 3* out there. BURRRRR! I don't think I would feel so positive about a woodstove if hubs hadn't grown up using one and knew all about them. I think if it was just me I would be afraid I'd burn the place down, and it being a trailor that wouldn't take long at all!
Now to get everything ready to move it into the living room. I'm getting rid of the couch,(no one sits on it anyhow) and I'll add another wood rocker, maybe two. Then we'll move the TV, gun cabinet, bookcase, stands and hubs recliner. My rocker will have the warmest spot in the house,YAY!!
We also have to put flooring down and the heat resistant wall for behind the woodstove. Oh my! So much work, but it will be sssoooo worth it!
Take care, Melissa.
Farmgirl # 352
~Think happy thoughts~ |
| lacisne88 |
Posted - Mar 02 2009 : 8:12:09 PM
That's great! We have a woodstove as well and when it heats up, it HEATS up!! Whew! They work very well.
Chelsey
Farmgirl Sister #283
http://farmgirlpleasures.blogspot.com/
http://aminiatureworld.blogspot.com/ |
| 5 acre Farmgirl |
Posted - Mar 02 2009 : 8:01:20 PM
We have heated with wood for 20 years....we LOVE it at first, then round about this time of year,,,YUK!!!!! We are tired of the wood and bark mess, but, we didnt use it until later this year and used electric,,,$400.00 heat bills, YUK!!!! back to wood....
Farmgirl Sister #368
BRAND NEW PAGE>>>>>
PLEASE go to....
http://blogonthefarmandgarden.blogspot.com
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| idcityrose |
Posted - Mar 02 2009 : 7:46:26 PM
Oh I would love one of those outdoor woodstoves that a few people around here have but I just have an indoor one. I don't have any other type of heating and my house is a 3 bedroom but the only time I feel the chill is when the temps dip to below 0. I do get tired of the wood mess but I sweep every other day. I have been lucky enough to get my wood from local guys who want to earn some extra dollars in the summer. I try to have all my wood in and stacked by July so I don't have to think about it again. I do have a woodshed that holds about 8 cord of wood and I use between 5 and 6 cord each year depending on the temps. It is a good workout and I work two blocks from my house so I can keep it fed and very seldom have to build a new fire from Nov - April. We have a local chimney sweep who I have come almost every month and clean out the stovepipe and that keeps me feeling safe. I really do wish, sometimes that I had another source of heat but I love my home and live in the forest so wood is practical and inexpensive.
We are never alone in the forest of Sisters! We "Mountain Farmgirls" are outstanding in our field! |
| Woodswoman |
Posted - Mar 02 2009 : 4:16:57 PM
I LOVE heating with wood. Cutting, splitting and stacking wood? I'd rather be doing that then going to a gym!!
I have a fireplace insert, and we pretty much just heat the whole house with wood. The oil heat only kicks on when we are away on vacation or something. It can be messy, but the place I used to live had hot forced air, which was worse-very dusty.
We've been using it for about 5 years-we only have the oil tank filled once a year. We clean it the chimney every year and have never had a chimney fire.
Enjoy!
Jennifer
Jennifer
Farmgirl Sister #104
"Nature brings to every time and season some beauties of its own".
-Charles Dickens |
| CountryBorn |
Posted - Mar 02 2009 : 2:04:03 PM
We have been heating with wood for about 35 years now. I love it. There is no other heat that is so warm. It can get messy, but I think any type of heat can get dusty. We barely use our oil furnace. Only when it gets warm enough like in the 50's and the wood heat is just too warm. I think you will love it.
MJ
There can be no happiness if the things we believe in are different from the things we do. Freya Stark |
| milkmaid |
Posted - Mar 02 2009 : 1:41:08 PM
This has been our first year heating with wood and I am so happy with it. We have a outdoor woodstove that blows the hot air into the house.. it is AWESOME I have been toasty warm in this old drafty house all winter. We have the wood on the property so it has been a HUGE money savings also. Last year it cost is about 1500 to heat the house and I was always chilly. This year so far it has been about 30o and sometimes we have to open the doors to cool it down in here!!
http://goodfarm.blogspot.com/
Mother to five awesome kids, wife of 17 years and milk maid to two beautiful cows. Living the good life!!! |
| harmonyfarm |
Posted - Mar 02 2009 : 12:37:11 PM
ok...hate to be a downer here but, heating with a woodstove is so glamorous in the beginning. We start heating around Halloween and shut it down at the end of April. Usually around the middle of February we are so tired of lugging firewood....but when the troops are hauling off all our neighbors during a power outage, we all stand at the window and wave goodbye. Just make sure you use a mixture of dry hardwoods and keep the temperature as high as you can, so you don't accumulate a bunch of creosote in your chimney. Nothing will ruin your day more than a chimney fire. We have one once in a while, but when my hubby put in our woodstove, the stovepipe went into an already existing brick chimney. He lined the chimney with a 6 inch clay tile liner and then filled the space between the bricks and the clay tile liner with sand. Makes me feel alot safer. And while he was at it he installed two chimneys, side-by-side, so if we ever do have a calamity where one chimney is made unuseable, then we take out a few bricks from the chimney and move the stovepipe and we are in business again...soooo...nothing actually beats a woodstove for heat and ambiance'. I wouldn't trade ours for anything!
Debbie
"If you can't find the time to do it right...how will you find the time to do it over" |
| crafter |
Posted - Mar 02 2009 : 11:33:04 AM
Good for you Melissa- I wish I could do the same in my home- any way to cut some living cost is a step in the right direction for me! Congrats!!
Lori
Have a Country Day |
| Ingrid |
Posted - Mar 02 2009 : 11:31:11 AM
We heat entirely by wood and have for years. We have the gas hooked up so only pay the minimal fee for just in case we are away. Saves huge dollars on heating.
Give thanks to yourself everyday for all the wonderful things you do! |
| melody |
Posted - Mar 02 2009 : 11:14:39 AM
Yippee! Good for you!!
This is our first winter with our wood stove....it can get a little messy, but we have cut our gas bill down to 1/3 of what it was last year 
Melody |
