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Nifty Thrifty:  How does your Family save?  |
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doglady
True Blue Farmgirl
435 Posts
Tina
Howard
Ohio
USA
435 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 04 2009 : 08:42:30 AM
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Hi Everyone,
I just found this website and thought you might like to check it out. I was looking for things to make for my Christmas bags. It seems to have a ton of information on it. It is:
http://www.budget101.com/
Enjoy! Tina
You can tell your dog all of your secrets and they'll never say a word!
www.kennelcreations.com |
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nubidane
True Blue Farmgirl
2916 Posts
Lisa
Georgetown
OH
2916 Posts |
Posted - Nov 04 2009 : 11:32:45 AM
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Beverly
The outside of the store(or outside aisles) are where the produce, dairy and meat are. All the rest are the "junk" or only every once in a while (like olive oil, vinegar etc) aisles.
Chandra
Love Dave Ramsey. I have been baby stepping here for quite a while, almost done with step 3.
& Hackett
If you pressure cook that chicken long enough, you can even mash up the bones which have some decent nutrients as well(like the marrow) I used to do that when I only had a few dogs, but don't anymore. Probably should start again. Anyway, it makes it easier not to have to de-bone the whole mess. I learned that from the lady I got my Danes from. She had a crew of them & used to go to the butcher every day, get chicken parts & pressure cook them for a few hours, mash it up & give with their food. & her Danes were gorgeous! |
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N@n
True Blue Farmgirl
223 Posts
Hackett
Arkansas
USA
223 Posts |
Posted - Nov 05 2009 : 05:41:56 AM
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Lisa, Do you have any idea how long to pressure cook the chicken in order to be able to mash up the bones to go with the feed? We do have a ton of chicken bones each month!!!!Thanks for the tip.
Nancy in Hackett, Ar
keep searchin'-it's out there somewhere. |
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nubidane
True Blue Farmgirl
2916 Posts
Lisa
Georgetown
OH
2916 Posts |
Posted - Nov 05 2009 : 07:30:48 AM
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Hackett
It is kind of trial and error. I would try 2 hours & you may find that the biggest bones don't totally mash up & then you can up it the next time. It's amazing how that pressure cooker will pulverize the bones though. I have even done turkey bones that way. Good luck! |
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N@n
True Blue Farmgirl
223 Posts
Hackett
Arkansas
USA
223 Posts |
Posted - Nov 05 2009 : 08:54:27 AM
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Thanks Lisa, I have some on now and amazingly I had set the timer for two hours. Will see how it comes out-only twenty more minutes to go!
keep searchin'-it's out there somewhere. |
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nubidane
True Blue Farmgirl
2916 Posts
Lisa
Georgetown
OH
2916 Posts |
Posted - Nov 05 2009 : 10:05:47 AM
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| Let me know what you think! I thought that was the coolest thing ever when I 1st discovered it! |
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N@n
True Blue Farmgirl
223 Posts
Hackett
Arkansas
USA
223 Posts |
Posted - Nov 05 2009 : 8:57:53 PM
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Lisa, It worked out awesomely. The bones do indeed just crumble. Gotta be good for the dogs and WOW What a time and work saver for me. Thanks sooooooo Much I appreciate the help.
Nancy in Ar.
keep searchin'-it's out there somewhere. |
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nubidane
True Blue Farmgirl
2916 Posts
Lisa
Georgetown
OH
2916 Posts |
Posted - Nov 06 2009 : 1:06:34 PM
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You are so welcome. It really does save a lot of time, plus having to mess with those icky bones.
Hope the doggies like it too! |
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mikesgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
3659 Posts
Sherri
Elma
WA
USA
3659 Posts |
Posted - Nov 11 2009 : 09:00:47 AM
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After reading Linda Cockburn's "Living the Good Life" about she and her family going on a 6 month money fast, we decided to try a shortened version of it. Mike is starting on his fourth month of no-job, so we can greatly benefit from this. We are starting with a 10 day fast, then evaluating it, then our plan is to move onto a 15 day fast, using what we learned fromt he first ten days. Hopefully we will be able to keep extending the period of time each time we restart. We are just two days in, but so far, so good!
Farmgirl Sister #98
Visit my online store at:
http://www.shopthefrontier.com/VFstore/index.php?manufacturers_id=79&osCsid=6be4b25bf9555031c6e2e86bbde23dba |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Nov 11 2009 : 10:11:43 AM
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Beverly- Sorry I didn't respond earlier- Yes I just shop around the outside of the store aisles. The produce is to the right so I snag fresh produce, breeze right past the bakery/deli section, then I pick up raw meats as needed, might dart into the cereal aisle for some whole oats and some whole grain wheat cereals, then back to the outside for cheese and some milk.
Then I will go down the aisles that have some canned goods (my garden didn't do well this year) so I pick up canned veggies and fruits for when we are in a hurry and also canned tomato sauce. Then to the frozen section for some frozen veggies, and if I am short on time that week I pick up a loaf of bread.
I do not buy boxed dinners, frozen dinners, meal kits, or junk food except for very rarely.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
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FebruaryViolet
True Blue Farmgirl
4810 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4810 Posts |
Posted - Nov 12 2009 : 07:13:28 AM
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With Jus out of work, I've been doing my best to try to figure out different ways to save. I have always shopped second hand, so that seems so "normal" to me, but I guess in reality, it really is a great savings! Especially with baby clothing. Noone who knows us has ever said Violet looks like a "goodwill baby", though she is (and a St. Vincent Depaul, and a Salvation Army baby, too!). If it's good enough for me and Jus to shop there, then it's probably alright for her, too :)
Food: I make everything from scratch except bread. Just don't have the time, nor do we eat that much. Guess we probably would if it was piping hot from the oven. But, I digress....I even make our little breakfast burrito's from leftover breakfasts, wrap em' up and take one out here and there for breakfast on the go.
Like everyone else, here, I make my own cleaning products and try to conserve on papergoods, but with 4 dogs and 2 cats, I should buy stock in papertowels.
I think this year, if we are lucky enough to get a bonus, I'm going to invest in one of the electric heaters from Plow and Hearth in order to cut down on our natural gas bill. I know it will use electric, but we only have 6 rooms and from what I have read about the heaters, the area covered is more than our 6 rooms!!! We are also going to insulate some areas of the house (the joists under the floor above the basement) and the crawl space.
Musings from our family in the Bluegrass http://sweetvioletmae.blogspot.com/ |
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Bear5
True Blue Farmgirl
13055 Posts
Louisiana/Texas
USA
13055 Posts |
Posted - Nov 17 2009 : 4:03:43 PM
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Oh, Alee, I thought of one way I help to save.......I only vaccum once a month. LOL
I so hated to vaccum.
Marly
"It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had." Elisabeth Kurler-Ross |
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Bellepepper
True Blue Farmgirl
1207 Posts
Belle
Coffeyville
KS
USA
1207 Posts |
Posted - Nov 17 2009 : 5:00:27 PM
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I hang bathroom and porch rugs on the close line when it is raining. Most of the time they just need rinsed off. Also, I cut the laundry detergent in half in most of our loads of laundry. In the fall and winter, our cloths don't really get dirty, just need a little freshing. the only thing I use full detergent is on a load of underware. That didn't sound so good, did it?
Belle |
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Sarahpauline
True Blue Farmgirl
672 Posts
sarah
Ringgold
GA
USA
672 Posts |
Posted - Nov 19 2009 : 05:11:45 AM
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I have just been laid off my job. I already use many of these cost saving measures so with us already at rock bottom I am really unsure if I can save our house. :(
Not all those who wander are lost...
www.SarahPauline.com
www.AbraxasBaroque.com |
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FebruaryViolet
True Blue Farmgirl
4810 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4810 Posts |
Posted - Nov 19 2009 : 05:41:05 AM
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Sarah, I'm so sorry for the lay off--I know how you're feeling. As my father always told me, "where there's a will, there's a way." First things first, call your mortgage company--I am a paralegal for the Master Commissioner (the judge who sells foreclosed properties on the courthouse steps) in our county, and mortgage companies really ARE willing to work with you--so call them right away. Talk with them about a forebearance plan until you can obtain unemployment or other income.
I wish you the best--my dh lost his job at the beginning of October, and it's tight, but all the bills are paid, there's food in the pantry and a happy baby and animal pack, too. Please, take help where you can get it and know you're not the only one. There is strength in numbers!
Musings from our family in the Bluegrass http://sweetvioletmae.blogspot.com/ |
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MasterGardener
True Blue Farmgirl
572 Posts
Chandra
Louisiana
USA
572 Posts |
Posted - Nov 19 2009 : 07:25:53 AM
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Sarah, Dave Ramsey talks about how to make sure you can save your house in his books; my husband and I used Financial Peace Revisited. (can be borrowee from library) He talks about the "4 walls" food, utilities, house, transportation" are the most or only important expenses when in financial crisis. He teaches how to manage the creditors when in crisis. He also talks about "baby steps" that will help folks get out of debt. Incredible teaching, and the guidance can help you keep your house. He's had it all and lost it all, then learned how to do it without debt and teaches Biblically based financial planning...
Declare blessings in your life!
Say to them, may the Lord bless you and protect you, May the Lord smile upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you His favor and give you His peace. (Numbers 6:23-26)
.• ´¨¨)) -:¦:-¸.•´ .•´¨¨))
((¸¸.•´ ..• -:¦:- -:¦:- Chandra
-:¦:- ((¸¸.•´Farmgirl Sister #64
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brightmeadow
True Blue Farmgirl
2045 Posts
Brenda
Lucas
Ohio
USA
2045 Posts |
Posted - Nov 19 2009 : 2:23:56 PM
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Belle, I assume your H.D.T is Henry David Thoreau? I practically memorized Walden when I was a teenager, I think I must have re-read it about 47 times. One of my favorite lines is "A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone."
My husband likes to do maintenance things himself instead of paying trained professionals. He is a "master" of all trades, though, he can do everything from car repairs to plumbing to drywall to electrical work. Even roofing - he proved it when I hired painters to paint the inside of the house and he paid me back by making sure we did our roofing job ourselves! You should have seen me hauling roofing shingles, LOL... maybe I should have done the painting myself. He put in a new heat pump/furnace this year when the 25-year old one failed. Those can be big-ticket items, and saving the labor to put them in really adds up fast. Sometimes the cost of a tool or a book to tell you how to do something (or borrow the book from the library and the tool from a neighbor) add up to a lot less than the labor cost for simple things. Use your friends, if they know how to do something have them teach you how! Most people are glad to help.
One other thing my husband does is that he does mechanical work for our neighbor's business in his spare time. He doesn't accept any pay for it, so the neighbor and his wife take us out to eat at the fanciest restaurant in town to pay him back. Saves us a lot in entertainment $$$.
I find that planning a weekly menu saves me lots of money because I know exactly what I need at the grocery store and I don't buy as many impulse items or make extra trips. I also try to keep the freezer full of meats either bought at the local processor or in quantity on sale, buying 50 pound bags of potatoes and rice and flour and sugar, (and storing them so they don't spoil) and then eating as many vegetables as possible from the garden. I try to buy in-season fruits and vegetables from local growers instead of more expensive flown-in out-of-season produce. The fewer trips I make to the grocery store the less I spend. The big chain stores are really experts at making you think you are getting a bargain and you end up spending for things you don't really "need", I prefer to buy what produce I don't grow myself at a local mom-and-pop fruit stand that doesn't "market" so well.
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands - You shall be happy and it shall be well with you. -Psalm 128.2
Visit my blog at http://brightmeadowfarms.blogspot.com ,web site store at http://www.watkinsonline.com/fish or my homepage at http://home.earthlink.net/~brightmeadow |
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ClaireSky
True Blue Farmgirl
1792 Posts
Julie
Arcadia
WI
USA
1792 Posts |
Posted - Nov 19 2009 : 3:22:20 PM
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My #1 way to save money is by not owning a television set. No TV... no cable bills. I save a ton that way. I prefer to watch what little I do watch off the internet.
Julie
Farmgirl Sister #399
West-Central WI Farmgirls
Folks will know how large your soul is by the way you treat a dog...Charles F. Doran |
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Sarahpauline
True Blue Farmgirl
672 Posts
sarah
Ringgold
GA
USA
672 Posts |
Posted - Nov 19 2009 : 5:12:07 PM
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I am thinking about nixing the tv myself. I almost never watch it, and when I do there isnt anything on I want to see. My 13 year old son might think he would die of it though..
Not all those who wander are lost...
www.SarahPauline.com
www.AbraxasBaroque.com |
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Betty J.
True Blue Farmgirl
1404 Posts
Betty
Pasco
WA
USA
1404 Posts |
Posted - Nov 19 2009 : 5:17:45 PM
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Saving is the first thing that comes out of my fixed income each month. Then comes the mortgage. Will be glad when that gets paid off and will have all that extra?? $$$ each month. I don't actually put it in savings until the end of the month just in case I need it prior, but it's there just the same.
Betty in Pasco |
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countrykatgirly
True Blue Farmgirl
186 Posts
Hallie
Jordan
NY
USA
186 Posts |
Posted - Nov 20 2009 : 03:57:49 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by CalliMakeDo
Our family is finding all sorts of ways to make do. It starts by looking at everything differently, not as garbage or recycling, but as something to reuse. Just yesterday my girls and I started seeds in reused egg cartons. Here's how: http://makeitdo.wordpress.com/2009/04/15/use-it-up-on-a-rainy-day/
Use it up, Wear it out, Make it Do or do without. http://makeitdo.wordpress.com/
I like to compost my old paper ones.
**Farmgirl Sister #622**
“It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.”
--Laura Ingalls Wilder
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countrykatgirly
True Blue Farmgirl
186 Posts
Hallie
Jordan
NY
USA
186 Posts |
Posted - Nov 20 2009 : 04:02:28 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Sarahpauline
I have just been laid off my job. I already use many of these cost saving measures so with us already at rock bottom I am really unsure if I can save our house. :(
Not all those who wander are lost...
www.SarahPauline.com
www.AbraxasBaroque.com
I am so sorry. My guy lost his on Oct. 3 and hasn't found a new one yet. I will keep you in my prayers. There were some good suggestions on here. I think FebruaryViolet has a great idea.
**Farmgirl Sister #622**
“It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.”
--Laura Ingalls Wilder
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Edited by - countrykatgirly on Nov 20 2009 04:03:40 AM |
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countrykatgirly
True Blue Farmgirl
186 Posts
Hallie
Jordan
NY
USA
186 Posts |
Posted - Nov 20 2009 : 04:16:32 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by mikesgirl
After reading Linda Cockburn's "Living the Good Life" about she and her family going on a 6 month money fast, we decided to try a shortened version of it. Mike is starting on his fourth month of no-job, so we can greatly benefit from this. We are starting with a 10 day fast, then evaluating it, then our plan is to move onto a 15 day fast, using what we learned fromt he first ten days. Hopefully we will be able to keep extending the period of time each time we restart. We are just two days in, but so far, so good!
Farmgirl Sister #98
Visit my online store at:
http://www.shopthefrontier.com/VFstore/index.php?manufacturers_id=79&osCsid=6be4b25bf9555031c6e2e86bbde23dba
Thanks for mentioning that book! I just ordered it from the library.
**Farmgirl Sister #622**
“It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.”
--Laura Ingalls Wilder
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paradiseplantation
True Blue Farmgirl
1277 Posts
julie
social springs community
Louisiana
USA
1277 Posts |
Posted - Dec 08 2009 : 08:28:05 AM
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Don't laugh, but in addition to all these wonderful things, I also save my dimes and my dollar bills. I have a special piggy bank where I keep the dimes, and my dollars are in an enamelware coffee pot, where they 'percolate' until needed. I usually count them up at the first of the month, and then stash them in a strong box. At the end of the year, I either pay the homeowners taxes with it, or use it for something special, or for Christmas. We do our normal savings, when we can, but lately it seems like every spare penny has to be used just to keep a roof over our heads. So, when I had to dig into my stash the other day, I was really grateful I had it. I've decided to apply my thriftiness to Christmas next year, as well as take back some of the Christmas spirit that materialism has stolen from me. I do a lot of handmade gifts already, but next year will be the first year that EVERYTHING will be handmade, and most of that with things I already have. I have a budget of $50 for 10 people. Think I can pull this off? Cross your fingers for me!!!!!
from the hearts of paradise... |
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mikesgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
3659 Posts
Sherri
Elma
WA
USA
3659 Posts |
Posted - Dec 09 2009 : 08:36:40 AM
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My dh has been laid off for four months now and we just heard from his company that it will likely be another 9 before any jobs come up again. A couple of months ago I got a part time job and we are able to scrape by with unemployment comp. But that unemployment will come to a screeching halt in about 2 more months, so I am starting to think about other things I can do to help make that mortgage payment. I have my business, but after Christmas is the slowest time to get into shows and I don't have the time I used to to make product. I have been reading this thread trying to glean some ideas and there are some great ones here, but I'm already doing most of them. For now, we'll just keep on keeping on and hope things look up soon! Worse comes to worse, we can try and sell the house and move into our travel trailer. Keep those hints coming! My contribution is to try a "no-spend" week or month - you'd be surprised how you think you are already not spending, but when you make a concentrated effort to not spend, how resourceful you get! Plus, you'll save money!
Farmgirl Sister #98
Visit my online store at:
http://www.shopthefrontier.com/VFstore/index.php?manufacturers_id=79&osCsid=6be4b25bf9555031c6e2e86bbde23dba |
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Nifty Thrifty: How does your Family save? |
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How does your Family save?
