Howdy y'all!

[Rare Feathers]

I'm new here...I wandered over from another forum. What has prompted me here is our latest monthly expense budget. I am "allowed" $600/month for gas & groceries.

I live in a very small town in North/Central WA state on 10 acres. We lease another 120 acres from the DNR.

This for myself, my hubby and our farm of many animals: 4 horses, 2 HUGE dogs, 4 cats, one tortoise, 54 poultry and 4 goats that are also all on the feed bill.

I thought I was doing pretty well--but I'm always out of money before the 3rd week of the month! So this is causing a strain on our marriage (hubby is VERY budget-minded but yet, has NO clue what things cost). I did save all of our recipets from last month to show him but he still thinks we can cut back??

We do not go out to eat, I do not buy clothes or do anything "fun" with that money. I sell my soaps here & there as well as chickens & hatching eggs for my "fun" money.

Gas is $2.26/gallon right now and I commute 25 miles a day to/from work. My car averages 23-25mpg. We do not eat a lot of junk food, so a lot of our expenses are fruits & veggies. We do plan to have our own poultry & a beef steer next year so we can raise our own meat for the most part.

I also plant a small garden (16' x 16') every year but I would like to expand it to include a larger garden that will allow me to freeze and/or can things. We have a VERY short growing season, so everything has to be hybrid to actually mature. I HATE weeding, LOL So we'll see.

 

[freemotion]

Lots of great ideas here! We can probably get you into that budget.....4 horses? Maybe not! How much of your land is good pasture? Do you make your own hay?

 

[hoosier]

Put all of your expenses in a spread sheet and have him offer suggestions on where to cut back. Maybe he could help with the shopping so you can choose together what to leave out of the basket.

Perhaps two weeks of beans and rice for supper to economize???

 

[sylvie]

Hey!
I know what you mean about fruits and veggies expenses!
There are topics and questions on this forum that you'd never think to ask but glad you've read! I've learned so much.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

So happy to see you here!!

I think putting your all of your expenses into a spreadsheet like hoosier suggested is a good idea!

 

[PamsPride]

 

[Beekissed]

Welcome to the forum! Don't hesitate to do a search for topics we've already talked about, as there is some really good tips and info on how to cut back in a lot of those bygone threads! We love it when someone revives a good ol' thread.....

 

[Dace]

Welcome! It sounds like you are on the right track. How attached are you to all 4 horses? That is one quick way to trim back.

 

[Homesteadmom]

Always glad to have new fresh ideas around here. Hope we can help ya out! You hate to weed? Well we actually wate our weeds so they last longe to feed to our animals & it cuts down on the hay bill.

 

[punkin]

I agree with the others. Cutting back on animal feed would increase the food budget for you and your husband.

Are you really, really attached to the horses? Do they contribute anything to your lifestyle (giving riding lessons, etc.)? I'm assuming the goats contribute milk for your soap making, the chickens, eggs.

Does your hubby go shopping with you? That may give him an idea of how expensive everything is.

Do some searching on here. There a some really great ideas on how to save money on older threads.

Good luck and keep posting.