Official SS Poll: What do you do to eliminate bills / cut down expenses?

[lcertuche]

Tortoise do you know if your bunnies are old enough to breed, also if it's too hot they don't breed much. I use to breed mine very early in the morning before the heat was up. Anyway just a thought.

I've took a big hit on my chickens too. My son picked up two little stray chicken killing dogs. I spend half my time trying to make sure they are never out at the same time. I'm down to 4 pullets which are suppose to be my future egg layers. I can't get anyone to take chicken killing dogs and I don't want to dump them somewhere to make them other peoples problem. Also one dog was literally a walking, breathing skeleton and I hate to see any animal starve to death. If I had a gun I would shoot them but we don't own a gun so I feel responsible for the little mutts but it's a bitter pill to swallow. I am most angry at the people that would dump them on the road to fend for themselves.

A black bear ate our blackberries, deer ate the persimmons, also the many passion fruits disappeared and a late frost took out our apples and peaches. That's the life in the country though. My garden wasn't much but I am optimistic for the spring.

We can commiserate together, lol.

 

[Mini Horses]

Spoken like a true farmer --- "next season will surely be better" Hey, we all hope so!!

My garden didn't get in this year from toooooo much rain for over 6 weeks. In fact, many farmers didn't even get crops in because of the wet ground. We were 23" over norm on rain.

A full week of unseasonably warm late Feb put the plum tree in full bloom, then a storm the next week blew them all off. I did find 3 plums on the tree. T H R E E So it goes. They are a small variety and normally only chicken feed for drops. No big loss. Just annoying.

I am so looking forward to a normal & productive Spring. But, it is hard to WAIT. My life just can't center on WAIT....I want NOW. IF we could only move seasons the way we do with daylight in our "daylight saving" time switch!

 

[tortoise]

Bwahahahaha! Yes, I want to control the weather and climate!

I'm focusing on electricity use instead. I calculated that we could save about 1000 kwh (about 10% of our electricity consumption) by minimizing using the dryer. My difficulty is staying focused and sticking with it for more than a month.

I'm working towards changing my thinking about using electric lights. Do I *need* the light on or am I turning it on out of habit? Can I see what I need to so without turning the light on?

 

[lcertuche]

I'm thinking about stringing a clothesline on our long covered porch. Too many pine trees for anywhere else unless I want to put in some post. The only problem is that is where I pen up my sons little chicken killing stray dogs. I wish I could give those little mutts away.

 

[tortoise]

Electric bill is in. Usage is up compared to last year. :expletives: I'm going to limit how much time I plug in my laptop. I can limit myself to one battery charge (about 2 hours of use) per day. I'm using the dryer less, but washing MORE laundry. I found more cloth diapers in storage so I hope I have enough to hand wash, line dry. I was working with only 6 cloth diapers. (whoops)

Grocery bill I haven't tallied. I'm sure it's up because my hubby went shopping a couple times. I'm minimizing our meal rotation to use more of what we have and less from the grocery store. Mexican food is off the menu, since I buy sour cream, tortillas, peppers, salsa, chips, and extra cheese for those meals. Nope! Mexican day has turned into another oriental meal - which is much more versatile and lower cost. One of my favorite cheats is to slice broccoli stem up like watercress and use it in stir fry.

I've just gotten back into the swing of cooking meals again. We're all feeling a little deprived after the holidays. Baby (toddler) has been weaned off of cookies, Cheerios, eggnog, and chocolate milk. He pretty much stopped eating for a couple days and was pouting over his plate. (me too, kiddo!) We're back to eggs and oatmeal for breakfast and leftovers for snacks.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

cheats is to slice broccoli stem up like watercress and use it in stir fry

What a great idea! I'm gonna use that one.

And, yep - we're feeling the holiday food withdrawal too...

 

[Mini Horses]

If you can find a source for "close dated" fruits & veggies, jump in & ask if you can pick them up. Sometimes travel cost & time make it less productive BUT if you work near or pass by a small grocery, they toss slightly damaged veg/fruit. Your animals will eat it gladly! The waste is shocking.

I often cut my big water heater off for 24 hrs, on for 4-8, of 24. Depends on what I am doing -- laundry, dishes, etc. It is well insulated and even after 24 hrs off, I can take a hot shower. Takes some remembering but can save a good amount.

Too bad to hang clothes out? Have a garage? String a line. Or, use some indoor racks. Overnight usually has them dry and not in anyone's way, really.

Back to veggies in stir fry....a lot of the peels, ends, tops are not used in some of our dishes but, they still have value & taste, just less in the "looks" department. So toss them together for some broth/stock. Do you know that many restaurants are now using such items for these things? cutting expenses!

Leftover veg from a meal -- not enough for another meal? mix with a compatible other veg (think succotash) or keep a plastic bag in freezer to continue to add to it. Veg soup! Add that beef bone and extra meat from a roast. We can sure work at less waste. Yeah, often dog, cat, pig, chicken get these. Just options.

For most of us, it is heavy hay use time. Save those strings. Gardens are coming and we can use it for so many things!! Not everyone has a few extra cattle panels but, you can tie the bale twine to sticks/posts to support vines, keep supports hooked together, etc. FREEE I tell you. Heck, I keep a few along the fence line near a gate.....you can make a fast halter, lead, tie up an animal if you find a need and didn't expect/come prepared.... or tie a bucket to a fence/post, etc. I generally have a few tucked under seat of truck -- never know when I might need to tie something in & forgot straps (darn yard sales!)

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Save those strings.

Yep, half of my place is held together with hay strings, lol! They are awesome and so darn useful. I've used them for many of those things you described.

 

[lcertuche]

I like to slice up radishes for water chestnuts. I can't stand the taste of the water chestnuts but love radishes.

I save all bones, even chicken bones when we eat fried chicken or KFC, deli chicken, etc. Pork chop bones, pork steak bones, rib bones. My family use to balk at me using them for stock. After all someones mouth actually touched them but I figure that all that simmering in the crockpot for hours on end must kill anything serious. How they can sneak drinks from my glass, or bites off my plate and then worry about a chewed on bone is beyond me! If someone eats a bite or two of something it gets put back in the fridge because one way or another it will get ate. My poor chickens get very little compared to the waste of many families. I do save cooked beans, rice, oatmeal for them when it's cold though. The dogs only get bones after they have simmered for many, many hours and all the goodness drained away.

 

[lcertuche]

I know I just posted but speaking of using cast off stuff like peels in restaurants...DD worked for a fast food chicken place that will be nameless (known for its initials) would pick all the leftover chicken off the bones at the end of the night and this was what they used in there potpies.