Staying home now...what ways can I save money over working?

[BarredBuff]

I would like to suggest full time foraging for your Ducks and Chickens. I have learned they can get by on very little feed and still produce. Even if you are having cold snowy weather they will go out and kick around. They may not find anything but they wont spend their time munching around the feeder. As for rabbit feeding Ive been giving them things like apple branches, old veggies, and more hay. They also get some BOSS every now and then. And that seems to cut down a little.

 

[savingdogs]

I think I'll go let those free-rangers out right NOW!

 

[lorihadams]

Where can you get seeds??? Are you really asking US that question? I would be more than happy to send you some extra seeds and I'm sure there are lots of people on here that would too!

Anyway....I stay home full time and "homeschool" my 3 and 5 yr olds....by that I mean we read a lot and play a lot and watch PBS, discovery channel, and history channel for ideas to research stuff further.

Utilize your local library. This has saved me a TON of money. I was a book buying addict....now, I don't buy unless it is something I feel I absolutely cannot live without in my home and even then I go to the local library sales (4 times a yr) and can get a brown paper grocery bag full for $5.

I recommend cleaning out the attic, closets, basement, whatever and having an "after xmas blowout sale" on craigslist or similar in your area. Check out freecycle and see if you have one organized in your area. Lots of times you can post ads on freecycle about bartering items or if you are looking for certain things.

You can also find some deals on the free and materials sections of Craigslist as well as the farm and garden section. People are more than happy to trade for things there too. Sometimes you can find free manure and bags of leaves for composting and all you have to do is arrange to pick it up.

I second the clothesline. If you are going to build one, be sure and build it big enough for 3-4 loads of laundry. If you wash bedspreads, towels, and sheets they eat up space on the line quickly. Dry everything on the line and then put them in the dryer with a wet washcloth for 5 minutes to soften them up.
On average if you did, say 5 loads a week and dried them for 45 minutes each you will only run the dryer 25 minutes per week versus almost 4 hours doing it this way. Big difference.

Buy stuff in bulk when it goes on sale and freeze or can it for later.

Switch to dried beans versus canned. Cook a big batch once a week and freeze smaller portions for later on in the week.

Raise your own chickens for meat. If you haven't done this....take the plunge! We were able to presell orders for "homegrown" chickens to people from my hubby's work. We made $330 on orders. This paid for the chicken order and all of the feed bill minus $32.57. We were able to put 21 whole chickens in the freezer for us for the next year for $1.55 per 4-6lb bird. That's 26-38 cents per lb.

If you don't hunt, start. Free meat is good, process it yourself and it's even cheaper.

If you have a cell phone and a landline, ditch one or the other. We switched to cell phones only and saved $45 per month. Just switched our cell plan to lower minute allowance and got a cheaper internet connection lumped in with it and saved $20 per month.

Some people use coupons but I don't because most of the coupons I find are for processed stuff that I can't eat anyway....GF.

If you have a particular brand of food that you use cause of allergies then contact the company and ask if they have any coupons available.

Go in with neighbors with the garden, decide what veggies you want to grow and split them up between each other and when they come in then swap.

Theres lots of things you can do....if you get bored and want to go walk around the mall or something just don't take any credit cards, debit cards or large amounts of cash with you. Leave them in the trunk of the car. That way you don't impulse shop but you can still get out and splurge on a cup of coffee while you walk around and laugh at the rest of society.

 

[FarmerChick]

pick a day and go grocery shopping for a full cart

be sure you have time----cause as you shop and "get" that thing on the list-----stop and think---what can I do cheaper for this product?

do I need this product?

alot of times for me the grocery is my worst nightmare cause it is a weekly big cost.......so no joke here, go stuffed. Never ever go hungry...it is so true you pick up what you don't need LOL

also----sit down and plan breakfast lunch and dinner for 7 days. Yup, exactly the ingredients you need to complete those meals. Then add to the list, maybe 2-3 extras that you and the family enjoy!

when you know what you are cooking, honestly the bill is cheaper.

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

Have you already tallyed up what you will save in gas and insurance by not working?

 

[savingdogs]

There are some really great ideas here. For instance, I buy stock, I should make my own. I also buy canned beans because I thought they were "cheap" but partly because they were quick. I have time to soak those beans now.

I've never been a "mall" person....seriously. I tend to waste money more on food and on my animals!

 

[savingdogs]

Have you already tallyed up what you will save in gas and insurance by not working?

We had thought about the gas, but not the insurance....we need to call our agent and let him know I'm no longer driving all that way! Thanks for the reminder.

 

[lorihadams]

And don't forget the maintenance savings on the car too....less wear on the tires, less oil changes, wear on the brakes, etc.

I was driving 45 minutes one way and it drastically cut down on all those expenses when I stopped working.

 

[savingdogs]

We have two vehicles, my subaru and my husband's jeep. He will start driving my subaru to work since he also commutes, and I'll have the big rig in case I need to go somewhere in an emergency.

We decided if I need to run errands or visit people or shop or whatever, I'll go down the hill with him in the morning and stay in town for the day. So the gas hog jeep will stay parked most of the time.
Hubby also rides a motorcycle to work on sunny days, but this is WA, so those are not that often!

 

[TanksHill]

I love reading these threads. Really reminds me of all the OTHER things I can be doing.



Free you made a good point about planning ahead. One thing I have always wished for was a calendar of sorts. Yes I have seen the Farmers Almanac, it's confusing. I Just think a basic one. With things like,
Dec... plan veggie garden order seeds for spring starts.
July, chop wood stack ricks for winter.
Etc etc...

I guess the best way would to sit down with someone near you who does these things and write it on a calendar. I really need a Farm Journal.

Hummm that gets me thinking.