What did you do to save $ today?

[Mackay]

I saved money this week by building my first compost pile in 25 years!
The horse manure was free from a neighbor, the silage was $10 for a full pickup load, the straw was $1 a bail- got 9 55 pound bails, but only used one for these two batches I layered. Still lots of silage left. The wood pallets were free, it took 8 to make the bins and some nails. In the city I use to buy compost in plastic bags. I figured I just saved myself over $100.

and after all that shoveling I found I didn't need a visit to the chiropractor that I though I was needing. I just needed exercise! so that saved another $35.

 

[Cybercat]

I saved money this week by building my first compost pile in 25 years!
The horse manure was free from a neighbor, the silage was $10 for a full pickup load, the straw was $1 a bail- got 9 55 pound bails, but only used one for these two batches I layered. Still lots of silage left. The wood pallets were free, it took 8 to make the bins and some nails. In the city I use to buy compost in plastic bags. I figured I just saved myself over $100.

and after all that shoveling I found I didn't need a visit to the chiropractor that I though I was needing. I just needed exercise! so that saved another $35.

Wow...you did good!

 

[sylvie]

I also saved money today on a refrigerator.

My old one is a tiny, efficiency apartment fridge that is not frost free, which means the freezer is frosted shut all the time because the seals are nonexistent. Its so old that big and little pieces break off each time I try to clean it. The inside of the door is hanging on by a small strip of plastic and has the insulation showing through in multiple places.

Hahaha! I've got one of those frosty apt sized fridges and until we remodel it is the only size that will fit in the space. This one replaced an older one and the newer model is no better than the ancient fridge; not on frost or electric usage. This was a vacation cabin with a small galley kitchen which I like, but the fridge is the pits! Yay for your new one!

 

[punkin]

Last Saturday we plowed up a new corn and melon field. It measures about 40 x 80.

Of course, with a first plowing and turning, you find rocks. Lots and lots of rocks, some the size of footballs.

We picked up rocks for 2 hours in the corn side. We piled them along the edge of the garden.

Yesterday, I used some of the rocks to make flower bed borders. They look great and best of all, they were free!!

 

[me&thegals]

That's great, Punkin. Talk about making lemonade from lemons

It reminds me of how I have saved $ this spring. I use floating row covers to hurry along the early stuff and keep out bugs and other pests. The metal pins to hold them down are quite expensive, so I use rocks found in the fields and in an old heap to hold down the edges instead.

 

[freemotion]

Finally, a day off and I can post something here! Same old same old, but I canned 38 pints of catfood, froze a bunch of chicken breast for sandwiches for us from the same batch of chickens, and will freeze (or can, haven't decided yet) the broth from the bones, cooling in the fridge now, maybe 2.5 gallons or so.

I have a four pound wheel of cheddar to go take out of the press now from last night's batch.

It's only a little after 1 PM, so there is still time to save more money today! Hmmmm, what shall it be?

 

[Okiemommy]

Finally, a day off and I can post something here! Same old same old, but I canned 38 pints of catfood, froze a bunch of chicken breast for sandwiches for us from the same batch of chickens, and will freeze (or can, haven't decided yet) the broth from the bones, cooling in the fridge now, maybe 2.5 gallons or so.

I have a four pound wheel of cheddar to go take out of the press now from last night's batch.

It's only a little after 1 PM, so there is still time to save more money today! Hmmmm, what shall it be?

I would think those things would save ya some money

 

[Tallman]

I stopped by an old friends today about lunch time. He took me out and bought my lunch so it saved me $8. Well, not really, I left the tip so I saved $7.75.

 

[Okiemommy]

I stopped by an old friends today about lunch time. He took me out and bought my lunch so it saved me $8. Well, not really, I left the tip so I saved $7.75.

Was the service that bad?
I have to say that I have really discovered a gold mine here in planning my meals. I know I have read about it on here and other places over and over again, and it just didn't sink in until I started realizing how much money we were probably wasting.


Tonight I started planning for the next two weeks meals and I have stuff left over from this two weeks meals that I can use for the ones that I was planning for the next two That may not happen all the time as I get better at this, but one thing is does show me is that I am saving money and reducing my grocery bills!!

 

[freemotion]

Planning meals two weeks in advance.....I can barely plan them a day in advance!

I finished the day by making a batch of liquid dishwasher soap.....well, it is more of a paste. I put peels from 2.5 lemons that I'd saved along with a nasty but not moldy grapefruit in the blender with some water, then added borax and washing soda. Warning, it gets lumpy, stir fast or use a potato masher. There was some kind of chemical reaction, because my lovely lemon-grapefruit smell is gone and the mix is dark orange! I put some in the dishwasher, it is running now, and the rest went into two plastic containers (from the livers from today's catfood batch, the rest will be saved for transplanting seedlings into) and into the fridge.

I made my famous colorful cabbage-free coleslaw, had to whip up two batches of mayo to make it and have a little mayo in the fridge. Made a HUGE batch so we can have huge bowls of it for the next 2-3 days.

Put some young catnip leaves into the dehydrator, Oliver is guarding it now, hopefully (I did give both cats some sprigs...)

I let my pair of Bourbon Reds out into the pasture for the first time today. Hope they are still living here by the end of the week! They can scrounge some of their own food like the chickens and guineas do.

Best of all, I sat in the pasture with the four goats for an hour with a book, and Mya came over and lay down next to me for half an hour, then later the baby came and lay down next to me for a while. So sweet and precious, the most wonderful part of my day. And no significant bugs yet to bother us!