What did you do to save $ today?

[giasmom]

I took some homegrown squash & jars over to my mothers today to make pickles. We have it worked out where I bring the squash & jars, she supplies the other needed things when we do this. That way we both save. Plus she takes some of the squash to her co workers just to share. Its a win win deal on all of our parts.
Also a BYC friend that lives in mid-alabama was wanting some roos that a lady had that lives out my moms way, so while I was out there I picked those up for her. This saves her alot of miles ,as now she doesn't have to drive near as far to get those roos. Saved her about an hours drive. So another winning deal. All in all it was a good day !

 

[FarmerDenise]

The chickens have been getting a bowl of bread, with some sort of liquid poured over it every day. FIL had brought over a box of assorted day old breads, which we refrigerated.
I made a batch of dogfood using chicken breasts with major freezer burn. The chicken was also free, since FIL brings over anything from his freezer that they don't want to eat.
Here is something I do on such a regular basis, I don't even think about it. I use hair conditioner for shaving instead of expensive shaving creams.
In the evenings, when it cools down a little, I weed and thin our plants and put everything in buckets to feed to the rabbit and the chickens.
The pump died this morning. SO just about flipped his lid!!
Then he decided to look, if he could figure out what was wrong. He found that the transistor was corroded. We called a local pump place. They told us to bring the whole little electrical thingy down to them, rather then them coming out to us. So we did. It took maybe 1/2 hour and cost $11.79. SO popped the panel back in place and Voila! we have water again That wasn't soo bad. Sure would have cost a lot more, if SO didn't have an idea what to look for and we had them come out to fix it.

 

[VT-Chicklit]

I have been drying soap (store bought) in my oven for a week now. The soap that you buy now a day is very soft and melts quickly. With the cost of bar soap so high, I decided to try and dry it out more. I have noticed tha the soap that I have opened an left in drawers to scent things, over time gets quite hard and when you use it it lasts and lasts. My oven has a pilot which keeps it warm. My kitchen has smelled like Zest for a week as the bars dried out on racks in the oven. They are finished and see to be hader and drier.

 

[freemotion]

Just took the sage out of the dehydrator. Not much for savings, but it'll have to do!

 

[FarmerDenise]

VT-Chicklit, I take storebought soap out of the wrapper right away, so as to dry it out.

 

[ORChick]

Not what *I* did to save money, but what others did for me .
My sister-in-law is originally from Korea, and she and my brother eat a lot of kimchi (used to make her own, but doesn't anymore). The last time I visited them I saw an empty gallon jar on the kitchen counter that had once contained kimchi, and asked if she was planning to use it. No, it was going back to the store (!). So I asked if I could have it. No problem, and do you want more? This was in the beginning of May. Yesterday my brother arrived in town for the summer (we live about 10 hours apart, but he has property here where I live that he visits when he can), and brought with him 2 gallon, and 2 half gallon jars, and a promise of more as they become available. (SIL didn't want to send 2 of them this time "because they weren't clean"! They were rinsed, but still need a trip through some hot suds. I suppose she thought I might feel put out that I would need to do that myself . And here I'd be happy to have them with the cabbage bits still clinging to the glass!)

 

[freemotion]

Great deal on the jars!!!! We can always use more jars, can't we?

I started the mowing of my pasture, did about an eighth of it with the scythe. It is a nice, breezy, dry day (FINALLY!!!) so I am hoping it dries enough before the next rain so I can put it up in the barn. I only did a small portion of the field, just in case.

Breaktime is over now.....off to re-plant my oatstraw!

 

[ORChick]

Great deal on the jars!!!! We can always use more jars, can't we?

I started the mowing of my pasture, did about an eighth of it with the scythe. It is a nice, breezy, dry day (FINALLY!!!) so I am hoping it dries enough before the next rain so I can put it up in the barn. I only did a small portion of the field, just in case.

Breaktime is over now.....off to re-plant my oatstraw!

There is no such thing as too many jars - or baskets - or large tins - and DH will realize this ....... someday

 

[Tallman]

Great deal on the jars!!!! We can always use more jars, can't we?

I started the mowing of my pasture, did about an eighth of it with the scythe. It is a nice, breezy, dry day (FINALLY!!!) so I am hoping it dries enough before the next rain so I can put it up in the barn. I only did a small portion of the field, just in case.

Breaktime is over now.....off to re-plant my oatstraw!

Free, your having quite a time with that oatstraw. Around here we plant oats at the end of February or in March depending on the weather. Can you grow a crop of oats there through the summer?

I harvested wild oats for my straw. Makes a nice tea.

 

[freemotion]

Yes, Tallman, I am. I hope there is time for a small crop, this is when we would normally plant a second planting for a fall crop of short season veggies like peas and beans and such. So I think the oats will be ok, as long as they make it to the milk stage by the frost.

It is the chipmunk problem, more than the oatstraw problem! So I was not completely heartbroken when my broody hen killed one for her chicks to eat today..... Of course, I left when she snipped it's tail off. That was too much for me! Even with the oatstraw problem!

I did get some more red clover today, made a big batch of pizza sauce and a pizza for supper with sourdough from homeground wheat, homemade mozzarella, and homemade sausage.

Made a couple of quarts of yogurt VERY fast by straining the warm milk right from the goat into the jars, dropped in some culture, and into the cooler it went. Whoa. Far too easy!

Made a quart of fermented ketchup....it is fermenting until Tuesday afternoon. My bean paste will be done tomorrow, if it hasn't taken over my entire kitchen by then.

Fed the goats some hay from my field rather than from the bought stash. More is still drying out there.