Consolidated Kansas

[maidenwolfx80]

There is a huge difference between those that try to provide for their families and those that just want to live off of others. It's a shame the government can't actually investigate cases of need vs a book of standards. I've been a victim of this whole system myself.
I was ordered out of my home during a divorce attempt just 2 weeks after having a baby. I didn't have a job, I had no money, and had three kids under 4 to care for. My estranged husband was ordered to pay me $200 a month child support. But I had nothing at all and he of course didn't pay the child support when it was due. He had cleaned out the checking account before he filed for divorce. I had no money for formula or diapers and no place to live. I was ordered by the court not to leave the state with my children so I couldn't come home to Kansas where my other family was.
I went to the SRS to try to get something to feed my kids and some funds to help me get a place to live. After sitting in a waiting room for hours I was told I didn't qualify for any services because I was supposed to get that $200 a month. Then I had to borrow money for paying a sitter while I went.
That was the all time low of my life. Of course it was my estranged husband and his attorney's plan to show I was incapable of caring for my children.
I actually only had my car and some clothes so I went to public bulletin boards and found a person looking for a roommate. I explained my situation and she allowed me to move in without paying rent up front. It was a miserable place to be cause her dog kept trying to bite my kids and did bite me when I was trying to get them away from him, but it was all I had. I stayed shut in my room with the kids.
I called up a couple of dear friends and was gifted some formula and diapers. (Very very hard for me to do since I am a very proud person.) My grandmother who was living on nothing sent me a check for $20 which I used to buy some food for the kids. I wasn't released to go to work and when I did start applying for jobs, one of my husbands acquaintances who worked for the secret service was calling my perspective employers trying to discredit me. To make a long story short we survived. The struggle was long from over for good but we did get by.
My point in all this is that there are ways to get through these things even when the world seems against you. Maidenwolf you have a group of friends here and we all want to help any way we can. Even if they can't offer anything but ways to help get by, I hope you know that we all want to help as we can.

Thank you for sharing, I appreciate all the support I can get and you all are great and I really didnt mean to turn this thread into this, but I so needed it. It is very impowering and makes me feel confident. thank you all so so much for all you are doing. I really need to proritize and start planning . I am loving the info coming in I feel hopeful and very proud to have you all as friends.

 

[HEChicken]

Thank you for sharing, I appreciate all the support I can get and you all are great and I really didnt mean to turn this thread into this, but I so needed it. It is very impowering and makes me feel confident. thank you all so so much for all you are doing. I really need to proritize and start planning . I am loving the info coming in I feel hopeful and very proud to have you all as friends.

Amber, although the thread is on a chicken forum, I like to think of everyone here as friends and as friends, we talk about many different things - not just poultry. I would far rather know what is going on in a friend's life than have them refrain from talking about it because they don't want to take a thread in a different direction. I just wish I had more to offer.

Danz, thank you for sharing also. It sounds like your ex was really something. It was a struggle for me also when my ex and I separated. He has never paid a dime in child support. I have reached the point I don't even want it - the kids know which parent they can rely on - 'nuff said. I was in the situation too, where I had no choice but to work in order to support the kids but he used that against me, saying that he should have full custody of the kids because I was too busy working. He is a deadbeat and uses every trick in the books to get access to funds he shouldn't. He never stepped foot in a church while we were together but as soon as we separated he "joined" a church and then ran a sob story to the congregation about being a poor, struggling single dad and had the church paying his utilities for him. Then he faked an injury and got on disability. So because he was not working, he claimed he should have the kids because I was at work and couldn't care for them during the day. So I really get what you are saying about people abusing the system, illegal immigrants etc. I had to work so hard to get my green card in order to be able to live her legally and work, so it does make me mad to see people come in illegally and then go down and claim all kinds of benefits.

Lizzy, those are some great ideas - I will have to check out your links on home-made soaps - I love that idea. Anything I can do to be a little more self-sufficient, cuz we never know when the world is going to crash down around us.

Amber, kudos on the baking and dog treats. Have you tried listing the dog treats on eBay? As long as you charge enough in shipping to cover your actual shipping costs, that might be a good way to move them rather than relying on a small, local market?

 

[Chickies-duckies-etc]

For help with utility costs ~ In Mo. http://www.dss.mo.gov/fsd/liheap.htm the time to sign up is soon. For Ks search lieap Kansas.

Help with taxes ~ Kansas has the *Homesteaders Act* That is filed for when you do your taxes. It is both income and age based and can be claimed by renters also (taxes are included in rent) search for it. Sorry, computer is giving me fits. If you don't file for a refund you can still claim the homestead refund. In Mo. search for something similar. In Ks you can also claim a food tax refund.

I second the idea of selling the dog biscuits on the internet. Be sure to get shipping costs included and Paypal would help with payments. Get some pet shops or dog grooming places to carry them.

 

[Kansas Prairie]

maidenwolf
When I have time, I read several "frugal" sites, "Frugal blogs" and some Frugal pages on facebook, I googled "frugal" and went from there. There are some good ideas, some crazy ideas, some helpful ideas. I think the best thing to do is to see what will work for you in your situation and location.

When our kids had birthdays some years they didn't get material gifts,. We did something they seemed to like better. Birthday WEEK! During that week they didn't have chores, everyone else did their chores for them, they got to pick the vegetable for a meal, or when they got older they got to help plan the menus for several meals from options I'd give them, we played games they wanted to play, we painted finger nails or maybe gave a massage, went on a hike they lead the way. We have a SPECIAL plate that is for special things like birthdays, and it stays put up unless I get it out. They enjoyed those birthday weeks and still talk about them with fonder memories than when we purchased gifts for them.

 

[sharol]

Yeah, DE is diatomaceous (sp) earth. It is the shells diatoms, so they are really like tiny sharp bones. I use a mask when I'm putting it into the shavings for my girls, and they LOVE to dust bathe in the stuff. When I make the winter dust bath (garden dirt, DE, sand, and ashes), they actually wait in line to use it. I have found that it irritates my eyes, too. It is good to be careful with it, but it really works for the chickens..

Hawkeye, I had been wondering how you are feeling. I think the chiropractor would be a good idea. Can you imagine how your bones would move in an impact like that? Then your muscles are strained and swelling and it makes things stay in the wrong place. It seems logical that the massage would loosen everything up then it'll be easier for the chiropractor to move everything back into place.

Danz, the way you talked about the DE drying things out makes me scared to go near it. My skin has taken a beating for sure. I read that the DE is actually tiny little pieces that are very sharp and that they stic k to the insect and then they cut and scratch the surface of the insect everytime they move making them dry out. Did you see a microscopic pic? They reminded me of tiny fossils, or kinda like broken pieces of Chex cereal. I've never seen it in real life. Is it chalky?

 

[cherwill]

I wasn't done multi-quoting, but apparently BYC was because this is all I have. Most of it is about food. I'm enjoying all the great ideas. Before I get to that, I want to tell Checoukan how sorry I am about your cat. I sure wish you had been able to find him peacefully "sleeping" one day instead of having to make such a difficult decision.

Tweety-- sorry you are still having issues.

I wish you well soon..

Hawkeye-- I love making dinner out of things that we just pull out of the cabinet. I love to cook from scratch all homemade meals because that is what I was raised on. It is so expensive to cook from scratch versus those cheap processed box tasteless so-and-so's.. Hate it, but sometimes that is all Ican get, so I have to get creative to make it taste somewhat foodlike.. I am going to really work the soil for the garden so we can get all teh veggies and fruits going next spring. We hunt alot too, whatever it takes to put meat on the table and I like game meat alot. Thank you for sharing your story. Hearing everyones stories about what they have endured is uplifting in a way.

I have no idea what I meant to say or what I meant to reply to here!

Thanks Medawinks for the Crackers recipe and all the other great ideas. Also, the hints on grocery shopping! I am out of potatoes and always stock up on canned vegies when they go on sale so I think I'll head to the store for a spot of grocery shopping this morning. We love to make our own popcorn on the stove too - to me the microwaveable stuff just never tastes as good.

I don't like the microwave stuff either, and it costs a lot more than popping your own. Plus, I have no idea what chemicals they use to give the "butter" flavor, but real butter has to be healthier and tastes a lot more like ... butter.

The milk chicken sauce looks kind of like lumpy gravy when it is done. Like I said, it looks awful but the milk seems to make the chicken tender and the chicken flavors the sauce or gravy so it tastes heavenly.
Medawinks, have you determined whether your splash are roosters? I sure hope Andy gets some hens of his own out of all those birds.
Years ago I bought a steamer when they were popular. I rarely use canned veggies anymore at all. It really spoiled me. I love home canned veggies but most of the store bought stuff just can't rival the fresh taste of frozen. I don't care for frozen green beans at all though. I don't use the steamer much any more (compared to the fact I use to use it at every meal.) but I still love frozen veggies. If you can't get fresh it's the next best thing. Often our local store will have frozen veggies on sale and I stock up if I know about it. You can buy a ton more frozen veggies for the same money as canned ones.
Last year I also discovered "recipe starter" in the frozen veggie section. It is your basic onions, peppers, etc that you use to make a multitude of dishes. Onions have gotten pricy so when the garden isn't yielding I've found this to be a great beginning for dozens of dishes. I tend to either run out of fresh onion or they go bad before I use them. It's either feast or famine it seems. I stocked up when they had a mix and match on frozen veggies sale.

The milk chicken sounds delicious and I want to try it soon.

Like you, I prefer frozen veggies to canned most of the time. I don't like frozen green beans at all; they're like rubber. I prefer canned peas for eating plain and frozen peas for making soup or adding to other things.

I know there were other posts about food I wanted to multi, so I hope I can remember most of what I wanted to say about it.

I grow fresh herbs, too. They're much cheaper than store-bought, and much fresher. I also chop and freeze them so I can use "fresh" herbs all winter.
I grow lots of tomatoes and freeze them in a variety of ways: whole, roasted, diced, crushed, and in salsa. I freeze the diced and crushed tomatoes in freezer baggies in the amounts you'd find in cans (14-16 oz. for diced, 28 oz. for crushed). I also make marinara with crushed tomatoes and freeze that. Tomatoes are crazy expensive at the store, so I was thrilled to get such a great harvest this year. We won't talk about last year's harvest ....
I love to cook, but grilling and smoking are DH's domain. I do not have the knack for grilling.

Hawkeye, you really do have a talent for writing. That was an incredible letter you wrote. I'm glad mine was in before people started posting what they'd written!

 

[cherwill]

So, what I'm asking is just for good ideas. If we all try to come up with ideas then sometimes one idea sparks another we may have missed. Like Hawkeye, with her insurance claim, if someone hadn't mentioned the carseats it may have been totally overlooked and that's important. Think: recipes with very few ingredients, supplementing income even if it's a little, saving energy to keep that electric bill down. Any way you can contribute to the idea pool, that is appreciated. Even though this was sparked to help maidenwolf, there are others reading who may see it and think Oh, I can do that. We never know how we can affect or help another.

This is a wonderful idea. I'm always looking for more ways to cut our bills. I've enjoyed this discussion of food because our food bill is so much higher now. The bag of groceries that cost me $20 a couple of years ago (and I complained about that!) now costs $50. Gas goes up every year, both for our cars and for our house. Our health insurance is looking for more and more exclusions, and is making us have to supply more and more information and work back and forth for what we do get. Sometimes I think they're just trying to wear us down so we'll quit without them having to pay. DH finally got a cost of living raise, the first in years, but it's nowhere near equal to how much living costs have increased THIS year, never mind all the years he didn't get one. And many people never get cost of living raises.

1. Hang clothes outside to dry versus using a dryer. I figure every time I dry a load of clothes in the dryer, it adds about $2 to my electric bill. Even if you don't have a clothesline set up, you can hang clothes on hangers from the ceiling fan, over the banisters, etc. Sure it looks messy for a few hours but as soon as they're dry, you can fold and put them away and get your living space back.

Some places don't allow clothes hanging outside, or you might have a family member like DH, who doesn't want stuff hung outside for a variety of reasons that make little sense to me. He also complained no end about how stiff he thought his clothes were (even though they become unstiff almost instantly after you put them on). So what I do is put them in the dryer for 10 minutes, then hang them up in the basement.

2. Turn the thermostat lower in winter and higher in summer. We set it to about 85 in summer and 60 or so in winter. Saves a TON on our electric bill not to have those appliances running all the time. In winter we wear more clothes, cover our laps with a blanket, and use hot water bottles to stay warm. And stay active - as long as we're on the move we don't get cold.

We do this, too. We also use our fireplace to heat the house as much as we can in winter. It does a pretty good job until temps get below freezing. Anytime we're driving around town and see a tree cut down, DH offers to clean it up in exchange for the wood. People we mow for will also hire us to cut down trees or clean up fallen limbs. One thing we don't do is buy wood, it's very expensive.

3. Pare down services like cable, internet etc. Our family does not have a TV service. I was spending $80/month for Dish and felt frustrated every time a storm took the service out, or disrupted its recording. Once our contract was up, we dropped the service and switched to Netflix. Now for $16/month we have unlimited streaming and 1 DVD out at a time. The kids can sit and watch their favorite TV shows via the instant streaming and without commercials. I found I didn't miss it at all and rarely watch anything.

4. Talk to the cell phone company about reducing services/plans. We don't have a data plan since I figure I can get all the online content I want via my computer. We consolidated our services into a family plan that saved us a bunch. Then last week I had occasion to call our cell phone company and learned that we can switch to a new plan that will be $20 less than we are paying now and give us more minutes to share. So it doesn't hurt to check in with the cell phone co. from time to time to see if they have new rates and plans available that will save money.

You can also go with no-plan cell service. Wal-Mart has a variety of options for both regular and smart cell phones. The only drawback is that you have to come up with the money to buy the phone in the first place, but your savings will probably pay it off fairly quickly.

5. Insurance - see if you can drop any. If you have a car fully paid off you no longer need to carry the full insurance on it and dropping to third party only on an older car not only makes sense but will save a fortune.

6. Grocery shopping. The first place I stop when I go to the store is the clearance rack. When items are getting close to expiration, the manager will reduce the price to about half of the original to move them. I stock up on canned goods this way and other non-perishables. I've bought bottles of Sunscreen for under $1 for a large bottle. I mentioned yesterday, getting about 60 boxes of wholewheat pasta for .69 apiece. Those last forever and two years later I still have a few boxes left. After the clearance rack, I go to the produce section and look for marked down items there too. Most of the greens we eat in our salads are reduced to half their original price because they were close to expiration. If you pick and choose carefully you can often get things that are still edible as long as you are willing to eat them that day or the next. I buy every red-taped banana there is. DH likes them over-ripe anyway, and what he can't eat, I put in the freezer. A frozen banana is better than an ice-cream on a stick and healthier too.

I also buy a particular brand of chicken any time I see it marked down. I can get 2-3 meals worth of chicken thighs for a couple of bucks. I divide them up and freeze them.

7. Coupons. Be careful here because coupons are generally for name brand items and even with the coupon the product is more expensive than the store brand. However if the name brand item is on the above mentioned clearance rack, you can still use the coupon. That and a store that doubles coupons can be a real bonus. There are times the store has actually paid me to walk out with something. For example, one time I found a bag of Iams cat food on the clearance rack for $2.99. I had a coupon to get $3 off any size bag of Iams cat food. So I walked out of the store with a penny and a 15-pound bag of cat food. Another time the Yoplait yogurt had been reduced to 10c apiece because they expired the next day. I had a coupon to save $40 off 6 and the store doubles coupons up to $1. So I took home 6 tubs of yogurt and 20c to boot.

Yeah, I've found that, for the few things I can even use a coupon on, it's still usually cheaper to buy the store brand. Definitely compare per unit prices. It's a good idea to keep an eye on that anyway. For example, I buy the store brand of raisins. Sometimes the raisins in the big tub are cheaper per ounce and sometimes the ones in the smaller box are cheaper. It changes every few months. Don't take for granted that because a certain size or brand is cheapest this time, it will be the cheapest next time.

8. Reward programs - join every one that is free but don't change your shopping habits. I never buy something just to get the rewards points, but if it was something I was going to buy anyway, why not get the points? By shopping at Dillons, for every $100 I spend, I save 10c in gas. At QuikTrip, every dollar I spend in the store or every gallon of gas I buy, gets me 1/2 cent off. One refill of my tank gives me 7c off at the pump the next time I fill up. It sounds like not everyone has access to those two stores, but whatever stores you do have in your area, ask them if they have a rewards program and if its free, join it.

9. Credit cards. This is iffy because it takes self-discipline. Personally, I have and use credit cards - I rarely have cash. I have several cards that give me rewards points based on the type of purchase. One gives me 3 points for gas, hardware store, restaurant and office supply store purchases. Another gives me 3 points at grocery stores. Both give me 1 point for every purchase that doesn't fall in those categories. Those above categories are the things I spend at the most, so for almost every purchase, I am getting 3% off. I pay the card off in full every month so I never pay interest or late fees (have it set up to auto pay on the due date), plus, every other month or so, I have earned enough points to get a statement credit of either $50 or $100.

10. Surveys. Okay, here is a good one for you Maidenwolf. If you go to e-rewards.com, you can sign up to take surveys and they pay you for it. You fill out a profile about yourself and when they have a survey they think you will qualify to take, they send you an email, inviting you to participate. I take 2-3 surveys a week and get paid anywhere from $2.50-$10 per survey depending on how long it takes. Now, those aren't true dollars because when you go to redeem your reward, it takes up to 3x the reward dollars for actual dollars. But - the rewards are decent. They have gift cards and you can redeem for Gamestop, Itunes, or Target. For example, for 75 reward dollars, I can get a $25 Gamestop gift card. For 145 reward dollars, I can get a $50 Gamestop or Itunes gift card. All it takes is my time, which I have, and for my kids birthdays and Christmas, they almost always get gift cards to Gamestop and Itunes. My kids have no idea how I obtain those cards and to me they are "free" because although my time is valuable, I didn't have to go out and find the money to buy those gift cards. It takes awhile to build up the reward dollars so you may not be able to do anything with them by Christmas this year but by their birthdays and Christmas next year, you will have enough saved up to get them something.

Thank you for sharing, I appreciate all the support I can get and you all are great and I really didnt mean to turn this thread into this, but I so needed it. It is very impowering and makes me feel confident. thank you all so so much for all you are doing. I really need to proritize and start planning . I am loving the info coming in I feel hopeful and very proud to have you all as friends.

Personally, I'm glad the thread turned into this because I'm learning from it, too!

I make nearly all of my own cleaning supplies.

- Vinegar and/or baking soda will clean most of the stuff in my house. I have some recipes for heavier-duty cleaners as well, using a little ammonia or rubbing alcohol.
- Dust sprays are expensive, as are all those Swiffer-type disposable cloths. I use a microfiber cloth sprayed lightly with water. The water picks up and holds the dust but it isn't wet enough to damage any woodwork.
- I make my own laundry detergent (though I've been using a powder recipe that does contain borax) and use vinegar instead of fabric softeners. Thanks for the homemade "Shout" stain formula; I tried using just Dawn and it wasn't that effective.
- I make my own foaming hand soap using 1/5 liquid castile soap and 4/5 water in an old foaming soap dispenser.
- I don't use any facial cleansers. I use a mineral makeup, so when I wear it, it still washes off with water. If you wear mascara, it can be removed with olive oil. Most days I just "wash" my face with water and a washcloth. I often follow up with a toner made of witch hazel if I think I've gotten particularly dirty that day. I moisturize with pure aloe vera gel when it's humid, and a very thin coat of oil in winter. You could use almond, apricot, olive or coconut oil. About once a week I use an oil cleanser to clean my face: http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/
- Most days a bath without soap is sufficient, or I just soap my armpits, and I only wash my hair 2-3 days a week. I've tried a number of homemade shampoos and whatnot, but apparently my hair is one place I need to splurge. I use a very thick conditioner that cleanses. It's expensive, but it lasts me a long time since I don't have to use it that often.
- We brush our teeth with baking soda. There are several "recipes" for baking soda based tooth powders, but really all you need is the baking soda.
- I can't use this, but I make deodorant for DH. You start with baking soda. If that's too harsh, cut it with cornstarch. His formula is about 1/2 and 1/2. If that's too drying, you can mix it with a little coconut oil to make a paste.

I did try a homemade dishwasher formula, but it left a nasty film on my dishes.

Back on food, I also buy the 2 pound bags of beans and cook the whole thing at once. I put them in baggies in 1 and 2 cup amounts and freeze them.

I don't wash anything until it's actually dirty or smells. If I wore a shirt for the evening to visit my parents, I hang it back up in the closet. We hang our bath towels up to dry and reuse them multiple times before washing.

We don't flush every time. As the saying goes, "If it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down."

As for making extra money, any services you can provide for people might work. It depends on your ability to get to them. We mow lawns and do other yard work, as well as general handyman work for one of our people. I have cleaned the occasional house in the past. Bartering instead of buying is also a good way to save money. You might not always need a product. You could barter housecleaning or errand running or some other service in exchange for goods.

The stories about ex-husbands have actually given me an appreciation for my ex. He moved to Texas and we've never seen or heard from each other since!

 

[HEChicken]

- My FIL grew up eating what he calls "egg potatoes." It's basically a way to turn a lot of potatoes into a main dish. It's cubed potatoes cooked in some oil and/or butter in a skillet, with some eggs scrambled in toward the end. The bulk of the dish is something to fill you up, with the protein added in as a more of a flavoring. I often do the same thing with a little bit of meat and a lot of veggies. One of DH"s favorites is when I cook a bunch of onions and peppers and add Italian sausage. For two of us, I only need to use 1/2 pound of meat to a skillet full of vegetables. 1/2 to 1 pound of meat can flavor a lot of starch or veggies and still provide enough protein for 2-4 people. Cheese, if you have it, also helps increase the amount of protein.

Oh too funny - this is a favorite around here too, except we call it hash browns. I always start with baked potatoes that have been allowed to cool as I find it cooks up better that way. With cold baked potatoes on hand, I first saute a little onion, then add the potatoes and cook it until the potatoes are golden, then add a few eggs at the end and cook those in. DS and I were alone for dinner the other night and with four baked potatoes sitting on the counter, "hash browns" or "egg potatoes" was our dinner.

Another really cheap single-serve dish we will make is to cook up ramen noodles (6/pack is $1) per the package directions and then after the 2 minutes, add an egg. Stir for a minute and serve. It adds some nutrition to a meal that would otherwise not have much.

 

[checoukan]

Hi everyone, thought I would join in. I am feeling better, but the house is so empty, and quiet, going to take some time.

Hechicken
Your receipe for your "Egg Potatoes" sound like a receipe I have only using hash browns.
What I do, is make a bunch hash browns. and freeze. Take out what you need for a meal, I use like 2 cups, but, that depends on family size.
Brown the hash browns, when they are done, make some holes in the hash browns, leave some on the bottem, but make some "WELLs" in the potatoes, crack and egg into each of the wells, lower the temp, place a lid on the dish and let the eggs cook. When the eggs are done, you can crumble some bacon, or chopped ham, and sprinkle some cheese over top place the lid back on and melt cheese. My kids just loved this dish. You could add some salsa, or bell peppers, onion really is a very easy to add to and make a fun dish.
I think our store here in town last week had 50 # of potatoes for $8.55. I don't use potatoes like I used too when the kids were home. I wish I would have known then one our friends needed some help I would have bought a sack. I need to see if they still have some.

Hawkeye, are you going to Shawnee in December. I am going to try, it is the 8th and 9th. I may not make both days but will try to make the 8th. Entries are due Nov. 16th.

 

[Deerfield Acres]

Sorry guys, I'm 200 posts behind. Light really hurts my eyes with this crazy flu I've got so it's hard to read anything. I'm getting better but not up to 200 posts, yet. Once I get my eyes back, I'll jump back in. Miss you all!