DIY/Homesteading/Life on a budget

[nayeli]

I have seen some similar threads but they have gotten so many responses that I don't want to but in with comments/ questions on the original message.

So here it is. My husband and I are buying our first house, we should close in about a month and the house was built in 1975... it is complete with wood paneling and all; needless to say I have a lot of work to do on the house, a lot of DIY projects planned.

In addition to remodeling the house I'm planning on starting homesteading with gardening, chickens, ducks, quail, and meat rabbits.

I'm also trying to do ALL of this on a semi tight budget. We have a monthly budget that allows $150 for misc and $100 for me...

We are going to try to build all of the pens/cages or pick them up second hand. I have seen a DIY PVC pen that someone built for an iguana that I thought might work for quail. I'm have also read about getting free wood scraps and free pallets for use.

How are ya'll living, remodeling, and homesteading on a budget?

Oh I also saw turning the wire cubby organizers into rabbit cages! ANyone have experience with that?

 

[Catfish267]

If I were you I would start off small and then ease into it. maybe get a few chickens or ducks first. If you have never raised animals then just stay on this website and you can learn a lot. You might find that you can even make money on those animals mentioned. Craigslist is a great place to find stuff. just go to the farm/garden section. Good luck.

 

[nayeli]

I use craigslist but in my area the farm/garden section is sparse. I have heard good things about habitat for humanites restore in other areas too, but mine is again sparse...

I was on a farm as a child and loved it but this will be my first one!

 

[Plough]

If you want it did on the cheap, the first thing I would say is have patience. It's easy to go out and buy it and make it but if you want it on the cheap you will have to take your time networking, sourcing, designing etc. I would make a master plan of the major things you want to do. Prioritize your needs/wants. Then start what you can do now, and start collecting for later plans.

I can see myself burning out if I start too many major outdoor projects at the same time. Not to mention those things that you will have to buy you can be slowly buying so it's not so much a huge hit to the pocket book at the same time.

I'm not a fan of breaking down pallets, but look in to that. Don't be afraid to ask managers of big stores you shop at about taking some... A lot of the time they have scrounged just take them or they may even pay people to take them.

Check sites like Craigslist and freecycle. Check farming, free, and materials... remember not everything you can get free, but you can get a lot of stuff on the cheap.might not hurt to check the garage sale notification and local ones too.

Recycle and reuse you might have something for the use you need but didn't realize it would be usable for it. It might not be perfect but it will work till you can get exactly what you want. Just keep an open mind and evaluate your needs when you plan on junking something. A number of diy or homesteading sights might give you some ideas.

Hopefully I didn't run on too long or have too many autocorrects sine I'm typing this after midnight on my phone. Good luck!

 

[nayeli]

Thank you Plough, I think you did well for typing all that on your phone! There actually is something I currently have that I'm thinking I might be able to repurpose, a metal wire shelf unit... If I can attach wiring around it then it would make really easy rabbit cages and the shelves seem to be a good size for cages!

 

[nayeli]

I have also heard of buying wire squares (cubes/shelves) and turning those into cages!

 

[Daox13]

I up-cycle EVERYTHING!

No i'm not a trash house haha...
However, pallets, Buckets, Plastic Bottles, glass bottles... they all have 100s of uses that can be pretty if done correctly. I encourage you to research Up-cycle gardens, up-cycle DIY project ETC... it saves a lot of money in the long run plus you are helping the environment

As far as home repairs..
I have a home that was built in 1937 and yes when I bought it it was falling down.. now it is a wonderful and very well thought out home. I would suggest for flooring to use vinyl plank.. it does not scratch and it EXTREMELY durable. This would be good since it is going to take you a few years of drywall, insulation, gallons of paint and lumber plus heavy foot traffic...

I start from the top of the home and work my way down ( considering the foundation is good). Start looking for leaks in the roof and slowly slowly go bit by bit.

Doing home projects on a budget take a lot of future planning... you have to have vision and start either collecting materials in advance and or have a price list for the store... ALWAYS assume you will spend more then your budget! it always happens... never plan for a project to be quick and easy (rarely turns out that way).

Once you start you will never finish! be warned!

I know my post have a lot of negatives in there, however it is extremely rewarding when you have completed a project that would have costs you thousands for a few bucks and it LOOKS GOOD .

I am just trying to prepare you for the hard times. because I wish someone had for me when I got started.. I learned a lot of things the hard ways before I started to learn that Preparation is 90% and the other 10% you have absolutely no control over.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

So exciting! My husband and I are doing the same. Definitely second to go slow. Just chip away here and there. I'm glad budget has made our progress slow as it has given me time to see what is working and what isn't working, and time to brainstorm out issues.

We are in TX and are finding people trade things more by word of mouth here than on Craigslist. We are also finding a pickup truck would be invaluable. We share a small hatchback car and the hatchback part of it is an all day trial getting the lock to open these days. If you have a truck, that is going to make things a million times easier for you.

 

[nayeli]

Thank you two! I'm definately looking forward to remodeling the house and adding more animals and I'm not dreading the work although I don't expect it to be easy! @Punk we do have a pickup truck and I'm sorry you don't... I never like the gas hogs except when you want to pick something up!

Daox, they have some ceramic tiles that mimic the look of wood! I really like those and we can do the installation ourselves! =) I'm even debating tile countertops, if done right these can look good... and anything is an improvement to ours!

 

[nayeli]

Ours needs some remodeling.