Just curious who else is living super frugal

[erinszoo]

What are the advantages of a pellet stove over a wood stove? Can you cook on them? When we had our rocket mass heater in the greenhouse I would take supper out and cook over it. I know I can do the same on a wood stove but I'm not familiar with the pellet stoves.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: I rarely grocery shop even once a month now. We've been raising our own rabbits, chickens, turkeys, ducks, and goats for awhile now so I have freezers full of meat and a canning pantry that is stuffed full from our garden and free foraging. I make almond milk when our goats are dry and only shop for the almonds once every three months. I make all of our breads too.

I have to admit it took me a few months to get the hang of shopping in my own pantry but now its habit. I actually kind of freak out when I go to the grocery store because there's so much stuff.

One word of caution about thrift store buys, always wash clothing in hot water and dry on high heat to kill any bed bugs that might be hitching a ride and be careful with used furniture. We bought our son a whole apartment full of used furniture that looked really nice and clean that ended up being infested by bedbugs. Not a pretty thing. With the money we've spent to kill them off he could have had brand new furniture.
In my state these products/items must be sanitized before sale at the thrift shops. Apparently each state requirement is different. So your reminder to wash is a wonderful idea to prevent the bedbugs. Ewww.

I too have trouble shopping at the grocery store, so I stay on the outside aisles to get fresh produce, meat and dairy. When traveling into the middle aisles I feel totally lost and get frustrated. SO I hear you.

 

[Arielle]

Pellet stoves do not work during a power outage-- if that matters to you. Unless the newer models have changed that.

We use a wood stove that works during any power outage for cooking and heating-- learned that living in Maine as a kid. Loved having a well outside the kitchern door too-- dear mother f illed it in recently. NOt sure WHAT she was thinking.

I really don't like chlorininated water; apparently it also kills the good bacteria in our guts. I don't like the taste as well. ( Pun intended. lol)

Happy Holidays to all!!

 

[LindaB220]

I'm getting my supplies ready for the first time garden in the spring. I've been buying stuff all year but still a ways to go. I'm going to do the Larry Hall grow bags and straw bale garden this year. I'll have to pay $7 bale for the straw and getting 12 will add up. BUT after the first year, the hay is almost ready made dirt for a on site garden. Just take the strings off and build a raised bed around it. Add a little DIY potting soil and it's ready to plant. A lot cheaper than the Miracle Gro bags of potting soil. I also came across this.

http://springmountainliving.com/repurpose-your-underwear-yup-you-read-that-right/

 

[DennisK]

What do you do when you can't afford to save your beloved pet? My dog, Betty, was very sick and taking her to the vet's presented me with the choice between paying $2000 for her care, or putting her down. The vets in this area won't take payments; so I had to hold her head while they ended her suffering. Her sister was also home, sick with what I suppose was the same illness. No one was quite sure what that illness was. The vet told me that all they would be able to do was maintain the dog's body functions working while the dog's immune system worked through the problem. After burying Betty, I started searching the internet for alternatives. I found a site, http://www.wolfcreekranch.net/animalhealth.html which taught me some things I could do on my own.
The first was to maintain the dog's hydration. A vet would give a saline solution via a drip station and a needle planted into the dog's vain. But there is another way to do the same. Both oral and via an enema, you can introduce saline into the dog's body. Wolf Creek touted the use of a product called Parvaid, and an antibiotic called Vibactra Plus. I found a feed shop that sold the Parvaid; so off to Salinas I went shopping. I returned with the Parvaid, a container of Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth, two 60cc syringes (without the needle), and two bottles of Pediatric Electrolyte which I found in the local drug store within the baby section. I could find no one who sold Vibactra Plus, and the only way I could get it was through the internet which would take more time than I had. Fortunately, her 103.68 F degree temperature dropped to a normal 100.7 F degrees; so apparently, I wasn't dealing with an infection. For the first 3 hours at every 30 minutes, I gave Lindy an enema with one syringe, the electrolyte with a bit of Parvaid. With the other syringe (never mixing the two up) I introduced the electrolyte and Parvaid into her mouth. The forth hour required only the oral administration. Fortunately, the enemas were not rejected; so there was no blockage, and the electrolyte dissolved back into her body. Because she hadn't eaten for a few days, I introduced a raw egg into the oral solution. After the 4th hour, I continued the oral solution mixed with the Diatomaceous Earth (DE). This is suppose to combat any parasites in her gut. The next day, I gave her beef broth mixed with DE using the syringe. Her pinched fir started to quickly return to its former position which indicated that she was hydrating. Today, she was up and running with her other brother and sister. Her ears no longer flat against her head, but standing up in full attention. She is not ready to start eating her normal diet of dried food yet. Yesterday, I got her to eat a raw egg from a bowl, and today, I gave her a bowl of rice and hamburger mixed with the DE which she gulped down. She no longer vomits, and I no longer need the syringes. I'm still waiting to see that first poop, but I feel that will come soon enough.
I don't want to encourage folks to skip taking their sick animal to a vet, but when you get into the position where you cannot pay their fee, there is still much you can do to help the animal yourself. I am left with a feeling of grief for the loss of Betty, and a sense of joy seeing Lindy play outside and eating and drinking on her own. I also have another feeling – one of empowerment. I'm not completely helpless when it comes to helping a suffering creature. And what about myself? Why do I continue taking these blood pressure pills while their price skyrockets when I can lose this excess weight which I know will drop my blood pressure? EMPOWERMENT!

 

[erinszoo]

I love that you were able to save your dog. Not being able to afford medical care for our animals or ourselves is so worrying. You did what you could. I've fixed a broken turkey leg, cared for cat wounds, even nursed a lizard. Healing myself just never seems to happen though. It takes too long and life gets in the way and I have no support. Being poor just really sucks sometimes.

 

[Amberjem]

What are the advantages of a pellet stove over a wood stove? Can you cook on them? When we had our rocket mass heater in the greenhouse I would take supper out and cook over it. I know I can do the same on a wood stove but I'm not familiar with the pellet stoves.

I am not an expert but one of the biggest things is less smoke it is very asthma friendly I havent had a single problem witht he pellet stove and my asthma, you dont have to chop a bunch of wood also some pellet stoves can burn other things then pellet

 

[Beekissed]

But some don't, so you have to depend on buying pellets to get heat, whereas a wood stove can take pellets and wood, either one. Makes them more versatile and more sustainable than a pellet stove, IMO. They may be more work, they may be messier and they may produce more smoke, but at least one can just go out and cut some wood to get heat and don't have to depend on buying fuel from a supplier/store. That's freedom and frugality in one package. The trade off is worth it to me.

 

[Amberjem]

I'm getting my supplies ready for the first time garden in the spring. I've been buying stuff all year but still a ways to go. I'm going to do the Larry Hall grow bags and straw bale garden this year. I'll have to pay $7 bale for the straw and getting 12 will add up. BUT after the first year, the hay is almost ready made dirt for a on site garden. Just take the strings off and build a raised bed around it. Add a little DIY potting soil and it's ready to plant. A lot cheaper than the Miracle Gro bags of potting soil. I also came across this.

http://springmountainliving.com/repurpose-your-underwear-yup-you-read-that-right/

I used cinder blocks for my raised beds and I used pine shavings as the base and filler for a composting fill dirt to bulk up the bed also went to my local nursery and got the lava rock dust from the decorative lava rocks for the garden got it free and added it into my raised bed soup, then used some of the very sandy soil that was moved as my other half was leveling the area for the shop and cardboard boxes I had ample supply of from the move under the shavings and to kidd weeds and attract worms and such.. anyways I have a great lil mix going on there I was planting a couple bulbs today and was coming out with handfuls of worms we had the septic tank replaced and there was some extra piping theyw ere going to throw away I snagged it drilled holes in it and buried it into one of the corners of my raised bed and I toss composting material from the kitchen or as I prune in the garden have a pie pan over the top so it doesnt get over watered, I hadnt added anything into it lately and I took a peek inside nothing but rich great soil composted inside now

 

[Amberjem]

But some don't, so you have to depend on buying pellets to get heat, whereas a wood stove can take pellets and wood, either one. Makes them more versatile and more sustainable than a pellet stove, IMO. They may be more work, they may be messier and they may produce more smoke, but at least one can just go out and cut some wood to get heat and don't have to depend on buying fuel from a supplier/store. That's freedom and frugality in one package. The trade off is worth it to me.

yeah I agree about that aspect I was all for the wood stove myself but now that we have used the pellet stove not going to the ER for asthma attacks and everything is GREAT, and I know I cant go out n chop wood up and we're getting older so while I wanted the wood stove for those reasons I am happy we have the pellet it has been great for heating plus it regulates the tempature so it turns on and off as needed..