Just curious who else is living super frugal

[donrae]

My feed bill will be going down a bit. Have 3 girls leaving Fri, and an other 4 spoken for when they come off heat. Makes me want to start some more. but... what am I thinking???? FF is definitely a feed bill reducer.

I just put eggs under a broody,

and Honey pulled my incubator out and wired in a brand new expensive thermostat, so I have to try it out to be polite, right

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
I Sooo love enablers.....

 

[lazy gardener]

I just put eggs under a broody,

and Honey pulled my incubator out and wired in a brand new expensive thermostat, so I have to try it out to be polite, right

But of course you do. Such a thoughtful hubby. What kind of restrictions do you have regarding exposure to bacteria?

 

[olderoo]

"Super frugal?"

Is that what we're calling it now?

 

[donrae]

But of course you do. Such a thoughtful hubby. What kind of restrictions do you have regarding exposure to bacteria?

I can't go in the coop, or be around chicken poop (poopy eggs, etc). Still on a low bacteria diet for another week or so--no fresh greens or berries, nothing that can't be thoroughly washed or is cooked. I can observe the birds from outside, or go in the run as it's very large and open. I don't do any feeding or watering, which is driving me nuts as I want to try FF but don't feel it's right to put more on my ds 13 who has taken over the chicken chores while I've been gone. My plan would be to sell the incubator chicks as day olds or asap, to not have them around a long time. The broody hen will probably get to keep hers, any pullets will be new layers for the winter.

Oh, and no gardening at all. Until September, then I should be okay.

 

[Arielle]

Went to talk to a friend about starting a small garden. SHe just needs some direction, support and a 4 x 4 plot made up for her. Hoping that I can get her hooked on gardening. . . . its frugal food!!

 

[donrae]

Went to talk to a friend about starting a small garden. SHe just needs some direction, support and a 4 x 4 plot made up for her. Hoping that I can get her hooked on gardening. . . . its frugal food!!

Good for you! Sometimes all folks need is some guidance.

A friend and I were going to do a "how to pressure can" afternoon at church last summer/fall but I got sick and she didn't feel confident enough to do it on her own. Maybe this year we'll be able to do it. Lots of folks want to pressure can but are scared--I sure was at first! I would have loved having someone to guide me and make sure I didn't explode

 

[Arielle]

Quote:
OMG I sooooo remember that terrified feeling the first time I canned as an adult with only a booklet as a guide. I too was convinced I would blow up the canner!! I can laugh now. .. canning is very easy: just follow a few golden rules. Sure hope you are able to teach a group to can. A very worthwhile skill!! Having ready to heat canned chicken soup has saved me many a night!!

 

[lazy gardener]

Went to talk to a friend about starting a small garden. SHe just needs some direction, support and a 4 x 4 plot made up for her. Hoping that I can get her hooked on gardening. . . . its frugal food!!

I do hope you didn't end up digging it for her. I did the same for a friend a few years ago. She stood back and watched while I hand dug the whole thing for her, claiming that she wasn't smart enough to dig... And on it went, while I patiently explained how to plant seeds, then planted them for her b/c she wasn't smart enough. Then... the same thing with the tomato plants, and the fertilizer... all with a woman who has a master's degree! I bumped into her last summer, and she asked if I was going to come out and help her plant a garden. No thanks. I'm too busy every day for that!

Good for you! Sometimes all folks need is some guidance.

A friend and I were going to do a "how to pressure can" afternoon at church last summer/fall but I got sick and she didn't feel confident enough to do it on her own. Maybe this year we'll be able to do it. Lots of folks want to pressure can but are scared--I sure was at first! I would have loved having someone to guide me and make sure I didn't explode

I'd come to your class. Bought a pressure canner last summer, have yet to use it. Used to use a pressure cooker all the time when I was younger, so it won't be quite so scary for me the first time.

 

[wyoDreamer]

I'm only about a week behind on this thread ...
As everyone seems to be anti- credit card, I just wanted to add my 2-cents. Credit cards have protections that Debit Cards do not. Personally, DH and I will not use debit-cards. Well, we have one but that is our Health Savings Account, it is the only option and is only used at the doctors office. If someone gets your Debit Card info and makes charges, the money comes right out of your bank account and is gone; the bank will not follow up on a fraudulent charge, you are on your own to solve the issue and get a refund. If you write a check on that account expecting the money to be there, then you have returned check fees and/or overdraft fees. If the bank does get involved, it may put a hold on your account as it tries to solve the issue, leaving you without access to any of the money you have in your account. If someone gets your credit card info and makes fraudulent charges, your credit card company is obligated by the Fair Credit Billing Act to remove any disputed charges from your account until the matter is resolved and no charges are paid until you "verify" them, usually by paying the statement.

We shopped around and found a credit card that has strong protections and good bonuses. If fact, if we are traveling out of state and try to use our card we will get a call from the company checking to make sure that it is us and the card was not stolen. We get points for every charge we make and can use those points for cash back or travel. We have used those travel points for airline tickets and hotel rooms. One year, we cashed points out and got $200 to use for Christmas gifts, another time we used the travel points and had to pay a total of $50 for flying both of us to a different state for a friends wedding and staying in a hotel for the weekend.

We are careful about what we spend and we pay off our credit card in-full every month. But, with a credit card, we have the option to carry a balance for a month or so if an emergency were to come up. It has happened to us once in 17-years of marriage. And now that I am unemployed, we have limited our spending to make sure that we can afford to pay the card off every month.

The key is to live within your means.