Just curious who else is living super frugal

[KentuckyMom]

Arielle,
I too noticed that the corned beef did not go on sale this year. You can make your own at home. I looked it up online and made it a couple of months ago. It tasted REALLY good and didn't cost an arm and a leg! You just have to be willing to put some time into it. It has to set in the refrigerator in the brine for five days.
Also, my first job I made $3.35 an hour, and gas was about $1.00 a gallon. Now days it's hard to believe those days existed! I'm not THAT old though!

 

[perchie.girl]

my first job was minimum wage a whoppin 1.35 an hour Unfortunately in 1973 thats when the Oil embargo was going on so I cant quote fuel prices then.... I remember the fuel lines were over a hundred cars long and they would run out before they had filled everyones tank.

I also remember 25 cent gas and 25 cent cigarettes....1965 prices I also remember Gas Wars when competing gas stations would drop thier prices to grab the others customers.

Fast forward to now.... My only vehicle is a Dodge Cummins one ton. 1997 Vintage.... No Glow plugs No catalytic converter. It has a big block six engine and still gets 22 miles to the gallon after 300,000 miles. Its a stick so I can pop the clutch from a rolling start if I have to and is so Torquie (Sp?) that I have to start in second gear. Frugal? for me it is. Diesel engines were invented to run off of Peanut Oil. They are more forgiving of stupid mistakes.

I met a fellow who showed me his set up for his 1984 diesel Mercedes. Plain used frenchfry oil. You filter out the chunks and pour it into a separate fuel tank. He ran two fuel lines to his engine.... One for diesel one for French fry oil. Right next to the french fry oil he ran a coolant line.... To heat up the oil before it went into the injectors. Once heated it flowed just like Diesel.... He said the trick was to start the engine with Diesel fuel and get it warmed up maybe about five minutes.... Then flip the switch to switch over to French fry oil. Same goes for shutting the vehicle down.... Switch over to Diesel run it till the french fry is out and then shut down.


deb

 

[PlaidBattleAxe]

I am saving Jeans eventually I want to cut them into long strips and braid up some rugs....
The Grandmas on both sides of the family used to buy flower in Big bags.... They made dresses for their girls out of them. thats how big. Then the dresses would become wiping rags then eventually they became braided rugs.

YOu just need cones for folding the fabric and a fabric splitter....

http://www.carolsrugs.com/linen_lacing_rug_braiding_tools.htm

deb

Great link, thank you for sharing!

 

[jlynnp]

My frugalness of the day...

Corn was on sale for 15 cents an ear at the grocery store so bought a bunch for the birds to eat.
All my rabbits go crazy over corn husks and they have a huge trash can next to the corn for people to shuck it right there instead of having to deal with it at home.
A worker came out to empty the can since it was overflowing and he let me have the massive bag of all the husks for my rabbits.

He said it was a one-time thing for me to take it, they're not allowed to do it, which is the stupidest thing ever if all they're going to do is put it in the dumpster???

We went to WalMart yesterday as I needed to fill my pain meds and they had sweet corn for .10 an ear!! A $1.20 a dozen! Next will be green beans, I found them for $18 a bushel far better than the $25 I had found earlier. Our wild Blackberries are getting ripe so I will be picking them and put them in the freezer until I have enough for a couple batches of jam. Have to beat the goats to them.

 

[LindaB220]

Arielle,
I too noticed that the corned beef did not go on sale this year. You can make your own at home. I looked it up online and made it a couple of months ago. It tasted REALLY good and didn't cost an arm and a leg! You just have to be willing to put some time into it. It has to set in the refrigerator in the brine for five days.
Also, my first job I made $3.35 an hour, and gas was about $1.00 a gallon. Now days it's hard to believe those days existed! I'm not THAT old though!

Well, I am. Started work in a bank in 1966. At $220 mo. That's $55 week.

I got a raise a few months later to $280 mo. I was so thrilled I hugged my boss. Then I found that the cost of wages went up and they HAD to pay me more. As a 20 yo working lady I bought a house 3/1 in Bossier City by the Barksdale Air Force Base. My mortgage was $79 mo. I could afford to buy a house. Ahhhhh back in the day. I think gas was $.29 gal I'm 67 now and don't have a car note. Live with my DD and her family and pay room and board. I still can live on my salary. Just have to budget out my chicken purchases. This month it's going to be the run.

 

[lazy gardener]

I hit the work force in '74. $65/week, Hubby and I banked my pay check, and lived off his, so we could buy land and start building 2 years later. We've always lived very frugally, I stayed home to raise our 2 children, and have never worked full time. When comparing our life style to my peers, they'd consider us to be living in 3rd world poverty! But, our home is paid for (we built it, and had a 15 year $88.66 mortgage which we paid off early) and our vehicles are paid for. Our house is small, super easy to heat... and we have heated with wood and pellets exclusively for the past 3 years, because I refuse to spend the money on oil. While my peers are buried in 150K mortgages for 30 years, and married to full time jobs... we putz along. Raising grandchildren now, so we've not been able to work on retirement funds for ourselves. But God is faithful, and has always blessed us, always met our needs, and when the expenses were greater than the income, there was always money to give to Him first, and pay all of the bills on time.

 

[KentuckyMom]

I hit the work force in '74.  $65/week, Hubby and I banked my pay check, and lived off his, so we could buy land and start building 2 years later.  We've always lived very frugally, I stayed home to raise our 2 children, and have never worked full time.  When comparing our life style to my peers, they'd consider us to be living in 3rd world poverty!  But, our home is paid for (we built it, and had a 15 year $88.66 mortgage which we paid off early) and our vehicles are paid for. Our house is small, super easy to heat... and we have heated with wood and pellets exclusively for the past 3 years, because I refuse to spend the money on oil.  While my peers are buried in 150K mortgages for 30 years, and married to full time jobs... we putz along.  Raising grandchildren now, so we've not been able to work on retirement funds for ourselves.  But God is faithful, and has always blessed us, always met our needs, and when the expenses were greater than the income, there was always money to give to Him first, and pay all of the bills on time.

We have seen that over and over in our lives as well. Somehow when we give to God first everything else falls in place. To those who don't live it,it is crazy, but it's true. With five children we have been able to "survive" on my husband's paycheck alone so that I can stay home and homeschool our children. People are amazed at this, but it CAN be done! And how we've learned to do it is not a new idea. Here I'm preachin' to the choir though...

 

[PlaidBattleAxe]

We have seen that over and over in our lives as well. Somehow when we give to God first everything else falls in place. To those who don't live it,it is crazy, but it's true. With five children we have been able to "survive" on my husband's paycheck alone so that I can stay home and homeschool our children. People are amazed at this, but it CAN be done! And how we've learned to do it is not a new idea. Here I'm preachin' to the choir though...

We are trying...DH and I made the mistake of going to school twice, so we have 4 degrees between us and too many private loans... if we could get past those, we'd be alright. We've cut out a lot of things like cable and dining out and other misc. costs and I was able to cut down to working two days a week so that I can stay home 5 days a week and homeschool the kids while he works full time. Faith is a huge part. I believe God put us where we are for a reason, and it's up to us to do the hard work and things should fall into the place where we are meant to be, if its His will. I would love to be able to stay home full time and work with the kids and on our (in progress) homestead, but being part time is so huge. Esp as an RN. I used to work 6 days in a row, 12 hour night shifts. I would go 1 week without seeing my children at a time and it was killing me. We took a pay cut and a lot of extra financial burden for me to cut down, but it's been a blessing for our family. Weird. We shifted financial security and high family stress to awful financial security and very low family stress----I wouldn't trade where we are right now for anything. Glad you are in the situation you are in too. Reading your post made me look at things a little more clearly (we've been stressed with finances a lot lately and it was bogging me down), so thanks for that.

On a "what can I discover to do with wild eats" note": I made lasagna tonight and substituted spinach for lambs quarters-----AMAZING!!

 

[lazy gardener]

I need to do a bit of research on lambs quarters. I think i know what it is/looks like, but need to be sure before giving myself a serious case of "trots" trying it out! If any of you are looking to get debt free, and who isn't! You might want to check out "Financial Peace University" by Dave Ramsey. He offers an excellent program. basic home finance management based on Biblical teaching.

 

[KentuckyMom]

We are trying...DH and I made the mistake of going to school twice, so we have 4 degrees between us and too many private loans... if we could get past those, we'd be alright. We've cut out a lot of things like cable and dining out and other misc. costs and I was able to cut down to working two days a week so that I can stay home 5 days a week and homeschool the kids while he works full time. Faith is a huge part. I believe God put us where we are for a reason, and it's up to us to do the hard work and things should fall into the place where we are meant to be, if its His will. I would love to be able to stay home full time and work with the kids and on our (in progress) homestead, but being part time is so huge. Esp as an RN. I used to work 6 days in a row, 12 hour night shifts. I would go 1 week without seeing my children at a time and it was killing me. We took a pay cut and a lot of extra financial burden for me to cut down, but it's been a blessing for our family. Weird. We shifted financial security and high family stress to awful financial security and very low family stress----I wouldn't trade where we are right now for anything. Glad you are in the situation you are in too. Reading your post made me look at things a little more clearly (we've been stressed with finances a lot lately and it was bogging me down), so thanks for that.

On a "what can I discover to do with wild eats" note": I made lasagna tonight and substituted spinach for lambs quarters-----AMAZING!!

We have been through a lot to get where we are today. Sometimes God pulls everything out from under you to get your attention. In the end it sure does help you get your priorities straight. You find out that you can do without so much of what other people deem necessary and that your family is really the most important.
It sounds like you are on the right track. We are a work in progress here. I learned to can out of necessity when my husband lost his job a few years ago. By the time he found another job we had learned to live differently. We moved to the country, bought some chickens and plan on putting in a bigger garden each year, along with fruit trees and grapes. Your children learn a lot through the process too. Very few of today's generation seem to know how to be frugal. We are equipping our children for the future.