Just curious who else is living super frugal

[DennisK]

I spent my first 8 years living on a farm in southern Maine. We had 2 Black Walnut trees. From the first dropped walnuts, until the last, I spent many happy hours gathering those nuts, and then I'd sit on the old granite well curb and crack them with a hammer, and eat the sweet nuts. My fingers were stained from the hairy coating on the nuts all summer. Oh yeah, such happy memories tied to a grand tree! Many trees are like that. Alders? Oh my, a true child's wilderness play ground. I used to use them like a trampoline. Stand on one bowed over trunk and hold an other for balance, and I could bounce for hours! Pine trees? I don't know how my mother ever managed to get my clothes clean, b/c when I wasn't scrambling around and getting covered with walnut stain, I was climbing the old pine tree out back, getting covered with pitch. It grew right next to a high ledge, so I could step straight from the ledge into the canopy of that grand tree. Oh how my imagination could soar in that tree, looking out at the ground sloping away far below. I'd usually have to wash up with paint thinner at the end of the day!

Yes, I can relate. I was a tree climber too. Black Walnuts are delicious – a bit hard to crack but they have a great taste. We use Black Walnut trees to form a root base for the English Walnut, but many of the Black Walnuts are allowed to grow uncut – especially along some of our roads. Come the Fall, the road sides are littered with Black Walnuts. I keep thinking I should bring along an empty feed sack and bring some of them home.

 

[oldrooster]

Quote:
My meds have gone up too, my druggist told me it was to compensate for how drug companies can charge under Obamma care.

 

[lazy gardener]

My meds have gone up too, my druggist told me it was to compensate for how drug companies can charge under Obamma care.

The last time I went to pick up Pulmicort to treat my asthma, I was told that my cost would be around $175.00... AFTER the pharmacy billed the insurance company. We have very good insurance, and pay dearly for it. Even so, I can't afford to get the medication that I need. So, I go without. Have been fighting bronchitis for a month now.

 

[write2caroline]

We made the decision to live within our means when we moved to Florida.
We were really in a bind when we came, we had a house that wasn't selling and paying rent here and suddenly our budget flew out of control. It took a long time to return to financial stability plus, I had a tough time finding a job. My education didn't seem to help - so much for graduating with honors and my Masters really scared people off. I finally took it off the resume. We also discovered the schools were horrible here. We put my son in Private school and we were going to enter my daughter the next year if I had a job. She poor little thing was beaten up 3 times in 3 weeks as a first grader so, we really economized and put her in private school too. I gave up all non essential things. We learned to shop at the good will and got hand me down uniforms, It was really hard the first year but our life actually was better. I don't miss the fake nails or shopping my favorite stores, we make christmas presents, we get what we need and not worry about what we want. We use coupons and we are careful with money. The kids did get scholarships some of the years and even then it was not easy but we managed. Getting chickens was a good thing too with the eggs.

I think living a life within your means is a great thing. My kids are not spoiled - it is hard when they go to school with kids who have everything but don't appreciate what they have. My son got a lot of kidding about his cell phone and the smithsonian wanting it returned. My kids are good econimists and I am actually glad they saw us live with what we have not try to live up to some standard set by what other people have and want.

What ever your reason is to a live frugal life, embrace it and stick with it.

When you disipline yourself to manage your time, talent and funds now you will have choices later that others don't.

Caroline

 

[perchie.girl]

We made the decision to live within our means when we moved to Florida.
We were really in a bind when we came, we had a house that wasn't selling and paying rent here and suddenly our budget flew out of control. It took a long time to return to financial stability plus, I had a tough time finding a job. My education didn't seem to help - so much for graduating with honors and my Masters really scared people off. I finally took it off the resume. We also discovered the schools were horrible here. We put my son in Private school and we were going to enter my daughter the next year if I had a job. She poor little thing was beaten up 3 times in 3 weeks as a first grader so, we really economized and put her in private school too. I gave up all non essential things. We learned to shop at the good will and got hand me down uniforms, It was really hard the first year but our life actually was better. I don't miss the fake nails or shopping my favorite stores, we make christmas presents, we get what we need and not worry about what we want. We use coupons and we are careful with money. The kids did get scholarships some of the years and even then it was not easy but we managed. Getting chickens was a good thing too with the eggs.

I think living a life within your means is a great thing. My kids are not spoiled - it is hard when they go to school with kids who have everything but don't appreciate what they have. My son got a lot of kidding about his cell phone and the smithsonian wanting it returned. My kids are good econimists and I am actually glad they saw us live with what we have not try to live up to some standard set by what other people have and want.

What ever your reason is to a live frugal life, embrace it and stick with it.

When you disipline yourself to manage your time, talent and funds now you will have choices later that others don't.

Caroline

Very wise words....

For what its worth.... I struggled with debt most of my adult life.... I am still a financial nitwit...

Inherited that from my dad. But I am without a mortgage and I havent used a checkbook in about thirty years. I pay cash if I cant afford it I dont buy it... ATM cards are a nice check valve for me.

I still struggle.

deb

 

[write2caroline]

I do make payments to my savings if that makes any sense. When we paid off the car, we paid ourselves half car payments for the care and keeping of the car, You have to have a budget and you have to be realistic about it. It is not just not spending money but being disaplined when you do. If you save money for auto maintenance and you have a break down you have something for those big bills like when you really need a big repair. I also have funds set aside for the animals. It is not a lot but $25 per paycheck adds up over time. Living Frugal should not be without Saving. You can start with putting the difference in savings. You need to look realistically at what you spend in a month - gas, food, electricity, rent/mortgage - even if you are mortgage fee you have insurance and you will always have some kind of maintenance so pay something to yourself. Some of the most Frugal people I know are also very wealthy. Not the showy people who have expensive cars and live in big mansions. Some of my cousins are multi millionares and if you met them on the street you would never guess. My uncle drives the same Ford Truck for 30 years. He has a total of two outfits, His wife who passed away a couple of years ago used to wash one outfit everyday and he would wear the other. You accumulate wealth by being frugal and saving
Caroline

 

[GoodwinFarm]

Believe it or not, I've just read nearly the whole thread. It took me three months and I skipped all the political stuff

I live in WI and right now live within my means, but want to get debt free and consider semi-retirement in about 2-3 years, depending on how I do.
Love hearing about all you guys do to save, especially with regards to feeding animals. I've got chickens, both meat birds and layers, also dogs. Want to think about rabbits for fiber and meat potentially.

I participate on a website called listia.com which lets you barter through the mail with people. You have to be careful, but I've gitten some really good stuff on there. If anyone is interested, let me know, I'll help walk you through how to not get scammed.

I also started low carb eating this year at the direction of my doc. It's been good because I no longer eat any processed foods and I've lost 40 pounds.

Love to chat with you guys!

Rebecca

 

[perchie.girl]

Welcome Rebecca

I know a Mary Goodwin... online only she has draft horses. I am thinking Iowa or Wisconsin. I know I know two big states.... LOL

I am in San Diego...

deb

 

[GoodwinFarm]

Deb, you're right its a big state (two?) and I don't know much about horses, so no relation.
Love to read about how things are different...here we can't live without heat and the pipes burst in winter even when the furnace is working. I was so amused when you (I think?) talked about using space heaters. Wish that worked here! LOL!

 

[perchie.girl]

Deb, you're right its a big state (two?) and I don't know much about horses, so no relation.
Love to read about how things are different...here we can't live without heat and the pipes burst in winter even when the furnace is working. I was so amused when you (I think?) talked about using space heaters. Wish that worked here! LOL!

Yep.... My house has a huge R value one foot thick walls very insulated. But old windows. The desert does get cold but its a different cold from what you get. All my pipes are buried out to the yard a good couple of feet. Then each faucet comes out of the ground about two feet. They are surraounded by galvanized duct which is stapeld to the post used to support the pvc pipe. Then the whole thing is filled with Decomposed granite sand. so insulated I have no pipe probs in the yard. The horses corral is completely open with the excption of shade structre thats 24 x 24 feet.... Then there is a water hose that goes from the house to her water tank.... Two fifty footers with another for the final reach to the 100 gallon tank. Believe or not the last one of those hoses lasted six years.



this is an old picture... Her shelter is larger and taller but her water is in the same spot.

Here is the bulk of what we get for snow. It lasts a good 24 hours some times....LOL


It melts as soon as the sun comes out. She loves the snow. One morning I cane out and she had been sleeping standing next to the fence and she had a blanet of snow on her back....

It does get cold enough to freeze pipes though.... It usually has nothing to do with the snow. It got to five degrees from the Jet stream touching ground. I lost one pipe in the green house.

Those oil heaters do work to keep you comfortable though.

deb