Just curious who else is living super frugal

[Arielle]

Bought mushrooms for 79¢ a pack today. Gonna slice em and dry them ready for throwing in soups and stews and sauces. Also had cherry tomatoes 59¢ a pack and carrots 49¢. Last week we got 12 heads of cauliflower for 79¢ each. I blanch and freeze those.

Glad you found some goodies!!

Our local grocery did away with its seconds shelf. I really miss it. I could always find plenty of vegies. LIttle do they know that I know shop at the store in the next town. THe difference in gas money was made up in p rices.

Will you be able to get gardening soon??

 

[Arielle]

Quote: As I remember the Colorado has been tapped for so much water that it stopped making it to the ocean in the 1980's. Can you imagine the folks a that end??

I'm ok with the farmers getting the water to make our food.

I know us home owners could do more for water conservation if allowed. I stilldont understand why gray water cannot be separated from other waste and filtered for other uses. Boggles my mind really. Perhaps this drought will put pressure on some change.

I suspect that household use and office buildings use as much or more water than the farmers. Just a hunch. Would love to see the numbers.

BUt I'm all for the farmers getting the water. Maybe not for rice, as that is a heavy user of water. A different crop is necessary there. Rice is not a high quality food anyway. A veg rather than a grain would be better.

Tried a new kale and boy is it good. THe markets carry the surly types and that is what we make use of in many ways. THis one is a " lacinato" or a "dinosaur type" kale. A milder flavor; no prickly leaves; less fibrous texture. We'll use both now.

 

[Arielle]

I have been slowly growing a little vineyard by propagating cuttings from the vines that I have growing. This winter, I was going to harvest enough cuttings to quadruple the number of my vines, but now I may have to just burn my cuttings. The big growers in my area are currently pruning – we sure could use some of Arielle's weather.

Dennis why burn your cuttings??? You know that variety will grow for you. . . .??? Can you get cuttings from t he big growers??

 

[LindaB220]

Quote:
I feel your pain!!!! I lost 50 lbs 2 yrs ago using a combo of low carb and the Perfect health diet. Kept it off for a year. It jump started my dead metabolism. But I stabilized at over 200. So still need to drop another 50. I'm doing a garden this year and going to eat every veggie I can think of. I've always been raised that meat comes first but people are doing well using it as a condiment (just a little in stir fries and such). I may have to come to that. Beside the insane cost of meat now. I actually felt ill when I had to buy the cheapest roll of 80/20 hamburger meat on SALE for only $4.49 lb. Buying a 3 lb roll kept it from being $5 lb. I really need to buy a good size freezer this year. I know that there is better meat out there for the price. I just need to research a little to find it. My SIL's Dad and StepDad both raise beef. Has any ever been offered? Nada. I'm going to approach one of them (or both) and see if I paid the expenses would they raise us a beef. Then I could make arrangements for the slaughter. Heaven forbid that anyone does a favor. lol

 

[DennisK]

Dennis why burn your cuttings??? You know that variety will grow for you. . . .??? Can you get cuttings from t he big growers??

The level in my well is down more than half; so I need to start conserving its use. I am currently using a drip system for irrigation and that may allow me to continue my growth – not quite sure – I'm kind of on the fence over this. I'm not sure how long a cutting can last before it will no longer propagate. Some literature I've read claims that in California, I would be better off pruning in March to avoid bacterial problems; so I have time to see what will happen this winter – February and March are normally this region's wettest months, but I don't hold out much hope as things just don't feel like winter here – still in short sleeves.
The vineyards here are large corporate fields – miles of vines, and no one to talk to. Most have fences; so I don't trespass, but in the central valley, I passed one vineyard that was not fenced. Last year, they pruned and left cuttings littering the side of the road. I picked some of them up which gave me 80 new plants – the only problem is, I don't know what kind of grape they are. Judging from the leaves, they could be merlot, or perhaps cabernet - not sure. They are seeded, so they aren't grapes for raisins. As far as knowing what kind of grape will grow out here, I find that you just have to try and see what happens. I was told that Rieslings need a cooler climate, but the seven vines I planted now have trunks a good 2” thick. They are on their 2nd season. I have much to learn about this subject; so I don't know what I can't do – it is amazing what you can get away with when you are blind to restrictions.

 

[KelsiNS]

My husband took a career change that he loves, but left us on minimum wage most months. We had started frugal living (aka "Im too poor for this ****) after a tough layoff.

I make my own shampoo, laundry detergent, deodorant, and toothpaste.
We have milk goats.
We have chickens for meat and eggs.
Rabbits for meat.
We do business almost exclusively through bartering now. (I have made a payment on a used tractor with chickens or helping butcher a beef).

I have a whopping total of three outfits.

We don't drive anywhere unless it is a necessity.

We recycle junk (my goat shelter is made of recovered tin and an old swingset).

"Going out to eat." means I cooked on the grill. We do NOT eat fast food or at restaurants ever.

I hang our laundry to dry.

We unplug everything, and do not run the heater or A/C unless it is absolutely miserable inside.

We garden, and have a hefty stockpile of heirloom seeds so we don't need to buy plants.

We hunt for a lot of our meat.

I think, all in all, our bills (groceries, lights, gas, etc) runs us something like $127/month for three people.

 

[lazy gardener]

KelsiNS: You win the frugality prize. Hats off to you. Also, I applaud you for supporting your hubby with a difficult career choice, and him for making that choice which I'm guessing has decreased his stress level. Success can't be measured by $ signs.

 

[Arielle]

Quote:
ya, we invested in deep freezers long ago. Allows us to buy when cheap and hold onto it til needed. HOnestly if we eat a lot of veg, and NOT grains, be far ahead of the current SAD way of eating. Lots of real veggies are a good thing. Can you imagine the pile of greens it would take to add up to 150 net carbs??? Just be sure to get enough protein. ANd the more overwt, the more we need. LIke being an athlete in training we use more protein because ,heck, we are carrying around 50 pounds weights ALL the time. lol

Having produced my own lamb for a number of years, I don't share my meat very often. I have worked hard to get it. It is not mass produced, and not mass processed , costs much more per pound than prices at the grocery. Cutting and wrapping is a huge expense. ALmost 50% of the cost for me. THat is why I like the chickens and ducks and turkeys-- no butcher to pay. lol Could I suggest asking to buy a half a steer-- or a quarter?

Meant to include CONGRATS ON THE TERRIFFIC WT LOSS!!! It is always the battle of the bulge, isn't it? lol

 

[lazy gardener]

I don't offer any of my home grown meat (chicken) to any body. I've worked too hard, and invested too much of my time to be giving it away. My MIL was storing some chicken in her freezer for me. She doesn't cook, so had the space available. She told me she was going to give some of it away, and I just about had a heart attack! You can bet I was at her house the next day to rescue my chicken from her generosity! Eggs, I'll give them away, but not meat! It's bad enough when I give away a dozen eggs only to find that the recipient didn't use them up within a week, so they threw them away, "because they weren't sanitized like the ones from the grocery store!"

 

[LindaB220]

My husband took a career change that he loves, but left us on minimum wage most months. We had started frugal living (aka "Im too poor for this ****) after a tough layoff.

I make my own shampoo, laundry detergent, deodorant, and toothpaste.
We have milk goats.
We have chickens for meat and eggs.
Rabbits for meat.
We do business almost exclusively through bartering now. (I have made a payment on a used tractor with chickens or helping butcher a beef).

I have a whopping total of three outfits.

We don't drive anywhere unless it is a necessity.

We recycle junk (my goat shelter is made of recovered tin and an old swingset).

"Going out to eat." means I cooked on the grill. We do NOT eat fast food or at restaurants ever.

I hang our laundry to dry.

We unplug everything, and do not run the heater or A/C unless it is absolutely miserable inside.

We garden, and have a hefty stockpile of heirloom seeds so we don't need to buy plants.

We hunt for a lot of our meat.

I think, all in all, our bills (groceries, lights, gas, etc) runs us something like $127/month for three people.

Kelsi, this has to be the most inspiring post I've seen in some time. What a great opportunity to give up the life you don't want and start another that you love. Tough, yeah, but so important in the grand scheme of things. "What did you do with your life?" Wonderful. We made the leap of faith to have my daughter quit her corporate job at a hospital to open a dog grooming and boarding salon. NOT easy. The first year of training and getting customers were sparce. She's (42 yrs old) starting her third year now (Feb '12) and has grown her business from one building to 3. Two to three dogs groomed a day to about 10-12. Boarding from nothing to about 5-15 dogs at any given time. We weren't smart enough to barter, grow our own food, hunt or raise chickens. We almost starved the first year. I'm just this year learning about all this and getting my chickens and seeds together. ha Chickens are just on POL. I did make the other DD DIY Laundry Soap for Christmas. Learning, Learning!!!!