Just curious who else is living super frugal

[GreenGables]

Quote:
Thanks Wifezilla, I'll have to look into this. I also want to look into getting a wiskey barrel for collecting rain water. There were some online but were a bit expensive.

 

[Wifezilla]

There is a car wash near us that sells 55 gallon barrels for around $20. They get their soap in them. Might be a good barrel alternative.

 

[HeatherLynn]

check craigslist often. I have found some with lids as cheap as 8. Most of ours we paid under 15 for.

I would love to find out where to get the whole grains from. A new facet of saving more is me cooking more. I have always loved to cook but now everything is from scratch. I am teaching the kids to cook while I am at it. My 8 and 10 year old made dinner the other night. I had to help with the oven of course but they did 99% of the work and the clean up. They think this part of frugal is fun.

 

[NYC feather fam]

Thanks to everyone on this post for all the advice and support

As it was mentioned, sometimes it is hard to adjust the overall mindset of the family to a more simple way of life and this can be discouraging, especially compounded with the pressures of day to day living. So good to know there are others out there that are working to live by these values, but I think the chickens help keep us all closer to our own humanity somehow. God bless those little birds lol

 

[NYC feather fam]

cooking at home and incorporating more dried grains and legumes into your cooking will definitely save you money, it's also way healthier then packaged, processed foods. Food Co-ops and most natural/health food stores carry packaged grains and many have bulk grains as well for better prices. Yet still, it seems crazy to pay 7 to 8 dollars a pound for organic quinoa. Has anyone found any less expensive options for dried grains?

 

[beach9037]

Great thread on becoming more self-sufficient.

For those who can't manage to garden and butcher, there is a national non-profit called Angel Food Ministries that everyone can use regardless of income.

http://www.angelfoodministries.com/

They are USDA approved so even those on food stamps can use them. This may be more helpful to others than to those in this group, but wanted to pass the info along.

 

[ForgottenGlen]

Quote:
I hear you. Here is what you will do: what you can. The way to a better future is not to beat yourself up for what you cannot do. Better to be happy doing what you can. You have a six month old child and work full time? I work full time and I have two small children. So here is what I do: what I can. I rush home from work and the minute I walk in the door - life is in full swing. My children are not peaceful and easy-going. They are demanding and sometimes downright horrid. And so I do what I need to do. I spend time with them. I sit down and I listen to them and I hold them and I read them a story perhaps.
The lovely thing about living this new lifestyle is that you place importance where it needs to be placed. For those of us with children, we take care of the children first. After that you work in what works best for your family.
I would love to tell you that I make all of our bread and I sew all of our clothing and that my floors shine from being waxed by hand - but it wouldn't be true. Don't get me wrong - I do make bread and I do sew and sometimes albeit rarely I scrub my floors on my hands and knees. But that is not a rule I live by.
Only you know what will work for you. There are so many good ideas presented here. Choose one that appeals to you and that you think perhaps you can do. Try it. And on the days that it doesn't get done - snuggle the baby and forget about the goal that wasn't met.
And take joy in what you do accomplish. Pat yourself on the back for the successes. Oh yes - and update us all about the new things you tried and what worked...and what didn't work. We are all a work in progress right?

Great response, that is truly what it is all about. Not having a Better Homes and Gardens worthy house, but having a happy home filled with love, and less bills to pay. Try out one new idea, if it doesn't work for you toss it. If it does then great! Add other ideas as you have time, the idea is to enjoy family life more, not cram more to do's onto an already long list that is impossible to complete!
Btw. kids kept in perfectly sanitary/white glove homes never develop immunities to germs and thus are unable to fend them off as they enter school and other public and often very unsanitary locations. Yes, germs are bad but they are everywhere, and mutating all the time to develop their own immunity against all of our "advanced" anti-biotic, anti-fungal stuff.. Good old Soap and Water does the trick! And grandma's home cold remedies actually help build our immune systems instead of over-riding them. Sorry rant over!

Thank you jdopler and rathbone, that helps so much!

 

[Aimless Farmer]

Heatherlynn, what a gift to your children Teaching them to enjoy cooking from scratch is a gift which will keep them happy and healthy for a lifetime, and it's good for your (future) grand-kids and (future) great-grand-kids, too! It is the ONLY gift which will guarantee the continuation of our species!

BRAVO!!

 

[NYC feather fam]

I'm really loving all the posts I am seeing on this thread. Sometimes it can be so hard to look at the big picture in the course of trying to get everything done. The big picture is, that our children are only young once and taking the time to enjoy just being with them is precious. Kids come built in with the most wonderful gift....it's called imagination. Yet our kids today are being taught to ignore their own ability for imaginative play in favor of video games and television. My nine year old step daughter would happily sit watching disney channel ALL DAY but if I don't give her this as an option she is more than capable to entertain herself playing with her dolls or some other little toy. When I was a kid you couldn't keep us inside or clean....we were always covered in dirt form making mud pies or scabs from falling out of trees or off our bikes or something. This kind of play is imperative for our children's brain development, ability to problem solve and sense of confidence.

So canceling the cable and getting DVDs from the library instead is one of my favorite ways to save money and spend more time with the kids and less with the TV.

Good luck everyone! The happiest children come from the homes with the most love, not the most money

 

[Wifezilla]

Just a quick note on grains and beans...

Done the right way they can be an inexpensive source of nutrition for you and your family. Done the wrong way, you can end up causing health problems and robbing your body of nutrition. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE read this if you eat grains and beans...
http://nourishedkitchen.com/soaking-grains-nuts-legumes/