Just curious who else is living super frugal

[Rathbone]

THANK YOU! I am going to go check the links out.

 

[Rathbone]

Okay FrogDogTimesTwo...let me just say THANK YOU again. Those links are phenomenal. Going to be so helpful. I subscribed to the first two and trying to subscribe to the last. Love them.

 

[Wifezilla]

How many of you are preparing for "what if"?

That is part of the reason I bought ducks. I figured cute egg machines would be handy in case of job loss, complete economic breakdown or zombie apocalypse.

Something I am noticing...today's homes don't have areas for storage. sigh

I live in a small house so have close to zero storage. I just buy furniture that has storage area. My coffee table is a decorative trunk. One of my end tables is a nice wicker basket with a flat top. The other is a square chest. The end tables in the bedroom are footlockers.​

 

[Rathbone]

The last link that FrogDog listed states that enough food for one person for one year can be stored under a twin size bed. I guess the dust bunnies are coming out and the food is going under the bed now.

 

[jdopler]

Heather.. best of luck to you
Wifezilla, I used that site as a jumping off point for my personalized recipe. It is happily bubbling away fermenting on the kitchen counter. Tonights project is to re-fill the mustard jar. I haven't purchased prepared mustard for years! Tastes just like french's but much cheaper homemade.

 

[HeatherLynn]

We have been in what if mode for several years. We might be young but we had grandparents and parents that still remembered the really hard times. We have a huge pantry, a huge garden, chickens and ducks, wood heat, trees and berry bushes already producing fruit. I have stockpiled pass down clothes in the basement. Its regularly sorted through. Everything we do is in preparation for what ifs and to teach our children a self sufficient life style.

 

[vfem]

I just want to say... "what if?" is now! I see at least 3-5 more years of this. Unless there are big changes to government in that time, this will surely happen again.

Doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different outcome is the definition of insanity. However, this is not a political comment at all. Not taking sides, or even wanting to discuss them!

In this case, in these times, we are all responsible for ourselves and our families, and I am sooooooooooooo very pleased to see so many families getting back down to what matters. It's not about 'things' anymore... it's about people again. Makes me smile!!!

Any anyone who's bumped into me around the site (and sister sites), "HI WIFEZILLA!"

, knows I garden and can like a crazy woman. Then I have the chickens on top of that, and the ducks. We're always fishing for cheap or free building material and that is how I got my coops built and raised beds put up. I grow from seed for 90% of my plants to save $$$. I trade seed (if anyone wants any PM me), and I trade produce with local farms to keep my business going and my family going when I need something I can't grow. BUY, isn't always the answer!

I coupon clip for everything else, and I trade services with friends and neighbors... baby sitting, lawn mowing, landscape trimming, work on cars...

community means = making a great team you can count on and work with.


I worked HARD before the economy started tanking to get out of debt. So we have no consumer debt. We have a low interest car loan on a used hybrid I put a down payment on, own our 2 other vehicles outright, have our mortgage payment and my college loan is more then 50% paid off. Outside household monthly bills, we don't owe on anything. We've cut back on those some, but hubby agrees to do a bit of side work every couple of months so I don't take away his cable. Long as he brings in extra for the extra it stays, as soon as there is no extra... it's gone.

Which reminds me, I do call and negotiate my bills... I called the satellite company and asked them to lower my bill, talked to a couple of people and they took $11 off our month to month bill for 6 months. See, doesn't hurt to ask.

 

[HeatherLynn]

Don't get mad all but I am sorta glad this has happened. Not glad so many are struggling but I think we hit a point where we either self corrected or we imploded. We were losing skills, the ability to think for ourselves, and any sort of self sufficiency. Maybe things had to get bad so that we could get back to who we really are again. I know preparing for this and the fear of this has pushed our family into a place we may not have gone on our own but we are stronger and closer because of it. I see that as a huge benefit. Things are tough and we have to be frugal and cut back and worry about jobs BUT all of it can push us into a new better direction. I think we have to face these things with the right attitude. Our cub scouts have shirts that say "attitude is everything". Actually if we read our cancer support thread on BYC they will preach till they are blue that attitude is everything. I think it applies to where we are in our national and family economies also. We just need to get our attitudes on and push through. We can do it and will be better for it!!

 

[Rathbone]

Quote:
I couldn't agree more.

 

[bietsch624]

Making your own laundry detergent is a great way to cut costs too....