Just curious who else is living super frugal

[In His Service]

We just got 28 cornish x (ordered 25, 3 freebies, all healthy) from Ideal at special price due to over-hatching. Hatching out lots of chicks to be laying or providing meat by spring. and got 40+ quail in the incubator for eggs and meat. Now all we need to do is get a great garden started this spring and we will be set! Just got to hold on til then.

 

[Raiquee]

What's everyone's frugal goals for 2012?

My biggest one is moving so we can have the space to raise more of our own food.

Dh is butchering ducks tmw and I am taking 2 breasts to make duck proshutto! Yum!

 

[In His Service]

Frugal goals... (1 and 2)getting a garden in, which involves getting DH to cut down some trees to let in light. (3)getting the rest of the fam to care... and pitch in. Sometimes I feel like I am

and yet, I chug along, taking small steps, making small advances, sigh, someday.

 

[HeatherLynn]

mmmm our frugal goals are to really build on last years. Bigger garden, more variety in it. Raise more meat birds and add a few more hens. Pay off all credit debt next month YAY. Pay off our van early by upping our payments. We are working on trying to save up more of an emergency fund. Its a slow process for us. Too many things on our list to do and sometimes savings is smaller than hoped for.

Waiting on word today or tomorrow about a buyers loan approval for our house. As soon as thats clear we will start the building process of a new house on our farm mortgage free. It means a smaller house for a family of 6 and doing everything ourselves but it will be worth it. Not an easy goal but we are hoping to at least get started on this goal this year.

Other than that our goals are to be a bit more disciplined with out spending. We are frugality backsliders at times and we need better control.

 

[ChikeeMomma]

Our 2012 goals would be to save more and put aside more for retirement. We'd like to buy hubby a newer truck with cash within the next two years. He needs a very reliable heavy duty diesel for what he does, so even used we are looking at $25,000-$30,000. Needless, to say we need to get saving more!

We are also looking to increase our pumpkin patch, so we can sell more to the public. I don't think I'll be increasing the garden anymore than that.

Best wishes in 2012 to all!

 

[jdopler]

I am hoping to increase my garden size this year. Not by much as last year was kindof my first try, I had a small garden about 13 years ago (5 plants). And try to keep the darn grasshoppers from eating all my bean and pepper plants this year!!
Just got 1/2 cow from butcher so we are set on meat for quite a while ($2.65/lb once all said and done) plus lots of free soup bones, organs, oxtail from butcher since some ppl didn't want it!
Also hoping to be able to get a wood stove and a hand pump for the well, JIC!

 

[oldcrowfarm]

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.

Hi, I, too am enjoying this thread very much! I will save questions until I have finished reading-so as to NOT be redundant-but I must respond to this nice lady (and others) about rainbarrels.

My husband works for a company that uses the metal 55 gallon barrels for their production. The liquid plastic that comes in them is FOOD GRADE, so after they are thoroughly washed, they can safely be used for most anything. He gives them away to anyone who comes by and asks for them! They even have lids. Check with any manufacturing companies in your area-they may have some, too. And my DH loves to give them away-keeps them out of the landfill. Most people here use them for burn barrels, make smokers (yes, for food) out of them, cut them for feeders, and .........tada!!!! RAIN BARRELS! They can even be painted if you desire.

Hope this helps. There are lots of things for free, I am finding, if you just ask!

Sybil

“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.” Edward Everett Hale

 

[EweSheep]

Hope to pay off hubby's truck in our income tax, that means more money to free up to do other things. I know we need new tires and minor repairs that is needed to be done on the vehicles. I can not seeing buying used tires because many of the garage owners said that is the worst thing to do for your cars, not cost effective in the long run, more waste for your money, imbalanced and imperfect tires that would suck the living daylights out of the gas mileage. Is there any truth to that? I know FIL loves to go to "junk" stores that sells second hand tires and he has to buy more often that the ones that are brand new.

You don't have to change oil every three months, you can get it changed every five to six months and the engine will be fine. Just be aware of the mileages you put in, the more you rack up, the more often you need to change oil. If you are a city gal, you may not need to change as often but be aware of the color of the oil when you check it monthly if no problems.

Cheapest is to keep up with the maintaince on your cars. Even an oil change, changing fuel filters, air your tires, tire rotation, you can do it yourself or find a garage owner that does the rotation for free when you go in for wheel alignment.

 

[HeatherLynn]

One thing you can do for your car is to use synthetic. I get a 5 quart jug I think for around 18 at walmart. You only have to change your filters every 3k miles and the oil is goog for at least 3 filters. In a pinch we have gone 4 filters. So short run its a little more expensive. Long run its a ton more cost effective and you don't have to run back to the store to recycle oil all the time. I hate doing that. Its also great for those of us who sorta stink at remember oil because synthetic doesn't break down like regular oil does. We have been using it for close to 20 years now and so far so good.

 

[ebwy2]

Quote:
my fiance is a mechanic, and he told me he'd refuse to let me get 2nd hand tyres on any vehicle. As far as I know, it's for the reasons you mentioned.

I'm curious as to how everyone's family was about frugal christmas?