Suggestions for making it through hard times - add some, no whining!

[ninjapoodles]

Be sure and check the labels and owner's manuals on your water heaters before wrapping them. Some models, particularly if they're not new, actually pose a hazard if they are wrapped, and will typically have a warning printed somewhere on them against doing that.

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

I've got the most energy efficient appliances I can get. front load washer only 12 gal of water, hang laundry.
I buy my meat from local farmers, sound like a lot to start with, but I only buy beef once a year and pork twice a year and get it processed the way Its most useful to my family, like smoked pork chops over $6 a lb when you can find them in the store, less than $2 for me because the processor puts the chops in the smoker with the ham. and COOK your own food, and a garden. No adult toys i.e. boats, snowmobiles.

We burn wood for heat too.

 

[HennysMom]

I'm sure this was mentioned already but... wait to shop for groceries until you see the Buy One Get One Free deals - then use coupons on those items!

I just went shopping last night and our store had almost half the store BOGO for staples like mayo, coffee, fruits, ketchup, veggies, cat food, litter, etc... lots of things and I ended up saving over $70.00 off my bill just in the BOGO deal, then adding in coupons, another $20.00 or so off from those!

I stock up on everything - and... I still smile everytime I hit the TP aisle because someone I've now named the TP Fairy always leaves coupons for Charmin right next to the TP! LOL!!

Every time I go there are coupons just sitting there clipped out by someone and it makes me giggle because uh.. Charmins' pretty expensive and DH wont use anything else

. So now, I will start doing the same thing - and leave coupons for others because it makes my day everytime I find one - and I secretly feel as if I've won the TP lottery!

HA HA!

Pay it forward indeed... LOL!

Oh yeah, and if you can, go in with someone or just by yourself and purchase a side of beef if you know someone. We have a friend that raises black Angus (organically too! YIPPEE!) and all in - processed, vacuum packed and all - its going to cost us $2.15 a lb (about $625-$650) - saving us well over $800.00 in costs if we purchased all of it separately (even on sale) at the grocery store. Not to mention it tastes MUCH better and is better cared for

I cant wait to get it all! YAY!!

 

[TubbyChicken]

We do a lot of what has already been suggested here...

Most of our meals are made from scratch...I'm a vegetarian but my husband and son both eat meat so I watch out for sales on meat and tailor recipes to what we have in the freezer/fridge. I try to meal plan. We buy frozen/canned veggies when fresh is out of season and we shop at our local farmer's market when it's open. This year we're also starting our own garden and growing as much as we can...I hope to learn something about canning this year also.

Ds is no longer in diapers, but when he was we used cloth and washed all of his diapers in Baking soda and vinegar...we treated stains with lemon and sunlight and hung most of his diapers to dry.

We buy toilet paper from recycled paper products and ds still uses cloth wipes. We use cloth in the kitchen as well and don't buy paper towels. I wash all of those with baking soda, vinegar and a drop of Tea Tree Oil. We "no poo" so wash our hair with Baking soda and Apple Cider Vinegar. (Dh uses diluted Dr Bronners on his hair).

We also do a lot of cleaning with Essential oils, lemon juice, vinegar, Baking soda, etc...

I've started letting my husband cut my hair at home, I cut my son's and my dh's as well. We groom all of our pets by ourselves, and yes...they too are "no pooed" LOL

We only use one car (although we have 2). We try not to buy many new toys for ds and focus on finding him things in thrift or consignment stores...

I didn't start out doing these things to save money, but it's one of the many benefits to living naturally.

 

[bheila]

We raise our own beef. Barter for pigs, which ends up costing us nothing. Chickens for eggs and meat. Food bank when we qualify. Try to make as much homemade food as possible. Buy one get one free.
My daughters take baths together. When we take a showers we never leave the water running when we're soaping up.
Friends donate good clothing to my kids and I do the same for them.
We only have cellphones, no reason to have a landline at the house.
If my parents have extra room in there garbage can we put our garbage in it so we don't have to pay to go to the dump.

 

[Wifezilla]

When we take a showers we never leave the water running when we're soaping up.

That was a hard and fast rule at grandma's house. She had to pay sewer fees for all water going out of the house.​

 

[HarlansHollowFarms]

Quote:
I am glad I am not the only one that is living like this....the only thing I do different is I go to someone to cut my hair and to get poo for myself! DH uses my soaps or poo bars that I make my hair is so dry and curly, I can not get away with using my stuff on it, so I guess my hair is chemically dependent!
We are even brewing our own beer and wine.....I hope to get a wind turbine in the near future to furnish our electric. I don't think solar will be as benefitial this far north, the only thing stopping the wind between the Northern Canadian Yukon anD Sidney is a barbed wire fence and it is down most of the time.

 

[AussieSharon]

In response to the "coupon fairy" I do the same thing at my grocery store for baby food, diapers etc.

I remember when my kids were little and every penny was spoken for how nice it was for me to go to get diapers and some thoughtful person had left a coupon. Henny is right, it really was like winning the lottery. I've been paying it forward ever since.

 

[TubbyChicken]

Quote:
I am glad I am not the only one that is living like this....the only thing I do different is I go to someone to cut my hair and to get poo for myself! DH uses my soaps or poo bars that I make my hair is so dry and curly, I can not get away with using my stuff on it, so I guess my hair is chemically dependent!
We are even brewing our own beer and wine.....I hope to get a wind turbine in the near future to furnish our electric. I don't think solar will be as benefitial this far north, the only thing stopping the wind between the Northern Canadian Yukon anD Sidney is a barbed wire fence and it is down most of the time.

I also have dry-ish curly hair! It took weeks for my hair to detox and I still use a little bit of coconut oil on the tips...I have to use a lot of ACV to keep it from being too frizzy. Letting my dh cut my hair was so scary and liberating! LOL I have very long hair and let him cut about 8 inches off...making it a little longer than shoulder length. I was so happy I trusted him although I did have to stop him from screwing it up several times. LOL

Our goal is to eventually have solar...although we also plan to move at some point and I don't see us being able to make that type of investment here quite yet. In mean time we have done a few things to our older house, including redoing some insulation...

It's amazing how cutting these little corners helps the environment and the wallet!

 

[SewingDiva]

I try to apply this old Yankee saying to anything consumable to avoid waste:

"Use it up, wear it out, make it do - or do without"

Phyllis