Do you have a minimum below which ...

[Wannabefree]

I have a lot of "minimums." The more I think about this question the more I can think of things that I have minimums for. Food and tools are the main items with minimums. We do shop thrift and barter though. We have good neighbors as well that lend a hand pretty regularly so our cash outflow has gotten to be even less since having met them. We can offer them things they do not otherwise have access to, and vice versa, so we all benefit in our little micro community we have established.

This is a great thread! Thought I'd comment and breathe some life back into it for the newer folks since we've had such an influx of newbies the past few months.

 

[odd_duck99]

Our minimums include:

~food - nothing but organic or home grown veggies, prefer grass fed meat and home grown chicken, eggs from the girls or none at all, etc
~tools - especially the power tools
~some cleaning products - though I have since discovered the wonders of vinegar!
~mayonaise! lol! Generic just isn't as good.
~certain house projects. For example, we need to paint the house this summer, which we always planned to do ourselves. (We just don't pay folks to do things that we can do, OR we do some of it... like digging the 5x5 hole for the plumber and saving $1000!) However, with the arrival of our son last summer and our current schedules, we will likely just have to pay someone to paint the house. We decided the extra cost would be worth it to just have it overwith, less stress, a good job, etc.

I totally agree with the statements on how there is a difference between cheapness and being frugal. I would rather spend more money on something that will last, than not spend as much on a piece of crap. There is also value in knowing the difference between "need" and "want!"

 

[Avalon1984]

We have horses so we can't go cheap there or we can end up with a sick or injured horse. As far as our personal lives go, I am still working hard on disciplining myself on the wants vs. the needs. My mind keep stelling me to enjoy quality of life I need to invest into needs but my wallet says only "wants" are valid. Sigh. When it comes to food I usually go higher priced. We have been saving a lot of money on water and electircal bills. Don't need a tub every night, showers will do. I turn lights off when not in use and the heat was at 52 degrees all winter. If I need it warmer I can make a fire in the fire place.

 

[whaTType]

there's no way I could afford a new stroller, crib, dressers, etc. and the used stuff we've found on kijiji are better than anything we could have afforded new.

 

[Denim Deb]

I came across this quote today in a store, and immediately thought of this thread.

There is hardly anything in this world that someone cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper-and the people who consider price alone are this man's lawful prey. John Ruskin

 

[ORChick]

I came across this quote today in a store, and immediately thought of this thread.

There is hardly anything in this world that someone cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper-and the people who consider price alone are this man's lawful prey. John Ruskin

Very appropriate

 

[Icu4dzs]

I spent most of my life basically quite restricted as to financial resources. However, even though I am not quite that limited now, I have learned that new is not always the most thrift of methods. More often than not, I will go to a second hand store to buy a better product because. I know what to look for. Often I will go to pawn shops to buy certain kinds of tools, simply because I know the good ones from the junk. Take for instance Snap-on tools. New, they are astoundingly expensive, but at the pawn shop they are still a real bargain. They will last just as long as if bought new and a boatload cheaper to buy!
Trim sends
//BT//

 

[Denim Deb]

Don't know exactly who first said this, I've heard it on People's Court. The cheap turns out expensive.

 

[tdbarani]

Hello everyone! I found this website from BackYardChickens.com and I'm so happy I found it! My husband and I moved from the city out to the country on 20 wooded acres about a year ago on our quest to self sufficiency. We absolutely love it and are learning new ways to be self sufficient every day.

We are on a pretty tight budget, but we have agreed that it is worth it to spend more on high quality food. Everything that is on the "dirty dozen" list I buy organic. To me it is an investment in our health and we are all about prevention, so it makes perfect sense. We also agree to spend more money on all-natural cleaning products because we don't want hazardous chemicals in our home.

Since we "splurge" on these items we try to cut back in other areas to make up the difference. I feel it is definitely worth it.

Tammy

 

[snapshot]

Welcome Tammy! Sounds like you are already well on your way to SS!!!!!!