Official SS Poll: What do you do to eliminate bills / cut down expenses?

[Mini Horses]

In the sense that the sheep are "there" to care for all year and lambs are the "for sale" & "to butcher" feature, they can be slightly negative $$. But, the joy of watching them, handling them (when tame) has it's pleasure -- a needed pleasure, I might add.

My goats are milked for use...sheep can be. So my goats are a challenge to justify some years -- since VA limits the milk sales (can be worked around ) -- but, cheese can be sold as the process does actually pasteurize it. You must have tasted the milk from Devon. It is truly excellent milk -- I love mine!!! Now, I'm not being an enabler but your DGs would love this fresh milk! This year hard cheese & cream.

I visited a "backyard farmer" yesterday to select a new buck and it was so calming to interact with her herd of goats. The Saanen breed is known for pleasant personality, plus large quantity of great milk. I love mine and now own a fullblood buckling. Can't wait for next breeding season & Spring kids! Also had ideas from seeing her operation. My main barn will get a revamp this summer -- for a re-designed goat barn & milk parlor. They still have a large loafing barn in another field.

BONUS -- she is a wildlife rehab person, so lot of info. Turkeys there __ eggs & poults for sale. But, talking & walking we came upon a huge overgrown patch of thornless blackberry (were there at house purchase) and some raspberries. She stated they were going to dig & dump to get under control Of course I volunteered to take some and she said "all you want!!!" & I also have some wormwood, lemon mint, catnip and some other stuff you can get. Shovel is in my truck. The buckling & free plants coming back Sunday. What a savings + things I wanted.

A TRUE retirement savings & sufficiency trip.

 

[Mini Horses]

So -- brought home new buckling, free blackberry & raspberry plants, PLUS 2 turkey eggs!!! LOL My broody trying to hatch an old electric socket will now get turkey eggs.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Woo Hoo! He is a cutie - hope he does great things for you. Hope your turkey eggs hatch and hope your brambles do well. Sounds like a good day!

 

[baymule]

Thanks, FEM.

Well, kinda strange when a buckling and 2 old turkey eggs "make your day"....

Not strange at all.......might be a little envy goin' on heah. LOL

 

[Lazy Gardener]

In addition to the items on the poll, I am an avid dump picker. I have brought lots of wonderful building materials home from the town dump. Also, furniture (a lovely little night stand, solid maple, dove tail joints). Canning jars, plates, glasses, cook ware. And, the most important: our dump has a very large parking lot devoted to compost materials. Mountains of wood chips, and leaves, spent bedding.

Saving money: Hubby and I always put God first. Give to Him first, and He'll take care of the rest. In the early years, I would write down our expenses, and our income. Invariably, there was not enough money to cover the expenses. But, by giving to God first, before paying the bills, the bills have always been pain on time.

Add to that: wise use of credit. Our expenses go on a credit card. That card is automatically paid off in full every month. This helps us to track our expenses, AND we earn points that can be redeemed for up to $100/mo. I would not advise using this tactic unless you have a firm grip on your spending behaviors!

Buy in bulk when it is appropriate. We use BJ's and the credit card, saving up to 45 cents/gallon when compared to other gas stations in our area.

Become a DIY fanatic. You can buy the necessary tools to accomplish a job for far less than it would cost to pay to have that job done. Hubby can do basic plumbing, electrical, and many auto repairs. I sew, can, build basic gardening and farming structures, stone walls. Together, we accomplish some of the more difficult tasks.

Learn the difference between needs, wants, and desires.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

CC, if others followed your example: living debt free, it would be amazing how the economy of our country would turn around. Further, if every one who could, would: grow a garden, keep a small flock of chickens (if for nothing more than the eggs provided, learn how to process the food provided, learn how to cook, and learn how to live within their income level, with a goal of becoming debt free, AND exercise their right to bear arms, we would: turn the government of this country on it's ear. Our fearless leaders would be scared out of their socks to be faced with a nation full of people who know how to think independently and take care of themselves.

When it looked like Obama had a chance of getting into office, that's when hubby looked at me and said: "it's time to buy a real gun." That constitutional right may soon disappear.

 

[Beekissed]

I've never had a major credit card in my life. I had a Montgomery Wards card at one time back in the early 90s for a couple of years, but found it was too much of a temptation to buy my family things, so I got rid of it.

All things have been purchased with money I have earned, except for a house loan and, a couple of times, a car loan, but haven't bought a car on credit since the 90s. Haven't owned a house since the early 2000s either.

Don't get me wrong...in this present world, credit seems to be a nice thing to have...but God has directed me otherwise and I expect that's for a reason. Maybe so I would live depending totally on His provision and not on my good credit? Not sure if that's the case but credit hasn't played much of a part in my life.

It's allowed me to drop off the grid of life(not go to work) and go help my mother in her golden years without any worries about paying off debts. Everything I owned was paid for and I have need of nothing extra right now, other than what God provides, so I'm good. That makes most people my age extremely nervous~no retirement, no 401K, etc.~but I don't feel a bit of anxiety over it.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Excellent post, Bee. Our well is over 200' deep, with only 1.5 G/min. fill rate. I think there are places on our property where we could put in a hand pump. I wish I'd addressed that when we had the guy and his excavator clearing our land and making a huge mess of it. It would have been a very easy thing for him to dig out that sink hole we had in the "new" front lawn. I think that would have yielded a good water source. Sink an oak barrel, rock it in, and we'd have had water at least for the "unfrozen" months. In order to have water in the winter, it would need to be very well insulated, and over 6' deep.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Don't overlook the options of a vermiposting toilet, and grey water recycling, rain barrels. Build an outhouse. Doable in some situations, I'd be hard pressed to do it here b/c of high water table and our crazy rocks mixed with a bit of soil/clay terrain.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Good mechanics are hard to come by, and of great value. Hubby and I finally think we've found a good one after being without for several years after our last mechanic died. In the interim, we got scammed several times.