What did you do to save $ today?

[cackle]

We were traveling back from a trip to DC. Stayed with friends so the trip only cost the price of food. Husband's diet restricts him from anywhere but Arby's. Ate there on the way but bought sandwich stuff for the way home. Much better quality and saved money at the same time.

 

[me&thegals]

Made tacos today. The meat was from husband's hunted venison, so very cheap. I made it 1/3 meat, 1/3 brown rice, 1/3 beans and seasoned it with homemade taco seasoning. So, all was very, very cheap and will stretch out quite a way on 1 lb of meat

 

[freemotion]

Traded massage therapy for a brand-new canner.....this will be my second canner, so I can have two batches going at once. Imagine 40.....40!!!! jars in rows on the counter, cooling, waiting for labels. The time saved will also be money saved. It will save me literally DAYS each year. And every canner-load saves $$$, too, as you all know!

I'm so happy!

 

[me&thegals]

What?!? 40 jars per canner?!? I've never heard of a canner this big, unless I'm misunderstanding you. Great deal, anyway

 

[On Our own]

Traded massage therapy for a brand-new canner.....this will be my second canner, so I can have two batches going at once. Imagine 40.....40!!!! jars in rows on the counter, cooling, waiting for labels. The time saved will also be money saved. It will save me literally DAYS each year. And every canner-load saves $$$, too, as you all know!

I'm so happy!

I wish you lived closer - my back hurts so bad these days I trade almost anything for some relief!!


What size canner and what size jars fit 20 jars per load??

 

[freemotion]

I plan to increase my bartering as time goes on. We've done some great bartering, including our haircuts, which we've bartered with our stylist for several years now. And got my barn wired, and lots of electrical work in the house. Some backhoe work. Book-keeping. Next is housecleaning, I'll be looking seriously....I'd rather give a massage than clean the floors! Then I can go play outside more!

Both canners are Presto 23-qt pressure canners, and hold 20 regular mouth pint jars each, stacked two high. I wanted to get ahead with my catfood this winter so I wouldn't have to make any in the warmer months, but I need a whole day available to make a month's worth, and to have the $ for supplies in the same week doesn't always happen! Now I can get it done in a half day, and won't need the fridge space, so I can do it in the warmer weather.

The fridge is filled with milk!

 

[Cybercat]

Both canners are Presto 23-qt pressure canners, and hold 20 regular mouth pint jars each, stacked two high. I wanted to get ahead with my catfood this winter so I wouldn't have to make any in the warmer months, but I need a whole day available to make a month's worth, and to have the $ for supplies in the same week doesn't always happen! Now I can get it done in a half day, and won't need the fridge space, so I can do it in the warmer weather.The fridge is filled with milk!

Hi freemotion,

I am new here, and would like to know more about your cat food project. Is there a thread about it somewhere? If not, could you start one? I'd love to find a recipe and a way to preserve foods for 5 hungry cats...

Thanks,
Leanne

 

[freemotion]

Welcome! I just posted the recipe to the recipe section, with lots of details. It will seem like SOOOO much work the first time, then it gets to be quite easy with each batch. You can also freeze it, but with five cats, that is a lot of freezer space! And what becomes an issue is that you will be running out of food just when you are going out of town or getting busy with some emergency. So now I can it. Also, I don't have to go through the thawing process.

I did save up the plastic tubs that the liver comes in for freezing it in, so I didn't have to bother marking the tubs. My cats were brought up on the commercial, highly processed foods, so they actually like the canned version better, as it is cooked more. I will do raw with my next cats, as I do with my dog, started as a puppy.

One of my cats is off expensive prescription food and both are doing SOOOO much better on homemade food!

Check out the per pound price of even the cheap catfood, you will be amazed. Plus, no worries about contaminated food or availability if things get bad, especially if you have your own chickens/turkeys.

I'll be happy to support you and cheer you on through the process!

 

[Homesteadmom]

I joined the paperback swap & have mailed out 3 books & so far received 4 with one more on the way. They keep a running tab for you on how much the books cost & what you save & so far it is over $13 saved for me(that is minus the postage). My son is getting a good collection of the Hank Zipzer books which he really loves. Planted more in my garden today so it is a little over half done. More tomorrow to be planted.

 

[cjparker]

Today, for the third day in a row, I did not make a pot of coffee. I had a cup of tea instead. I add sugar and lots of cream (the expensive, thick, real stuff) to coffee, so one cup adds up both in $ and in calories. That cup of tea is a bargain by comparison.