What did you do to save $ today?

[VT-Chicklit]

Yesterday, I turned a rainy day into a money saving day when I drove to get the Grain Grinder and Chicken Wire that I found on Craigs List! I had planned on doing some prep work in the garden but the rain prevented it and an opportunity to get these items was made. I think the Lord is watching over my attempts to make my home more selfsufficient. It seems like every time I think that I need a particular item to aid in my selfsufficiency, he item pops up on Craigs List, FreeCycle or in the paper for pennies on the dollar of full cost.

The Chicken wire I got was 1 inch mesh and there were 2 brand new rolls of 150 feet each that were marked $69.99 each! Plus the guy had 8 extra metal posts that he gave me for free. The grain grinder was not the best quality, but it will due if the SHTF and I need to grind grain. I found the same one on Amazon for $44.99 plus shippiing. I obviously did not pay that.

Cost: 2 rolls Chicken Wire $50 / both Savings:$89.99 plus tax
8 posts FREE $36.00 plus tax
Grain Grinder $20 $24.99 plus S&H

Total Cost $70
Total Savings $149.99
Tax and S&H cancell out the cost of the gas

I now can fence in my garden to keep out Stew the rabbit and his bothers and sisters. The Grain Grinder also brings me that much closer to selfsufficency if the SHTF.

 

[xpc]

sounds like you got a deal, but how do you pronounce that "SHTF" word without a vowel?

 

[VT-Chicklit]

xpc said how do you pronounce that "SHTF" word without a vowel?

xpc, SHTF stands for Sh*t Hit The Fan, which can describe any number of different situations.

 

[freemotion]

Last night's batch of cheddar spun out of control, so it is becoming mystery cheese in the fridge right now.....or it is becoming chicken food! My kitchen was warmer than usual and I was tired and started the batch too late, and I could not keep the temperature of the milk low enough....usually I have to work to keep it warm enough. So the curds did not shrink enough or become firm enough.

So I switched to the instructions for ricotta salata.....but cheddar is a cool cheese and ricotta is a hot cheese, so who knows what will happen. It is lightly pressed and aging for a week in my fridge. I suspect it will be mild and rubbery, rather than tender or crumbly. Might as well give it a try!

Almost four gallons of whey went into the compost pile. The hens aren't quite as interested when there are so many interesting bugs available. But it will add nutrients to the compost, and interesting bacteria.

I traded some bluettes for some feverfew, which was on my herb list for this year. Also got a gayfeather for the flower garden. Found this trade on craigslist.

 

[freemotion]

Update on the cheese....I just turned it and sliced off a sliver....a ragged edge needed trimming ......Oh, yum!!!! And we have at least four pounds of it!!!! I don't know if we will get it all aged for a week, as I gave dh permission to eat all he wants. We cut into the smaller one (didn't fit in my four pound press) and each had a wedge. I'll have to find time to make more crackers, maybe tomorrow night after teaching. Guess what I will have for lunch tomorrow!

Who says you can only make chevre or feta from goat's milk????

 

[TanksHill]

Wow, Free the cheese sounds great.

 

[freemotion]

It is surprisingly good. Isn't it fun when a "failure" turns into a "win?" Makes me more anxious to try the cheddars in the cellar.

Last night I made a batch of Kahlua for my mom. I fiddled with the recipes I found online and used real ground coffee instead of yukky instant. I hope it is good. I don't drink coffee or kahlua so I won't know until mom tries it. It was really easy to make. I poured the same water through two changes of coffee grounds twice, for four times through the grounds. Just has to age for 2-4 weeks now. She'll be here in three weeks. It will be a nice treat with fresh goat's milk, and maybe some of the artisan chocolate I got.

Gotta go teach today but I am determined to post another savings here before the day is over!

 

[homesteadmomma]

I would love to be able to make my own cheese, have the goats, just need to get them bred this fall.

I am not sure this counts as really saving money, but went through the cupboards in the bathroom and took inventory of what we had. I think there was like 12 tubes of toothpaste, that will last a long while. Now I know what I need and what I can wait to purchase.

 

[freemotion]

It counts!

Got the little dehydrator filled with oregano this morning, and filled two peanut butter jars with salted scallions, packed in really tightly.

I picked a five gallon pail almost full of oregano this evening before the rain came pouring down. I have a bit more in the garden of another variety to do tomorrow. I will use the "dh's car" dehydrator for all that. Guess I'll be ready for lots of tomatoes this year! Hope the basil and parsley does as well!

I made a goat gym for free from salvaged materials, a low platform about 3' x 8' and maybe 16" high (they all loved it, but baby Ginger wasn't allowed on it much!) I also put out some cinder blocks and some plastic blocks (horse jumps in a previous life.) Ginger played on the cinder blocks for a while.

 

[homesteadmomma]

Hey Free, my goats have a playground also. They love it, there is a plastic slide, barrels and boards and even the kids old Little Tyke car. They are so fun to watch playing on them.