Tallman
Almost Self-Reliant
I went through the potato patch and wiped out the entire morning shift of potato bugs. I saved money by doing this myself instead of having the chauffeur/gardener do it. You see I gave him the weekend off. 
What did you do to save $ today?
- Thread starter annmarie
- Start date
freemotion
Food Guru
You, too? I gave our cook and maid both the weekend off, I was feeling generous. What was I thinking? 
Now I have to vacuum and do some laundry and cook supper. I shouldn't have confiscated their cell phones, either, now I can't call them back in....
Now I have to vacuum and do some laundry and cook supper. I shouldn't have confiscated their cell phones, either, now I can't call them back in....
Beekissed
Mountain Sage
I let the housekeeper and cook go but the gardener had to stay and put in my garden this weekend~ while I sipped mint juleps and watched him in his jean cutoffs. 
freemotion
Food Guru
My, aren't we a generous bunch?
Without the uniformed help around, I had to do a few things myself.
I had Ginger Peach help me prune the fruit trees and some maple branches that were hanging a bit low in the backyard, and got in a leash-walking lesson at the same time. She looks like a little skinny golden retriever, until she rears up on her hind legs to reach for a leaf, that is!
I divided the comfrey and planted eleven plants in all! I put it along the back of last year's new garden, in the part that gets too much shade to grow veggies (I'd forgotten about the height of the weeds in the neighbor's yard, just on the other side of my fence, that shade that last row.)
I re-potted all the seedlings I bought for my folks, who are coming to visit in about a week, and will harden them off for them so they can plant them as soon as they get back home. Some of them would definitely not thrive in the little starter pots for another two weeks, like squash and cukes. I put a patio tomato in an "earth bucket" for them, too. It already has flowers.
I made a strawberry-rhubarb crisp...... mmmmmmm!!! I looked at an old bag of white flour that I bought last year to make something for a potluck....then grabbed some wheat berries and ground some flour. SOOOO much better. OH!!! I forgot!!!! I had some vanilla ice (goat's) milk in the freezer that would've gone great with that!!!! Guess what is for breakfast, with the cook off and all?
I prepared one of the back gardens for planting and closed it off from the chickens for the summer. That is where I put the comfrey. Then I turned half the new garden, working in the compost I dumped there last week, and digging out all the sneaky poke and dock. I have to fence that before I plant, which means re-doing the part of the fence I've been putting off, aarrrgh.....well, I think I'll make the maid and the cook do it on Tuesday if they come back.
Oh, and I picked a pail of poke. Now I have to find the thread with the instructions so I can cook it without poisoning dh and myself!
Without the uniformed help around, I had to do a few things myself.
I had Ginger Peach help me prune the fruit trees and some maple branches that were hanging a bit low in the backyard, and got in a leash-walking lesson at the same time. She looks like a little skinny golden retriever, until she rears up on her hind legs to reach for a leaf, that is!
I divided the comfrey and planted eleven plants in all! I put it along the back of last year's new garden, in the part that gets too much shade to grow veggies (I'd forgotten about the height of the weeds in the neighbor's yard, just on the other side of my fence, that shade that last row.)
I re-potted all the seedlings I bought for my folks, who are coming to visit in about a week, and will harden them off for them so they can plant them as soon as they get back home. Some of them would definitely not thrive in the little starter pots for another two weeks, like squash and cukes. I put a patio tomato in an "earth bucket" for them, too. It already has flowers.
I made a strawberry-rhubarb crisp...... mmmmmmm!!! I looked at an old bag of white flour that I bought last year to make something for a potluck....then grabbed some wheat berries and ground some flour. SOOOO much better. OH!!! I forgot!!!! I had some vanilla ice (goat's) milk in the freezer that would've gone great with that!!!! Guess what is for breakfast, with the cook off and all?
I prepared one of the back gardens for planting and closed it off from the chickens for the summer. That is where I put the comfrey. Then I turned half the new garden, working in the compost I dumped there last week, and digging out all the sneaky poke and dock. I have to fence that before I plant, which means re-doing the part of the fence I've been putting off, aarrrgh.....well, I think I'll make the maid and the cook do it on Tuesday if they come back.
Oh, and I picked a pail of poke. Now I have to find the thread with the instructions so I can cook it without poisoning dh and myself!
Man! Free....you make me tired just reading your post...
By the way.... I really did let, my driver, cook, and caretaker all off for the weekend....I am down to just 3 kids...(4 if you count hubby)...the others are spending with friends....WOW is it quiet around here...never realized how much noise came with all 7 kids home....
By the way.... I really did let, my driver, cook, and caretaker all off for the weekend....I am down to just 3 kids...(4 if you count hubby)...the others are spending with friends....WOW is it quiet around here...never realized how much noise came with all 7 kids home....
Beekissed
Mountain Sage
SEVEN????? 
THAT makes me tired just reading it!
I'm the youngest of nine but that was looking at it from a whole other angle. I now can look back and really appreciate what my mother did each day....but I can't ever really wrap my mind around the immensity of it.
THAT makes me tired just reading it! I'm the youngest of nine but that was looking at it from a whole other angle. I now can look back and really appreciate what my mother did each day....but I can't ever really wrap my mind around the immensity of it.
cackle
Lovin' The Homestead
i would love to find a deal like that. But until we build more housing I have to stop with the incubator and buying chicks. well after the incubator load I started yesterday hatches.big brown horse said:I'm purchasing 10 "show quality" (thats what he said) AmeraUcauna chicks tomorrow for 5 bucks a piece. The breeder knocked off 3 bucks for each of them because he is having trouble with his 'bator eggs. I didn't want all s.q. chicks but that was all that he got, that is why he so nicely discounted them! Very nice breeder man!
My daughter is going to do 4h with a couple of the really good ones I will keep a roo (don't have one yet) and one good hen to add to the bunch I already have. The rest I will raise and sell as adults for the going of $25 each.
FarmerDenise
Out to pasture
I took off sick yesterday 
We watched the guy plow our field
on friday. His tractor was enveloped in a cloud of smoke and fumes. We were so excited, that we didn't think about inhaling those fumes. That evening we both had headaches and yesterday morning I woke up with terrible vertigo. The nausea quickly followed. It lasted most of the day followed by another headache. The neighbors had a huge party and their loud thumping music didn't help!
But tractor guy came back yesterday and disked the field for the last time. After letting the field rest for the day, we will be planting today. By this evening the first quadrant will look as if it had been planted a month ago.
The plants we grew from seed are outgrowing their pots. We have tomato plants that are 2 feet tall and the cherry tomatoes have little tomatoes on them. Some of the melons are beginning to vine. I can hardly wait to see what it looks like, once they are in the ground.
We keep talking about getting sheep or goats. Right now our budget is so tight, that we have a hard time justifying another animal. I am more concerned about the vet bills, because feed for goats or sheep would be easy to come by for us. I figure it is mostly grasses and weeds from the property and maybe we'd have to find other places to let them graze sometimes, but that wouldn't be too difficult for us.
But all that talk about how much fun they are....keep talking you guys.
We have a huge patch of lavender. One is a really nice easy-to-pick-for-bunches english lavender and most of it consists of another kind, that has nice tight buds, but is a little more difficult to pick. Every year I pick bunches of it. Sometimes I manage to sell some, but most of it goes to waste. And I HATE waste!!. We have a mediteranean climate here, which is perfect for lavender and rosemary and such. I have put it in homemade soap. It adds a nice touch.
Off to work I go
We watched the guy plow our field
on friday. His tractor was enveloped in a cloud of smoke and fumes. We were so excited, that we didn't think about inhaling those fumes. That evening we both had headaches and yesterday morning I woke up with terrible vertigo. The nausea quickly followed. It lasted most of the day followed by another headache. The neighbors had a huge party and their loud thumping music didn't help!But tractor guy came back yesterday and disked the field for the last time. After letting the field rest for the day, we will be planting today. By this evening the first quadrant will look as if it had been planted a month ago.
The plants we grew from seed are outgrowing their pots. We have tomato plants that are 2 feet tall and the cherry tomatoes have little tomatoes on them. Some of the melons are beginning to vine. I can hardly wait to see what it looks like, once they are in the ground.
We keep talking about getting sheep or goats. Right now our budget is so tight, that we have a hard time justifying another animal. I am more concerned about the vet bills, because feed for goats or sheep would be easy to come by for us. I figure it is mostly grasses and weeds from the property and maybe we'd have to find other places to let them graze sometimes, but that wouldn't be too difficult for us.
But all that talk about how much fun they are....keep talking you guys.
We have a huge patch of lavender. One is a really nice easy-to-pick-for-bunches english lavender and most of it consists of another kind, that has nice tight buds, but is a little more difficult to pick. Every year I pick bunches of it. Sometimes I manage to sell some, but most of it goes to waste. And I HATE waste!!. We have a mediteranean climate here, which is perfect for lavender and rosemary and such. I have put it in homemade soap. It adds a nice touch.
Off to work I go
freemotion
Food Guru
Don't try this at home! The pickle buckets I just picked up are flimsy little things that are maybe one gallon. They look like they fit right into a slot in the prep tables, and probably have peel-off foil covers. They have their uses, I just can't think of what right now. Anyone know who might have 5 gallon pails for me for free? Or maybe a dollar? TSC sells new ones for $3. I know there are free ones out there. Haven't seen any on craigslist, though.freemotion said:
Carolyn
Power Conserver
We get food grade plastic 3 and 5 gallon buckets at our grocery store bakery--Super Walmart did have them also in the deli and bakery areas--some were a $1 and others were $1.50
