What small habit changes have saved you the most money over time?
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flowerbug
Sustainability Master
maybe have made progress today on our dishwashing routine. i've been repeatedly (for years) been trying to get Mom to just leave the dishes on the counter after she's done baking or cooking other things. it saves me a lot of time and it also saves on soap/bleach water.
today she actually did that and it made things go about twice as fast and didn't use as many resources. i thanked her several times and expressed how happy i was that she did it, plus i had to add some drama to make it worth more laughs.
in the end i also told her it meant more chocolate money.
i've only been here nearly 20 years...
today she actually did that and it made things go about twice as fast and didn't use as many resources. i thanked her several times and expressed how happy i was that she did it, plus i had to add some drama to make it worth more laughs.
in the end i also told her it meant more chocolate money.
i've only been here nearly 20 years...
Medicine Woman
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Okay, I’m in. But I have to confess I have only done some of these things. Others I haven’t done but now that I know, I’m determined to go for it.
Corn….. I now buy it fresh and it might be $0.33 an ear. I justify it because I fill about 7 gallons of whole kernel corn with the 100 or so ears I buy. Which I will use to make corn soup, and a Mexican dish my great aunt taught my family that we call Ma Shoe?? I can make however many tamales with the husk that I want to trouble myself with for an additional $30 for ingredients and can treat around 7 UTIs during a year (I think that’s easily worth $100 alone)by drying the silk for an herbal tea, and I now realize if I can cover all the cobs with water and begin boiling and boiling for like 2 hours, I will have made a good amount of corn syrup (who knew
) so like I would have to see just how much volume I would render of the syrup but just off the top of my head I would think I could sweeten my coffee, add fenugreek to make a maple flavored syrup to use on pancakes, use to bake pecan pie or make popcorn balls. So anyway I crunched some numbers and I determined that if I plan everything correctly on a day that I am totally organized, I can get $302.33 worth of goods for a price of $60.50, with a difference of $241.83.
I seriously don’t know what happened to me today but I keep doing this for a few things already. I will long back on later for some of my other math issues I had today.
Mind you, the only way to really cash in on these things is to perhaps pay yourself as you go like in a nest egg you have tucked away. Otherwise you will still be able to survive better than the next but it might be hard to explain why.
Corn….. I now buy it fresh and it might be $0.33 an ear. I justify it because I fill about 7 gallons of whole kernel corn with the 100 or so ears I buy. Which I will use to make corn soup, and a Mexican dish my great aunt taught my family that we call Ma Shoe?? I can make however many tamales with the husk that I want to trouble myself with for an additional $30 for ingredients and can treat around 7 UTIs during a year (I think that’s easily worth $100 alone)by drying the silk for an herbal tea, and I now realize if I can cover all the cobs with water and begin boiling and boiling for like 2 hours, I will have made a good amount of corn syrup (who knew
) so like I would have to see just how much volume I would render of the syrup but just off the top of my head I would think I could sweeten my coffee, add fenugreek to make a maple flavored syrup to use on pancakes, use to bake pecan pie or make popcorn balls. So anyway I crunched some numbers and I determined that if I plan everything correctly on a day that I am totally organized, I can get $302.33 worth of goods for a price of $60.50, with a difference of $241.83. I seriously don’t know what happened to me today but I keep doing this for a few things already. I will long back on later for some of my other math issues I had today.
Mind you, the only way to really cash in on these things is to perhaps pay yourself as you go like in a nest egg you have tucked away. Otherwise you will still be able to survive better than the next but it might be hard to explain why.
Mini Horses
Sustainability Master
Today's economy makes knowing & doing older methods a good thing. Never knew or thought about the cob syrup. 
Might have to give some a try -- curiosity !! Then, I don't use corn syrup. Plain old sugar. But if sweetener was around ??? I drink my coffee straight. Milk is always here, on the hoof.
Knowledge of how & where to "get or produce" is one of our best back ups ... Food, meds, diy efforts, foraging. Hard times make these things priceless.
Might have to give some a try -- curiosity !! Then, I don't use corn syrup. Plain old sugar. But if sweetener was around ??? I drink my coffee straight. Milk is always here, on the hoof.Knowledge of how & where to "get or produce" is one of our best back ups ... Food, meds, diy efforts, foraging. Hard times make these things priceless.
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Medicine Woman
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The next thing I want to talk about is a purchase I made just yesterday that my godchild turned me onto. She had taken to buying dry whole milk in bulk and she claimed her kids liked it. I drank a glass from her fridge and it tasted like milk 
. It wasn’t like non-fat dried at all. So I started ordering it regularly, and it was a big success at home. The trick is to mix it ahead of time so it gets really cold before you need it and to mix it well. I crunched my numbers and according to my last visit to Rouse’s Supermarket I am spending $5.89 for a gallon of milk. I just ordered a 10 pound bag of dry whole milk from EBay for just under $70…. I haven’t included taxes on either of those purchases so it’s a fair comparison and I got free shipping. I tried doing the same math for the 50 pound bag but the shipping made it pointless. So I thought about it and played around with the numbers and near as I could figure out, every time I order a bag I will have saved $28,25 on milk purchases plus less plastic. Basically I was thinking I was just paying $28.25 for 15 plastic jugs and the convenience of not having to mix. I currently have 2 Dollar Store plastic pitchers that I previously used for this purpose or for kool aid or tea. So I’m going to rinse out whatever milk jugs I empty today and tomorrow to use for kool aid and tea and have the pitchers ready for when the milk arrives. I might have to buy one or two more gallons before it comes in but I have already subtracted $28 from my visible checking account register (that’s how I document my savings…..as long as the bank thinks I have a lot more money than I show myself, I’m good).
I still have a few more plans for saving money for later.
. It wasn’t like non-fat dried at all. So I started ordering it regularly, and it was a big success at home. The trick is to mix it ahead of time so it gets really cold before you need it and to mix it well. I crunched my numbers and according to my last visit to Rouse’s Supermarket I am spending $5.89 for a gallon of milk. I just ordered a 10 pound bag of dry whole milk from EBay for just under $70…. I haven’t included taxes on either of those purchases so it’s a fair comparison and I got free shipping. I tried doing the same math for the 50 pound bag but the shipping made it pointless. So I thought about it and played around with the numbers and near as I could figure out, every time I order a bag I will have saved $28,25 on milk purchases plus less plastic. Basically I was thinking I was just paying $28.25 for 15 plastic jugs and the convenience of not having to mix. I currently have 2 Dollar Store plastic pitchers that I previously used for this purpose or for kool aid or tea. So I’m going to rinse out whatever milk jugs I empty today and tomorrow to use for kool aid and tea and have the pitchers ready for when the milk arrives. I might have to buy one or two more gallons before it comes in but I have already subtracted $28 from my visible checking account register (that’s how I document my savings…..as long as the bank thinks I have a lot more money than I show myself, I’m good). I still have a few more plans for saving money for later.
