We have had 2 major blizzards in the last week. I have been able to save about $70 in gas since I didn't commute to Baltimore for 6 work days! I have also had to use items in my pantry while we were inside and the snow raged or roads were just poor. We also had the power go out for almost 12 hours! That's a big savings on heating oil and electricity. For the record, that is one I could do without.
While I was inside, I came up with an alternative way to repurpose an item and not have to buy something. I also found a way to use a cheaper alternative for another item. As I type this, I have our laptop on top of a wire rack with folding legs for cooling baked goods. We frequently leave the computer on all day and it gets very hot underneath the computer. Not good for the compuer or for what it rests on. I even heard of a hot laptop starting a fire on someone's bed. Instead of buying a stand that you can put it on, I decided to try one of our cooling racks. It works well! Savings $25+.
My other alternative is getting a non-skid mat for under a rug. We recently bought 2, 5' x 7' rugs for $40 each. They were quite the bargain. However,our dog decided she loved the one that we put in the living room. I would often find the rug on the other side of the room. The dog likes to throw herself on the rug and it skids away. I went to Home Depot in search of a non-skid mat to put under the rug. I found the correct size for $39, which is almost what we paid for the rug. I just couldn't spend that amount of money on a mat. Instead, I bought 2 mats measuring 2' x 5' each for $13 each. I put both of these down and they work well. That saved me $13.
I keep looking for alternatives and cheaper ways to do things. I often find other ways of doing things and feel very proud when I do. Keep looking out for alternatives and you will be surprised what you come up with. Write a comment on how you came up with some great, money saving, repurposing or alternatives.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
Keeping Chickens
When we bought our house last June, I was so happy because I had space to keep some chickens. I always wanted to have a large vegetable garden and some chickens, maybe a cow. Now I could start to make my dream come true. I was very lucky because someone I worked with was moving to Japan and couldn’t take her chickens!!!! I got 5 hens and 3 roosters “free”!
I had to rent a truck and drive to the Annapolis area to get the coop and fencing materials. ($105 plus gas and tolls – about $150) My husband never built a chicken pen. We paid a teen ager with the right skills about $75 to help him build the pen. They bought supplies for about another $60.
The chickens arrived a few days later by car. I got some feed with them but had to buy my own. I decided I wanted a few more hens so I could have a steady supply of eggs. I hatched 19 chicks. I did not get a special brooder which would have run much more. I made a little house out of cardboard and wood shavings for the chicks. Wood shavings began to run me quite a bit of money as the chicks grew. I went through about $10 worth a week as well as quite a bit of chick feed. I had to buy special feed and water holders. (About $25 for all of them).
Then the chicks went out into the pen with the grown ones. Next I noticed I was going through a bag of feed a week ($9.50). I now feed them scratch too and let them roam most days. I have only 25 chickens now (one died and one just disappeared – maybe a hawk got it).
In November I did a duck rescue and two of the sweetest animals installed themselves into the pen. I bought a dog house ($89) and had the teen aged boy make a door. He also enlarged the pen ($60 for him and $120 for supplies).
Now let’s tally up the balance sheet on the plus side. Eggs! Yes, I do get some (about 3 every 2 days). It is winter and chickens don’t lay many eggs in winter. Come Spring I will have many more and I will also send the roosters to be butchered. There are about 14 roosters and I will leave only 2. Since I have bantams we will need 2 roosters for every family dinner. That is 6 dinners plus leftovers. I hope to sell the eggs when the hens go into spring time production. Maybe $1 a dozen since they are small and 3 bantam eggs equal two regular sized eggs.
My nephew is bringing by 8 hens today because they were living in someone’s living room in Newark (EWWW!!!). Animal control gave them a week to get rid of them. Welcome hens! I am hoping no one else gets my phone number and asks me to rescue their poultry!!!
I decided that keeping a few chickens can be a very expensive hobby!
I had to rent a truck and drive to the Annapolis area to get the coop and fencing materials. ($105 plus gas and tolls – about $150) My husband never built a chicken pen. We paid a teen ager with the right skills about $75 to help him build the pen. They bought supplies for about another $60.
The chickens arrived a few days later by car. I got some feed with them but had to buy my own. I decided I wanted a few more hens so I could have a steady supply of eggs. I hatched 19 chicks. I did not get a special brooder which would have run much more. I made a little house out of cardboard and wood shavings for the chicks. Wood shavings began to run me quite a bit of money as the chicks grew. I went through about $10 worth a week as well as quite a bit of chick feed. I had to buy special feed and water holders. (About $25 for all of them).
Then the chicks went out into the pen with the grown ones. Next I noticed I was going through a bag of feed a week ($9.50). I now feed them scratch too and let them roam most days. I have only 25 chickens now (one died and one just disappeared – maybe a hawk got it).
In November I did a duck rescue and two of the sweetest animals installed themselves into the pen. I bought a dog house ($89) and had the teen aged boy make a door. He also enlarged the pen ($60 for him and $120 for supplies).
Now let’s tally up the balance sheet on the plus side. Eggs! Yes, I do get some (about 3 every 2 days). It is winter and chickens don’t lay many eggs in winter. Come Spring I will have many more and I will also send the roosters to be butchered. There are about 14 roosters and I will leave only 2. Since I have bantams we will need 2 roosters for every family dinner. That is 6 dinners plus leftovers. I hope to sell the eggs when the hens go into spring time production. Maybe $1 a dozen since they are small and 3 bantam eggs equal two regular sized eggs.
My nephew is bringing by 8 hens today because they were living in someone’s living room in Newark (EWWW!!!). Animal control gave them a week to get rid of them. Welcome hens! I am hoping no one else gets my phone number and asks me to rescue their poultry!!!
I decided that keeping a few chickens can be a very expensive hobby!
Friday, January 22, 2010
I Want New Furniture!
Jodlbauer’s is having a HUGE sale on furniture! (They are always having a sale these days! I think most furniture stores are struggling in this economy.) I would love a new bedroom set and a bigger dining room table.
My bedroom has never looked very pretty. I haven’t had a bedroom “set” since college dorm days! I wrote an article on repurposing furniture and talked about how I added a toy box and a dish cabinet to my bedroom. So, you can imagine what it looks like! I need a new bedroom set.
My dining room has a kitchen table in it. It seats 6 people only. To seat large amounts of family I need to put 2 or 3 tables together. I need a table that can seat 10 or 12.
I need? Do I really need? No, but dang it, I WANT these things. How to get these things? Do I run out and buy 2 rooms of furniture because it is a good sale and use a handy-dandy credit card? NO! I am going to save up for the furniture and then take advantage of another good sale at one of the many furniture stores, and buy it.
I am sitting here thinking it will be a long time before I get the $6,000-7,000 to spend on the new furniture. Maybe there is an alternative. Maybe I can save money – probably about $1,500 - and purchase some very nice used furniture. That seems do-able. That is not such a large number that it seems impossible to achieve.
I encourage you to all decide if something is a want or a need. Then use your brain and your creativity to come up with another way to get something or to substitute something cheaper.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
What's Happening In and Around Cecil
Saturday night the North Elk Coffee House is hosting Brooks Williams. Admission is $8 for adults. Here is a link with more information http://www.stmaryanne.org/coffeehouse.html
On Wednesday nights UD is hosting an indie film showing that is free and open to the public. Here is the link to that: http://www.udel.edu/udaily/2010/dec/indie121109.html
Jan. 21-Feb. 20: Delaware's REP to stage 'She Stoops to Conquer' I have tickets and am looking forward to another wonderful, cheap production from UD’s rep theatre.
True West, a play by Sam Shepard, will be playing at the Millburn Stone Theatre on Jan. 28,29 and 30th. It is only $5 a ticket!! http://cecil.edu/common/pages/calendars/theatre/2009-2010/true-west.htm
Not a lot happening in and around the county so we must all resort to more frugal forms of entertainment. Last Friday night my husband, son and I played a board game (I came in very, very last!) We bought the game a few years ago at The Days of Knights in Newark on Main St. They have many wonderful board games there and we bought it after speaking with one of the employees. We haven’t regretted it. We usually play it on long winter nights. We also employ Scrabble, Rumikub, cards and puzzles to take care of those long nights. As the kids have gotten older they have joined us. My son and I often play 3 rounds of Rumikub to see who wins the most. (I won’t tell you who wins most either!)
The weather will be warmer this weekend so maybe people can get out and walk more. If anyone knows of any cheap events being held in or around Cecil this weekend, please leave info in the comments section. The more we have to choose from the better to chase the winter doldrums away.
On Wednesday nights UD is hosting an indie film showing that is free and open to the public. Here is the link to that: http://www.udel.edu/udaily/2010/dec/indie121109.html
Jan. 21-Feb. 20: Delaware's REP to stage 'She Stoops to Conquer' I have tickets and am looking forward to another wonderful, cheap production from UD’s rep theatre.
True West, a play by Sam Shepard, will be playing at the Millburn Stone Theatre on Jan. 28,29 and 30th. It is only $5 a ticket!! http://cecil.edu/common/pages/calendars/theatre/2009-2010/true-west.htm
Not a lot happening in and around the county so we must all resort to more frugal forms of entertainment. Last Friday night my husband, son and I played a board game (I came in very, very last!) We bought the game a few years ago at The Days of Knights in Newark on Main St. They have many wonderful board games there and we bought it after speaking with one of the employees. We haven’t regretted it. We usually play it on long winter nights. We also employ Scrabble, Rumikub, cards and puzzles to take care of those long nights. As the kids have gotten older they have joined us. My son and I often play 3 rounds of Rumikub to see who wins the most. (I won’t tell you who wins most either!)
The weather will be warmer this weekend so maybe people can get out and walk more. If anyone knows of any cheap events being held in or around Cecil this weekend, please leave info in the comments section. The more we have to choose from the better to chase the winter doldrums away.
Welcome North East Library Attendees!
Welcome to the Frugal Living to Accomplish Your Goals blog. I hope that you enjoyed last night's program and that you find this blog useful.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
January Budget Blues
Every January, after the excesses of Christmas, I feel the need to put my wallet away. I stop spending on almost everything that isn’t essential. Every purchase is thoughtfully weighed in my mind. This year the zipper to my six year old parka broke. I can still use it by stepping in and out of the coat and then zipping it up. I was using a paper clip to pull the zipper up. This is my thought process about what to do about replacing or fixing the coat:
1. Is it a needed item? Or is it a wanted item? A winter coat is a definite need.
2. Is it usable? Yes. But not in social situations. (Sorry, I am not stepping into my coat when I put it on at work!) It has now become an outdoor work coat which I did need.
3. Can I fix it? I cannot get it unstuck but maybe a family member can. I can purchase a cheap zipper pull from Jo-Ann Fabric for a few dollars.
4. Should I repair it? I don’t know. It is stained and looks a bit worn. I do need an outdoor work coat. I don’t want to come into work with hay on my coat like I did a few weeks ago!
5. Do I have something else to use instead? Yes! My long, dress coat is toasty warm and quite usable. I can wear the old coat for doing work or sledding or dog walking, and the dress coat for “social situations”.
6. If I don’t repair it, can it be bought second hand? Not likely! I have often searched for nice coats at garage sales and thrift stores. You can get some children’s coats that look nice but most adult coats, if they are in good condition, are quite dated.
7. If I need to buy it new, do I have the money to pay cash? Are there any good sales, etc? Luckily, it is a great time for sales and I need to get one before the coats are gone.
My solution, right now is to wait to get a coat. I have a second coat I can use and the parka is still serviceable for around the house. I will keep track of sales, coupons and dig into the budget to find the cash for the coat. If I can’t find the cash before the end of March, I will look for a new one at the garage sales this summer.
When I feel strapped for cash in January, thinking of other solutions to an issue does two things. The first is it saves me money but the second is it gives me piece of mind to actually do something different so I do not have to lay out the cash for a purchase. I try to find other solutions for expenditures at all times but often forget. January serves to remind me of my frugal roots and gives me a push to be more frugal.
1. Is it a needed item? Or is it a wanted item? A winter coat is a definite need.
2. Is it usable? Yes. But not in social situations. (Sorry, I am not stepping into my coat when I put it on at work!) It has now become an outdoor work coat which I did need.
3. Can I fix it? I cannot get it unstuck but maybe a family member can. I can purchase a cheap zipper pull from Jo-Ann Fabric for a few dollars.
4. Should I repair it? I don’t know. It is stained and looks a bit worn. I do need an outdoor work coat. I don’t want to come into work with hay on my coat like I did a few weeks ago!
5. Do I have something else to use instead? Yes! My long, dress coat is toasty warm and quite usable. I can wear the old coat for doing work or sledding or dog walking, and the dress coat for “social situations”.
6. If I don’t repair it, can it be bought second hand? Not likely! I have often searched for nice coats at garage sales and thrift stores. You can get some children’s coats that look nice but most adult coats, if they are in good condition, are quite dated.
7. If I need to buy it new, do I have the money to pay cash? Are there any good sales, etc? Luckily, it is a great time for sales and I need to get one before the coats are gone.
My solution, right now is to wait to get a coat. I have a second coat I can use and the parka is still serviceable for around the house. I will keep track of sales, coupons and dig into the budget to find the cash for the coat. If I can’t find the cash before the end of March, I will look for a new one at the garage sales this summer.
When I feel strapped for cash in January, thinking of other solutions to an issue does two things. The first is it saves me money but the second is it gives me piece of mind to actually do something different so I do not have to lay out the cash for a purchase. I try to find other solutions for expenditures at all times but often forget. January serves to remind me of my frugal roots and gives me a push to be more frugal.
Holiday Vacation and Interesting Articles
I am back after a LONG hiatus. I tried and tried to think of some frugal topics to write about but my mind drew a blank. Instead of putting up junk, I decided to wait until inspiration struck. I am still waiting a bit but until it strikes, I wanted to draw readers attention to a series of articles that Trent Lott at the Simple Dollar is doing.
Yesterday he had an article on How the Average American Family Spends their Income and How to Trim It. I found it very informative. The best part is that he is taking each one of the budget areas and writing a detailed article on how to trim that area. Today’s article is on housing . It is a very good article. I urge readers to check in every day for the next few weeks and read his articles and the comments (which can be equally informative).
Yesterday he had an article on How the Average American Family Spends their Income and How to Trim It. I found it very informative. The best part is that he is taking each one of the budget areas and writing a detailed article on how to trim that area. Today’s article is on housing . It is a very good article. I urge readers to check in every day for the next few weeks and read his articles and the comments (which can be equally informative).
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