Cool Weather, Smores, and a Homemade Fire Pit

It finally cooled off and stopped raining, so we were able to build a fire in our homemade fire pit and make smores.

It's not as aesthetically pleasing as it was ten years ago, but it functions beautifully.

It's a pit lined and stacked with broken concrete from my neighbor's driveway demolition. I have a thrifted oven rack that I lay across for cooking outside, also a big outdoor thrifted roaster pan with lid.

We burn off found and salvaged fallen tree limbs, twigs, leaves, and paper recycling before we buy any new wood.

I burned off a lot of ivy on the bed behind it, so it's looking dismal. I'm thinking of adding some native berry bushes there instead.

Happy autumn to my northern hemisphere friends.

Frugal and Small Footprint: Shipping Container Cabin

Frugal Tent Homes

Thrift Store Shopping for Fall Children's Clothing in June

We got a new thrift here which now sells clothing by the pound. I thought I'd try it for some early back-to-school shopping, and was pleasantly surprised to find some decent items in the bins! I got two pairs of like-new Levi jeans and a good quality striped long sleeved top, all for my teenage son.

Check the thrifts NOW for good deals, before the stock is picked over in late July and August. I plan to return throughout the summer to build his wardrobe for the fall. I don't mind digging through bins for good deals, especially when they are .50 cents a pound!

Yardsales are good too, although I don't do them because of high gas prices. If a yardsale is on my way, I'll stop, but otherwise I like to go to a one-stop source.

Frugal Summer Plans

Gas prices have reached almost to $3.50 a gallon in our area! This year we are staying closer to home. A few frugal staycation plans  for us this summer:

- An overnight stay or two at a local hotel which has a free buffet breakfast and a fabulous pool.
- Visit state and federal parks for the day within an hour or two from our home.
- Go fishing locally.
- Visit the library.
- Take a swim class with the city recreation center.
- Learn handyman skills together as a family from free resources online and at the library.
- Go bowling.
- Garden
- Craft and learn to draw.
- Walking tours of the area's more pleasant places.
- Read and relax in the backyard.
- Hang out together with no plans .

Build Your Own Small House Frugally

I think this is so innovative and resourceful. Much of the items were purchased secondhand or were free, costing them only $5,900. See here.

DIY Repair a Damaged Garden Hose

I had no idea you could do this! And there is even a way to fix a leaky hose at the attachment point to the faucet. See here:

Significant Savings on Pet Vaccinations

I found a wonderful blog for learning to live on a shoestring(frugal minimalism). In fact, I just finished her book,The Shoestring Girl: How I Live on Practically Nothing and YOU Can Too before finding her blog, Annienygma. While reading through her blog, which is a book in and of itself, I read something that I had never thought of - vaccinating your own pets to save money! The rabies shots need to be done by the vet for recording purposes, but others can be done at home for less than $10.00 each.

I already purchase dog Frontline Plus flea and tick control and portion it out to the cats at .5 ml for a significantly reduced cost.* So this is just one familiar step closer to reducing my costs by doing it myself.

* Talk to your vet first. This particular brand has contents safe for grown cats at a lower specific dose. Not all products for dogs are safe for cats(and vice versa) and can cause them harm. I have used a carefully measured dose of canine Frontline Plus with a syringe on both my cats for years without problems. Animal shelters have been known to use this as well. There are websites that warn against this, and others that mention that it is okay. Educate yourself, talk to your vet, and choose wisely for pet in this matter. 

Concrete and Wood Deck Resurfacer

What a great concept for saving money! I may try this on my concrete floors, if I can apply it over the paint.

Slow Cooking Outside

With found curbside logs from downed trees, leaves, twigs, cardboard boxes, and a little charcoal to get it started, I was able to cook an 11 pound turkey and 10 pounds of chicken outside in my cast iron lidded pot. I found it cooked better after I added rocks up around the pot to keep the heat in(not shown in picture). I made this fire pit with chunks of found concrete and an old oven rack. The bottom is lined with pebbles and smaller concrete chunks.

It took many hours, but while it cooked I was able to clean up and compost all those leaves! ; ) The fresh air and sunshine was nice too.

The turkey turned out moist and delicious! If you have a day to do this, it's fun and produces a great result. You can't leave this like a crock pot and come back. The fire and food must be tended and watched the entire time. It certainly makes me appreciate the labor that goes into cooking on an outdoor fire for a family.

A more efficient and environmentally friendly option would be a rocket stove which maximizes combustion requiring very little fuel.This one is portable, but you can build one too with 16 bricks. Rocket stoves burn without smoke which makes them better for maintaining air quality. That's a project for another day. 

Inexpensive Powder Room Remodel Progress

We ripped out the tile instead of keeping it. It was too difficult to figure out how to marry the concrete that needed to be poured in the area of the old vanity with the existing tile floor. We are going to lay concrete over the entire floor rather than skim coating over the tile and filling in a small area.

A bag of concrete was five dollars, and we will probably need two 80 pound bags. I also got a black color additive for a few dollars. We'll need to purchase a concrete sealer as well.

Other plans include paint for the wall, making a faux concrete floating counter with the existing sink, and the addition of a large mirror after the  hole in the wall where the medicine cabinet was  is filled.

We were quoted $900.00 for the remodel of our powder room, so this is by far a much less expensive way to go.

Inexpensive Wood Plywood Plank Floors

Source: diyandcraftideas.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

See here.

Frugal DIY Concrete Overlay for Floors and Countertops

We are remodeling our downstairs powder room and decided to try a skim coat of concrete over the existing older cracked tile. The substrate is solid, the tiles are just old, 40+ years old. We took out the vanity, sink, and mirror. I kind of like the old sink, so I'll use the old counter off the vanity as a template, cut out some new MDF board,  and skim coat it with concrete. The vanity could not be saved; it was falling apart from water damage and old age.

The concrete that we plan to use is a resurfacing polymer concrete that will resist cracking. You can't use acid stain with this, but can add color.

I plan to use products from a big box store: a concrete resurfacer and a concrete bonding agent, sold by the gallon.

This is will be a very inexpensive remodel with nice results.  I'll share when we are done.

Here's a video on how to do the floor:

And one for counter tops:

 

Austerity Measures in the Home: Cutting Utility and Gas Costs

A few things we will be doing or have already done to cut back on costs in these lean times.

1. Stay home.

We use our creativity and imagination to entertain ourselves. This means lots of family games, crafts/DIY, reading, gardening, and walks. Pinterest is a good place for free tutorials, ideas, and inspiration.

2. Using only two lights in the home at a time.

Using only two lights(CFL 13W) an average of four hours a day will cost only $4.18 per  year.

3. Unplug all items that use standby power lights, or use power strips and switch off when not in use.


Cutting off standby lights saves us about :

Five watts for 5 surge protectors
Eight watts for router
Eight watts for garage door opener
9 watts for older PC
and probably another 8 watts for various electronic items.

Total savings: $36.61 a year.

4. Flush toilets only when necessary.

Flushing our newer toilets uses 1.6 gallons. The average person flushes about six times a day which equals  9.6 gallons per person per day. We have three people here most days, so we use at least 864 gallons a month to flush. This is about $12.00 a month. If we all flushed once a day only, we'd save $4 per month, or $48 a year.


5. Turn on hot water heater from 5pm - 8pm only.

6. Use low energy appliances to cook: such as a microwave, an electric skillet,  and a table top oven.

7. Time showers to five minutes or less.

A shower uses on average 2.5 gallons a minute, so cutting back on the time saves many gallons of water.

In warmer months, we turn the water heater off all together and use tepid water to bathe.  This cut our natural gas bill in half! We still pay for the pilot light that runs continuously. Heating water for only three hours a day, cuts the bill by a significant amount. I'll have to figure an exact amount, if I can, and add this here.

8. Map out and plan shopping trips to minimize gas useage.

9. Order online when prices match brick and mortar stores, or are less expensive.

I use discounted gift cards, online coupon codes, and shop through rebate sites(see sidebar).

10. Thermostat is set at 57 degrees, down from 59 degrees.

Home Energy Use Calculator

This calculator can give you a dollar value per state and item. I'm not sure how accurate(up to date) the rates are, but it gave me a good idea of where to save. You can adjust the kWh rates if you know yours. Mine is .11 cents per kWh. My cost of one hundred cubic feet (hcf) of water (748 gallons) is about $10.26.

Here's one for calculating shower useage(heat and water).

Widgets:

By Green Widgets

By Green Calculators

By Energy Widgets

Getting Organized, Homeschool on Wheels: Easy Curricula Storage

I got this cart, Household Essentials Jumbo 3-Tier Metal Cart with Wheels, White, on Amazon for my daughter's homeschool items. I store it in the corner when not in use, and pull it out to where we decide to do our work - it changes from day to day. I can even roll it outside on the concrete. The trays are deep enough to hold standard sized paper and workbooks, and wide enough to store paper and workbooks on the same shelf. I've got them going two different directions to fit(see picture).
 The price is relatively low because it is not a heavy utility card, but a light weight cart designed for light weight items. We have solid surface floors and the casters work just fine on these - no scratches on the floor. It is also light enough to pick up by the handles to carry .

Cart is white wire with measurements of 24-inch width by 32-1/2-inch height by 14-inch depth.

Toy Subscription Services

Really? Toy sets for rent! Here is a list of toy subscription rental places that sends kits that revolve around themes for children up to age seven. I wish I had known about this. This service would be great for preschool at home. Anything you like you can pay for and keep, otherwise you sent it back and get a new set delivered to your home. The subscription prices are competitive, and are similar to the cost of a Netflix subscription or basic cable service - not a bad deal for learning.

Saving Money at Dollar Stores for Groceries and Other Items

I give up! I'm tired of coupons and searching for sales at the grocery stores. Since food prices have risen, food has actually become the same or less expensive per ounce at the dollar stores. I used to purchases larger sizes to penny pinch per ounce, but it's hardly worth it now - the gap is closing fast. It's also a hassle to store the larger sizes, break them down, and keep them fresh until our small family of four uses it up.

My husband and I have lost thirty pounds each, and we will be on a low calorie diet for life. We use much less food, and our dollar store now has convenient smaller bags of frozen fruit and veggies, cream cheese, low calorie healthy ingredient frozen meals(Chinese, Jamaican, and healthy choice or lean cuisine(low sodium ones). They even sell frozen chicken, eggs, cheese, bread, sugar, milk, salt, baking soda, vinegar, 100% juices, steel cut oats, etc. I have one other source for low cost foods, mostly for fat free yogurts, chicken(.69 cents a pound for thighs) and turkeys, and that is our discount grocery, Save-A-Lot. I get my mixed salad greens at a higher price range grocery store because they are very fresh, organic and last me a week. I got an organic mixed greens salad at Wallyworld that only lasted me a few days before it became a soggy mess. I had to dump almost the entire carton out!

I also buy my trash bags at the dollar stores(scented 28 count), and condiments, spices, dish soap, drain cleaner, sponges, cleaning supplies, toys, craft supplies, storage containers, socks, hair accessories, hand soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, kitchen tools, school supplies, medicines, feminine products, and much more.

I'm now seeing $40-50 food receipts when I go shopping, just like a few years ago. We are using less, wasting less, and my waist line is shrinking! I'm still very careful about checking ingredients, and the dollar store(our local Dollar Tree) has been stocking healthier foods now. I was so surprised to see 100% steel cut oats there! Some of their canned foods are a bit more expensive than our discount grocery, so I'm careful about this.

Anyway, we are making do with less and keeping to a diet of more whole foods, or at least food products with more whole food ingredients. We are using Dr. A's Habits of Health: The path to permanent Weight Control and Optimal Health nutrition book as a guide.

Check out the .99 Cent Chef for free recipes. He has a good salmon cake recipe, but I substitute butter beans for the bread crumbs for a lower carb option .

Canceling Cable Television and the Landline

We barely watch television now that we have wifi internet, which is a great deal at $50.00 per month with unlimited access. So, we'll be canceling the cable which is almost $29.00 a month(basic). There are plenty of free children's videos on YouTube, and free movies and shows(for my Sci-fi loving husband) on Amazon with a Prime membership. Paying for a few extra local channels is a waste. We should still pick up PBS for my daughter, who is the only one who watches the television, and only for PBS Kids, and Nick Jr. when we had it. Of course, even these children's educational shows can be seen for free on the program sites and YouTube.

We canceled the landline during the summer, and we are pleased with the quality of the free Google Voice for telephone service. We have prepaid phones for emergencies or when we are on the go.

I think we've cut as much as we are willing in these areas in order to maintain our quality of life. Both children and husband are visual learners, so all are drawn to the internet for learning and relaxation. My husband is always on his Kindle, and the children do a good amount of ebook reading now. I do a lot of reading online, but also use our public library for books. I keep in touch with family via email, chat, and FB, so for me the internet has been convenient for keeping in touch with busy extended family. Pinterest and blogging has been a wonderful way to expand my horizons, spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually. Internet access is worth every penny!

So, we've whittled down our media/phone expenses to wifi and prepaid phones. We'll save $348.00 a year on the cancellation of cable television, and I think the landline/dial-up cancellation savings was about $700 a year. Our replacement costs for internet, television(free), and phone is $600 a year. This brings our savings to $448 per year. Although not mentioned, we had switched from Netflix($14.95 a month) to Amazon Prime($80.00 a year) in July of last year. This saved us $99.00 a year.

We've saved a total of $547.00 per year, which with tax and social security increases, and inflation should put us right back where we started, and maybe behind! lol.

Update: We picked up 22 channels with a digital television antennae - very happy with this choice. The rabbit ear antennae was $10.99 at Best Buy.

Browser Extension Coupon Locator for Checkouts

I found this coupon searcher here. It saves a bit of time and money by searching for coupons for you at checkout when shopping online.
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I used this today and got a discount with no problems. I just clicked on the promo/coupon code area at checkout and a selection of codes appeared.