Frugal Homesteading Blog

Many Americans are turning to gardening as a way to raise some of their own food over the summer and ease the strain of high grocery prices, which are affecting more and more families on tight budgets. Candace at Garden of Blessings suggests Gardening for Snowflakes, which those clued in to the Snowflake idea recognize as a way to save large and small bits of money to apply to one’s debt snowball or savings fund.

I’ve started more seedlings and container garden plants this spring than any year previously since I left my family’s farm and went to college at age 17. My motivation is part culinary and part financial. If I can grow my own tomatoes, we can enjoy their delicious fruits all summer. But if I don’t, I don’t know if I’ll be able to afford to buy them from someone else.

There are many ways to save money as you garden. I spent less than $25 on my garden last year and had hundreds of plants with an incredible harvest. Maybe I cheated, since a dear friend shared many seeds and plants with me, but you can cheat, too. Here are some frugal gardening tips I’ve discovered along the way.

Free soil. My sister brought me two truckloads of composted horse manure mixed with soil, from the barn where she works. There was no charge, as the owners were happy to send the soil along and make room for new manure.

Compost. We’ve been composting kitchen and garden scraps for years, turning egg shells, vegetable waste and leaves into rich soil. We keep a 2-gallon food storage container by the sink to collect scraps, but you could buy a fancier compost pail if you’re so inclined.

Recycled containers. My container garden includes wooden pear crates form the grocery store, waxed boxes from another store’s garbage, and free pots I inherited from friends and past landscaping projects. I made a strawberry bed using old bricks I found in our yard when we bought the place. I found several old metal pots in someone’s trash pile, and after my husband drills holes in the bottoms they’ll be put to use as planters.

Natural fertilizer. I bought seaweed fertilizer instead of chemical mixes, mainly to remain organic and with the added benefit of saving money.

Rainwater. I recently collected rainwater from our downspouts in several coolers. I stored the water in them for a few days before the garden needed to be watered, and filled my watering can enough times to water the entire garden.

Manure. Chicken manure and horse manure can usually be gotten for nothing or next to nothing from farmers and barns with more than they can handle or effectively compost.

Seeds. A kind friend gave me a large variety of extra seeds, and I bought seed potatoes online. They’re heirlooms, but I got them for less than they were at the large heirloom seeds company, Seed Savers. Save your own non-hybrid seeds form year to year from the harvest and you’ll spend even less.

Are you a frugal gardener? How do you save money as you grow your own fruits, vegetables and flowers?

Are bank runs in our future? While much of the news is being conveniently swept under the proverbial rug, the fact is that many national and international banks are facing problems. As the money supply tightens, and banks see their credit ratings drop, you can be sure trouble is brewing.

As James Wesley Rawles at Survival Blog notes,

A key indicator is the level of bank reserves. Many US banks are now technically insolvent. These banks are on life support, courtesy of your tax dollars. Since February of 2008, I’ve been warning you about the “Non-Borrowed Reserves” figure at the Federal Reserve web site. Bank reserves are plummeting deep into negative numbers. When you look at the U banking industry in aggregate numbers, there are effectively no genuine reserves left. If the average bank depositor was aware of this, then there would already be huge bank runs in progress. But the Generally Dumb Public (GDP), is still blissfully ignorant, and continues to be lulled into a sense of complacency by the long-standing universal depositor’s insurance backed by “the “full faith and credit” of the US government.

Tips to Help Prepare for Bank Runs:

• Keep cash on hand. Do it safely, inconspicuously, and gradually, but having a reserve of cash and small-denomination silver coins on hand is important.
• Get ahead on your bills. Pay your mortgage early, and try to get to the point where you’re paying several months out. So if it’s June 1, you pay July or even August’s payment, having paid June’s and even July’s payment back in April or May. This puts you ahead of the game if you are unable to access your accounts.
• Use a credit union or local bank. Rather than banking with a national institution or large regional bank, choose one that is truly local, r better yet, opt to bank with a credit union which often has higher lending standards and thus is usually more solvent.
• Keep your food and medicine shelves well stocked so that in a time of crisis, you do not need to run out and spend money but can weather a short-term problem with reserves already on hand.

If bank runs or bank holidays do materialize, your vigilence and preparation will pay off. Make small — and big — sacrifices now to put your family in the best possible position for these future contingencies.

Are you preparing your family for financial pitfalls? How so?

Our new pullets have been braving the cold weather and snowy days quite well. In taking care of our not-yet-laying hens, I’ve learned a few things about winter care for a small backyard poultry flock. These tips are for adult birds; any very young birds will likely need to be moved indoors to a heat-lamp-warmed cage in a barn stall or basement,  during the coldest months.

Increased vigilance is important in the winter as natural predators are hungrier and severe weather can cost frostbite on chickens’ combs and wattles (the red flaps hanging down from their faces).

In fact, in harsh climates, the combs and wattles are removed when chickens are young specifically to avoid frostbite in winter.

When keeping chickens through the winter, don’t forget that:

• They need extra feed for increased energy needs. Also, there are few or no insects to supplement the grain.
• A good chicken coop is important — one with insulation, roosting bars and covered openings, such as fabric or plastic sheets over chicken entrances, is ideal. In northern climates, a source of heat is important during the coldest weeks.
• Make sure the birds have water … not ice. When it’s especially bitter out, I crack and remove the ice in their water tray and replace it with lukewarm water a couple times a day. A heated chicken waterer would be ideal, and I’m planning to invest in one for next winter.

Do you have a backyard chicken flock? How are you keeping them healthy and happy through the winter?

On Saturday, we brought home six new laying hens — pullets, really, that will hopefully start laying in a few weeks. These particular birds are Rhode Islands Whites, like the Rhode Island Reds, I was told, just white. While they aren’t as cute as my sisters’ brown speckled Barred Rock mix hens, they will hopefully do the job just as well. This is a mini-flock for us, but will keep us in eggs very nicely with some left over to sell.

Our egg laying chicken operation is a frugal venture. My husband made the chicken coop from leftover plywood, lumber and fasteners. We’ll feed the hens laying mash as well as appropriate table scraps and whatever grass, leaves and bugs they can find as they free range in the spring and summer.

We paid $8 per laying hen and I calculate that with feed included, they will pay for themselves within the first few months and then be a net gain every month thereafter. As this article notes, it’s sometime hard to find laying hens for sale, especially in the springtime. I imagine it will be especially difficult this year. The farmer who sold us the chickens noted that after placing the ad, he has received more call than he can handle for the several hundred birds he has for sale. The woman who rang up my grain purchase at the feed store commented that there has been a big increase in sales for chicken-related items and it’s not even spring yet.

New to raising chickens? Learn the basics on our Chickens page on the main Frugal Homesteading site.

Chickens are fairly low-maintenance. I feed and water them once daily, and shut their coop at night after they’ve gone inside to roost. I’m weary of predators getting in there, even though the chicken yard surrounding the coop is fenced with chicken wire. As my oldest son grows, he will inherit some of the chicken duties and I imagine he’ll enjoying the responsibility of collecting the eggs.

Do you raise chickens? Are you interested in having a backyard flock to save money on eggs or meat?

My husband, a construction contractor, has no more work after he finishes the addition he’s working on. After several years in the business, he is looking for a new job. Several friends and family members who live in our same town are unemployed as of the past few weeks. And then today Survival Blog predicts 2009 will be a doozy, with unemployment rates hitting 30%. Is this even possible? If it happens, what will become of our country?

How did people survive the Great Depression? I’m sitting here in my kitchen, taking stock. We have no reliable income at the moment. My husband is looking for a job. I bring in a secondary income from my blogs and sites, but not enough to cover all our expenses, nor to pay down our debts. And that’s even assuming the income I have stays steady — with online advertising revenue, this is by no means guarranteed.

My brother in law is unemployed, as are several of our friends. With real unemployment seeing higher and higher numbers as each corporation or manufacturer announces layoffs, you have to wonder where all of this headed.I’m not saying we’re in the Second Great Depression … but we could be.

From my research of life during the Great Depression, I’ve come up with some guidelines my family plans to follow as we prepare for a lengthy recession or even a deep economic depression. There are many aspects to cover; this is just a start. I’ll post more on this topic throughout the coming year.

• Minimize expenses. If you have extra money, use it to put your family in the best position possible to survive a potential depression. Purchase tools, necessary kitchen equipment, garden necessities, fishing gear, and other items to help improve your measure of self-sufficiency.
• Buy American. As much as possible, avoid purchasing imported goods and look for American-made products to help our country pull itself out of the recession. You may have to track down companies online and ask local shops to carry American-made goods. The extra dollars spent are well worth it. If we all followed this practice, imagine the outcome. Keep your money here; don’t send it overseas.
• Seek multiple income opportunities, rather than relying on one sector or one company for the family’s support. If your job is highly secure, you’re in a better position, but still look for side income opportunities. If your job is threatened or unstable, build up additional income sources right away.
• Produce and preserve food. We plan to have a large family garden and our own laying hens in the backyard. As local fruits and vegetables come into season, I will pick and preserve my own — strawberry preserves, frozen peaches and jarred apple sauce are all simple to put up from local, inexpensive bounty.
• Stay hopeful, pray for guidance and do not lose the joy of life.

Have hope, but plan for potential long-term economic difficulties in the United States. That’s my take on it. What are your thoughts? Do you know how people survived the Great Depression? Add your comment, below.

Self-employment taxes are only slightly more complicated than filing ordinary income reported on W-2s. I was expecting tax time to be really complicated, but with a little work and some free tax software, it was a breeze.

I filed a schedule C for my 2008 freelance writing income, simply adding up my freelance income and writing royalties for the year. It’s important to keep good records, since smaller clients don’t provide 1099 forms.

Here’s a quick article on how to take self employed tax deductions. While it isn’t exhaustive, it provides a good start and solid tips for basic self-employment tax deductions.

As a self-employed individual, I can deduct 100% of my health insurance premiums as well as half the amount I pay in self employment taxes (Medicaid and Social Security). I also deducted my new computer and half the cost of my internet service, which I use almost exclusively for my writing work.

I do my own taxes, but I highly recommend consulting or hiring a knowledgeable small business accountant if your self employed income is complicated. Also, you can receive valuable advice about payroll taxes, tax deductions, and other specific questions about your particular situation.

At the same time, keep impeccable records throughout the year in order to limit the time and money spent at tax time preparing your return. The more work you do throughout the year (usually just minutes a week) the more time and money you’ll save at tax time.

Self employment taxes are simpler than many realize. Current free tax software (check out TaxActOnline) will even calculate your quarterlies for the next year so you’ll know how much money to send in to the IRS every three months.

We are pleased to host the August 2008 edition of the Carnival of Family Life. Enjoy!

Family Pets

Matt M. presents Growth of Healthy Food Industry posted at The Pet Haven.

Jason Rusch presents Choosing a Boxer for Sale posted at boxerdogessentials.com.

Education

Becky presents It’s Just Not About Me posted at Life Without School.

Stephanie presents My Little Teacher posted at Adventures in the 100 Acre Wood.

Tom Tessin presents Parents: How to Keep in Contact with your Student posted at FCC Student Blog, saying, “Learn how your family can keep in touch with a student going away to college for the first time.”

Alvaro Fernandez presents Brain Teasers: Spot the Difference posted at SharpBrains, saying, “Want some summer brain exercise?”

Alex Smith presents Vacations and Home Security posted at TBO-Tech.

Family Cooking & Recipes

Sahara Reins presents Fresh Eggs or Not? posted at Fowl Visions.

ISPF presents 10 Tips to Get Anyone into the Habit of Cooking at Home (Even if You Have Never Stepped into the Kitchen Before) posted at Daddy Financials.

Family Crafts and Activities

muse presents Fly A Kite! posted at me-ander.

Jennifer presents When sleeping on the living room floor felt like camping posted at Diary of 1.

Terry Candee presents Kids and Tweens Love Robots posted at Bonding Moms & Daughters To Navigate Our Crazy World . . .Oh Yeah and Crafts!, saying, “Easy craft and some humor!”

HowToMe presents How To Make a Washing Stick to Pamper Ones’ Hands posted at HowToMe, saying, “To save my hands from immersion in bleach and fabric dye, my husband made a washing stick for me. My mother’s washing stick, which seems to have been a simplification of the Victorian ‘poss stick,’ was his inspiration.”

Family Fiction

Jenn presents The Birth Announcement, a fictional story inspired by a writing prompt at A Thousand Words, posted at Mixed Metaphor.net.

Riley presents The Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Patterson posted at All Rileyed Up, saying, “A book review of James Patterson’s latest YA novel, targeted at boys.”

Family Finance

Raymond presents 0% Balance Transfer Credit Cards posted at Money Blue Book.

Silicon Valley Blogger presents The Household CFO: Home Financial Taskmaster posted at The Digerati Life, saying, “How we run our family’s finances!”

Family Health and Wellness

P.L. Frederick presents The Thing About A Sting posted at Small and Big, saying, “You can learn a lot from a talking honeybee.”

Laura Scarborough presents breathing in and out posted at Adventures in Juggling, saying, “with hubs’ recent diagnosis of a chronic health condition that only gets progressively worse, I am struggling with guilt over my acceptance and silence over the years and the very real prospect of raising and caring for my five children alone.”

Heather Johnson presents Caregiving Tips for Families with Special Needs? posted at The Virtual P.T.A. at PS 373R.

Family Humor

Madeleine Begun Kane presents Vacation Verse posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog.

Tracee Sioux presents No Children in Workout Area posted at Blog Fabulous, saying, “This is what happens when they close the gym nursery for summer.”

Gabriel Almada presents Florencia, international coiffeur posted at Live from Waterloo.

Family Relationships and Self-Improvement

jen_lew_79 presents His Wife posted at A Continuously Praying Wife.

Lin Burress presents Toxic Relationships - Toxic Family Members posted at Telling It Like It Is.

Kristy presents Fireworks posted at the bonny mess.

Parenting Tips and Advice

Cathy Ley presents Walking and Baby Proofing Our Home posted at Tips for Moms & Baby Websites.

Tracee Sioux presents 10 Antidotes to Self-Objectification & Sexualization of Girls posted at So Sioux Me, saying, “How to help your daughter see herself as more than an object for male entertainment. Ways to encourage her to explore herself as a whole 3 dimensional human being and combat media messages that it’s all about being pretty.”

Autumn Beck presents How To Start Cloth Diapering on a Budget posted at All About Cloth Diapers, saying, “Autumn Beck posts about how to get started with cloth diapers for less than $125.”

Thank you all for participating in the Carnival this week!

Submit a blog article for the August 25, 2008, Back to School Edition of the Carnival, hosted at Write from Karen, by clicking here!

The Carnival archive can be viewed here.

Interested in hosting a future edition? Review the schedule here and then drop a line letting JHS know the week you would like to have the Carnival visit your site!

I found these lovely tiger lilies growing wild along the road and brought them home. Tiger lilies grow abundantly around here, but I don’t have any on our property. I thought they really brightened the counter, and they stayed lovely for several days.

These bright white lilies were salvaged from a days-old flower arrangement that was mostly wilted or browning. I thinned it out, keeping a few of the greens and the lilies. The bouquet was a centerpiece at our table at a wedding we attended and it was sent home with us at the end. I removed the brown petals from several roses and gave them their own spot on another part of the counter:

Since we have been living on this property for only a few months (we purchased it almost two years ago and were renovating the home for months!) I don’t have a flower garden or bulbs in yet, but landscaping is on my list of projects … the never-ending to-do list!

In the meantime, I’ll keep an eye out for frugal spring flowers and make inexpensive summer floral arrangements from whatever I can gather. What budget decorations brighten your home?

Welcome to the July 1, 2008 edition of the Frugal Homesteading Carnival. I was pleased to receive some great blog posts for this edition.

Frugal Home Tips

Tiffany Washko presents 10 Ways to Reuse a Glass Jar posted at Natural Family Living Blog. Be sure to check out this post .. I was already a fan of her blog!
Damaris presents Solving your kitchen problems one giveaway at a time! posted at WITHIN THE CORNERS OF MY KITCHEN, saying, “check out my weekly giveaways on my blog www.kitchencorners.blogspot.com”
John presents How to Save Money on Diapers and Formula #1 posted at The Modern Parent: baby product reviews, parenting advice, and tips, saying, “I wrote a series of three articles filled with tips on how to save money on baby formula and diapers. Useful for parents trying to save money on these expensive staples.”
Jenny presents The Green Life posted at the so called me, and although she doesn’t see herself as a fan of organic foods, she’s interested in frugal living.

Food & Health

Shaheen Lakhan presents Food Additives, Hyperactivity, and Common Sense posted at GNIF Brain Blogger, saying, “A BMJ editorial recently covered how the EFSA did studied how some food additives lead to childhood hyperactivity. It was questioned later that there wasn’t enough evidence to back this up; the studies were re-evaluated. The editorial mentioned that there is strong evidence backing up two therapies for this problem: drugs and dietary modification.”
Amy S Quinn presents 33 Health Benefits of Drinking Tea posted at NursingDegree.net.

Frugal Food

Sarah presents How to dine at fancy-schmancy restaurants on the CHEAP posted at SARAHSPY.

Frugal Personal Finance

The Shark Investor presents Do It Yourself Projects As a Source of Alternative Income posted at The Shark Investor, saying, “Do it yourself is actually a way to earn money.”
Raymond presents Work From Home With Paid Online Surveys posted at Money Blue Book. Check out his article to avoid internet scams and learn about real opportunities for paid surveys.
imarketing4s presents Top 10 Money Mistakes In Buying A Car | LoanHunt.com posted at LoanHunt.com.

David B. Bohl presents Subprime Lifestyles posted at Slow Down Fast Today!, saying, “The subprime crisis is directly related to the skewed way we as Americans look at money, debt and personal wealth, and how we act on these views.”

That concludes this edition of our Frugal Homesteading Blog Carnival! If your post was included, please post a timely link back to the blog and Stumble and Digg the carnival to help promote everyone’s work. Submit your blog article to the next edition of frugal homesteading carnival using our carnival submission form. I’m hoping to have more gardening and animal husbandry submissions as time goes on, so please submit posts in these topics if you have one. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: frugal homesteading carnival, blog carnival.

Have you ever wished you had more ideas for frugal living? Have you looked at your budget and wished there was something else you could trim, but don’t know where to start? Not excited about saving a few pennies by reusing plastic baggies? Me neither. I’ve found that some of the best ideas for frugal living are lucrative and don’t have to be painful.

Dial for dollars. You can often save money – even hundreds of dollars – in one simple phone call to your Internet provider, cable company or credit card account. Ask your cable to give you the low introductory rate your new neighbor has, or you saw advertised. I recently got another introductory rate with my Internet provider, only two months after my first introductory period ended. That call saved me $150 over six months. When my cable was down for three days after a storm, I had another $15 taken off my month’s bill.

Ask for a refund of late charges or fees, especially if you normally pay on time. Be polite and ask for a “one-time courtesy”; more often than not, you’ll get the fees waived.

When hoping for a lower rate on your credit card, use this strategy: ask the company representative where to send the payment to pay off your credit card bill so you can close the account. Mention closing the account several times; when I did this, the rep transferred me to “Account Retainment” and my interest rate was slashed in half to keep me a loyal customer.

Stop borrowing money. This might seem obvious, but many still use credit cards and finance their cars even as they struggle to live on a budget. Live without debt, and you will save more money than you can imagine over your lifetime. Not only will you save thousands of dollars in interest payments, you’ll buy less when you pay with cash, check or your debit card.

Bargain. Most Americans are used to simply paying the sticker price wherever they go, but the secret is that many larger-ticket items are negotiable when it comes to price. Financial guru Dave Ramsey suggests researching the best prices before you go out to buy your appliance, sports equipment, or other big-ticket item. Then, bring cash and ask for a lower price than what’s being asked. Talk to a manager if necessary, and look for refurbished or returned items with warranties to get an even better deal.

Sell stuff. Offer your used items on Craig’s List, in the local classifieds or at consignment sales instead of just donating or disposing the things you don’t need. Think outside the box – even spare car parts from a dead vehicle have resale value. Children’s clothes and toys have great resale value at seasonal consignment sales as well as stores that share the sale price with consignors.

Grow some food. Whether you have a few acres in the country, or a south-facing townhouse with a deck, you can cultivate some vegetables and herbs to help lessen your food budget. Recycle containers for potted plants and tomatoes if you can’t plant directly into soil. Save your non-hybrid seeds form one year to the next to save on planting costs. If you have space and time, plant a large garden and include fall crops like pumpkins, cabbage and winter squash to extend your harvest season.

I know I barely scratched the surface, so please share your ideas and resources for frugal living below.

Photo by Arturo Benjumeda