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By Penny, February 4, 2010 6:27 am

This is a repost of an article I wrote not too long after our housefire last year.

It probably sounds like a cheesy self-help title, but it isn’t any less true. While the fire was stressful and the ensuing fallout even more so, it’s interesting to see the effect of owning less. Right now, my husband and I are staying in a living room at my mother’s house. Since many of our things were destroyed or packed up by the salvage company, we don’t have much. All of our clothes fit in one singular bureau. I have three pairs of shoes, while my husband only has two pairs. I stack them neatly next to the door. It’s so easy to keep everything tidy, when I have a limited number of things to tend. I never realized it, but the over abundance of things made it difficult at our old house.

In January of last year, my grandfather had a stroke, so his house had to be sold in order to pay for his care. Because we liked the house, my husband and I purchased it in the spring. Unfortunately, all of my grandfather’s things were still in the house when we moved in. As you can imagine, we had double, sometimes triple, of everything. My mother insisted that we put the things we didn’t want in the garage so she could go through them later. Later, as it were, never came. There were plenty of things still in the house that we didn’t need but couldn’t get rid of.

When the fire ripped through the upstairs, many things were burned, but more things were destroyed by water damage. In the following week, most of our things have been packed into boxes by the cleaning crew. I’ve found that there are few things I “need.” I would suggest that you get this freedom for yourself, but without the fire, of course.

1. Limit the number of “repeat” items you need. How many different novelty mugs do you need?

2. Weed out your wardrobe. Choose a reasonable number of blouses, shirts, pants, etc. Then, go through all of your clothes. Figure out which pieces you really love, limiting yourself to your reasonable number. Get rid of the rest.

3. Ask yourself about everything you own. Do you love it? If not, are you keeping it for actual sentimental reasons or because you feel that you should? Don’t let things take space in your life out of obligation or guilt.

4. Once you’ve decided what to get rid of, take it immediately to your car. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. Take it to a local charity as soon as is feasible. If you’ve opted to have a yard sale, be warned that the stock pile is wily and may take over quickly. I find that I benefit more from the tax deduction and the mental relief.

Once the house is rebuilt and we can move back in, I have a new plan. I will go through every box and evaluate whether we really need what is in the box. Nothing will be allowed back in that is useless or unloved. Owning things means have more responsibilities to “stuff.” The less things means more freedom: the power of less.

Do you have any experience in the power of less? Do you have any purging suggestions?

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By Penny, February 3, 2010 4:26 am

Laundry Soap

1/3 bar of laundry soap ( I use a homemade soap that I barter eggs for, but Crystal from The Family Homestead sells a lovely laundry soap here  Any soap will do, though.)

½ cup borax

½ cup washing soda (NOT baking soda!)

Grate soap into a saucepan. Add soda and borax, stirring until the soap is dissolved.  Remove from heat.  Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket.   Now add your soap mixture and stir.  Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir.  Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel.  You use about ½ cup per load.

Here’s the pictorial:

The directions say use a sauce pan, but I just use my stainless steel mixing bowl. I assure you, the matching ensemble was accidental.

Grate the soap. You could whirl it in a food processor, but I hate cleaning the blasted thing and would rather hand grate for just a small amount like that.

Here's all the ingredients together.

Mix the ingredients completely until the shredded soap melts.

Add water to the pan you're going to keep it in. I just use a dishpan that I keep on the dryer.

Add the soap mixture, stirring constantly

add the rest of the water, and You're done!

Comments (4)

By Penny, February 2, 2010 4:53 am

This month is the first month where I am carefully recording our harvest, preservation, and budget progress.  It is my hope that I will be diligent in continuing to keep accurate records.  Record keeping is an important part of pursuing and achieving goals.

For the month of January, we:

Found $90 for a snowflake to the credit card.

Canned 31 quarts and 12 pints of food.

Harvested 15 ducks and 5 geese

Butchered one deer.

Collected 182 eggs.

Corned 8lbs of venison.

Traded six dozen eggs for soap.

All told, I think we have made considerable progress in our goal of being debt-free and self-reliant.

For the month of February, we hope to start spinach and kale in our cold frame, start planning our garden, order seeds, baking snack foods instead of buying them and refinance our mortgage, to save about $100/month in mortgage payments.  I’ll keep you posted!

Comments (4)

By Penny, February 1, 2010 7:11 am

Finished batch of homemade laundry soap. It's part frugality, part science!

On Frugal Dad, Jason once wrote about balance and frugality, relating to things he will not do for frugality’s sake.  He specifically mentioned making laundry soap and questioned whether it was “really worth the few dollars saved.”  That protest is one that I hear often, one that irritates me.

            People assume that frugal tactics do not save them enough money for the time it takes. Generally, they compare the money they save versus their hourly wage.  This method is not accurate, as it does not take into account several factors.  First, their hourly wage is before taxes, so subtract 15-20% off of the hourly rate to get a more accurate number.  Ten dollars an hour becomes eight dollars an hour, like magic (though not the good kind!).  Secondly, there are costs that go with work, such as gas and lunches, which may cost about fifty cents an hour.  Our hourly wage is now at $7.50, a far cry from where it was.  The money saved is tax free, so its number stays the same in this comparison.  It’s important that folks really understand the math, before they say it’s not worth the time.

            Furthermore, I doubt that anyone is going to stay home and make laundry soap instead of going to work. The time spent doing frugal things would not have been used to work and make money.  Excuse the gross generalization, but the time would have most likely been spent watching television.  Television has taught us that we need to avoid work at all costs and buy products that save us time.  Time which should be used to watch more television, specifically commercials.  At any rate, unless you’re going to stay home and bake bread instead of going to the office, it’s like finding extra money. I have far more opportunities to save money on a small, daily scale than I do on buying refrigerators or negotiating on cars.  The times that I wash out a plastic baggie will eventually add up to much larger amount.

            I just loath the fact that everyone assumes that frugality is a drudgery and that I must be suffering horribly.  As a matter of fact, I happen to enjoy doing things for myself. I get a kick out of making most of my necessities myself.  Bearing that in mind though, I have to agree with Jason’s conclusion that frugality is a highly personal concept, varying from person to person.  I would never recommend frugal tactics that would save money but cause misery.

As far as the laundry soap goes, I make 64 loads worth in about 14 minutes.  It costs me $.71 per batch, while the equivalent in commercial soap, at sale prices, would be $8.95.  I save $8.24 in, for simplicity’s sake, 15 minutes which brings our “hourly rate” to a hefty $32.96/hr.  Who knew laundry soap could be so lucrative?

Comments (4)

By Penny, January 29, 2010 6:02 am

Here's a picture of something I've been saving for: a spinning wheel. Though I'd rather have a pretty version. What can I say? I'm shallow.

During the holiday season, we are inundated with cries to spend money.  The easier ones to ignore are the advertisements on television and in print.  However, the big, waiflike eyes asking you to buy just one thing from their fundraiser are harder to turn aside. Here’s how I manage to escape the pressure:

1. 1.       Think of your priorities.  Really consider why you are saving/conserving money.  Is buying that overpriced box of mediocre chocolates in keeping with your goals or values?
2. 2.       Be honest. Most people can appreciate goals for savings, even children.  Just say why it is that you can’t or won’t spend.  I try to buy only local foods, so most of the fundraising products are not in keeping with my values.
3. 3.       Rehearse your rejection answer.  Have a stock answer as to why you can’t.  I give the answer “I’m saving for a farm” anytime a student asks me to purchase for a fundraiser.  If you are prepared, you won’t be caught off-guard.  It makes it easier to say no when you can quickly articulate why.
4. 4.       Or just practice the art of “no.” Honestly, it’s no one’s business why you can’t spend money. These days, I generally just say no to people and leave it at that.  At first, I felt uneasy about it, but I realized that most people don’t push you beyond that. If they do push, I explain that I’m largely supporting us while my husband goes to college.  Generally, that is enough for even the most pushy of folks.
5. 5.       Give yourself permission to decline. It’s okay if you don’t want to participate, really! It’s your money and no one else has a right to it.  At my school, I belong to two different departments, each of which wanted to do a “secret Santa” exchange. I declined to participate in either because I know that I can’t afford to spend $20 on someone I barely know. Heck, I don’t even spend that much on family members, because they get homemade treats.

Only you know your financial goals and status.  You need to make decisions that are right for you and your family, not your coworkers or neighbors. Gifts should be given with a free heart, not out of a misplaced sense of obligation.

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By Penny, January 27, 2010 6:09 am

Sure, it ain't pretty, but it's pretty easy to amuse yourself... especially if you have a digital camera and aren't afraid to use it

In today’s economic climate, people need to find ways to entertain themselves on the cheap.  Frugal entertainment largely involves staying at home and being creative.  Here are just a few suggestions:

1. 1.       Invite people for dinner. You don’t have to make anything fancy.  It’s about enjoying the company of others.  Using a slow cooker would allow you to prepare the meal ahead of time.
2. 2.       Play games.  Invest in some board games that you like to play.  Scrabble and Sorry! are popular in our house. Just be warned, you might spend a lot of time with rematches.
3. 3.       Learn to play cards.  A quick, internet search with yield the rules to almost any card game.  Just print out the game you wish to play and get started.  I recommend Rummy as a starting point for beginners.
4. 4.       Watch movies at home.  Instead of going to the movie theater and spending a small fortune, make popcorn and watch a movie.  You can get movies for free from the library or just watch a movie you already own.  Forgoing cable, my husband and I spend $10 a month for Netflix, watching movies that aren’t available at the library.
5. 5.       Take up a hobby.  If you don’t already have a hobby, I suggest getting one. Be careful, though, because hobbies can become expensive.  Fishing is something we enjoy, but all the accoutrements can get out of hand, if you’re not careful. Hobbies which produce something, like quilting, knitting, or woodworking, can be a better investment of time, since they will result in a product that can be used for gifts or for making your home beautiful.
6. 6.       Read. I know it’s out of fashion, but learn to enjoy reading.  Through interlibrary loan, you can borrow about any book you’d like.  If you don’t care for fiction, choose to read about a topic that interests you.
7. 7.       Cook.   If you have the time, testing new recipes can be fun and a good use of time.  You could try to make sourdough bread or even mozzarella cheese.
8. 8.       Take a walk.  Walking around your neighborhood is a free activity that can offer a lot of entertainment.  Plus, you can get exercise while having good conversation.  Our dogs love going for walks, even if it’s just down the street.

While this is hardly a comprehensive list, I hope that these suggestions will stimulate your creativity.  The best advice I can give you is to quit expecting to be entertained.  All the entertainment you need can generally be found near or within your own home.  Use your time to enjoy your loved ones instead of to distract yourself from them.

Do you have any suggestions for entertainment for cheap?

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By Penny, January 26, 2010 5:37 am

Here's the final product in the pan.

Eating from the pantry, a la LifeasMom, does not need to be a misadventure in taste.  As far as I know, I just created this recipe.  We had leftover ham and a lot of whole wheat lasagna noodles.  I decided to try a ham and cheese lasagna.  Here’s the recipe:

Ham and Cheese Lasagna

Cheese Sauce (see below)

1 to 2 cups of ham pieces

1 to 2 cups of peas

1 cup of shredded cheese, cheddar or Monterey Jack.

10-12 cooked lasagna noodles

breadcrumbs (optional)

To the sauce, add ham pieces and peas. Layer three or four lasagna noodles on the bottom of your 9×13 pan. Cover with a layer of the ham and cheese mixture. Repeat layers until the pan is full.  Cover the top with the cheese and then sprinkle breadcrumbs over that, if desired.  Bake at 350 degrees until everything is hot and the cheese is melted. 

Sauce:

1/2 cup of fat (I used 1/4 cup butter and a 1/4 cup lard)

1/2 cup of whole wheat flour

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 onion, chopped

4 cups of milk

1 cup of cheddar or Monterey Jack, shredded

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

In a large saucepan, melt the fat at medium heat.  Sauté the onions and garlic until soft.  Stir in the flour until a thick paste is created.  Add the milk, stirring constantly.  Add the cheese, salt and pepper.  Keep stirring until cheese is completely melted.

This recipe can be quite flexible and even made under financial or other emergency,  using powdered milk and canned versions of the veggies. I imagine that this recipe would be just as tasty if you used bacon instead of ham. Then, you could call it a Loaded, Baked Potato Lasagna.  It’s all about good publicity, you know.

I probably should have waited to cut it to make a better picture, but look at that! Who could have waited?!?

Comments (1)

By Penny, January 25, 2010 6:09 am

The friend who borrowed the money brought two thirds of it back.  He did not end up needing all of it, so he brought what he hadn’t spent back.  Interestingly, the reason he cited for bring it back was that he didn’t want to trust himself to come up with the entire sum. He seems to know himself well enough to figure out how to do damage control. While I desperately want to help them with the budgeting aspect, there is really little I can do, other than recommend books or websites. I will offer them suggestions when they ask, but I will really endeavor NOT to give advice unless asked.  It’s terribly hard, though, when there are so many things they could change if they so chose.  However, ultimately, it’s none of my business, and I will try not to be a busybody.  This resolution applies to other folks as well.  Today, I learned that other people may surprise you when you’re thinking the worst.

Comments (2)

By Penny, January 22, 2010 4:45 am

(I posted about this on the Down To Earth Forums for advice)

My husband asked me if he could loan a friend,money with a hunting firearm as “collateral”. I was reluctant, because I didn’t want it to be about DH spending $300 for yet another hunting implement. DH said that the intent was for the friend to buy the gun back as soon as he got the money. He and his wife are in a tight spot because they have three children, and he lost his more lucrative job in construction, having to take a job that paid considerably less.

I don’t mind helping, but his wife,told me that they were planning to go to a bar/restaurant tonight and invited me to go. I said that I appreciated the invitation, but I didn’t have the money to go. She replied that she wouldn’t say they had the money, but they were going to go anyway. I feel so angry that they would continue to mismanage money, even though they owe us $300 and know that I work a full time as a high school teacher and part time as a teacher in an adult high school on two nights a week. I feel guilty that I am angry at them.

I have learned a few things from this situation. 

1. Make sure you have clear terms. I should have come up with a repayment plan instead of a “when you have extra.” With their spending habits, they are probably never going to have “extra.”  If I had given terms of repayment, perhaps that would have given them more motivation.

2. Think about it for a lot longer that four minutes. I wish I had really considered the situation and their money habits. I have had  long conversations with the wife about their spending and budget woes. Had I spent time really considering it, I would have either said “no” or resigned myself to the possibility of never being repaid.

3. Consider if you could afford it if it didn’t come back. I should have determined whether our budget could afford the dent put into by giving someone else a “loan.” If I had done the math, I would have realized that it was one third of our savings at the moment, considering that we have had a few actual emergencies lately, which constituted dipping into our emergency savings.

4. Try to remove emotion from the equation. I was manipulated, and that is too strong a word, by their situation, having three young children to care for.  Motivated by emotions and the desire to help others, I may have put us in a worse situation.

I am not saying that loaning money to people who need it is a bad thing all the time.  I just think I should have been more wary about the whole endeavor. I wish I could shake this feeling of bitterness, but I am having a hard time. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to deal with this situation?

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By Penny, January 20, 2010 4:00 am

Lacking a picture for the topic, here's a gratuitous picture of my mom's dogs.

I once heard someone on an inane decorating show say that curtains are the eyebrows of a room. *Snort, polite cough*

Far be it for me to argue with the champions of home décor, but I find I must in the name of practicality and frugality.
Curtains are practical tools in regulating a home’s temperature, or at least they were up until the latter part of the 20th century. Somewhere along the way, it has become far more fashionable to use them as accessories to impressing guests instead of their original purpose. Now, folks just crank up the air conditioner and heater as the weather demands, paying the inevitable bill for such largess, all the while bemoaning high energy costs. However, you can buck this trend by taking your curtains by the rods, as it were.

Invest in some lined curtains, preferably of brocade or other heavy fabric. Lose the miles of lace and gauze, as they are about as useful as a drink umbrella in a hurricane. Yes, lined curtains will be expensive, but note the use of the word “invest.” If you use them properly, you will recoup the cost of them fairly quickly. Furthermore, you might be able to sew them yourself, depending on how fancy you want them.
Make sure you are able to open and close them. The mobility of the curtains is absolutely crucial to their purpose. It is important that they are on a rod, able to be opened and closed as necessary.
In the winter, leave the curtains open during the day. Doing so will allow the sunlight to heat the room. At night, close them so that the heat is not dissipated during the lower night temperatures.
In the summer, close the windows and the curtains in the morning before the temperature begins to rise. It seems contradictory to leave the windows closed in the heat, but, with the curtains drawn, the temperature will not rise too much. Use fans to circulate the air. In the afternoon, once the outside temperature is cooler than the inside temperature, open the windows and the curtains. Use box fans to draw in cooler air. In the event you are not quite ready to forego air conditioning, just follow the instructions for the curtains.
Be creative about their placement. Sometimes there are doorways to spaces you don’t use too often in your home. Why pay to heat the laundry room if you don’t have to? In my home, we don’t use the upstairs overly much during the cold winter months. As such, we hang a heavy curtain over the doorway to the stairs, removing it once the weather becomes warmer.

Most assuredly, I will never win any awards for my home decorating skills. However, my home is comfortable year-round with little excess use of energy. Eventually, the pennies that I save on energy will help us to buy our little farm, which is a far more satisfying than being a home décor diva. Besides, in keeping with the analogy of eyebrows, the room would have to have eyes and that’s just creepy.

Comments (3)

By Penny, January 6, 2010 6:18 am

Okay, well, maybe “up and running” is a little optimistic, but perhaps “up and walking vigorously”?  Hopefully, I will get the bulk of the issues squared away and begin writing by Friday. It’s good to be back, though.

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By Penny, January 9, 2010 2:30 pm

During vacation, I spent time getting my house in order. I came to the conclusion that I cannot focus on other things until my house is in order.  To that end, I cleaned each room in the house, putting things away. Some things I learned were:

1.  A Place for Everything and Everything in its Place. My grandfather was fond of this saying.  I never understood the philosphy until recently.  When I cleaned each room, I paid special attention to assigning each item a place.

2. Limit the number of things I have.  I really examined my wardrobe for clothes that I don’t just LOVE. I am a natural fibers girl, so I have started to eliminate clothes that are made from poyester or rayon.  The deal is that as I buy new clothes I will have to get rid of an old skirt.

3.  Keep it Clean and Make it a Routine.  Each night, I have been making sure that we wander through the house, picking up and putting away errant things. It only takes five minutes, but makes all the difference.

4.  Communication. This doesn’t seem to be related to the issue, but it is.  I told my husband how I felt about his hunting clothes being everywhere.  He came up with his own solution to the problem: a big basket for his large items and a small one for his gloves, hats, etc.

So far, I have managed to keep the rooms clean  by instituting these tips.  It has only been a week, so I will have to keep vigillant in my housekeeping.  I’ll keep you posted on my progress. Hopefully, I’ll have good news to report.

Comments (1)

By Penny, January 10, 2010 3:38 am

Being as we have ten ducks who lay eggs, we have an abundance of eggs. Not many people have been buying them, so I have to figure out what to do with them. I bake frequently, but with only a few eggs used per dessert, I was not keeping up. A friend asked if I could make her pickled eggs, something I had not considered. Considering that my husband loves them, I am surprised I hadn’t thought of it. I found a recipe in Self Reliance: Recession-Proof Your Pantry from Backwoods Home Magazine. I tweaked the recipe quite a bit though, as I didn’t have pre-mixed pickling spices.

First, I hard-boiled twenty eggs. To hardboil eggs, I bring the water to a boil, then turn off the heat and let the eggs sit for at least twenty minutes. After that, I peel the eggs, using a spoon to work the peel free.

While I peeled the eggs, I put the pickling brine on to boil. In a pot, I put a cup of white vinegar, a cup of apple cider vinegar, a quart and half of water, and two tsps of salt. After that, I veered away from the recipe. My friend remembered her mom adding onions to her recipe, so I chopped up a purple onion.

After that, I added a tsp of whole cloves, a tsp of mustard seeds, a tsp of all spice, 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp of chile powder, and a 1/4 cup of sugar.  I then had the brine come to a boil.  After it came to a boil, I added the eggs.

 After the brine came to a boil with the eggs and onions, I packed them into hot, sterilized jars.  I hot water bathed them for ten minutes. Don’t they look pretty?

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By Penny, January 11, 2010 3:43 am

My dear husband recieved a text message today, offering him a deer. We had to drive an hour and half to get it, but it was well worth the drive.  Loading it into the back of truck, we drove home and hung it in the garage. 

 After dinner, we skinned it, taking care not to cut the meat and leave it on the skin.  Behind cut: picture of me skinning the deer.

Because deer fat has such a high melting point, it is unpallatable. Moreover, it has a reputation for going rancid quickly, even in the freezer.  So we trimmed off as much fat as possible. One of the best parts of the deer is the backstrap, the large muscle running along the sides of the spine.   The following picture shows the cuts my husband made in order to remove the backstrap.After that, we quartered it and cut off any small pieces of meat that were clinging to the carcass.  We took them in the house, rinsed them off and bagged them for canning this week.

 Butchering and clean up took roughly two hours, though it might have gone faster, had we not needed to stop to warm our hands due to the cold weather and frozen carcass.

Just another day on the Copperwyre homestead. ) 

And for some gratuitous dog pictures, since they enjoyed the butchering, too:

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By Penny, January 12, 2010 4:49 am

I am notorious for procrastinating. It has been a habit since childhood. I had a bit of an epiphany as to why, but I will blog about that later. However, here is what it cost me this time.

To put it mildly, I have not always been diligent with going through my paperwork, such as bills and mail. I would like to be able to say that it was from being displaced due to the fire, but, alas, these snafus are from well before the fire.

During my cleaning blitzkrieg, I went through boxes of paper work from my bedroom. There were bills which needed paying, which was no surprise. However, I found a $50 check from over-paying my mortgage fees. From my last house! It was from May of 2008. The worse one was a $100 check lodged in a wedding card. We were married on June 14, 2008, so, needless to say, that check was well past its due date, as it were.

In order to try and salvage the situation, I did a few things. I called the number on the check from Wells Fargo. They said they would reissue it, and it arrived in the mail today. Unfortunately, the wedding check did not turn out as well. I called the gift giver, to let him know that I had found the check and would be destroying it. He didn’t volunteer to send a new one, so I will be surprised to see a replacement.

Final Score:
Penny-50
Procrastination- 100
Procrastination kicks my butt, yet again. Sigh

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By Penny, January 13, 2010 5:13 am

Time is money. The cliché has some truth to it. Generally, a sizeable chunk of our days are spent waiting for something to happen. These wasted moments add up to a considerable amount of time, time which could be spent saving you money. I often find myself waiting for something to happen, just staring into space. If I were to channel that time, I’m sure I could accomplish much more in a day. Some tips to help you manage your minutes:
1. Carry a notebook and pen with you. When does your brain chose to remind you of the different things you need to do? If you’re anything like me, it will shout reminders at a moment when you can’t do a darned thing about it. For instance, when standing in line at the bank, I will remember that I need to call the oil company. If I have my notebook, I can just write it down and forget about it until I am able to call.
2. Keep phone numbers for businesses in your cell phone. This hint actually relates to the first one. Important phone numbers might be your pharmacy, doctor’s office, natural gas company or cable provider. If the numbers are in your cell phone, you would be able to quickly make a phone call while on your lunch break or waiting in the car. If you don’t have a cell phone, just keep a list handy.
3. Take work with you. In many professions, some duties are portable, meaning that you can carry your work. While waiting for a meeting to start, you may be able to tie up loose ends. As a teacher, I always carry work that needs grading, so I can work on it anywhere.
4. Don’t stand idly if you can help it. In the kitchen, I am notorious for staring off into space while waiting for the microwave to beep or for water to boil. Try to wipe down counters or put away dishes while you’re waiting. You can actually accomplish quite a bit in the few minutes it takes to make popcorn.
5. Multitask…within reason. Multitasking can squander time, causing you to spend more time doing a few tasks at once than you would have, had you just done them one at a time. However, if you are careful, you can get plenty done without sacrificing quality. For instance, when I’m waiting for a sauce to thicken or biscuits to bake, I’m tied to the kitchen, but the task at hand doesn’t really require my full attention. During that time, I can wash dishes or wipe down the microwave and refrigerator.
6. Take up a portable hobby. Learn to knit, crochet, sew or anything that is portable. While you’re waiting for the doctor, you could be working on Christmas or birthday presents.
You can’t create more hours in the day, but you can make more of the time you do have. By using your time wisely, you would free up more time to work on all the money saving ideas

Comments (2)

By Penny, January 14, 2010 3:51 am

Some of my homemade bread. Not the prettiest at first, but it keeps getting better!

Learning new skills is important for frugal folks, particularly those interested in homesteading.  However, many people seem to have the mindset that if they don’t know how to do something, they can’t ever do it.  That’s just ridiculous and, oftentimes, an excuse.  There are so many different ways to learn a new task, particularly with today’s technology. 

            Talk to people. I cannot stress enough the importance of talking to others.  Offer to trade lessons with someone else for a skill you do not possess.  Sometimes, someone you know will have connections with someone else who has the skill you desire.  It’s not always apparent who has what skill and others don’t know your needs if you don’t voice them.

            The library is an amazing resource. Not only can you get how-to books, but many libraries offer videos about skills.  I learned how to French braid hair from a VHS tape from the local library.  Don’t forget about the community events board.  Local clubs may post about meetings, ranging from quilting bees to public speaking.  And all of this for free!  (Thank you, Mr. Benjamin Franklin).

            Visit or volunteer at a local museum.  Museums often have groups attached to them that practice the “old arts.”  The agricultural museum in my city has a spinner’s guild which meets once a month on the premises. Even visiting for special events would give you at least a cursory understanding of a skill and someone to contact if you wanted to continue to learn about it. 

            The internet is one of the most useful tools, provided you don’t spend too much time reading the celebrity columns.  If you are discriminating about whose advice you take, you will find that the internet has a wealth of knowledge.  A skill typed into a search engine will give you a plethora of websites by both professionals and hobbyists.  I particularly enjoy blogs, as they are personal and often feature stories about failures and snafus that other websites won’t.  You’re able to learn from the comfort of your own home and at your own convenience.    

            Attend an event thrown by historical enthusiasts.  I belong to a Renaissance re-enactment group which has members all over the globe.  Sometimes, our events are open to the public, in order to demonstrate the various arts such as spinning, weaving, leatherwork, and many others.  If you feel strange about attending an event, you could probably contact a local historical group for more information.

            While it can be difficult to learn a new skill, the rewards for learning are well worth it.  If you learn to bake bread, you can save nearly $3/loaf, if you typically buy whole wheat bread.  Your new found sewing skills will save you from throwing away clothes or paying to have them mended or tailored.  A fifteen minute oil change can save you ten dollars, making your time worth $40 per hour, a hefty hourly wage.  More importantly, you’ll have the knowledge of how to it, something no one can ever take from you.  So, be brave and start learning something new.

Comments (2)

By Penny, January 15, 2010 4:00 am

We noticed earlier this week that one of our ducks had a limp.  After orchestrating a grand round up, my husband took her to the vet.  My decision would have been to wait and see if it got better after a while. If it didn’t, it would have been a duck destined for the freezer. However, my husband wanted to take her to the vet, so off she went.  Turns out she just had a sprained ankle.  She will recover, but the vet wanted her to be isolated for about a week. The vet also recommended that she be allowed to swim.  Considering that all outside water is frozen, the only logical place seems to be the bathtub.  Ah, another entertaining development on the Copperwyre Homestead. 

Here’s a video:

Comments (0)

By Penny, January 18, 2010 8:14 pm

I have been a very busy girl. Instead of posting, I decided to take this long weekend in order to get my house straight. I caught up on all the laundry, washing seven loads, though quite a bit of it is still hanging up either downstairs in the basement, on the air dryer in the living room or on the line outside. I probably shouldn’t count it done until it is folded and put away. I did quite a bit of canning, which you can see on my Preservation Challenge page. I also took the venison that didn’t seal and turn it into a cream-based lasagna, a tomato based lasagna and chili. Saturday, I started my redecorating of the bathroom, which is coming along nicely. I’ll post pictures once my DH returns with the camera from his latest hunting jaunt.
Today, I managed to bake a loaf of bread and make four calzones. Oh, and found time to fit in a stop at AC Moore to get more yarn… It’s an addiction…
Did I get everything I wanted to get done? Nope. I never do, though. I wonder if anyone else makes grossly unrealistic goals or is that just me?