Times of Extreme Frugality: When Civilization Goes Down the Drain

We mostly take the perks of living in the first world for granted. Things like running water and drains.

Kitchen drains.

It is a real eye-opener to discover how many times a day you use the kitchen sink drain: washing dishes, your hands, veggies, and in our case, draining the washing machine. 

Buckets are not usually involved when we do laundry.

Part of being frugal and prepared for the unexpected is planning ahead and purchasing used or reduced items before you need them. Since we moved in, we knew we wanted to replace the double kitchen sink with a single one, and the right side drain leaked, so we were only using one side. We could have been looking all of that time and bought one at auction or a private sale. But with the recent tightening of finances, it was put on the wait list.

Rookie mistake.

Last week, the left side drain developed it's own drip.

I'm pretty good with plumbing. In fact, we redid one bathroom years ago and did all of the plumbing, including the tub, ourselves. But I couldn't fix these leaks.

First of all, plumbing fixtures are not meant to be tightened by someone with very small hands; hands that don't even begin to reach around the drain fixture.

Second, I'm pretty sure the entire bottom of the drain is just plain rusted out.

So, we need a new sink. And since we use a lot of large pots, a high faucet is also called for.

I started haunting the online sales sights with little luck. Finally, I did win an Ebay auction for a faucet at a not too bad price.

No luck on the sink. 

By this time, the novelty of carrying buckets and dishpans to empty in the toilet has worn off, so I bit the bullet and ordered a sink from Home Depot. At least it was on sale and it should be a simple installation.


Most homeowners know this is the kind of thing that happens regularly and this is not even in the top ten of house repair expenses we've faced in the Silk Road house.


I'm just a little steamed at myself for not following my own advice and planning ahead. I guess some lessons you just have to learn and relearn and learn again.

Times of Extreme Frugality: The Easy Repair

Replacing the thermostat to our oven was billed as an "easy repair". And, compared to a lot of other projects we've undertaken, it was.

Have you ever noticed that often the hardest part is the preparation for the job? 

We had to pull out the stove to access the back panel and it proved to be a pain in the neck (shoulders, back, elbows, etc.). 

We pulled and wiggled and then Tom had a brainstorm. Our massive yellow handtruck!

Putting it under the front and tipping the stove upwards worked like a charm. It's true--the right tool for the job makes all the difference.


One thing you should understand here: the folks who lived here before us were Grade A slobs, we will be cleaning up their trash for years and years. So it was no surprise to find all of this behind the stove.

After a bit of clean-up, I was able to squeeze behind the stove, take off the back panel and replace the thermostat. Some of the connections gave a bit of trouble but it was sliding the sensing rod through to the oven which was tricky. Thanks to Youtube, I knew to attach a bit of string to the old one to guide the new one in and, hey presto with a minimum of cursing, it was done.

The vinyl flooring under the stove didn't go all the way to the wall (of course) so Tom cut some thin plywood to even things out. We managed to finally get the stove back in and, wonders of wonders, the oven works!!

Neither of us is particularly handy with appliances, motors, electricity, etc. But as I often say, between the two of us, we have one pretty good brain. And this time, that teamwork saved us the price of a new stove.

Times of Extreme Frugality: Friday Night Massacre

"You should write about making pizza and post a photo of me grating cheese" said my ever helpful husband.

Grater sans Tom

I opted out of that idea but did make our regular Friday night pizza which came out overdone. Very overdone. Very, VERY overdone. The oven was heating up way beyond the set temperature.

And then we discovered the it wouldn't shut off.


Spooky narrator voice:

Technology has gone too far. The machines are alive and out for revenge! Coming to a kitchen near you:


                  "The Oven Won't Turn Off!"

Rather than heat up the kitchen indefinitely, we turned off the breaker, which, of course, turned off the stove entirely.

Tom's first reaction was pure Tom, 

"How will I make coffee?"

Now, I'm not Elizabeth Warren, but lying awake at 3am, I came up with a plan for that--our underused Coleman stove will serve fine as a temporary burner. Or we could just turn on the breaker, but I like the image of us bravely toiling over the propane stove in the backyard.

Temporary fix aside, we do need a plan of action.

We could:

1. Buy a new stove.
      Nope. Nopety nope. Not when we have just started putting a bit a money back in savings. Nope.

2. We could buy a used stove.
      Maybe. If we can find one that is cheap, works, and fits in the same space.

3. Call a repairman.
      This is 2019, not 1959. In our disposable culture, a service call often costs as much as a replacement appliance.

4. Do without.
       Buy a hotplate and a toaster oven. This would get us through regular cooking but not much use for canning and tomato season is coming.

5. Cook on the woodstove.
        This will work...in November, and not much help for baking.

6. Fix it ourselves.
         Dollars to donuts, the problem is a broken thermostat. Youtube videos show this as an easy repair. "Easy repair" is an oxymoron, like jumbo shrimp or honest politician, but if I can figure out what part I need, it may be worth a try.

       
Ok. Finally found the model number and after wrestling with the GE website, located the part. It should arrive Monday.

So stay tuned for Friday Night Massacre, Part II: The "Easy Repair".

Times of Extreme Frugality: Random Acts of Cheapness

Four thrifty moments from this week on Silk Road:

1. Do you remember when everyday items were repaired instead of thrown away? 

Nah, I don't either, but when I sat on one of our lawn chairs and felt *pop *pop *pop, I figured I would once again replace the webbing.

Our consumer culture would have me toss this chair and replace it with the latest in "Lawn and garden decor". But all I want is somewhere to park my tush while enjoying the early morning shade on the deck, not an Instagram post.

And though replacement webbing is not as easy to find as it used to be, I managed to order some through our local Ace Hardware. One more item saved from the landfill.

2. Behold, the Rasely-o-matic lettuce spinner. Dry your washed greens with a few flips of the wrist. Lettuce and towel sold separately.

3. Inspired by our daughter's latest sewing adventure in her vlog Chipmunk of Power , I decided to stitch a summer shirt.

Usually, in these times of cheap clothing imported from foreign, almost-slave labor factories, sewing your own clothes doesn't save you money. Usually.

I started with fabric from one of two large tubs of material I bought for $5 at an auction last year. I have already made four sets of curtains and a blouse from that stash, used some of it for drop cloths, and the burlap is perfect for covering garden plants.

The pattern is years old and has been used at least half a dozen times so far.

The thread is from a a sewing kit full of goodies I bought from a 4H fabric sale. I'll be using buttons from the same sale.

And the sewing machine is a Singer treadle, over 120 years old and working better than any electric I ever had.

Don't think even Walmart could make a shirt this cheaply.

4. The plan was to dig a new bed under the birdfeeder area and plant with lovely flowers for the birds and the bees.

A late, wet spring and too many other projects meant I only managed to stick some cosmos in and leave the rest of the ground covered in sunflower seed shells, meaning to mulch it later.

Now, you'd think a winter of cardinals, mourning doves, juncos, and other ground feeders sorting through the fallen seeds would have ensured no viable seeds left. 

You'd think wrong. The sunflowers kept popping up. I half heartedly pulled a few but soon decided that, hey, they were at least green and healthy.

I think it looks great and almost on purpose. And the birds can dine on fresher than fresh sunflower seeds- kind of farm to table, without the farm...or the table.

What random acts of cheapness have you committed this week? If you need further inspiration, check out Katy Wok-Stanley's  The Nonconsumer Advocate, a blog with a West Coast, urban viewpoint and some interesting ideas.

Times of Extreme Frugality: The Tao of Ketchup

"Your money or your life!" 

This is not only the classic radio bit by Jack Benny, but also the title one of my favorite books about money:

While the investing advice is dated, the basic premise remains valid: time equals money. Is whatever you are contemplating spending money on, worth the part of your life you gave up to earn said money?

Or another way of looking at it, consider the tao of ketchup.

A bottle of Heinz ketchup will set you back less than $3 in the grocery store. In New York State, even at minimum wage, that is about 15 minutes of work.

My bottle of ketchup takes a bit longer.

Sometime in late winter, I set up my heat mat and grow lights, fill pots with seedling mix, and plant tomato seeds. 

If all goes well, they sprout and, over a couple of months, grow into healthy tomato seedlings.

In late spring, they get set out under a cold frame and, once the danger of frost has passed, are transplanted into the garden.

The summer brings weeding, watering, fertilizing, staking, and hoping the plants don't succumb to disease or insect attack.

If the garden gods smile upon us, sometime in August the tomatoes start to ripen.

Four quarts of tomatoes, some onions, and spices, cooked down and, voila!, ketchup. 

"Tower of ketchup" --get it?

Now, strictly from an economic point of view, I would be better off getting a job and buying the Heinz. But something in my soul, my tao, means I get very real satisfaction from growing and processing food from scratch and would rather spend hours growing tomatoes than 15 minutes working for someone else.

What is your tao of money? 

There is no one correct answer. Being frugal is a combination of being careful with time AND money and being mindful of what works best for you.