Times of Extreme Frugality: Solstice!

The solstice; the shortest daylight of the year and the official beginning of three months of winter.

And I am already longing for spring. 

My green thumb is itchy but it is too early to start garden seedlings. However, it is the perfect time to try to propagate blueberry cuttings.

We planted six blueberry plants in the spring of 2018. We'd love more but this year we also need to buy grapes and raspberries, strawberries and asparagus. The budget is not going to stretch far enough for everything I'd love to have so I'm going an alternative route.

Blueberries, according to the internet, can be multiplied by either softwood cutting (spring new growth) or hardwood cuttings from dormant plants.

My thermometer is reading 10 degrees and there is a foot of snow on the ground. Those blueberries are about as dormant as they're gonna get, so hardwood cuttings it is.

The procedure is simple. Cut a "whip" about a foot long or longer from last year's growth. Divide it into 3 or 4 sections, including at least one leaf bud (pick off any flower buds--larger buds found at the top of the cutting) and put in damp growing medium. Keep moist and cross your fingers that the cuttings root in a month or more.

The reality was a bit more complicated. Finding potting mix in late December in upstate NY took a bit of doing. I prefer organic mixes but had to settle for Miracle Gro and was lucky to find that.

Then I had to locate my pruning shears in the shed. I somehow managed to lose the shears I have had for years but did replace them last month and they were...shocked face here... exactly where they were supposed to be.

Wellies should be in everyone's top ten list of necessary garden tools.

Tromped out to the blueberries, thanks to my wellies, and cut my whip. 

Full and slightly embarrassing disclosure: I have no idea what variety I cut this from. I keep a garden diary with diagrams of plantings but, for some reason, didn't label the blueberries. They still have their tags around their trunks but we won't see those until spring.

Brought whip inside, cut it into 3 pieces, and plunged them into the prepared pots. Try to contain your envy of my free, reusable, just-the-right-size, growing pots housed in the gleaned-from-my-neighbor's-trashpile, handy, dandy dishpan.

Now it is waiting. For roots, for leaves, for spring. Happy Solstice, everyone!

Times of Extreme Frugality: Rainy Day Grab-bag

It's a dark, wet day here on Silk Road. I'm stuck here at home awaiting delivery of the new sink*, so I've been puttering with several small projects.

1.This place has two bathrooms--a novelty for us. We finally settled on which one will be the "master" bath, the one with the newest tub and least gross sink. The other one has an absolute horror of a bathtub so that has become storage. 

It did look weird to see boxes of junk in the tub, so I decided to make a curtain to cover it. We had an extra shower curtain rod but no brackets to hold it up. However, what we do have plenty of is... canning jar rings! So I took two, spray painted them white, and screwed them to the wall. It doesn't look fabulous but, for now, it works.

2. My favorite seed catalog, Pinetree, usually has a pre-season sale in November. So in anticipation, I inventoried my seed collection. Seeds are probably one of the best bargains available, as well as almost miraculous. For instance, two Herb Marigold seeds from a $1.95 packet, grew into this:

A three foot tall bush still bravely blooming after three frosts. Best bang for your buck around.

3. And more about seeds. Most of what I grow is open pollinated, so I can save the seeds from those plants to grow next season. I'm not as diligent about this as I could be (note to self: remember this for next year) but I did save the seed heads from some lovely Cosmos and sorted them out this morning.

A bit tedious but the gorgeous flowers will be worth it.


4. Almost everyone has a bag stuffed with seeds or rice or cherry pits that can be heated in the microwave for use on sore muscles and aching heads. Tom bartered for one at a craft show over 30 years ago and it's still working fine. I have made at least 10 replacement covers for it since then; here's the newest version:

The fabric is leftover from some insulated drapes I made, using fabric I got at an auction.


5. "I've got sunshine, on a cloudy day." Well, not exactly, but we will have a brighter shed when we get this solar powered light installed in our non-electrified shed:

This arrived yesterday and I put the solar panel inside by the window. Even though it was overcast, the bulb still charged; this bodes well for the next few months when sunshine can be scarce around here. A light in dark places for a mere $14.99.
What thrifty projects occupy your rainy days? I'd love to hear some adventures from my fellow bargain hunters!

*The sink did arrive but the drain assembly, WHICH WAS SUPPOSED TO BE INCLUDED, was missing. Customer service got it ordered quickly and even gave me a small refund for my trouble. So until next week, we are still toting dishpans to the bathroom.

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: What the Heck is Hugelkultur?

It's been a while since I posted but the beginning of autumn and the end of garden season has meant a mad rush here at Silk Road.

We've been harvesting and processing tomatoes, picking apples, pulling carrots and onions, digging potatoes, mining for sweet potatoes, gathering pumpkins, and trying to take back the garden from a massive weed invasion. 

Tom has also embarked on the adventure of substitute teaching, getting calls at 7am to be at the school by 7:30. Needless to say, being blasted out of bed and pushed immediately out the door is hard on a night owl like my husband. But he's managing.

And we have finally managed to try our first experiment with hugelkultur.

Hugelkultur (say it like you're baying like a bloodhound. Don't you just love German words?) is gardening with raised beds built on rotting wood and other biomass, providing long-term humus and fertility production. It has been practiced in Europe for decades and is now the latest darling of the hipster gardeners. 

Since part of our garden was water-logged long into spring, I thought a super-raised bed might help. 


The first step is to dig out the soil.

We did this with two shovels and two aching backs, so we didn't dig that deep.

Next, you put wood in the hole. We didn't have any rotting or otherwise useless wood hanging around, so Tom ventured into the edge of our lawn and hacked off some dead limbs.

We had saved the hay mulch that was on top of the bed. This went in next.

Then we got to re-shovel the same dirt, back where it came from.

Not as high as a traditional hugelkultur mound and it will settle over the winter, but I'm hopeful it will drain faster than this spot did last spring.

We can now say we are up with the latest trend in gardening; two  hepcats swinging to the hugelkultur beat *plays bongos and snaps fingers*.

Times of Extreme Frugality: Taxes Are Nothing to Sneeze At

Summer came to an abrupt end here with cooler temperatures, ripe tomatoes, the start of fall allergy season and...the school tax bill.

New York is legendary for its high taxes* so I was leery of what our bill would be. I did apply for the Enhanced STAR discount (School Tax Relief Program, which should be STPR but this is the government we are talking about here) but the powers that be don't deign to notify you what reduction, if any, you will receive . 

The mechanics of this program are truly masterful in diabolical thinking. You get your bill, you pay the FULL amount. If you qualify for STAR, you get a rebate check. This replaces the former process where you got a reduced bill; this was deemed to be too straightforward and logical to be part of a government program. I think they hired Scrooge McDuck to invent the new system; I am not a fan.

So I was treated to a moment of absolute panic when I received our bill, it was more than double last year's. I had visions of us spending our golden twilight years working at Walmart to keep a roof over our heads.

Panic was replaced by elation today when the mail brought the Star check. And just like that, our taxes are an almost embarrassingly low amount; however, I will be a big girl and not complain.

I do blame New York State for my mood swinging almost bipolar in degree. But at least now I can breathe...at least as long as I take my allergy meds.


*Interestingly, in Michigan we paid approximately the same rate in taxes and received bumpkus in services.


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Times of Extreme Frugality: It Don't Mean a Thing, if It Ain't Tied with String

Conventional wisdom would tell you that the world is held together with duct tape.

However, on our homestead, we've got the world on a string... baling twine, that is.

We were introduced to the wonders of baling twine back in our Woodchuck Acres days when we bought our very first chickens.

If you want to be able to deal with the delightful odor of chicken poop, bedding in the coop is a must. In a bit of serendipitous luck, our neighbors up the road baled and sold hay, and they were willing to sell us spoiled hay cheaply.

And that hay was tied with baling twine.

I took one look at that string and thought "Safe fine, safe bind", channeling my best Dorothy Sayers in BUSMAN'S HONEYMOON. 

Since then, everywhere we have moved, we have found more uses for the stuff.

In McDonough, it kept the smoker going when I worked with the bees and kept tarps snug over firewood.

In Indiana, it helped hold together the electronet encircling the sheep.

In Michigan, it helped hold stuff on the trailer when we moved back to NY.

Now we no longer have farm animals, but still import hay for mulch. The weather this spring was a real detriment to getting in hay but when the rain finally stopped, the farmers made up for lost time and we have found several good deals on mulch hay.

And the stash of baling twine has been replenished and put to good use.

Tying up tomatoes,

and peas,

fixing the hummingbird feeder,

or hanging a homemade bird feeder.

Baling twine. A reusable, free resource that is invaluable here on Silk Road. Or as we say, blessed be the twine that binds.

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: Not as Frugal as I Would Hope, but What Else is New

This year's summer-devouring project was supposed to be digging out and replacing the back plywood skirting on the house and building a wood storage rack beside it.

Then the Incident occured.

Treated plywood was no longer in the budget. And the will-to-take-on a-massive-amount-of-work emotional budget was strained also.

However, the need for wood storage remained.

We had planned all along to build a rack using pallets and I found many examples on the internet.

Here is where we pause and take some time to whinge about the internet and unrealistic pallet projects.

Pinterest and the crafty folk out there would have you believe you can build anything from free pallets. 

Have you ever actually seen the typical free, wood pallet? Or tried to take one apart?

Maybe pallets in other parts of the world are made of high quality hardwoods that have never spent a minute outside, but in upstate NY they are rough, poorly built creatures that splinter into lethal shards if you even think about pulling the nails out.

But, somehow, we did manage to scavenge over a dozen, more or less solid, pallets to form the base of our rack. 

We had a few 2x4's we had accumulated but no where near enough. And finding free lumber is next to impossible.

So, we had to buy 2x4's, osb panels for the roof, roofing paper, and some more screws. Our "frugal" wood rack ended up costing us almost $200. 

We could have opted to stack wood on the pallets and just cover with tarps. We've done that before and the result was wet wood and a hassle every time we accessed the wood, especially in midwinter.

So, this rack is, in the great world of building projects, a cost effective and necessary project.

But my tightwad soul can't help but think there should have been a way to do this cheaper and easier...but mostly cheaper.

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: Poor v. Poverty

I restarted blogging this summer after The Incident. 

Our only vehicle was totaled and replacing it, even with a low- priced, used vehicle, seriously ate into our savings. We instituted extreme frugality in an effort to replace those savings as soon as possible.

And I began posting about how poor we are, sometimes in laughter, sometimes seriously.

But are we really poor? Not by any reasonable standards.

We are on a fixed income and with careful budgeting, our income covers our expenses and usually can be stretched to build up some savings.

We own our own property, free and clear. We have a reliable car (again). We have no debts. We eat well, have health insurance, internet service, and a cat.

And even the federal government says for a family of two, we do not meet the poverty criteria.

Yes, our income is well below what most would consider is enough to get by in the United States today. But we have resources those in true poverty do not have. 

We both come from middle class families, we are college educated, we grew up with all of the advantages of being white, heterosexuals in safe neighborhoods in the boomer years when optimism for the future was not a pipe dream. 

In short, we were never marginalized or looked down on, we have had the opportunities denied many others. 

We have had many chances over the years to change our career paths and keep up with the Joneses.

But we have also had the luxury to develop our own lifestyle and our finances have mostly been by choice. 

We may well be considered poor compared to others, but we have never lived in poverty. 

I hope I can remember that and be grateful always.

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.

Times of Extreme Frugality: Give When You Can

I am worldwide financier, a partner in four international and one domestic agricultural enterprises. 

I am also a certified tightwad and even in my giving, I look for the best way to stretch my money.

Two years ago, I discovered KIVA. I originally donated $50 and took advantage of a partial matching fund someone offered (I can't remember the details), so had $75 to lend. And that money is still being loaned over and over.

Jane is a grandmother and farmer in Kenya. She needed $300 to purchase new farming tools and equipment. Working through Kiva, 8 different folks loaned her the needed money. She repaid the loan within 18 months. I could now loan that same money, a whopping $25 from me,  to Mercy.

Mercy, also from Kenya, needed $200 to buy seeds and fertilizers. She runs her own farm business and has managed to send all of her children to school. She repaid the entire loan in 14 months. 

So now that $25 could go to Attractive from Zimbabwe.

Attractive is a teenage entrepeneur who runs her own chicken broiler business. A loan of $300 helped her buy feed and chicks. She contributed "social interest" by volunteering with a local group supporting women and, after just 14 months, repaid the loan today.

With that money, we were able to loan to Paddy from Uganda.

Paddy only needed another $25 to get his loan of $550 for fertilizer for his banana farm, the exact amount we just got repaid by Attractive. Kismet!

Kiva operates globally, including the United States. Our only domestic loan so far went to George.

George is a retired New York City firefighter who became ill due to exposure to the 9/11 site. He decided to change lifestyle to cope with his medical problems and requested a loan to upgrade his poultry houses. He is still repaying the loan. And I'd love to hug that duck.

A small amount donated when we had a bit of extra cash continues to help people two years later and reminds us that you don't have to be wealthy to make a difference.