ronbre...I would love to see you start another thread on how your living on so little.
I really don't know how to go about answering that request..as it has just been a way of life that we have had for a very very long time.
Our original homestaed we bought in 1971 for $8,000 on time. We have always bought used cars and done most of the work on them ourselves.
We learned early on that if you don't go in debt then you don't get into trouble..believe me..we have gotten into debt and in trouble big time a few times in the past..but now we have even stopped using all credit cards, debit cards, etc..and pay cash or write a check for everything..Our home and vehicles are paid off and if we don't need it, generally we don't buy it.
We do however have a beautiful home, a lot of that was thanks to good fire insurance. We lost the original home to a lightening strike fire and we were able to purchase a double wide and new furnishings and clothing on our insurance money and nearly break even.
My husband is mentally disabled so it is extremely difficult for me to be away from him for very long..2 years ago I attempted working at a factory, but things got so out of hand at home and I developed double carple tunnel that required surgery, so that lasted a year and I had to come back to caring for him at home with no income at all.
So we live on his social security and a very small pension. We have to pay more than half of the income each month out in his social security supplemental and my insurance..which is only major medical and cancer insurance.
We know that not having those two things could wipe us out in one accident or illness..so we pay for them.
Other than the insurances we are quite frugal with our spending. I have absolutely HUGE gardens and plant more trees and plants every year than most people would plant in a lifetime.
God has truly blessed us with extra income from time to time..but generally we end up giving most of it away..When my son moved a double wide in next to us..we paid for his garage from an inheritance when Ron's mother died.
We sold her house and bought a wood boiler that now heats both of our hosues..but we went through 40 cord of firewood last year..heating both homes..my son is automotive industry job related and is working only 10 days a week since October..so he wasn't able to help pay for the heat or the installation of the wood boiler..etc..so our inheritance mostly went to him ..paying housepayments for him, building him a garage, and putting the wood boiler in and firewood..but as I said..God always makes sure we have enough money to go around.
It worked out to where our income tax returns this year will pay for our property taxes for next year.
I am buying food through
www.angelfoodministries.com to save some money ..it mostly supplies our meat.. We have a freezer and I always buy things whey they are dirt cheap..shop at Meijers 2 times a month and stock up on things that are on their Buy 10 for $1 each and get the 11th item free.
so I buy a lot of 90 cent items..and we eat what we have.
Sometimes we'll have meals together with our son..we'll throw things on the grill and open cans of whatever is available..that saves for both of us on cooking..
I hang most of my laundry inside to dry to save on elec..and we put compact flourescents or LEDS in most of the lights in the house when elec rates skyrocketed..we share our car with our son..but we also have a pick up and a tractor (that was also bought with inhertance money). Joel did work for the neighbor ..excavating..and they gave us 25 gallons of diesel fuel and a $10 gas card..which purchased chain saw gas.
Ron also got a good chainsaw with the inheritance..so that did help us out in a lot of those incidental areas..but that money is nearly all gone now..we are holding on to the last $1000 to put a woodshed addition up to hold this year's firewood..and we bought the firewood by the semi load..$700 for a load this spring..so it has to be cut yet before fall.
I have salads and herbs growing and we forage for whatever we can in the woods behind our house..We try to eat what is in season as much as we are able..so we had rhubarb last month..and the freezer has rhubarb in it for fall.
I try to establish perennials in the gardens to feed us year around..asparagus earlier this spring..morel mushrooms..etc.
we did replace a lot of our clothing when we had the housefire..but we mostly wear jeans and t shirts..we aren't too fancy people.
we do not go to restaurants more than one or two times a year..and that is likely mcdonalds or burger king..we don't take trips..we seldom go to movies..however..we do have directv..with Ron's head injury it was necessary to his mental health to have it to watch.
We share internet costs and cell phone with our son..my cell phone is my computer modem..it is $55 a month..but i gave him enough money to pay for it for 2 years when we had our inheritance come in..so i don't have to pay again until a year from October..so basically it is paid for.
we don't pay for water, we have a well..we share dump services with our son..nice to have him next door. we often ride together to stores to shop..esp big things like lumber..etc.
we also barter services when possible..and try to come up with free stuff when we can.. we barter back and forth with my brother in law for tractor tools..we use his ..he uses ours..
for $46 we were able to use the backhoe that the neighbor rented for $1500 a week..we paid for the hours we used over their limit..and did some work for them with our tractor and backblade..smoothing and landscaping.
my sisters and I share perennial seeds and divisions..and i take cuttings of trees, roses, shrubs and plants..so i can always have more more more...and after 38 years of gardening..i have lots of plants to divide.
i get a discount on the telephone from our telephone company, and occasionally we'll get a sr discount..but not often as i'm not old enough right now.
if we wanted to travel..Ron could get free access to state and federal parks cause of his disaiblity..but we don't generally go anywhere much.
Generally we only buy gifts for each other that will be really useful..he likes to buy me garden things..and I generally buy him fishing licenses, or tools that make his life easier..
We don't do fancy stuff like jewelry, mp3 players, etc..and we generally wait for a movie to come on t v rather than renting or going to see it.
occasionally i might go to
www.secondharvestgleaners to get food..when we really feel we need some extra..but I haven't done that for a while..we just have enough.
in the past when things were so difficult to where we had less than $3000 a year to live on..we were given gift baskets of food by churches a couple of times..which was really nice of them..
I don't make long distance calls..even though they are free evenings and weekends on the cell phone..i just don't get in the habit..don't even use the cell phone for calls..just as a modem..so i don't tend to use minutes..as we share with Joel.
I refuse to go to a dr unless i really am in a lot of pain..and I stopped taking all medicine..Ron gets his meds through the VA as he is a veteran.
if you are a vet and are NOT using your va benefits..you really should do so.
we don't have an air conditioner....so we have no cooling costs.
we built an enclosed front porch with plexiglass and a glass door..that saves on our heat bill enormously..and we built an enclosure over our back entry..a huge back shade porch with glassed in ..that saves on cooling and heating costs..
25 years ago i bought a 6 x8 greenhouse for $1000 and it has supplied us with our peppers and tomatos ever since.
i have planted trees all around the house for shade..and windbreaks to keep the west and north winds from buffeting the home in the winter.
i'm sure there are all kinds of other things that we do to save money..but it all comes so natural after 38 years of marriage this August and 24 years of Ron's head injury (only on disability 3)..that I'm probalby doing things naturally that most people wouldn't even think of..but i'd be glad to answer questions..
we do freeze, can, dry and pickle foods..but we also eat fairly simple.
I think one of our main $ savers is ..we just entertain ourselves at home an try to combine things into one trip..rather than a lot of running here and there.
