I Just Don't Understand People

What was the price of firewood in your area before the cold weather and propane shortage hit? Buying a saw and pickup truck is not as cheap as buying some propane or wood. Look at the calendar and you will see that the worst of the heating season is behind us. The chance of having 2 winters in a row like this one are very slim. Gas in my area is over $3.25 a gal, so driving that pickup around to scout for wood and haul it back is not very cheep.

$165 for 4x4x8 hard wood cut split seasoned and delivered from my main guy...Some charge $200...depends on who you deal with and how well they know you.
I can get a pickup load of slab wood from a little mill about .25 miles away...unfortunately, it's all pine (the guy makes furniture). Told him I can't burn it in the fireplace, but will be by to buy a load for Scout projects..."for the Scouts, it's free, as many loads as you want".
Harvest off gvt property, $10 permit for a cord for personal use. Resale unlawful.
We go through between 2 and 3 cords a year (probably be 3 this year)and always start the season with 6 on hand. Will replace what we use in spring. Oil furnace is primary heat for the day and overnight, fireplace for evening to bedtime...furnace doesn't kick on when fire going.
When they trim the trees for the power lines, the wood is free if you ask the right person. Didn't realize they were doing a stretch nearby since it wasn't a direction I usually travel.
I've done the dump truck of log lengths once; 4 cords worth for $200, but price has gone up, so between gas, oil, time, chainsaw repair, etc. don't go that route unless I can find a similar deal.

Matt

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Support your local Scouts!

I agree with you badlander--I always have extra in the garden that I offer through the church--I live less than 10 minutes from a Walmart outside of town, and the people want you to pick it for them, clean the veggies, AND deliver it to them! If I'm going through all that work i will just use it myself or store it--this does not include the elderly or sick whom I'm willing to do that for. This is mainly families with some older kids that could pick and pull a few weeds instead of playing video games all day--it is very frustrating.

I, personally, wasn't offended. I was simply offering another side to the story.

We produce a fair amount of clean, burnable scrap wood from one of our products, and back in the day, we produced a LOT of it, so during the second gulf war, I had the wife ask around in town if there were some ladies whose husbands were overseas who burned wood, because with the "woodcutter" gone, they'd need fuel, and we would take care of that in partial payment for what the guys and their families were giving up for us.

Next day, here comes a convoy of pickups driven by the same folks she was asking about military wives who needed wood, all of whom had plenty of money to buy their own or go cut it themselves. They swooped in, drove through an electric fence gate without opening it, loaded up the whole large pile and left. Around 4 truckloads.

It's been stacking up now for years. I might want it myself for something, and I dang sure am not going to repeat THAT anytime soon.....Joe

Here $3000 can get you a Legal Pickup and a real Good Chainsaw. From where I live $10 max per trip to get load of wood.

Actually if I look I could probably get a Pickup cheaper. I already have Pickup because I need one for other things but hauling wood. I am considering getting a Flatbed Trailer but I would use it for other things than wood.

big rockpile

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I love being married.Its so great to find that one person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.



If I need a Shelter
If I need a Friend
I go to the Rock!

But one could take all of your reasons and take them as excuses.

With your situation its time to think outside the box.

We butchered a cow with people from church. They needed meat so did we.

They dont have a place to get a cow. I do but didnt have the funds to buy the entire cow.

They had a better place to butcher plus family that wanted the unwanted bits.

That dh was willing to dispatch the cow, nobody else was.

I had the grinder, she didn't.

It ended up as a win win for everybody involved.

IMO one needs to have friends/acquaintances and be willing to barter to get one one needs. One doesn't need to own but one does need to take good care of the borrowed equipment as in return it in better condition than one got it. That almost always ensure being able to borrow in the future.

As the common phrase says "Where there is a will, there is a way."

You sound like you've never killed a deer... oh, and a grinder is around ten bucks

I was the head of a local food bank and help center for local churches and the small city we lived near. Unfortunately, what BRP says about people asking for help and refusing anything but cash is common. We never gave money to anyone, we would pay for things, but the money went right to the supplier. Many people walked out when they found out they would not get money. They did not need the things they were asking for cash for, they wanted something we did not pay for, usually booze or drugs.

If you have deer hide, guts, and bone you can always list them on craigslist in the FREE section or Farm and Garden section. People take them for dog food and some people like to try their hand at tanning.

Years ago in another state my husband and I were part of a Sunday school class. Mostly young single and young married folks. Some single parents. A member came in telling of a family in dire straits and could our class help. Everyone dug deep and contributed and myself and another member went and bought over $100.00 in groceries and took it to the people in dire straits. Upon pulling up in their driveway there were 2 shiny motorcycles and I think a car. Inside was a beautiful Christmas tree and underneath the tree 3X the number of wrapped presents that our family would have that year (or since). We left the food and I resolved to check out the truth of any "dire straits" requests in the future. Our family has been the recipients of charitable acts from churches in the past, unsolicited on our part, and we were very grateful. When we were not under financial burdens we tried to up our giving. My point being that is wise to look at the truth in any matter. I still have to take Tums when I recall that incident...

I saw 2 politicians on TV the other day - what they said almost flipped me up-side-down - they were commenting on the statement made by the OCB concerning the current entitlements being an encentive not to work - basiclly what they said was - its good if people don't have to work - they can spent time fulfilling their passions - can you imagine that - what the heck is happening to our country - how in the world are politicians like this being elected - one of these politicians was the one who told us to pass the Obama Care bill so we can see what is in it - unbelieveable -

One of my buddy's got a load of trunks delived from the sawmill for $300. They estimated it to be 45 ricks cut up. He has to do the cutting but didn't have to go out and drop trees or haul it in from the timber. I thought it sounded like a great deal. My in laws heat with a Hardie stove they have access to free fàllen timber but I bet they use close to that in fuel driving to the wood patch and back. This is by my buddies stove so no cost there.

Sadly we live in a time that a great majority want everything handed to them at their door step. No work ethics, no desire to work, & why the Government is giving them the basic needs. welfare, food stamps, free medical, I read somewhere & Dennis Miller was talking about how the Government is taking the incentive to work away if you make less than 25,000/year you can get more in benefits than that.
A Crazy world we live in & it is not going improve for the middle class worker anytime soon. Welcome to the NEW NORMAL.

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"Contempt prior to investigation can leave a man in forever ignorance"
My paraphrase from a Herbert Spencer quote.

My Dad and I were putting square bales of hay in the barn last summer. It was hot and those bales heavy for my 110# frame to be lifting and tossing. During a breather my Dad summed it up, "People don't know what it means to work hard anymore".
No they don't. No one wants to work hard anymore either. Did I want to be in that hay mow in 90 degree heat? Heck no, but hay needed put up and it was gonna get done.
We can't find ppl to work in the hay field or on the farm. Dad was offering $10/hr last year to spray brush. Just riding the 4-wheeler and waving the wand. No takers. No one will even consider throwing square bales.
Too many folks just want things handed to them. Sad world.

Wood warms 5 times.1When you cut it.2When you load it up. 3When you unload it .4When you split it and stack.5 When you burn it. I get scrap wood from my friends tree service .He can't sell it unless it nice split logs. My stove can't get enough of the y's, wedges and huge pieces of dead bark.

When we bought our house, one of the first things we did was put in a wood stove. That was 26 years ago. And, until about 11 years ago, I drove a station wagon. I cannot tell you the number of times I stopped by the side of the road and picked up a stack of free wood and put it in my car.

Now I have a truck. I also have horses. I board, so don't own a tractor. I've had people ask me about getting the manure. I tell them I'll deliver them a load, just give me a few bucks for the gas for my truck as well as pay for the fuel for the tractor since it's not mine. Nope, they want me to load the truck up, drive the truck to their house and unload the manure all for free. If they were old and/or disabled, that would be one thing. But if they're not? Ain't going to happen.

But when you consider that a person can spend 2 hours filling out LIEAP (Low Income Energy Assitance Program) paper work and get the wood delivered and stacked why would you try to get it yourself?

WWW

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If the grass looks greener it is probably over the septic tank. - troy n sarah tx

Our existance here is soley for the expoitation of CMG

We have close friends who own a farm construction business that installs grain bins and elevators. They told us that it is almost impossible for them to find help. They pay good wages, treat their help well and the majority that they do manage to hire show up to work at their personal convenience if they show up as scheduled at all. There are no work ethics like there used to be and nobody seems to care except those who are willing to work.

The wife told me that her husband, in his mid 50s is having to do all the climbing work and it makes her nervous but somebody has to do it. Their accountant actually told them not to expand their business because there wasn't the manpower to support it.

Recovering economy? NO! Don't believe what you hear on the low information news services. Sooner or later the reset button is going to be pushed. Please be ready for it.

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I'm in my own little world, but it's ok. They know me here!

A $10 grinder? Not sure what kind of grinder you use, but the one we bought for $60 the first time couldn't even handle half a deer (yes, we've cut up our own deer). We're saving up for one that can actually handle the job. I'd love to see a $10 grinder that can handle a whole deer or multiple deer.