**Bumped, 8/23/22 8:30pm ET**
My jaw came near the floor when I opened July’s electricity bill to find a notification of a 28% increase in electricity rates, effective immediately. An increase of 28%…. just like that. This month, August, even higher with less use.
After the initial shock wore off, I started thinking about what this means to the working-class people in my community.
Already struggling with a doubling of gas prices, massive food price increases at the grocery store and the pain of all costs for goods far outpacing any rate of wage increase, this type of uncontrollable increase in price of electricity is going to hit hard.
In the past we have used CTH threads to spotlight the smart thinking and resourcefulness of Treepers from all walks of life. A discussion thread where people can share tips, things that can actually be done, to help offset the financial pressures during severe economic times. I think we may all benefit from starting a series of post like that again.
Let us share our wisdom and experience again. There are many thousand who will benefit, as I have always done, from reading your smart tips and suggestions.
What ideas, tips and suggestions do you have to help people save money on ordinary life and living expenses?
These are painful economic times and the stress that is caused by financial worry is some of the most horrific family stress that people can face. Let us come together with tips as a community to help each other. No suggestion is too small. What advice do you have that can help people save money on monthly expenses?
During one of our previous discussions someone gave a tip about putting a clean dry towel in the clothes dryer as a way of cutting down drying time and energy used. I tried it and jumping ju-ju-bones it worked fantastically. Simply putting a dry towel into the dryer when you add the wet clothes from the washer reduces laundry drying time by around 25%. Not only does that save time, but it also saves money – and it was so simple.
So, what suggestions do you have? Tips about anything and everything that might lower the monthly cost of ordinary life. No tip is too small. No suggestion is too odd. Your advice can/will make a difference.
Please use the comments section to drop your advice.
Thanks again for being part of our fellowship.
Love to all.
If you have a fenced back yard, get a couple young laying hens. Easy to care for. Find and old hutch, or night stand for a nest box. Feed those girls table scraps. A old pot of water and let them eat the bugs in the yard. No roosters! Yard eggs are soo yummy, and no hormones or anti biotics.
During the Great Depression my grandparents raised chickens inside the house. Everyone in the neighborhood loved them; and this was in Detroit, Highland Park.
Can I get some goats to mow my lawn? 🙂
I have 3 Buff Orpingtons chickens. They usually lay every day. I had four girls but one didn’t thrive and after bringing her in the house and feeding her by an eye dropper for two weeks I had to put her down. It’s all fine well and good to suggest people to get backyard chickens but it isn’t a walk in the park.
chickens poop a lot great fertilizer but you have to compost it. You have to keep their environment clean……..I scoop poop every day.
its hot where I live right now so my girls are suffering a bit. I give them frozen watermelon and ice in their water.
so it takes a lot to have chickens.
you also have to protect them from predators.
not trying to take away from anyone getting chickens but it ain’t that easy.
do your research. First. I love my 3 girls. Really fun to have.
I couldn’t have them in my yard without a screened top. We have hawks, owls and eagles around. My daughter works for a veterinarian so we are able to trade 2 quiche for 3 dozen eggs in return every other week with a client.
Funny, we had a ton of chicken hawks last year, before we had the girls, I’ve only seen a couple this year. They have a predator proof run that is covered and a 350 sq ft fenced in area with a festival tent situated close to the ground under a huge bald cypress tree that has low wide reaching branches.
But that’s kinda my point about “just get chickens “. It costs a bit of money up front and consider also feeding them. But if one is willing to put in the time and care chickens are a lot of fun and their eggs are wonderful.
If you are able to work pt at a grocery chain. They can offer as much as 20% off of purchases for their employees.
Where do you live that they allow that? I’ve worked at several stores, never got a discount 🙁
W/M gives 10%
No employee discount?
This is a good idea. I work for a Chinese takeaway shop and they always tell me to have a takeaway at the end of my shift – I sometimes do, but it’s not too healthy, so I don’t do it constantly.
This is very true. Both of my sons worked at a grocery chain before they hit their overdue date and I kicked them out. Make your children work at the grocery. Takes that lb of beef from $5 to $4.
Keln! Haven’t “seen” you post in ages! Hope all is well. And good decision on the kids.😄
I just remembered a long time ago one of my elderly relatives told me that when they were kids they used to sleep with big stones that had been heated on the range or in the fireplace. I don’t know the details. I guess they are called “bedwarmers”. Anyway, I’m wondering if it would be possible to do something similar for summer by having a big frozen thing in the bed? 🙂 A bedcooler.
Maybe I can use an extra large cool pack that you would normally use in a cooler. I don’t know how long the cool would last though, and I’d have to do something to prevent water condensing and getting the sheets wet i guess. Hmm.
I have migraines. I often sleep with an ice pack for my head. Walmart sells them, or you can YouTube to make your own. Wrap in a sleeve so pack is not touching skin. Mine will last all night.
Ziplok bag..half dishwashing liquid, half rubbing alcohol
The alcohol lets the package stay soft
Wrap it in a towel. For my back I sleep on a small gel pack wrapped in a towel…it doesn’t last all night, but for several hours. You can have more than one, and exchange in the middle of the night for a frozen one.
I have neuropathy in my feet and I freeze a 2 liter drink bottle and wrap it in a thick towel to ease my discomfort when I sleep. It doesn’t get my sheets wet and keeps my pain level down at night.
Yes it would need electricity to freeze but I’m thinking it would be less than electricity to run AC.
Sometimes I forget that “horn-a-ticians (politicians) are different from the rest of us.
Yes. Most of them are seriously mentally ill.
Flat pieces of soapstone that had a handle on them. Heated on the coal-burning range, then used to warm the bed before you got into it. I remember them from my own childhood in the 1950s. They were too ohot to actually sleep with.
Know what a “dutch wife” is? Allegedly invented by the Dutch colonists in Indonesia.
I have two of these. I use them to pass between the sheets at bedtime at my chilly home in the mountains. I do have a cloth pouch to house them and have many times kept it in bed with me to stay warm. I think originally they were used during carriage rides.
Yes a hot water bottle filled with water and uput in the freezer and wrap in plastic in case of leaks and sleep with that. CAn use multiple bottles
I remember when I was a kid that red bricks heated in the oven when cooking then wrapped in a piece of blanket and used to warm the bed
BUY MERINO long sleeve vests and long johns. Wear under layers.
Merino doesnt smell and you dont need to wash them as much. Even just wrap in a plastic bag and put in a freezer to refresh.
Some people pitch a small tent in the living room and sleep in that as the tents can be insulating.
The Dr bills to get me upright again would offset any heating or cooling savings. Lol
We keep the cooling higher or heating lower in rooms we’re not using & we no longer keep cooling below 76 degrees or heating much above 71 or 72. Ceiling fans are off in rooms we’re not occupying.
I take a big insulated bag with cooler ice mats & the plastic ice when I go grocery shopping on sunny days since I have to drive 15 miles or more & usually have to make several stops. My groceries stay mostly dry, vegetables don’t wilt. At the store, I self-checkout & put all the items needing to stay cold in one bag, so they’re quickly transferred to the insulated bag when I get back to the car.
As a child, the bedrooms were on the second floor. We had no heat up there (I lived in Southern Illinois, but freezing in the winter!!!) We had a large vent over the coal furnace downstairs, and a small vent upstairs. As children, my Mom used “cover snappers” to grab the cover and clip it under the bed so that we couldn’t kick the covers off. Not sure how that would work these days with the huge mattresses and box springs…
My grandparents had stone irons as door stoppers. Mom said they would put them in fireplace to get hot heated and put under cover at bottom of bed to warm.
I use home made rice bags I can zap in the microwave.
We can keep the house cold overnight as long as my feet are warm.
I added a few teaspoons of dried lavender from the garden to the rice in a few (men in the family declined in theirs). 3 cups rice sewn into cotton bags, with additional cotton covers, microwave 60 seconds. They cab be stored in the freezer in ziplocs.
I have used rice bags for years for my hands. I used to work with this gal who wasn’t all that domestic. She decided to use one of her husbands socks to fill with rice and then tied a knot. She put it in the microwave at work and almost started a fire. D’oh! Sock was of course made of some nylon components and melts.
Moral of the story – be sure to use cotton.
Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil and a snuggly flannel pillow case for your bags of rice.
I also sometimes use beans bc they hold the heat better. Great gifts and if they eventually smell from heating too many times, dump out the filling, wash bag. Refill and voila!.
I advise that eviction notice not be hand delivered.
Our state,MS, the county stops your land and property tax after 65yoa. The city does it as well. 🙂 Might want to see if your state does that.
I mentioned earlier so apologies for repetition but I bought an old fashioned, screw cap ice bag. Like in cartoons; kinda shaped like a round triangle. It is made of waterproof cloth so flexible. I was putting ice cubes in it but we’re having a hot spell (ice cubes are at a premium in our house) so I’ve been putting water in it and freezing it. Works even better! Big hunk of ice to snuggle with is wonderful!
If you have the freezer capacity and you don’t mind the extra cost of freezing water, I reuse plastic quart and half gallon milk jugs. Wash them completely, fill about half full and lay them on their sides in the freezer. Bash them with a hammer, cut the bottom out of the jug and you now have crushed ice or if you prefer, large slabs…
My mom put jars of hot water wrapped in a towel in our beds we lived in 100 year old farm house with no heat in the upstairs.
Take 2 pounds of unpopped popcorn and place in a double layered sewed bag with a velcro closure. Place in freezer. Use for a headache, swollen ankles, burns, etc. Make another identical bag, fill with flax seeds. This bag can be warmed in a microwave oven for warming feet, soothing sore muscles, etc. Make as many bags as needed. I keep two frozen popcorn bags in our freezer at all times!
Hot water bottles work really well. They are thick rubber with screw on top plugs and can be purchased at any drugstore. They hold heat or cold for a surprisingly long time and are much more comfortable and soft than rocks in your bed.
Keeping in mind that anything you put into a freezer will cause the freezer to work harder to maintain temperature thus raising your electric bill. Good perhaps for keeping you cooler but not so much of a saver.
However a full freezer uses less energy to keep things frozen than a 1/2 full freezer.
True but recycling freezing water is hardly a ‘full’ freezer.
Yah but probably less electricity than running the AC to keep cool at night.
sans clothes, electric fan, cotton sheets, no covers
Just be careful what kind of stones you use. Certain rocks explode when heated. Shards everywhere, like shrapnel.
Disallow the words “just go buy” to be said by your spouse lol
Just my luck that my retirement BOL is served by an electric co-op which still gets most of its’ energy from COAL. No big price jumps yet, none expected.
BOL?
Perhaps bug out location.
there are two kinds of prepping.
the hunker down and wait it out type.
and the I’m prepared there will be no white horses.
the safe money is the latter.
stay frosty..
the world is changing.
it will impact you.
it will not be over soon. It may never be over. There is a very strong possibility that a world war is going to escalate.
one would do well to consider all the “things” we assume will always be there and make preparations these “things” will not be available, no matter how much money you may have.
a truly self sufficient sustainable community cannot be realized for one single person alone.
Understand this.
When we say, organize and prepare with like minded people, that is the reason.
dependable families, neighbors, friends…it’s imperative you make your plans known and work together now to prep.
I’ll see you all in the other side.
God Bless America
There’s a “thing” I’ve noticed.
Some kind of “wolf/wolves” that write they have stopped prepping and watching those that do.
The threats are frightening in that they have skills; can watch you and raid what you and yours have prepared.
“DEPENDABLE” is indeed a key word here. And don’t forget the elders and others that will need help.
I’m doing the best I know how; believing God helps those that help themselves.
What they forget is peppers are preparing for them also.
Indeed! Defense of your supplies is a big part of “prepping”.
Stand in food lines, use your ration cards, save all oversized clothing you have so your family looks like they are losing weight, tell no one outside your house that you prep, pay cash for preps, bring your preps in suitcases, totes, etc. if you don’t have a garage.
This is something of a blast from the past. In 1999, while participating in a Y2K prepper’s forum, as we got closer to the great unknown, the focus turned from what and how much to prep for to what to do about the potential threat of those who would seek to steal. I recall one poster said he put his stores in barrels and put a sign on the wall that said one barrel was poisoned food. I never regretted the nine months I spent learning survival skills along with the things I collected – like a Berkey water filter. Even when the all clear was called in January 2000, I still felt I had not wasted time or money learning to be independent.
From that experience I realized it was better to can whole entrees rather than many elements. I could open a jar and eat straight out of it if necessary.
That is not to say elements like dried beans and peas etc aren’t important, but if you have no power &/or water then what to do?
I also learned that if you have a commercially canned good like a veggie, etc. and saved the water from the can it could be used to rehydrate those dried beans and peas, just could take a day…
God bless everyone
I haven’t practiced cooking beans in a jar in the sun . . . could use some guidance with that.
I’ve started saving water in gallon milk bottles in my utility room. I have a well, but it doesn’t work without electricity. Maybe time to check into a hand-pump like the old days. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_pump
Tossing so much stuff after that time has caused me and probably others to be hesitant to prep this time.
Prep anyway. Give it to charity, homeless before it goes south. Focus your preps on what you actually eat. I think you need many types of preps. Some food that will last years, some that will last months. You need the ability to replace your food, water, etc. should issues become long term. Any type of gardening will help. You can grow herbs in small or large containers, inside or outside. You can grow onions, lettuce, bok choy, cabbage, celery from chunks you already bought in water on a sunny window sill. I poked holes in some jello cups with a tack. I put what I want to grow in one with holes and put it inside of one without holes. I use a bit of toilet paper roll cardboard or tooth picks to keep the plant upright. For larger pieces, I use frozen food steaming bowl plastics or plastic bottles. I have grown a ton of veggies this way from left overs. I also sprouted seeds from within a bell pepper and I had bunches sprout. I planted them all and keep thinning. One is about a foot tall. Any equipment you bought is probably still good to have. A lot of it is useful when camping or backpacking.
Brilliant ideas.
I use a clothes drying rack and and then a dehumidifier with a clothes dryingfunction under it. I think a dehumidifier uses less electricity than a tumble dryer.
Switch of all appliances at the wall if not in use.
Boil the kettle and fill a flask with boiling water in the morning
You can cook rice in a thermos flask.
If really cold people have put bubble wrap on the windows to insulate if your windows are not double glazed. It sticks on with a spritz of water and can be removed in summer.
If cooking stews/soups make a huge lot and freeze.
Rug up–use a Oodie
And here I am chasing this evil raise in my electric bill. I thought I had it narrowed to a faulty thermostat. I’m still not dismissing that but my bill last year for the same time as this year was $245. This month’s bill – $405!!!
I still think the thermostat might be on its EOF because it keeps running after temp is reached. But spending a month’s worth of an electric bill for someone to come look at it is painful, to say the least!
. Had that happen a few months ago. Capacitor was replaced; worked fine ever since
Mine went up 33% last month. No problem with thermostat.
Ma had Thyroid Cancer that was diagnosed, Hurthle Cell Carcinoma. Very rare and very aggressive.
Found out late stage 4. Again very aggressive and rare. Was given fatal diagnosis at 53. I had a world renown doctor, Dr. Roger Graham, one of the best surgeons at Tufts. By the grace of GOD, He successfully performed my surgery. It took 6 hours, to unwrap the tumor. The tumor had wrapped around my thyroid and vocal cords.
After surgery I lost all ability to speak for 3 months. I was willing to accept the possibility of a future without speech. The gutteral noises, I could vocalize were horrifying to my small grandsons. What a challenge. Pa never gave the slightest glimpse of frustration with me through all my treatments and radiation.
I cannot live without medication. I developed a heart condition, because your thyroid regulates your heart beat and your internal thermostat. So my synthetic thyroid med and heart med, glue me together., with limitations. I am worse than vulnerable. Sitting duck if med supply chains ever collapse. I do Xpress Scripts, 3 month supply but that’s it.
I am gratefully unvaxxed. It was tough here in MA with my team of Drs., but honestly, I believe they respect my decision. When you have put up the good fight, they leave you, the @#$% alone. I haven’t been refused care yet.
Go gray. Like Sundance suggested, a year ago, today, while at Stop&Shop, I added 10/$10 lrg cans of baked beans. And 4/$5 cans of Hormel chicken breast. Been padding my weekly bill by $30-40 , little by slow with CANS. CANS, CANS, CANS. 24/25 expiration dates.
But without my meds, who cares about my can collection. I hope I can barter.
Pa and I brew beer and Apfelwein. Stocking up on supplies.
I understand your predicament. I got diagnosed with a rare lung ailment and am on oxygen 24/7, high flow. I don’t know how to prepare for power outages because I go through a large oxygen tank on 2 hours. God will get us both through, Ma Kettle
Yes, my friend, no truer words were ever spoken.
Will it run on an Uninterruptable power supply (UPS)? Can you get a generator?
Get a camping lithium battery, a small portable solar generator and a gasoline generator (with gas stored on property).
Look at propane gen. Gas rots over time. Propane is forever.
You can run it on natural gas and use propane as a backup to natural gas. That’s what we do on the Gulf coast where prolonged power outages because of hurricanes and tropical storms are not uncommon.
Put gas stabilizer in to enable longer term storage for your gas.
Look into NAC (N-Acetalcystine). It is supposed to be good for several lung conditions, I pray yours is one that is helped by it.
Thank you and I do take NAC and have noticed an improvement in my energy.
I would recommend everyone look into the benefits of NAC. If you think it may be for you, order ASAP. Our trusty FDA is trying to pull it. Why? Like so many other meds….it works!
I can testify that a year ago I was feeling low energy. I had NAC on hand for the covid stuff….decided to take it everyday for 2wks
My energy came back. Not 100%, but significantly better.
NAC breaks down the biofilm on bad microbes and other stuff in the body so the system can clear it out.
Research it online – not to be taken for long term as I understand.
It IS good for several lung conditions. Glutathione is too. (NAC breaks down into a component of glutathione)
Suggestion: Research nebulizing Glutathione. (unless you are allergic to sulfa drugs)
Hint: if you decide to try, add a little pinch of baking soda to the distilled water or saline and glutathione powder and let it sit for an hour or so before use.
Another hint:If you use normal saline use a saline solution with a little less salt content than normal saline, which is 0.9%. You can simply use distilled water added to the saline solution to dilute it… 1/2 normal saline is an option. Water follows salt, so if you use a higher concentration of saline it can draw water from your lungs into your airway causing more congestion. Of course discuss this with your physician.
Not sure if your local utility has this option, when my husband was on similar oxygen 24/7using once of those oxygen concentrator devises; our utility has a policy that if you are oxygen dependent and the doctor confirms, your home gets put on top priority for restoring the power. We also had extra bottles on hand, just in case. Those were my nightmares being out shopping and having him home if the power went off.
I had that priority in Virginia but have since moved to Florida where noone gets that, especially because of hurricanes.
Get a small generator that will run on multiple fuel types. If your climate has enough sun, get a solar battery with a small panel to power your tank. Another option is to have an engineer figure out something that would provide kinetic energy – an idea like those continuous waterfalls.
God bless you Ma… you are a fighter and an inspiration!
Your kindness is met with my gratitude.
Life, these days hasn’t been kind. We are not experiencing kindness on a scale enough to make us feel safe. Safer, I should say.
Back to the basics. We have to turn everything around with love. Respect, empathy, forgiveness.
Our Christian values and morals cannot not be compromised. Sad for those that think they should.
I need thyroid meds as well. I was always able to get at least 6 months out by ordering the next 90 day scrip as early as possible – eventually I got 9 months out. You can’t go much further as they lose efficacy anyway. But you could try that or maybe get your doctor to write a 6 month?
I ordered 2 years-worth from an overseas pharmacy without a prescription. See more reply to Ma Kettle, above.
I bought an extra (bulk) supply of levothyroxine for my husband and I thru a supposedly Canadian pharmacy without a prescription. I intend to do another soon to have a nine-month extra supply. The package seemed to be shipped out of Dubai but it has the manufacturer’s original packaging; the Canadian company never actually took possession. May try another pharmacy next time but have to watch expiration dates. Between the foreign pharmacies and my insurance-covered one here in the U.S. I should be good for at least a year if there are disruptions in the supply.
Here is a link to the pharmacies and you can filter for no rx required: https://covid19criticalcare.com/pharmacies/?filter_13=NO&filter_15=YES&filter_12=Utah&filter_4_6=&filter_4_4=&mode=all
Oops, I see the old link I gave was filtered by Utah but I use international.
Excellent!!
I ordered 2 years-worth from an overseas pharmacy without a prescription. See more reply to Ma Kettle, above.
I had my thyroid nuked many long years ago. After much trouble, I take Tirosint and liothyronine. My family is very worried about me running out. It’s very scary. Prayers
I ordered 2 years-worth from an overseas pharmacy without a prescription. See more reply to Ma Kettle, above.
Months ago after listening to the recommendation of Clif High I purchased through Amazon some Chaga powder to make Chaga tea. (It’s made in Maine from a certain mushroom. ). It has some extreme amount of antioxidants like 35,000.
It makes you feel great and was helpful during my Covid recovery and surprisingly got me off coffee.
I take thyroid medicine for hypothyroidism and have for 33 years. After taking the Chaga tea daily my thyroid needs changed. I needed less and less medication. I have gone down from 125mcg to 75mcg since February 2022 to July 2022.
I am thinking you might try this. If you google Chaga you will see that it is recommended for cancer patients at Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York.
Thanks for the info. After switching doctors, my thyroid script was upped from 100mcg to 112 mcg. Happy to say that since January I’ve lost 35lbs without even trying. Now, with your advise about chaga, I’ll head over to YouTube – My Self Reliance, Shawn James. He’s been building his second home off grid in Canada and has many tips for self sufficiency. He’s been drinking chaga tea for years and by popular demand, he now sells his own hand picked chaga chunks. Time for me to give chaga a try and help support his channel. Shipping available to USA.
So funny. I order almost everything from that Maine company except for their Chaga tea! Now I know what I’ll order next time. Thanks!
Regarding medications. “If” you see a GP AND an endocronologist you can double up on your meds. Same with heart specialist and a GP. They don’t share prescription info. And apparently the drug store doesn’t monitor unless its a certain class (such as sleeping pills). So they fill prescription without question. Anyone seeing a specialist and their GP should consider this.
We save ALL drugs. Such as when dosages change or a particular drug is not quite doing the job. We never know how bad this will get. What’s worse having a drug that was prescribed to you that somewhat works or nothing at all?
Studies have been done most drugs are safe post expiration, they may not have the same potency, but will still work.
I got 2 years-worth of thyroid med (leyothyroxine) from an overseas pharmacy called ReliableRxPharmacy. I assume there are others but I successfully used this one.
No prescription needed. It asked for one on the form but I left it blank and they filled my order anyway. US-based distributor. It looks like it is made in India, but that is where a lot of this medication is manufactured. The pills are in expensive packaging and look legitimate. I hope to never have to resort to trying it but it looks to be the real medication. I had to order a couple different dosage pills to get to 138 (including cutting one in half). Just gotta make it work.
It took over a month to come and shipping was expensive. They don’t take credit cards so I mailed them a check.
I’m going to order another year’s worth because this isn’t going to end quickly.
Where ever you get it, stock up!
Wintertime:
water in vases or in other containers placed in rooms will evaporate and add moisture if needed without running a humidifier
Storage containers:
empty and clean plastic peanut butter jars with lids are an easy way to store household and workshop items of various quantities and sizes
We used to place tin cans with water in our floor heating ducts and it humidified the air as it came up through the duct!
I hadn’t thought about that for such a long time! Your post reminded me!
My husband and I each have our evaporative cooling vests, neckties and skull caps (under helmets) which we wear when we go out horseback riding in the summer. No reason why we can’t use them in the house if we are without electricity or need to severely cut the a/c. Just dunk them for a few minutes in a pail of water, wring them out and they last about 70-90 minutes outside (per dunk), maybe longer inside. They really are a lifesaver for hot desert days!
What hurt yesterday was writing a check for a new HVAC system. At least it will be much more efficient but it wasn’t in the anticipated budget and the old a/c was starting to fail. With >103 degree days, we were forced to replace both a/c and furnace.
I just shopped my family’s cell phone and internet service. Total savings of $90 per month.
Scored a promotional internet rate with xfinity of $30 per month for two years. I was paying $50 per month.
Changed from a major cell carrier (T-Mobile) to xfinity mobile. They are a MNVO that leases cellular carrier space from Verizon. Went from paying $150 per month to $80. Total savings of $70 per month.
FJB
Congress is responsible for phone prices. Break up the most affordable service MA BELL then change status from Utility to Entertainment. That was a great quid pro quo event.
I have Consumer Cellular as cell phone provider. Inexpensive and good service.
MetroPCS here.
Me too. I don’t have anyone to call, but if I need long distance, my land line was expensive.
I forget to take with me when running errands…duh. It’s my emergency phone add I forget it.
I switched from optimum (only wifi) to Verizon (only wifi) – was paying $63. month, now S39. month.
Other hints for saving money for life needs – turn the heat down to 50 degrees at night and sleep with many blankets.
You can get a timer thermostat to put the heat up before you get up and turn it down after you are tucked in bed!
While you are adjusting and surviving remember not to make this easy for the opposition
One of the primary strategies in war is the disruption of the enemy’s supply lines. They have identified us as the enemy and are in the process of disrupting our supply lines. Be it fuel, food, water, power, transportation, or guns and ammo.
We are at war.
Replace your incandescent bulbs with LEDs. Dollar Tree has them.
Alright, this is really radical, but when my 4 kids were babies I read a book called Diaper Free Baby and followed a method used by at least half of the world, where you carry your baby as much as possible and train them to recognize their need to use the bathroom and hold them over a bowl or toilet to go. Yes it totally works. Saved tons of money and genuinely good for reducing landfill and trash too.
Bet it helped prevent rashes as well. My middle child suffered horribly from diaper rash no matter what I did. I finally resorted to letting her lay on thick blankets with no diaper. Every time we went back to diapers the rash would come back. I was SO glad to get her potty trained.
That works only with a girl.
Saw this in China. Hand-knit onesies with no crotch. I would not be ready to go that far, but am past the baby diaper stage.
Recommended reading:
Backwoods Homestead (blog and magazines)
Grit
Here are a few tips, which are on my list: #1,
Cleaning our outdoor A/C condenser unit. I will follow this guys tips from youtube.
#2, Cleaning our dryer exhaust vent/duct: helpful video from a cute woman…
Thank you for such valuable information.
I had called the AC folks out couple years back – they didn’t do as much as this.
Our dryer vent is a bit more complicated, but this gave “Pa” the nudge to get it done.
Foodstuffs:
Buy based on the add. Stack BOGOs and never shop without a list of what you do (and DONT) need.
Join loyalty programs, use digital and paper coupons, add appz like Fetch (shorturl.at/lV249) and Ibotta (shorturl.at/ILRZ3). I have saved my family over $3,000 this year so far using this combination and the apps only take a few minutes now I’m used to them.
Gas:
Make a list of errands and travel in a circle instead of many back and forth trips. I’ve cut my shopping trips down to twice a week (beginning and end of sales). Travel with a cooler in the car so you can stop at multiple places if needed.
Food prep:
I know what I’m making every week, how it will stretch, and what leftovers will be used when. We have zero food waste (and all scraps go to the chickens).
Unsubscribe from sales flyers for anything you don’t need. Out of sight, out of mind.
Teach your children and give them a realistic understanding of what is coming. Mine are not gimmes.
Practice gratitude. Every day.
Remember you can lead a horse to water, etc. When it comes to friends and family, lead by example but don’t fight over it. It’s not worth beating them into glue.
Always, always, always keep a trusting eye on God.
I hang our towels to dry on a big rack after washing. They are very stiff after. I throw them in the next drier load. They take the place of that loads towels. They help dry the clothes and come out soft.
I wash 4-5 loads a week, but only dry 1-2. I hang shirts, jeans and other clothing to dry.
I find that putting your wet towels into the dryer first for a minute or two and THEN hanging them outside will keep them much softer than doing it the other way around. Don’t know why, but it works. And when I say a minute or two I mean that literally; you don’t need to keep them in the dryer longer than that.
For those using refrigerated air conditioners. I discovered that cleaning the crud off the outdoor fan sides will improve efficiency and lower costs by quite a lot. I believe it’s called the compressor and cleaning the coils ( fan sides) saved me about a $120 in cost per month. I’d suggest having the heating plumbing company to do it. Make sure they do that work and not skip it. The crew I used were skipping it during yearly maintenance checks. Hope it helps.
Reviewed every last comment, phew!! Of all the wonderful tips to save energy and cooking, not one for a solar oven. You can make one with a cardboard box and aluminum foil. Can use it over and over again, unless you leave it out in rain or snow.
It takes a bit longer to cook, maybe like a slow cooker, not for baking, but gets up to 350-375 degrees. Good for beans, stews, soups, rice, casseroles. How to make one? Search the internet, you tibe, or your public library. Good ways to save money on energy when the sun shines.
I bought a solar oven a couple years ago but haven’t tried it out yet. Just got a solar cooker cookbook which may help get me motivated. Also got a solar dehydrator which I’ll be using next month with the veggie garden produce. Since I live in Mormon country, the LDS Church has a preserved food warehouse here open to the public so I’ve gotten several cases of beans, rice, pasta, wheat and flour. Now to learn how to use my new grain mill (hand or can attach the motor if have electricity).
Guys in Iraq used to ask for pizza supplies. They would make and bake a pizza in foil on top of their humvees. They sweared it was the best pizza ever.
To stay cool indoors: Run some cold water over a towel, and wring out the towel. Then put the towel over your shoulders.
If you put your head under the faucet, and run cold water over your head, that will cool you off.
Be careful that you don’t drip water onto the floor, and then slip on the water drips, and fall. You might want to put a throw rug by the faucet, to protect yourself against slipping and falling on a wet floor.
For those retired, on a fixed income, without land or other resources for self-sufficiency, I recommend joining your state’s Extension Master Gardener (EMG) program.
These programs have access to land and resources and food.
You will train to become an Extension Master Gardener and volunteer in exchange for community and connections, which I predict will be in BIG demand. (Ours recently trained returning vets how to build and use hoop gardens, which greatly extends the growing season. With layers, one could have year-round vegetables.)
EVERY COUNTY IN EVERY STATE IN THE UNION HAS THIS PROGRAM.
The people who run these programs are incredibly gifted and generous people whose mission is to spread the self-sufficiency agricultural gospel.
You won’t regret becoming a part of these valuable programs – it’s an opportunity to do meaningful work while helping yourself through the difficult years to come.
Thanks. Will definitely check this out even though I have huge gardens.
Get tents and sleep inside them inside your house in the Winter so you can turn the heat down a lot at night.
Go back to basics – real oatmeal, rice, potatoes with whatever meat and veggie is on sale that week at the grocery store.
Buy meat in bulk and freeze.
wear socks to bed and robes too
Bathroom fan timers. I installed them to get moisture and odors out. 5 min for the WC, 15 min for the shower. Then they shut off without excessively blowing cool or heated air out of house.
Controls mold too. 22 bucks per unit, you can twist the wires yourself. Eaton brand, 5,10,15 30, 60, minutes.
You can buy used bread machines at goodwill or other thrift stores for $5-10 in my area. Depending on how often you eat bread saving money in a few weeks.
I like to cook overnight in the crockpot (sometimes I use a mechanical timer to keep from overcooking), wake up, put it in the refrigerator and then have ‘leftovers’ until I have eaten everything that was in the crockpot. This helps save time and cost.
I have learned many of the things people may not typically eat are quite edible: citrus peels and rinds, apple cores and seeds, skin always left on potatoes even if mashed, banana peels can be pureed and used in bread, don’t peel carrots instead slice so that the peel isn’t noticeable, wilted and terrible looking produce on clearance can be cooked because they wilt during cooking anyways.
I’ve found that whatever ‘meat juice’ is left in a pan or slow cooker adter cooking any meat works really well as salad dressing and can be frozen and used as dressing later. The one thing is to avoid any congealed fats for use in salads, but congealed fats can be used as oil for frying or to help flavor rice or pasta or in bread making. I try not to waste any food, ever. Probably less than a cup is thrown out a month including stems and inedibles like chicken bones.
Very good ideas! When food and meat are scarce it is great to know how to create flavorings that make the blander food items taste better.
I would be careful with the apple cores and seeds though. I read these seeds contain high concentrations of amygdalin which release a poison when chewed.
Read all…great ideas. Madison Avenue advertising psychology and the “keep up with the Jones” mentality have ruined peoples expectations for years.
Soap is soap and homemade is better. They were called soap operas for a reason. Buy the cheapest chlorine bleach for instance, its exactly the same as the big brand name.
Don’t use dryer sheets the scent is repellant…if they will repel bugs…
Speaking of scents; most Americans stink, a God awful mix of hair treatments, deodorant, laundry additives and scented body soaps and lotions. Save a dollar and reach a more pleasant result with eliminating all those scents.
Vacum seal your meat and vegetables before freezing. Frozen garden squash for example tastes almost exactly like fresh picked.
Batch preparation of food saves time, energy effort. Ever tried mixing up ten pies all at once and freeze them. Ready to bake after thawing?
Use an older dependable sedan as your run about and save the pickup or large SUV for when needed.
Dawn dishwashing liquid diluted with water will kill most insects including ones on the wing. Cheaper and hopefully safer than most bug spray.
We must engage in a delaying action until enough low info people can be educated to the new reality and respond appropriately.
Good luck and God bless.
I grew up in the 60’s and we never had air conditioning. When it got super hot, we would take our blankets and pillows into the kitchen to lie on the floor for the night and Mama hung a wet sheet in the door way and placed a fan behind the sheet blowing toward the kitchen. It cooled the air and we were able to sleep comfortably!
Unplug things from outlets unless they are being used.
Thanks for doing this, Sundance!
I grew up in the 40’s when nobody had ac and nobody knew hardly anything about ac and we all just sweated!
and survived very nicely thank you.
Retired Arizonan here. I watched a Mythbusters episode on TV a few ywars ago where they proved that using your car’s A/C reduces gas mileage 15% compared to driving with all your windows down and the A/C off.
I implemented this policy when gasoline prices skyrocketed and its making a big difference – I get a lot more miles on a tank of gas. Now I’m in good health and hike a lot outdoors so I can handle the temps – but it might be unadvisable for others in the Sunbelt to do this in midsummer.
That, and keep your tires aired up to the maximum car-model recommended psi. That number will be printed on a sticker in the driver’s side doorjamb. Low inflated tires really cut into any car’s gas mileage.
Reduce grass in your yard and landscape or better yet combine low maintenance landscaping with permaculture edibles like fruit or nut trees and plants. Those huge yards cost bigly especially for those contracting lawn maintenance.
“Not in my backyard “, should not apply to a kitchen garden!
If you have a soft water system in your home I have found when using liquid (he) laundry detergent always use the minimum fill line on the measuring cup. I have a front load washing machine and I can physically see ample suds and my clothes come out clean.
I use only about a tablespoon of he detergent for any load. It works fine.
That stuff is really concentrated.
Only 28% eh?
You should try our 60+% in Scotland for size. Mind you we are the Saudi Arabia of unreliability windmill energy! Or so we are told.
My face wash comes in a pump bottle. When it is ‘finished’, I force open the lid and use a spoon to get to the bottom. One small bottle usually lasts me a month, and I’m sure that spoon part is at least 5 days.
When my tube of face cream is finished, I cut it in half and run my finger inside and can usually get another 2 times. I put a few drops of water in it if it’s left open and might dry out.
When my shampoo and conditioner are as empty as I can get it, I add a bit of water to the bottle and shake it and can get an extra day, maybe two.
Don’t just squeeze the toothpaste with your hands. Run something smooth (eg toothbrush handle) over it along the bench and you’ll find there was more in the tube.
In my life I have had poor and rich times. I always was like this, even through the rich times. I was raised to not be wasteful.
when wash floors use the empty but soapy plastic bottles filled with water to make soapy floor water
Instead of buying expensive pet treats to reward your pets try oyster crackers. My dog and cat both love them.
thanks will do this when current supply is gone and our dog is 11 and will be softer on her teeth
lots of non-electric items. https://www.lehmans.com/
Cake pan of ice in front of the fan is what my mom did when we were kids.
When you use a rock for heat, you can burn yourself badly. We each have a personal rock. Heat it on the woodstove, then take 7-9 full sheets of newspaper. I wrap mine with each sheet or two at a time for 7 sheets. The rock is still very hot so don’t put your feet/skin right on it. It will still be warm in the morning.
Homemade laundry detergent. To 1 gallon of water add 3 Tb of washing soda, 3 Tb of Borax & 1/2 tablespoon of Dawn dishwashing soap. Mix everything together and use approximately 1/2 cup for each load. I have been using this for years & have notice no difference from store bought except it is not perfumed.
Dishwasher powder. 1/2 cup baking soda, 1 cup washing soda, 1/4 cup citric acid. Stir together & leave on your counter for a day or 2, stir it whenever you think of it. It will keep it from harding up later. Store in an airtight container. Use same amount you would use of a commercial brand. Substitute white vinegar for a rinse agent.
And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.
The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.
Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?
And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?
If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?
Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.
But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Love reading all the tips here, I’m retired so trying to do everything possible to help with our grocery bill, buying sale items, etc. For several years I’ve been watching the Pantry Preppers and Homesteaders on Youtube and it is amazing what you can learn, these people are smart. I have canned for years but never thought about canning up dried beans before they are pretty inexpensive and serve as a good protein so I’ve been stocking up on dried beans and this fall when I’m not canning summer veggies I plan on putting some up some for Chili and various meals.
Consider propane or switching to gas. We cook with it have a clothes dryer, hot water heater snd a backup fireplace. If the electric goes out we can still cook by lighting with a match. I’ve never done the math but it’s the peace of mind not being hooked to electric…. I realize gas/propane can be cut off, however with a buried propane tank, you have breathing room.
One more… consider buying a travel trailer to park on your compound…. Very contained and easy to heat.
My favorite has always been natural gas.
If you live in a suburban area, especially in Ohio, I suggest driving out into the rural areas for a butcher shop. I’ve found one in Johnstown, Ohio, outside Columbus that offers two steak and two potatoes for $20.
The point being – rural mom and pop butcher shops are offering deals and are cheaper usually.
In NE Ohio I recommend Marshallville Meats in Wayne County outside the Akron Canton area. They sell every cut of meat imaginable and bulk, too. Load up your cooler with what’s ahead.
I collect the A/C condensation in a 5 gallon bucket and use it to water plants. It takes about two days to fill the bucket.
we rigged a hose attachment to the condensation discharge. the hose extends to the garden and gives a constant trickle of water to our tomatoes and melons. Makes leaving town for a few days much easier, and saves times, money, and resources.
People don’t need tips, they need an insurrection against their oppressors. We don’t need to cut coupons, we need to cut government down to size. The world’s ‘leaders’ keep playing with the future (climate change), when they should be sticking to their knitting and managing the present (roads and bridges). Free speech, freedom of movement and association, and free markets, those are my ‘tips’. Nobody complies their way out of tyranny.
We need both sides of this equation.
One for immediate economy and the other for the long haul.
Sad but true..our population needs to reconsider living alone in 2-3 bedroom, older homes, and/or living more than 10 miles away from food, postal services etc. if on a fixed income.
unelect joebama ASAP
Buy dried beans, lentils & white rice(freeze for 1 day and dry on cookie sheet on counter) pack separately in glass jars. Buy Himalayan pink kosher salt at the Dollar tree store. 1lb $1.25. Also plastic garbage bags, lighters, matches, corn syrup free jam, pancake syrup. Grow spinach, lettuce all year long inside also any seed sprouts which are very healthy to add to salads and soups.
Might sound counter productive but its not. We use a freezer to stock pile meats and veggies. We shop meats when on sale. And although we are only a family of two, we buy large hams and turkeys. We cook and then refreeze in portions for later. The cost of electricity to run the freezer in one year is easily paid for in one months worth of meat on sale. Less than two years and cost of freezer is paid for in a little over a year.
We freeze, fruit, bread, veggies, nuts.
We are a family of two, recently retired. We buy meats and vegetables on sale, freeze them, and then later pressure can the meats to have shelf-stable foods in case of electricity issues. We have many canned jars of chicken, ground beef, roast, and pork, ready to eat or use as a meal ingredient. Husband makes early-morning trips to Kroger and searches the marked-down meats section. Many times we are able to get a quality $25 chuck roast for half price or even a half-price whole chicken for a good price (regularly about $10-12). We are also stocking up on beans, coffee, rice, grains, anything we think might become in short supply. (It’s hard to know what will be in short supply) We ask the workers in the bakery section of the store for their empty icing buckets (3 and 5 gallons food grade). They discard the buckets when empty and they give them to us for free. They make great storage containers for the dried items. It’s amazing what I have learned since retiring!
Has anybody near a Hannaford noticed that they’ve stopped selling the family size rotisserie chickens? I used to cut up and freeze everything from those and get a whole lot more meals out of them than the standard little ones.
Used to be 8-9 3-oz packages of chicken breast ready to put in sandwiches and supplement soups with extra protein. No longer…
Got a tip from elsewhere on this excellent Tips article, from Lolly: going to try BJs for the large chickens. Never thought of it. Cut & package and freeze