Saving money on necessary expenditures around the homestead can mean the difference between having and not having. I've always done as many repairs as I could on our cars and around the house. I do my own oil changes (and take the old oil to Autozone for recycling) and I've been replacing brake pads, thermostats and spark plugs for as long as I've had cars. I can get flat tires on the cars fixed for free at the shop where I bought them, but I've started pulling nails and plugging punctures out here, because one repair costs less than the gas to drive into Norman and across town to Hibdon's. Plus, I have a big floor jack and air tools to make the repair quick and easy. Last summer I replaced the radiator on the pickup and Kathy restored our headlights with Sylvania Headlight kits. We save hundreds of dollars a year by using our own labor on things we know (or can learn) how to do.
Other savings come from finding deals. I recently read advice on cutting costs that said to make friends with the manager of the garden center and ask for deals and discounts. Don't do that. I know a woman who always asks for the manager at the Lowe's garden center. They hate her there. The manager already has friends and they don't bother him at work. I have a friend who is manager of the garden department at our nearest Wal-Mart. We chat for a minute, if I see her, but I don't ask for special treatment. I do get great deals on occasion, but not by using my friends.
Most people don't want torn bags of soil, mulch or compost. I never bought the torn ones when our car was newer and we lived in town. Now I always look for the torn bags. The bottom bag is outdoor container mix that costs around $6.00. It was not torn. The top bag is high quality potting soil for starting seeds in the greenhouse and normally costs $12.00. When we went to check out (at Home Depot), I pointed out that the bag was torn and the associate cheerfully gave me 70 percent off. Just like that. I got both bags for less than the top bag would have cost if it hadn't been damaged. Seriously, if frugal gardeners don't buy the broken bags, then the manager has them tossed into the dumpster.
This bottle of plant food normally sells for around $9.00, but when Wal-Mart was putting garden stuff on clearance at the end of the summer, I got it for $2.00.
Right now is a good time to start watching for specials. Last year about this time I found a number of garden products on sale, buy-one-get-one free.
Good quality garden tools can last a lifetime, but sun and rain can take a toll on the handles.
Last year the head separated from the handle. Since this is one of the tools I use most in the garden, I needed to either fix it or replace it. The quality and design of these things hasn't changed, so I could buy a new one, but it would be around $30.00. A high quality hardwood replacement handle was only $12.00 and now I should be able to get another lifetime out of the rake.
When we lived in town, we had several leaf rakes. The wide red plastic rake was great for raking fall leaves, but over the years the plastic became brittle and last year the tines broke while raking. We had more durable steel-tined rakes, but on one the handle hadn't held up.
Rather than buy a new rake or even a new handle, I was able to take the handle from the plastic rake and use it in the steel rake.
Now we have two steel-tined rakes with good handles at no cost for the repair. Free is always good.
I save milk jugs to reuse for other purposes. In the greenhouse I use black-painted water-filled jugs as thermal mass to collect and hold heat in the wintertime. I also use them for mixing plant food.
When I was a kid my dad used paper hot caps to protect tender young plants from late frosts. I cut the bottoms off of milk jugs and use the tops for hot caps. In the daytime I can remove the bottle caps for ventilation and I can replace them when it's going to be cold overnight.
Other savings come from finding deals. I recently read advice on cutting costs that said to make friends with the manager of the garden center and ask for deals and discounts. Don't do that. I know a woman who always asks for the manager at the Lowe's garden center. They hate her there. The manager already has friends and they don't bother him at work. I have a friend who is manager of the garden department at our nearest Wal-Mart. We chat for a minute, if I see her, but I don't ask for special treatment. I do get great deals on occasion, but not by using my friends.
Most people don't want torn bags of soil, mulch or compost. I never bought the torn ones when our car was newer and we lived in town. Now I always look for the torn bags. The bottom bag is outdoor container mix that costs around $6.00. It was not torn. The top bag is high quality potting soil for starting seeds in the greenhouse and normally costs $12.00. When we went to check out (at Home Depot), I pointed out that the bag was torn and the associate cheerfully gave me 70 percent off. Just like that. I got both bags for less than the top bag would have cost if it hadn't been damaged. Seriously, if frugal gardeners don't buy the broken bags, then the manager has them tossed into the dumpster.
This bottle of plant food normally sells for around $9.00, but when Wal-Mart was putting garden stuff on clearance at the end of the summer, I got it for $2.00.
Right now is a good time to start watching for specials. Last year about this time I found a number of garden products on sale, buy-one-get-one free.
Good quality garden tools can last a lifetime, but sun and rain can take a toll on the handles.
This four-tine cultivating rake was my dad's and it is over fifty years old.
Last year the head separated from the handle. Since this is one of the tools I use most in the garden, I needed to either fix it or replace it. The quality and design of these things hasn't changed, so I could buy a new one, but it would be around $30.00. A high quality hardwood replacement handle was only $12.00 and now I should be able to get another lifetime out of the rake.
When we lived in town, we had several leaf rakes. The wide red plastic rake was great for raking fall leaves, but over the years the plastic became brittle and last year the tines broke while raking. We had more durable steel-tined rakes, but on one the handle hadn't held up.
Rather than buy a new rake or even a new handle, I was able to take the handle from the plastic rake and use it in the steel rake.
Now we have two steel-tined rakes with good handles at no cost for the repair. Free is always good.
I save milk jugs to reuse for other purposes. In the greenhouse I use black-painted water-filled jugs as thermal mass to collect and hold heat in the wintertime. I also use them for mixing plant food.
When I was a kid my dad used paper hot caps to protect tender young plants from late frosts. I cut the bottoms off of milk jugs and use the tops for hot caps. In the daytime I can remove the bottle caps for ventilation and I can replace them when it's going to be cold overnight.
Plant markers are expensive at the garden stores, but I cut my own from the milk jug bottoms. Popsicle sticks fade and rot after a very short time, but Sharpie marker on plastic holds up all season.
There are plenty of other ways to save money and I'm always looking for new ones.
Stephen
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