by Texas Homesteader ~
We’re all trying to save a little cold hard cash these days. But sometimes it feels overwhelming just knowing where to start. And sometimes it feels if we’re not doing something grand to save wads of cash, we’re not really making an impact.
But I’m here to tell you there are small things you can do every day to save money. And they’re not big bold moves. The key is to make easy, effortless and yet effective decisions. A mind-shift change is all that’s needed. You need to look at your daily activity with a tilt on “I wonder if I could…” You’ll see what I mean. Come see 5 frugal things we did this week to easily save money.
Feeding Hummingbirds
1. The hummingbirds are back! Now back in ‘the day’ that meant I’d run to the discount store & buy packets of dried red powder to fill the feeder. But oh how that’s not needed! Now I whip up my own homemade Hummingbird Food in minutes and for literally pennies.
Cheaper Birdseed
2. …And I don’t want to forget our other feathered friends. We have lots of birds that visit our back yard. They bring lots of enjoyment to RancherMan & me. But that doesn’t mean I plunk down too much money on that plastic bag of bird seed, oh no! Not since I discovered that chicken scratch (for us sold in compostable paper bags, not plastic) costs only a fraction the price!
And the birds love it too. We have a wide variety of birds that visit our bird feeders. Now it doesn’t cost near as much for us to keep that feeder filled!
Permaculture Garden
3. I’m working on a permaculture garden around a tree in my backyard. I’m hoping to add visual interest, improve the soil & the health of the tree and provide an island of pollinator plants too. I started with a thick layer of cardboard on the ground. The cardboard was destined for a landfill so I asked for it. I laid down the cardboard in a thick layer and covered it with Free Mulch I got from our county.
I’m trying to heed the advice and plant slowly. So the only things I’ve planted so far are some early-spring flowering bulbs closest to the tree trunk and a small section of elephant garlic. The underground bulbs will help amend the soil and the flower stalk of the garlic will attract pollinators. I’ll also be planting a variety of herbs and flowers in the future. I’ll be sure to share when it’s done!
Cheap Weed Block
4. Last summer we installed an edged border around our raised planted beds at our back porch. This border was specially made to keep Bermuda grass from encroaching on the raised beds. (Can I get a hallelujah??!!)
But installing that one side was done during the drought & difficult to complete. This week we finally completed the other side. Much easier! And after the border was installed I used heavy paper feed sacks to thickly cover the ground.
These feed sacks are free material for me to use to help keep anything from growing in this area. Then I simply top the sacks with decorative gravel and voila! Just lovely and less back-breaking weeding chores.
Free Wood Mulch For Veggie Garden
5. As we typically do each year, RancherMan & I took 9 huge 225-lb-sized lidded tubs and filled them with FREE wood mulch from our county. Paper feed sacks are laid down in our garden walkways and topped with this wood mulch. No weed maintenance for walkways for the entire season and it looks great too. For FREE!
Oh, and in other garden news… When my zucchini seed didn’t sprout I knew I’d need to replace that spot in the garden. A zucchini plant at the store was $1.99. That’s not expensive, but a pack of seeds was only $1.49 and it contains enough seed for me to have zucchini plants for about 5-6 years! (I store my seed in the refrigerator to make them last longer) There are lots of ways to save in the garden.
Of course these 5 frugal things don’t really include the things I typically do daily that saves some cash. Things such as cooking homemade & healthy meals from scratch, making a 1/2 gallon of homemade yogurt or making do with what we have to fill our needs.
And there are bonus points for those things since each of these cost-saving measures save money again & again. Next time I fill the humming bird or wild-bird feeder? Money saved again. Next time I use Biodegradable weed block? Money saved again. Next time I make my homemade yogurt? Yep, you guessed it!
Hopefully this short list gets your creative juices flowing. We can learn from each other too! What are some easy frugal things you’ve worked into your days to easily save some cold, hard cash? Bonus points if it’s a repeated savings.
~TxH~
Other Frugal Tips
- When Financial Times Turn Tough Unexpectedly
- Build Financial Security With Less Effort
- A Financial Hit On The Homestead
- Thriving Financially Without A Corporate Paycheck
- Make Your Slow Cooker More Efficient
- Is Food Past The Expiration Date Safe To Eat?
- Make A Cute Gift Box With A Repurposed Greeting Card
- MYO Minty Mouthwash
- Repurposing Empty Coffee Canisters
- Keep That Broccoli Fresh
- Don’t Waste Onion Trimmings
- Cleaner Vegetable Chopping
- Using Frozen Water Bottles In The Kitchen
- Don’t Waste It – Free Vegetable Broth
- Make A Cute Dish Carrier From Old Jeans
- MYO Crispy Taco Shells CHEAP
- Paper Napkins In A Paperless Kitchen
- Use ALL Of Your Spray Cleaner
- Quick Coffee Stain Cleaning
…and many MORE!
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Yes, I too, make my own hummingbird food. And a plus is that I hear that the pre-made food really isn’t good for them. We will be getting a garden put in, in May. Kaleigh and I are both excited about that.
It just seems to connect us to our very being when we’re able to get our hands in the dirt and grow some of our own healthy provisions, right Nancy? ~TxH~
When our children were young, I decided that a hair cut for 3 boys and my husband was getting pretty costly so I purchase electric hair clippers for about $20.00. I learned through trial and error how to cut their hair and really it wasn’t that hard to do a basic cut. I have no idea how much money I saved over the years but I know it helped our budget then and I still cut my husbands hair since the boys are grown and on their own. Since I was a stay-at-home mom, and couldn’t help with the income, I looked for ways to save money like hanging clothes on the line instead of using the dryer, raising food in the garden, canning all that I could raise and process, etc. Just turning the lights off when you leave a room saves money.
You’re so right Pat. ‘Income’ for the family is equally important, whether from a salary or from money NOT spent from the family’s budget. Couldn’t agree with you more. ~TxH~
We have made our own hummingbird food for years. Money aside I couldn’t believe that it was healthy to give the little darlings something as nasty as red dye. And speaking of birds, the screech owls are calling and looking at the birdman’s owl nest box. I love to stand outside in the dark and hear them call – they don’t screech but have a sweet call that sounds like buh buh buh buh. Soon we will be setting out a couple of lawn chairs where we can sit at twilight and watch as the parent owls fly a zillion miles an hour (one would think that they would slam into the wall when they do this) into the opening with food for the setting mama and later for the begging babies. Nothing beats living in the boondocks!!!
How exciting Candace! I know you’re anxious to see the little darlings in the near future. ~TxH~