Tag Archives: frugality

Our favorite articles about frugality, saving money & budgeting posted on TexasHomesteader.com

No Corporate Paycheck? How Do You DO IT?? (part 2)

by Texas Homesteader

OK y’all, yesterday we started a two-part series about surviving in self-employment mode without the benefit of a regularly-scheduled corporate salary infusion on the side.  I encourage you to read ‘Saving Money, Part I’ if you haven’t already!

The topics covered were how important pre-planning is before you ever make this independence leap, then adding the steps of recognizing “needs” vs “wants”, paying cash, buying only high quality, researching purchases, finding lower-cost alternatives, repairing instead of replacing things and buying used where possible.

But now let’s look into some more ways to break the corporate paycheck shackle so you can follow your dreams, whatever they may be.

Finishing up a two-part series on how we successfully keep our monthly income requirement LOW to be able to live w/o a corporate paycheck. #TexasHomesteader

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Our Low-Waste Morning Coffee

by Texas Homesteader~ 
* includes affiliate link

It seems these days making coffee involves all kinds of non-recyclable trash! But RancherMan & I enjoy the more simple brewing offered by our vintage percolator.

We think it offers an exceptional cup of coffee. And there are several reasons why we prefer it over the fancy-schmancy newfangled ones of today:

We think our vintage percolator offers an exceptional cup of coffee. There are many reasons we prefer it over the newfangled ones of today #TexasHomesteader

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Dehydrated Salsa In A Jar Using Dry Vegetables & Salsa Mix. Great Gift Idea!

by Texas Homesteader ~ 

I was dehydrating lots of vegetables from my garden. Each one was placed in a repurposed glass jar in my pantry. Then I decided to assemble various dry veggies, add some seasoning and make dehydrated salsa in a jar as a gift. The gift recipients LOVED IT!

I mixed up a batch of dehydrated salsa using dehydrated veggies from my garden & my own dry salsa mix. Just pour in hot water & stir! #TexasHomesteader

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Preserving The Harvest: Dehydrated DICED Tomatoes

By Texas Homesteader ~ 
*contains affiliate link

Tomatoes are the darling of the vegetable garden around these parts. Some like to plant squash, some like peppers. But by golly almost everyone has a tomato bush (or two, or three…) in their garden!

None of my tomatoes will go to waste. Even when they’re producing too fast for me to eat fresh. I like to dice & dehydrate those fresh tomatoes to use in  my wintertime soups. It’s easy!

I'm dicing fresh garden tomatoes, dehydrating them & storing dehydrated tomatoes in the pantry. it replaces an item I used to have to buy. #TexasHomesteader

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MYO Pumpkin Puree Using A Solar Oven

by Texas Homesteader
*contains affiliate links

This year I planted heirloom sugar pumpkins in my garden. And when it was time to harvest them I knew I’d first be able to enjoy them for a bit as decoration. I love the way those little pumpkins looked propped on our antique cast-iron Franklin stove.

But several days later I was in the kitchen enjoying the last of my favorite pumpkin granola.  I knew that  since I planted those delicious pumpkins for use in my granola it was time to cook those babies down into pumpkin puree.

Pumpkin Puree, goodness from the garden! I have a secret weapon for keeping that cooking heat outside, even while cooking! My SOLAR OVEN! #TexasHomesteader

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MYO Italian Seasoned Tomato Leather – Pizza Night Just Got Faster!

by Texas Homesteader ~ 
*contains affiliate link

A dear friend told me about dehydrating tomato puree (sometimes seasoned) into a leather. WHAT?? Tomato leather??

Yes, tomato leather can be used to simplify your pizza night. Just plop a tomato leather on top of your crust and start adding fillings. The leather rehydrates as the pizza cooks. Oh yeah, I’ve gotta try this!

Make tomato leather to use for homemade pizzas - just roll it out & start adding toppings!. I decided to give it a go, come see! #TexasHomesteader

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Blood-Stains: Laundry Problems On The Homestead (and maybe your house too!)

by Texas Homesteader
*contains affiliate link

Working with barbed wire (and pasture plants with thorns) means blood stains are a common laundry stain problem here on the Homestead. Maybe you struggle with it too?

Come see how I’m able to remove blood stains from RancherMan’s shirts.

I've got a secret weapon to battle the laundry monster of BLOOD STAINS on our clothes. See my quick & easy solution. #TexasHomesteader

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Use What Ya got – MYO Tractor Canopy Cover

by Texas Homesteader

We have two tractors, a 55 hp Mahindra for the big jobs and an older and smaller 32 hp Ford 1910 tractor for mowing, disking, etc.  RancherMan usually hops on the newer big-boy tractor with the higher horsepower and front-end loader to do the rough stuff. And I happily allow him those tasks. 

My preference is Ole Blue. She’s a 1983-built tractor that purrs like a kitten & is as reliable as the day is long. 

Recently our Mahindra dealt us an unpleasant blow by having a deteriorating gas tank, rendering it USELESS.  So much for the reliability of a fancy-schmancy tractor that’s only 5 yrs –OLD! 

(Mahindra’s certainly seen the last of us as future customers) 

 So RancherMan went to work playing tractor mechanic for the Mahindra. But it was the ever-faithful Ole Blue Ford tractor that pulled the load on the Homestead.

My tractor canopy material was shot so I needed to come up with a solution. I say "Use What Ya Got"! See what my solution was. #TexasHomesteader

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