Thursday, March 21, 2013

Critter Count

We all know that rabbits multiply like... well, rabbits!

What I didn't realize was, part of that multiplying is because rabbits are addictive! There are so many breeds and colors and sizes. They're fun and facinating... and they have large litters quickly.

Last night I went to bed with 11 rabbits...
Tonight I'll go bed with 21 rabbits...
And we have 6 litters due in the next 6 weeks!

The majority of the influx today was...
 
Eve's first litter!
 
She had 9 sweet little kits, but only 8 survived.
 
The kids are thrilled and have told every single person they've seen today that "Eve had 9 babies!"
 
They want to keep one from this litter. We'll see how many rabbits we have when that time comes... something tells me that there will be something new and exciting at that point to distract them from the idea of keeping one of these babies.

The other 2 rabbits we gained today were free off Craigslist. One will make good breeding stock and one will be sold or sent to freezer camp.

Our current critter count:
21 rabbits
20 chickens
1 cat

1 guinea pig

Grand total....... 43 critters

Friday, March 15, 2013

Road to independence

As some may have gathered from the posts Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Cleaning Recipes and many others... saving money is a big deal for me.
In some ways it's a hobby for me.
In most ways it's a neccessity.
 
Let's face it, I'm a single mother with 6 kids.
I am supporting my children without any help of any kind from another parent!
 
There are bills to be paid, neccessities to buy and bellies to fill.
When faced with that reality when my husband walked out, I prayed.
I prayed a lot.
I also humbled myself to apply for welfare.
I have spent the last year working my way out of the system.
 
I'm getting so close I can smell the freedom.
 
Many people ask how I do it.
Prayer and coffee... that's what I usually say.
 
The truth is it's hard work, long nights, early mornings, an abscent social life and generally makes one weary.
But I have succeeded in not turning my childrens lives upside down anymore than they already were.
I continue to stay home with them, I continue to homeschool them, I have maintined they're "normal" to the best I can.
 
The truth is, I bust my butt to save money everyway I can. I invest what little I can scrape together into things that can be profitable even if it means taking a chance. I run my own business, I provide childcare, I save scrap metal, I return cans for the deposit, I do Swagbucks and InboxDollars, I'm now jumping in with both feet to breeding animals and running a nice little "hobby farm".
 
The Lord has taught me much in this journey. Rarely is anything what it seems. We can all look at another persons life and pretend to know how we could have done better.
Truth is, we have no idea what brought people to where they are.
We have no idea what obsticals are hindering their progress.
We need to set aside the pride and reach out to help one another, even if it doesn't prosper ourself in this world. It will have eternal value.
 
Did anyone see you drop off a bag of groceries for the family who just got laid off? God did.
Did anyone praise you for giving away an item you could of sold, to someone in need? God did.
Did anyone congratulate you for donations to worthy causes? God did.
Did anyone thank you for the time, effort and money used to give food to the homeless? God did.
 
No matter what you do. Big or small. Public or private.
God knows.
God knows that the $1 you gave homeless man on the corner was your last dollar, even if the man seems upset it wasn't more.
God knows what's in your heart.
He knows if you purpose your heart to one set to serve another
Or if you have a heart set to serve yourself.
 
Money is useful. But I'd rather struggle in this life while I lay up treasure in Heaven... I will be spending much more time there than I do here!

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Focused or Frazzled

This is something I struggle with. This is something that I can trace to the core of every bad day. This is something that is smack in my face today.
 
We have two choices everyday.
 
Focus on the One who matters
or
Get frazzled bouncing off everything else.
 
We can focus on the Lord and the path He's placed us on. Focus on growing in the rolls we've been blessed with. Focus on doing EVERYTHING for His glory. Focus on growing in faith. With this focus comes contentment as the Lord speaks to our heart during prayer, not only to give us strength but to calm our fears.
 
 
Losing focus can happen slowly, or it can happen quickly. It can happen to someone new in their walk with the Lord or someone who's counting decades of faith instead of years.
 
We start bouncing to furthering our careers, strengthening our friendships, perfecting our homes, toning our bodies or completing whatever that next task is. Each of these things in and of them self is not bad. In fact, they're neither good nor evil. They are opportunities to shine the Lord's light or let the world suck you in.
 
If you get so set on that next goal and you lose that focus on the Lord, the results can range from from worldly profit(devoid of eternal gain) to general stress to something catastrophic.
 
Let us all take a moment as Easter is approaching to refocus our hearts and minds on Him!

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Those closest to me know that I desire to live on a self sustaining homestead. While our current home allows us to take some of the steps in that direction, it won't allow us complete self sufficiency.
 
One homesteading skill we are mastering while here is limiting, and hopefully eliminating waste. The less trash we have the less we have to find a way to dispose of it and the better it is for the environment. What do we do?
 
Photo: Rubber boot planter $5
Currently have 2 available with sage starts in them 
 
REDUCE
No one time use items (diapers, paper plates, napkins, trash bags)
Rechargeable batteries (about 75% of them)
Cloth shopping bags (about 50% of what we need)
Buy more whole foods with less packaging
 
REUSE
All paper/cardboard is shredded to line cages
Feed animals kitchen scraps
Compost animal waste, egg crates, dirty hay (we even have a worm bin!)
Compost used for potting and fertilizing
Crochet plastic bags in to garden knee mats and reusable shopping bags
Milk jugs are filled with laundry detergent I sell
All strings, rubber bands, paper clips, etc. are saved for reuse
Plastic produce containers are washed and saved to share home grown produce
Most plastic containers turn into seedling containers
Juice jugs become watering cans
Our rabbits eat out of old crockpot insert and sleep in a large dog crate
My potting table is made from an old door
An extra dresser became animal feed and supply storage
Old kids boots become planters
Turn as much as possible into craft projects
 
RECYCLE
most metals
all glass that hasn't been repurposed or reused
some plastics I haven't found a way to repurpose
 
We currently fill our trash can about once per week. For a family of 7 that's not to bad. My current goal is only produce one bag every 2 weeks, ultimately no trash. Our recycling is at one paper sack a week, I'd also like to cut that in half.
 
Not only is practicing the 3 Rs good for the environment and homesteading plans, it's also good on the pocketbook. I've filled many needs and wants with repurposed items so I didn't have to spend money on something. Also, with less trash out put, a smaller trash can is needed which saves money EVERY MONTH!


Friday, March 8, 2013

Cleaning recipes!

I am a recipe collector... so here are my favorite go to recipes for cleaning!
 
 
Laundry soap
Grate a bar of Fels-Naptha. Fill a small sauce pan 1/2 full of hot water, add grated soap. Heat over med-high heat until the soap is completely melted. Stir frequently so it doesn't bubble over!
 
Fill a large bucket half way with hot water, as hot as you can get from the tap. Tub needs to be 5 gallon minimum, mine is a bit bigger since I repurposed a kitty litter tub. Stir in half to one cup each of Borax and Washing Soda. Mix well.
 
Once soap is melted, add it to the mixture in the bucket. Stir well. Top of bucket with water, leaving room to stir.

OPTIONAL: add a few drops of tea tree oil.
 
Stir until your arm hurts... well, that's how I decide when to stop anyway. Then let it set overnight in warmish room.
 
TA DA, you made laundry soap. By the third time you make it you'll be able to do it while multitasking with your eyes closed.
 
 
Clog and stain remover
Dump half to one cup baking soda down drain or sprinkle on stain. Douse with vinegar, I don't measure. Let it set for 20 minuets. Plung drains, wipe/rinse stains on hard surfaces, suck up with a carpet shampooer on carpet.
 
All-purpose cleaner
Place all your lemon and orange peels in a large clean pickle jar. Fill about half way with vinegar. Fill remainder with water. Let sit for at least a day.
 
 


Monday, March 4, 2013

Low Cost Laundry

I do a lot of laundry.
 
I mean A LOT.
 
3 loads of clothes everyday.
3 load of towels and other linens every other day.
4 load of diapers a week.
5 loads a week for bedding.
 
Since I don't do laundry on Sundays, that's 37 loads a week!
148 loads a month!
 
Okay, now that my own shock has worn off... seriously, I've never really thought about it... Let's move on.
 
Laundry can easily get expensive.
Expensive isn't an option I have.
I have to be creative and careful.
Okay, I'm not that creative.
But these are some good tips to remember!
 
 
Drying
 
~ Clean the lint trap. We all know we should but actually do it and once a month wash it with warm soapy water to prevent build up that can slow it down. If you can vacuum out inside the vent holder AWESOME!
 
~ Swtich laundry quickly. If you get the dry laundry out and wet laundry in while the dryer is still hot it doesn't have to work as hard to dry the second, third and more loads. Turn on the obnoxious buzzer and respond when you hear it (with more than just a sigh!)
 
~ Line dry! Cheapest way possible! Granted I live in Oregon, so the 9 months of rain really make that bothersome, but honestly I went without a dryer for 4 months, dropped my electric bill $30 a month! With all the cool retractable clothes lines, foldable drying racks and better clothespins (bamboo are my favorite!) it's not that hard to line dry at least some of your clothes. Even one load a week hung to dry is one less load you'll pay for!
 
~ Skip the dryer sheets. 1/2 to 1 cup vinegar in the wash rinse will soften the laundry and help with cling, so why spend more? Plus, dryer sheets cause build up on the lint trap.
 
Washing
 
~ Sort it. Sorting your laundry can allow you to wash it as efficiently as possible. The system that works for me is: diapers/wipes, whites/rags, towels/denim, kinda dirty, super dirty. Clearly diapers need seperated. Whites and rags need to be bleached. Towels and denim are heavier, I usually use a slightly longer wash cycle and wash them last since they take longest to dry. Kinda dirty/super dirty piles exist because church clothes don't need as much cleaning as play clothes, stuff that needs washed but isn't awful goes through a short wash while the yucky stuff gets washed longer.
 
~ Cold cycle. With the exception of diapers, I wash everything on cold. I also only run the washer full.
 
~ Bleach is bleach. Discount brand, store brand or name brand, it's all bleach. Can we please get past our hang ups on this one.
 
~ Skip the softener while you're at it. Again the vinegar will soften! And it won't leave an odor.
 
~Make your own laundry soap! Took my spending from $30 a month to $6 a year!!
 
Borax, Washing Soda, Fels-Naptha (all found on the laundry isle)


Sunday, March 3, 2013

Diaper Duty

I have been changing diapers for over 6 years straight!
For 5 of those years there have been two to four children in diapers.
 
That's a lot of diapers.
Diapers cost money.
A lot of money.
 
When my first was born, I used disposable diapers. I had thought about cloth but for a number of reasons chose not to. When number 2 came along, I continued to use disposables. I mean I had two babies under age one... I wasn't insane enough to add diaper laundry to that mix!
 
Then came Cheyenne.
 
When Cheyenne was a few months old I learned she has eczema. That caused her little bum to react badly to most disposable diapers. The only diapers I found that she could wear were about $20 for a little pack that lasted 3 or 4 days.
 
Alex was potty trained, Baillie was in diapers and Cheyenne needed special diapers. Between diapers and wipes I was spending $250 a month for my kids to poop and pee! This was rediculas!
 
Now I was adding Dakota.
 
3 in diapers and already wasting a ton of money, I realized something had to change!
 
I started with some cheap prefolds and a few homemade covers. Over the years my diaper stash has evolved to fit my preferances.
 
I now have 40+ flats (the super old school ones that look like a sheet), a dozen or more covers (Blueberry Coveralls are my favorite, Thirsties Duos are a close second) and about 20 pocket diapers (mostly Sunbaby which I like even though other don't seem too)
 
 
People ask me a lot if I really saved money making the switch.
 
Total spent: $500
for everything I've ever bought and I didn't even take off what I sold!
 
Estimated spending for disposables: $9,500
estimated $175 a month for the last 54 months and rounded up.
 
So far I have saved $9,000.
 
That's a lot of money! I have noticed almost no change in my water or electric bills either. I've also sold off what I didn't end up liking to use to recoup some of the cost!