Saving money...

[Nyboy]

Barter system, I get free lunch every day from cafe in town ,and fresh cut flowers once a month from florist. I have a kennel and day board cafe owners dog, I groom the florist's bulldog.

 

[Smiles Jr.]

Barter system, I get free lunch every day from cafe in town ,and fresh cut flowers once a month from florist. I have a kennel and day board cafe owners dog, I groom the florist's bulldog.

That's the way to do it. Good for you. It's always great to keep the government out of our lives.

 

[Teka]

What's the mixture/recipe for the tub cleanser? I'm ready to try it!

I just got my dehydrator out yesterday. I'm using it to dry tomatos. (Sliced the cherry tomatos in half.) I have several recipes that call for sun-dried tomatos, and they are very expensive. I realized that making them was a far better use than throwing the extra cherry tomatos in with the rest for the sauce.

 

[so lucky]

Two parts dawn to one part vinegar, mixed thoroughly, in a spray bottle. I have to shake mine before I spray. Lots of people don't mix it that strong, but I think that was the original recipe.

 

[lesa]

My recipe is 12 ounces of each- dawn and vinegar... It is not an exact science! Just used it again, can't believe how well it works!

 

[digitS']

I made sure to fully use my garden space this year -- as soon as any planting was past its time, up it came and new seeds or plants went in. . .

Of course I like this idea of Teka's! I've already posted how well the cucumbers are growing after fitting in amongst/ & then replacing the onions and shallots. The vines haven't quite started producing yet and I could get in trouble here because the possibility of a big cool-down and then a frost in early September but I don't think that's going to happen this year. So, I think I'll get a month's worth of cucumbers off those beds.

I don't have any pictures of the long ago harvested green onions and the sweet onions have been going down to the farmers' market but here are the shallots:


Here's what is growing in that bed now:

Now, shallots are notorious for being unproductive and the sets are very expensive. It has been over 20 years since I bought the French Grey shallot sets. (There are still a few of those in there, you can click on the image for a larger picture.) The purple Prisma and Picador shallots were originally from seed (several years ago) which probably isn't especially cheap but far cheaper than buying sets. They store really well thru the winter and the smaller ones go back in the garden the following year.

Usually I sow seed for Asian greens where the shallots have grown but I'm busy digging the potatoes, allowing the soil to settle, and sowing that seed on what had been a potato bed. And, by the way, that seed was produced in my own garden. Here is a little about doing that: savin' seed (click).

I should again point out that the cucumbers followed the spinach in the shallot bed. Harvesting the spinach, way back in June, provided room for the cucumber transplants around the 1st of July. I can't quite claim to having 3 full crops from a single garden bed, since only the cukes will take up all of the square feet but, you get the idea . . . I'm not planting a single row of something and just walking on all the ground around it. And, I'm not harvesting something without replacing it with transplants or bean seeds or something! I'm saving seed & sets from 1 year to the next. And, I'm eating pretty good, too!

Steve

 

[Teka]

Grow vertically! I use my trusty bamboo to make a 4-post teepee, put scraps of fencing on 2 sides and wind string around. The cukes grow up and take less space. I have planted lettuce and radishes underneath in the early season, before the cukes are covering the teepee. I use a 3 x 3 ' space to grow my cukes.

I grow heirlooms so I have a lot of volunteers, even late bloomers. I work around them, and get later tomatos, cukes, and other veggies.

I'm not much at couponing because I make of my food from scratch -- a great cost savings. I grow and dry my own herbs, can, etc. to reduce what I have to buy.

Last, make sure to grow the expensive stuff. We love edamane and it is very expensive, but it is easy to grow. A better use of my garden space than other easily, cheaply purchased produce.

 

[secuono]

I shower 1x a week, "gross" for most people, but the chemicals ruin your natural cleaning process. Plus the pollution and water waste.
I have aquariums, I stuff them with plants, which equals to cleaner water with less water changing. Careful feeding, proper lighting and such also goes a long way to keep water clean and in less need of changing.
Algae in pet/farm animal water does not equal diseased/nasty/undrinkable. Algae is a natural and healthy thing for water ways. Algae is a plant of sorts that helps clean the water, it also shows too much nutrition in the water as well as too much sun light. "Green water" I will dump, but algae growing on walls I leave alone, it will always grow and is 100% safe. Diseases in the water are more of a worry.
Obvious, pee in toilet, let it sit. #2 in toilet flush it.
Only buy what you will actually use, buy on your way home or other trips put together.

 

[Nyboy]

Secuono how much does water cost where you live?

 

[digitS']

I am taking a break from hot weather this morning, enjoying having all the doors & windows open and reading . . .

This analysis of food costs & nutritional value was real interesting: Sightline Daily (click).

I read the linked Sightline article and on thru the comments. A little information on tomatoes was included there, altho' not on the list above. They rank fairly high when considered as a fruit. So, my faith in the tomato and the analysis is strengthened .

The authors, of course, are talking about purchasing these fruits & vegetables - not growing them. Here are some Cooperative Extension folks thinking about the value of these foods as garden crops: Virginia Tech (click)

By the way, in the comment section of the Sightline report, I went right on down to the bottom and followed that link to a blog. I enjoyed reading about the author's efforts to improve her diet while counting pennies and the struggles she has doing that .

Steve

edited to add: time to close windows & doors and head out into the garden. i may have gotten this day kind of backwards! oh well, DW has been busy making pesto so not all is lost .