We sat down yesterday and discussed this very thing. House heat is off and woodstove is burning. If we have extra $20, it goes for diesel for the truck to go cut more wood.
Nobody wants to work around the place after a hard day at work and don't want to give up the only 2 days we have off. We have decided we need to spend more time together so are planning one big project we need to do, doing it together then we have more down time. We are landscaping our yard with raised rock beds and will do that together (using sweat equity instead of money) and hopefully in the spring most of the work will be done except underground sprinklers.
A very smart friend once said she went shopping at her own home. Tired of the same old home decorations? She would move pictures or nicknaks around or bring things out of the back of closets, drawers ect and use them for awhile.
I had some extra pipe corral panels and with a few t posts made a run from the pasture to the mare motel stalls. This has made life so much easier! If the farrier is coming I throw hay in the stalls, walk down and open the gate and 12 horses put themselves in stalls(no halters and extra steps). When done, open stalls and they run back into pasture. It has also made and extra turn out area when I have mares and foals or show horses in the barn.
When I had the big horses and they were always stalled I used to buy bulk shavings, which was a big savings. Then I found the guy a mile away that had a wood shop and does moulding. I got free shavings and kindling for the woodstove. I rarely have horses in the barn now so my shavings bin will turn into my compost bin. This time of year I clean out the raised garden beds and when I clean paddocks put the manure in my garden beds. By spring it will have composted and I turn over the beds and plant.
I have discovered craigslist, Woohoo!!! Not only have I found things I need cheap, but as I am redecorating by looking in closets and drawers, I am going to sell things I don't need and have been taking up space. Think of it, by spring I will have cleaned closets and drawers, made some money by what I can sell and used the money to buy things I need.
Talking about food savings, I do most of my shopping at Grocery Outlet. They don't always have the same stuff so if they have something I use frequently (laundry soap, dog biscuits, pharmacy stuff) I stock up. I love fresh ground coffee so I buy the 2 pounds of beans at $5.99. At the grocery store it is $8-10 per pound. Next door are 2 big grocery stores so I buy the rest of my stuff so I don't run around.
I also use Cash and Carry which is a restaurant supply and the savings are huge on some items.
That would then make buffets unafforable for most of us. I think I will email Fox & tell them they need to check out their sources before recommending them.
