Posts Tagged ‘budget’
Tuesday’s Tip: Adding income to the homestead budget.
July 6th, 2010
Whether the economy is good or bad, the fact that the homesteader has a wide array of options has never changed. Here are some ideas for adding some income to the homestead budget:
1. Farmer’s Markets – From home-grown fruits and vegetables to freshly baked bread, farmers markets offer many areas of income opportunity to the homesteader. Many homesteaders bring their honey, beeswax candles, flowers, seeds from the last harvest and herbs. The variety of things that can be sold at a farmers market is vast!
2. Farm Tours - Many people from the city and suburbs are often intrigued with farm life and excited to learn new skills that you may have already acquired. Set specific tour and lesson dates and get the word out. You may be surprised to find how many groups want to dig in the dirt and get in touch with where their food comes from. Sheep shearing and wool spinning are often interesting events along with a host of other typical homestead activities, that others don’t have the joy of sharing in unless you invite them.
3. Lessons – As we have seen more and more people are getting back to the basics of living more simply. The trouble with that is, many who move to the country don’t have the benefit of having had generations who passed down the skills to do so. You could teach bread baking, canning or animal husbandry with your neighbors who are new to the area.
4. Share your skills for a fee – Again touching on the newly arrived, greenhorn homesteader, you may want to offer a service of bush-hogging land they wish cleared, tilling the garden spot, hauling in or out debris or livestock for a small fee. You might be surprised what a tiny ad in the local paper may turn up as others move to your more rural neighborhood.
These are but a very few suggestions for making more income come into your homesteading budget. Count your blessings even in the tougher economic times and see just how many options you have as someone who has even the smallest of homesteads, or at least some homesteading skills!
Until next time!
Best Blessings!
Donna
The Millers own and operate Millers Grain House which offers Chemical Free and Organic Grains, Grain Mills, Bread Machines,Grain buckets, Bosch Mixers, the NutriMill, instructional tutorials, recipes and more.
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Stop tossing tomatoes!
October 14th, 2008
Tips to saving grocery money: Stop Tossing Tomatoes
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Tags: budget, food, frugal, grocery savings, homestead, left overs, menu, save money, savings, stretch gorceries, tips, tomato | 
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Grocery Shopping Tips
September 19th, 2008
Remember back when you could shop a few different grocery stores across town to get the better deals at each? Well, my tip for today is….”watch out”…..if you are still stuck in that as a habit, it may not be as frugal as it used to be due to the rise in gas prices.
We won’t go through the math of figuring the gallons used to traverse multiple stores for savings, but I would like to give a few tips for shopping even if you stay at just one store.
Grocery Shopping Tip #1: SHOP AT HOME FIRST! Before you grab the keys, load up the kids and attempt a trip to the grocery for a frugal shopping trip, try shopping in the quiet privacy of your home first. No, I’m not saying shop online only (although some of that may be good) I am saying look at what you ALREADY HAVE and take stock in it. What about those baked beans that you bought a month ago when they were on sale? Can you use them now? Any left-overs to incorporate in the week’s menu or that need freezing for a quick to heat at work meal? After you’ve surveyed the refrigerator, garden and pantry, it’s time for tip #2…
Grocery Shopping Tip #2: MAKE A WEEKLY MENU! Okay, okay no moaning and groaning allowed. Really, it’s not as ridged as it sounds. Seven breakfasts don’t HAVE to be made and served in the exact order they are written, jump around and eat what you have time for and as the taste buds lead, but you will know what you have in the house for the week. Make a menu for ALL meals, ALL days, then you can mix them up and cross them off as you serve/enjoy them regardless of order. After all, you already know what you have currently at home before leaving for the grocery store….start with those items and build a menu from there, I’ll bet it will be a shorter and cheaper grocery trip because of the first step and now this one.
Grocery Shopping Tip #3: MAKE A LIST! This sounds simple but it really is the absolute best tool and tip for saving money. Throughout the week keep one running list so you (and others in the family) can jot down items you run out of AS IT RUNS OUT. Look up your favorite store’s sales flyer on line (or if you have one in tangible form at home, use it and list from sales) If your list also includes prices, it’s an even BETTER LIST that keeps you in a budget. If you have a list you are less likely to impulse buy. If you have a list you are less likely to have to take another trip to the store to pick up what you missed (saving gas now). If you have a list it means you have at least a loose PLAN…..(which really is tip #2)
Okay, I know, I know, tips 2 and 3 kind of bounce back and forth until you get a menu and a list that match up….and it’s not in a neat little ‘order’, but you’re smart, you get the idea.
To sum up the tips:
Use what you have on hand first…
Build a menu from your current pantry, freezer, fridge and sales flyers then…
Tweak items to be sure all items for this week’s menu are on the list.
One last tip…EAT A SNACK before you go shopping! If you are hungry, you are more likely to impulse buy.
Now…Happy Grocery Stretching Shopping and Happy Homesteading!!
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