We're planning on a flock of five, and I am building an enclosed 50 sq. ft. run, with a 20 sq. ft. coop. I'm still framing and should be under cover in the coming week.
Posted on 07/24/2009 3:37:21 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny
Weekly Roundup - Living On Nothing Edition Category: Roundups | Comments(15)
Did you hear about the guy that lives on nothing? No seriously, he lives on zero dollars a day. Meet Daniel Suelo, who lives in a cave outside Moab, Utah. Suelo has no mortgage, no car payment, no debt of any kind. He also has no home, no car, no television, and absolutely no “creature comforts.” But he does have a lot of creatures, as in the mice and bugs that scurry about the cave floor he’s called home for the last three years.
To us, Suelo probably sounds a little extreme. Actually, he probably sounds very extreme. After all, I suspect most of you reading this are doing so under the protection of some sort of man-made shelter, and with some amount of money on your person, and probably a few needs for money, too. And who doesn’t need money unless they have completely unplugged from the grid? Still, it’s an amusing story about a guy who rejects all forms of consumerism as we know it.
The Frugal Roundup
How to Brew Your Own Beer and Maybe Save Some Money. A fantastic introduction to home brewing, something I’ve never done myself, but always been interested in trying. (@Generation X Finance)
Contentment: A Great Financial Principle. If I had to name one required emotion for living a frugal lifestyle it would be contentment. Once you are content with your belongings and your lot in life you can ignore forces attempting to separate you from your money. (@Personal Finance by the Book)
Use Energy Star Appliances to Save On Utility Costs. I enjoyed this post because it included actual numbers, and actual total savings, from someone who upgraded to new, energy star appliances. (@The Digerati Life)
Over-Saving for Retirement? Is it possible to “over-save” for retirement? Yes, I think so. At some point I like the idea of putting some money aside in taxable investments outside of retirement funds, to be accessed prior to traditional retirement age. (@The Simple Dollar)
40 Things to Teach My Kids Before They Leave Home. A great list of both practical and philosophical lessons to teach your kids before they reach the age where they know everything. I think that now happens around 13 years-old. (@My Supercharged Life)
Index Fund Investing Overview. If you are looking for a place to invest with high diversification and relatively low fees (for broader index funds with low turnover), index funds are a great place to start. (@Money Smart Life)
5 Reasons To Line Dry Your Laundry. My wife and I may soon be installing a clothesline in our backyard. In many neighborhoods they are frowned upon - one of the reasons I don’t like living in a neighborhood. I digress. One of our neighbors recently put up a clothesline, and we might just follow his lead. (@Simple Mom)
A Few Others I Enjoyed
* 4 Quick Tips for Getting Out of a Rut * Young and Cash Rich * Embracing Simple Style * First Trading Experience With OptionsHouse * The Exponential Power of Delayed Consumption * How Much Emergency Fund is Enough? * 50 Questions that Will Free Your Mind * Save Money On Car Insurance
That’s right, Granny. Happy 2010.
Thanks for the ping. The only One to fear is God. May we remember this no matter what.
This is such a versatile idea. I have been using this for literally decades. Over time, I have made note of which seeds benefit from this advance sprouting and which seem to give me no advantage. Corn and cucumber seeds seem to rot rather than germinate in cool,damp weather,so I always sprout these. Green beans seem to have little advantage with advance sprouting, so I usually don’t bother. If I have saved my own seeds, I test their viability early in late winter by sprouting 10-20 seeds in a wet paper towel. Then I can get a percentage rate of germination and decide how thick to sow my seeds.
I remember 65 years ago or more, my parents would soak seeds until they swelled and started to sprout as paper towels hadn’t been manufactured back then. Ten years ago, on my high schools 50th reunion, I received a class letter that listed all the things not available when we graduated-paper towels, bobby pins, plastic wrap, bags and all manor of plastics. Hard to believe now!!
ATTENTION ALL HERBAL ENTHUSIASTS - Essential Oils - Salves users.....
Starting 2010 by searching for herbs in bulk at reasonable prices.....
I am excited with a new-found source:
Things like 1 pound of dried whole Bay Leaves - $4.45
(use this for bug protection in all your grain/flour storage)
They have over 500 herbs in bulk!
Teas, ascorbic acid (Vitamin C for canning), Citric acid
Pepper black whole
Piper nigrum India 1 pound $4.40
Onion flakes
Allium cepa USA 1 pound $3.90
Mandrake root c/s (cut sifted)
Podophyllum pelatum USA 1 pound $8.45
Feverfew tops c/s
Tanacetum parthenium USA 1 pound $6.85
Horehound herb c/s
Marrubium vulgare USA 1 pound $5.95
Hundreds and hundreds more and prices are excellent!
OK, so I am getting excited.....
Company located in Iowa, and I like that they list the source country for each item.
Worth checking out - I did and ordered several items.
Now you can stock up on herbal supplies on a budget.
p.s. no freight - just flat $6.25 handling charge
Will update - giving evaluation when I receive my order.
Great site. One pound of bay leaves is a LOT of bay leaves. I checked it out and their prices are better than my local natural foods store, even factoring in the handling charge. Most of the spices and herbs at my local store are packed in small plastic bags-about an ounce and mostly are $1.25 each. Allspice at $5.00 a pound! Has anyone priced allspice in a grocery store lately? Over $5.00 for about an ounce or less. Nutmeg, cinnamon, onion flakes and coarse ground black pepper are some other items I will be ordering to share with family members. Thanks for sharing this site. That’s what this survival thread is all about.
>>>I checked it out and their prices are better than my local natural foods store, even factoring in the handling charge. <<<
I compared Sam’s Club prices - Like Parsley Flakes 2.7oz. for $3.38 which is $20.04 per pound vs. Herbalcom at $8.00
I ordered 6 pounds worth, so the processing fee was only $1.04 per item.
I figure on a 4 way split with family, the quantities should be manageable and can be kept fresh.
My sausage making won’t be as expensive now.
Making a list - “checking it twice”
Couple questions - difference between rubbed and powdered sage?
Yeast -is nutritional yeast the same as we make bread with?
Got a big list. Going to break into the piggy bank, but think I will hold off for report from your order.
>>>Couple questions - difference between rubbed and powdered sage?<<<
Rubbed is not ground, but is - well, rubbed against a screen that breaks it and kind of fuzzes it. The ground is run through a sharp grinder that cuts more than rubs. I don’t know which is better, but the rubbed would be more coarse.
>>>Yeast -is nutritional yeast the same as we make bread with?<<<
I think the nutritional yeast is the same as used for brewing or baking, but has been inactivated - probably by heat.
>>>think I will hold off for report from your order.<<<
Sir guinea pig will give a full report... LOL
Seriously, in this day and time it is probably a good idea to learn the results before jumping in.
So far, can say selection and prices are great, and I got a full confirmation email within 5 minutes of ordering.
They claim that they ship within 24 hours and can expect it UPS within 5 days.
I really need to spend some time on this fascinating thread! (had sickness and computer problems for weeks and weeks - just sort of getting back in on FR).
Nutritional yeast is a different kind of yeast than baking yeast, it’s grown specifically for its nutritional and flavor uses. There is something called “Brewers yeast” that is a by-product of - well, brewing - and it does have a lot of B vitamins but it tastes bitter and pretty awful.
Nutritional yeast - I use Red Star, it’s a very common brand - and have for years. It is very tasty and can be sprinkled on just about anything - baked potatoes, toast, rice, vegetables, soups, avocadoes - I really like it on toast with lots of butter. It has all the B vitamins (I think) plus plenty of iron. Maybe other stuff too. I’d have to look.
It’s a really good thing to have on hand for hardships - to add to the nutrition when food variety might be limited, also to increase taste appeal for picky eaters, people with appetite fatigue, etc.
They grow nutritional yeast on molasses, I believe. Other than that, I really don’t know how they do it. It is not active, so it can’t make bread!
Oops - meant to add your name to the above comment.
Great to have you commenting...
We need all the expertise we can get!
Since it is inactivated, I wonder if you could culture it like you do sourdough starter and then dehydrate it - since you aren’t worrying about killing it.
I think a lot of it comes from the brewing process - there, after several batches of beer have been brewed with the same yeast, it has become somewhat contaminated, and the settle it out and dry it to make nutritional yeast.
Lots of yeast info at:
http://www.lesaffreyeastcorp.com/SoY/images/pdfs/story_of_yeast.pdf
Nutritional yeast isn’t active so it can’t be cultured, you can’t increase it at home! It also is a primary grown yeast, unlike Brewers yeast. Taste a LOT better, too! I’ve known many children who have loved it on food, a great way to get B vitamins and iron into them in an easily assimilable way.
>>>Nutritional yeast isn’t active so it can’t be cultured, you can’t increase it at home! <<<
LOL, it came out differently than I was thinking it....
I was thinking of growing it like you do the sponge as you are making bread,(from live yeast) then settling it out and then drying it. The settling and drying like you would do when you make corn/potato starch at home.
In the brewers yeast, I think the hops may add that bitter taste. They process it to remove the bitter taste, at the expense of the nutrient losses that occur. Some spent brewers yeast is re-cultured with molasses which adds back some of the nutrients and gives it a great flavor.
I can remember my grandfather feeding large quantities of brewers spent grain to cows - he felt it helped maintain his very high butterfat content.(which is the basis for pricing in milk) But that’s a whole different subject... ;9)
For people who enjoy reading, or who want to put together a "survival" library, there's several dozen book titles at the link, this long list is entitled, FAVORITE SURVIVAL FICTION and it is the result of a poll of the members of survivalblog.com
Delawhere, thanks for posting the Science Daily article; I’ve read several articles last fall that there will be rice crop failures in several countries and consequently the price of rice may soar very high during 2010.
NICE - Looks like a great coop in the making!
I’m sure you will enjoy your chickens as much as I do mine.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2420449/posts
Our Freeper Friend Jeff Head was diagnosed with a serious (they all are to me) form of cancer just before Christmas.......
Thanks! This is a really fun project and it gives me something to do besides read all the bad news out there.
And yah, we have talked about raising chickens for years, and my wife and I both think this is going to be a hoot...
Happy New Year!
Here are several new projects for the new year,
~ Make a Coloring Mural for THE MITTEN
http://janbrett.com/murals.htm
~ Join the new School Visit Contest for a chance to win the Grand Prize
visit to your school of library. There are 99 other prizes too!
http://www.janbrett.com/contest_2010/free_school_visit_contest_2010.htm
~ Make a Hedgehog Coloring Calendar for 2010
http://janbrett.com/calendars.htm
It’s a pleasure to be in touch.
Sincerely,
Jan Brett
Download a Free Jan Brett How to Draw Video -
http://janbrett.com/video/video_main_page.htm
Read all about Jan Brett’s books and get the best bookstore prices -
http://www.janbrett.com/bookstores/hedgies_lets_go_shopping.htm
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