Post by glenda on Sept 3, 2004 15:38:51 GMT -5
Praise the Lord. I know what you mean about high water bills. Ours runs around 70.00 a month. It seems like it gets higher and higher every month. We have done many things to cut down on our water bill however it seems like everything we do it does not help our cost. I told my dear husband i want to buy a wash tub and a old wash board and just do our five to six load of clothes on that per day. That should cut down on our water use. We will see when we are able to buy one.
Another high cost for us our electric. We cut off the ac and only run it when there is company here. If it is just us and we get hot we can go out side under a tree and put our feet in a wading pool. You would be suprised how much that can cool one off. Yet still our electric will run us around 130.00 a month.
Now as far as canning you have to remember most of us did not grow up canning. My mom only canned fig pres , salsa, and some hot peppers. So when we started having kids I had to do something. The first thing I did was buy a ball canning book. I read that thing from frount to back. Then I got my boiling bath canner. I used it for about one year. I canned everything i could in that thing. When I got to the point where i felt like I wanted to move on then my father god bless him bought me a pressure canner for a early birthday present. Well once the bug bit me. I loved to can. Now I have a boiling bath canner, and two pressure canners.
As far as gardening. We do what is call square foot gardening. We grow our cucumbers up on tomato cages. This allows me to grow more and also it makes it nice when it come to pick them you really don't have to bend over that much. There no really looking on the ground for cucumbers. Tomaotes you can grow in the same mannor. You can grow a lot of vegs in buckets, old tires or just about anything. If you take a tire and plant one sweet potato plant in it. As it takes off place another tire on top of the first over the plant well with dirt allow it to grow thue again and then place another tire of top of the second again cover it with dirt. Allow to grow thue once more. At this time allow it to be just water. When the plants start to die down remove your tires and you will have about 50-100 lbs of potatoes. You can do the same thing with white potatoes. Tires are also good for cabbage, carrots, onions, lettuce etc.
Well there is just a few more ideas
Another high cost for us our electric. We cut off the ac and only run it when there is company here. If it is just us and we get hot we can go out side under a tree and put our feet in a wading pool. You would be suprised how much that can cool one off. Yet still our electric will run us around 130.00 a month.
Now as far as canning you have to remember most of us did not grow up canning. My mom only canned fig pres , salsa, and some hot peppers. So when we started having kids I had to do something. The first thing I did was buy a ball canning book. I read that thing from frount to back. Then I got my boiling bath canner. I used it for about one year. I canned everything i could in that thing. When I got to the point where i felt like I wanted to move on then my father god bless him bought me a pressure canner for a early birthday present. Well once the bug bit me. I loved to can. Now I have a boiling bath canner, and two pressure canners.
As far as gardening. We do what is call square foot gardening. We grow our cucumbers up on tomato cages. This allows me to grow more and also it makes it nice when it come to pick them you really don't have to bend over that much. There no really looking on the ground for cucumbers. Tomaotes you can grow in the same mannor. You can grow a lot of vegs in buckets, old tires or just about anything. If you take a tire and plant one sweet potato plant in it. As it takes off place another tire on top of the first over the plant well with dirt allow it to grow thue again and then place another tire of top of the second again cover it with dirt. Allow to grow thue once more. At this time allow it to be just water. When the plants start to die down remove your tires and you will have about 50-100 lbs of potatoes. You can do the same thing with white potatoes. Tires are also good for cabbage, carrots, onions, lettuce etc.
Well there is just a few more ideas