Cutting things in half

I talked to a wonderful woman from Coastal Solar regarding our conversion to solar.  I found out a lot of great information and got a price tag for the system.  $29,000 for the complete install of the maximum allowed system on a residential unit.  That's is a hefty price tag and it would only give us at 49% reduction on our current usage.  Now there are rebates and tax cuts to be had but it's still a big chunk of money!

Since this isn't something I can do right now I decided to see what I could do to cut my bill in half.  Air conditioners are off since they eat up kilowatts.  It's been a bit cooler the past two weeks so it's aer  little easier to do this.  Now during a South Georgia summer?  Probably not so much!   A new exhaust fan is in the upstairs window to pull that hot air through and ceiling fans are running on max!  My kitchen is the hardest part to cool (because of it's location in the house), so I've just added a box fan out there to keep the air moving.  I  have limited mystove usage and am relying on my handy crock pot and the grill to cook, or just eating meals we don't have to cook. 

I've also stopped using my dryer.  Well, not totally, but if I use it at al it's for a quick dry of undergarments lol!  Everything else goes on the washline.  I purchased a retractable one from Lowe's and it spans my entire deck and can be easily put away. 

I've also really paid attention to my lights.  I don't run my outside lights all night.  (we have had a really full moon this week so there is no need!)  All other non essential lighting is limited as well.  I'm looking into using little solar lights in the house as well that I charge during the day and then bring in at night. 

So far this week, I have cut my daily electric usage in half!  My average daily usage last month was 132 Kw....my usage yesterday was 62 Kw!

I know there are some other ways to decrease my consumption.  The back of our house is all windows so I need to do something to deflect that direct sunshine and keep the house cooler.  Air flow throughout is also an issue.  I only wash with cold water for dishes and laundry, and I stopped using my dishwasher.  I don't really mind doing all these things because in the end it's more cash in my pocket to do the things I want to do!

Sue

Using less

I long to put solar panes on my roof.  We have an incredible southern exposure roof line and would greatly reduce our expenses if I could knock out my electric bill or at least decrease it significantly.  I am always looking for other ways to reduce my electric usage and sometimes they are just so simple it's ridiculous.  I have become so used to my creature comforts...the dryer, the air conditioner, the dishwasher.  It's all so easy...just a push of the button.  Today I thought to myself...well, let's just try a few things and save some energy and money!

I shut off the air conditioning and opened my windows. 

I baked six loaves of bread.

I put up a makeshift washline on the deck and hung out my laundry. 

Little things..one day at a time.

Sue

Hurricane Matthew

Hurricane Matthew has come and gone.  We were very lucky to have minimal damage and a very short loss of power compared to the rest of the county.  I worked the night of Hurricane Matthew and our brave EMS folks had quite a difficult time bringing sick patients in due to downed power lines and trees.  It never ceases to amaze me how much people abuse the Emergency Department though.  Despite the hurricane,  we had people seeking treatment for non emergent ailments.  I mean, come on people!  It's a hurricane!!

I have great concerns for our society when we do have a complete system failure.  I meet so many people that just don't know how to provide basic first aid.  They constantly rely on someone else to take care of them.  There will come a day, and I fear it will be soon, that there will not be the "someone else".  They will be all on their own and it's high time they learned how to put on a bandaid! 

You don't have to be a "prepper" or a "tree hugger" to learn basic skills.  Take a basic First Aid class or for God's sake go to the library and pick up a book!  Educate yourselves because in the end the only person you are going to be able to rely on is YOURSELF.    We have several trees down in our back yard around the pond.  I have a chainsaw in my shed, but have never used it.  Yesterday I had my best friends husband come and teach me how to use it.  Do I feel comfortable?  Absolutely not!  I cut three  areas of the tree just to get a feel for it.  It's hard and I have trouble starting the dang thing up, but I know more than I did yesterday about using a chain saw and THAT is what is important!

Sue

Moving on....

Hi all!  Well lots has happened since my last post in March!  We have had some major changes around here and it's been leading me to re-evaluate what is most important to me.  The older I become, the more disgruntled I become having to work "outside" the home.  I am a nurse and I make a good living, but there are days it is overwhelming.  You find yourself unappreciated, tired and less compassionate.  I would love to be able to balance my "work life" and "home life" so I can find more joy in both. 

So here is what has been going on:

1.  I am  now among those breed of women you would call "independently separated".  After 12 years of marriage and 5 children, we both decided to go our separate ways.  It is a work in progress and will hopefully be the best thing for both of us. 

2.  My homestead plan is humming along!  I started a small journal with my plans, hopes and dreams to be more self sufficient and it really has helped me to stay on track...and work ahead! 

3.  I have only ONE child at home with me during the day now!  That is HUGE for me since I have not been "childless" for  12 years! 

4.  I can say that I honestly have been living my life for ME, not for someone else or under someone else's expectations.  For, the first time in a long time, I feel like I am getting back to who I really am.  I am really starting to be able to place responsibilities where they should lie, instead of always on my shoulders.  This goes for my kids, my husband, my family and my co-workers. 

5.  I have reconnected with my oldest son.  Big.  That's all I can say here.  :)

6.  I am learning things and exploring ideas that I may not have ever done before.  Also BIG. 

So my hope is to keep up my little blog here and update you on my homestead and whatever else I happen to be doing for the day.  If you follow along, I hope you find something useful along the way. 

Much love

sue

Tuesday in the Garden: starting seedlings

I'm a whimsical kind of gardener.  I like to just throw some seeds in the garden and see what grows.  Now sometimes that goes well and I get some sturdy plants, other times nothing grows at all.  I am determined to have a vegetable garden this year and I am also on a budget.  If you are like me, I just won't pay $3-$4 for a seedling in a pot.  I would rather pay $1.50 or so and get a pack of seeds and get a dozen or two plants.  Then there are those "seed starting" kits you can buy that you just end up throwing out anyway...how much do they go for?  I have seed them ranging from $10 up to $30!  Too much for me!

I made a quick trip this morning to my local Dollar Tree and picked up two bags of potting soil (probably not the BEST potting soil, but dirt is dirt lol!), 4 covered cake pans, and 4 sleeves of Dixie cups.  All total $10.

I can fit 24 cups into each tray.  I bought four seed packs at Lowe's the other day for around $6. 

Today I am planting.....

Spacesaver Cucumbers

Summer Squash:  Bush type

Beefsteak Tomatoes

Hybrid Cherry Tomatoes

I poked holes into the bottom of each cup with my handy metal skewer...

....and them scooped some dirt on in!

.

I put my seeds into a little cup to make picking them up and placing them easier.  The tomato plants were the hardest because those seeds are so darn small!

This is just a little pic of where I keep all my seed packets.  I got it at Goodwill a while back...it is an old file box that was well loved.  I like the color...it's very 70's!

I usually pick up flower seed packs at the Dollar Tree as well.  They have them 4 for $1.  Today I picked up some Cosmo's.  I plan on sprinkling them along my driveway and hope Mother Nature does the rest!

I labeled the lids and added two cups of water to the bottom of the pans and then closed them up. 

It should create a nice little green house for my seedlings to sprout. 

I only had 18 Summer squash seeds so we planted some pumpkin seedlings too!

And here we are on the deck basking in the sunshine!  You can already see the condensation!

Just a side note, I live in Zone 8 so we can pretty much plant all year!  I plan on direct sowing some of these seeds as well, but thought I'd start some seedlings as well in case that whole "direct sowing" thing doesn't pan out!  I'll post pics next Tuesday of our progress!

So all total for 96 seedlings I spent $16.  Not too bad!

I'd love to hear about your frugal garden ideas....:)

What's going on in your garden today? 

Sue

Sewing frenzy

Hello!  Yes, I've been gone from blog land but thankfully I have also rediscovered my little creative self!  I used to scrapbook and make home décor items, and then suddenly I was over it.  Overwhelmed trying to compete with Pinterest, other bloggers and just feeling like I was never good enough.  I'd lost my love of handmade.....but it's back!  I've reopened my Etsy shop, updated my Twitter account and have even considered signing up for a stand at our local Farmer's Market. 

I've readjusted my work schedule to mostly weekends to allow myself to be home during the week for homework help (ugh) and have discovered that I have a good bit of free time now with only two kids at home during the day....which leads to my newest love.....sewing! 

This is my latest...done last night while everyone was at church....

I've also learned the value of interfacing when sewing bags!  I love how crisp they turn out when you use interfacing.  I'm new(er) to sewing but thanks to a great Home Economics class in high school, I can find my way around a machine.  Keep an eye on my Etsy shop for upcoming items!

Happy Day!

Sue

Foster mom

I've become a foster mom to the littlest bit of a kitten.  Our cross eyed stray that I absolutely cannot catch had another litter.  I found two of them already dead under the chicken coop and this poor little guy was crawling around in the dirt.  I crawled under and got him out and have tried to reunite him with his mother, but she completely ignores him.  So we have him bundled up in a little blanket bed and have been bottle feeding him.  He is getting lots of love. Hoping he will make it!