Re: OT - What wouldn't you give up?

That's a good question. My husband is retired and I work at home and am
totally digital, so the gas prices have not affected us that much, but we do
try to combine our trips and keep driving to a minimum.

I have definitely cut back on groceries. It is especially hard because as a
diabetic I must eat low-carb, and carbs are the most filling. We are eating
chicken and pork as the cheapest meat. Fish has never been a favorite, so
now we can't afford it it's a good excuse. We are using more eggs for
protein. We grow a lot of our own veggies, but we have more than doubled
the size of our garden. Like you I must have milk--though because of the
carbs in milk I have to limit it. I also must have quality dog food, and
our cats get treated pretty well, too. I also always have cooked from
scratch rather than using prepared foods. That can save you a LOT of money.

If you buy bottled water you should consider what we do. We have a small
home distiller. I would not drink the water that comes out of our
ground--or cook with it. We are surrounded by farms that use chemicals. It
is also loaded with coral calcium and since my husband has had problems with
kidney stones the Dr. advised him not to drink it. For about $200 or less
you can buy a distiller that does a gallon at a time, and way cheaper than
bottled water. We fill our own containers to take it with us. It's easy to
use and takes only a few minutes to do. Just Google small water distillers
and you will come up with several. Ours has been producing a gallon or two
a day for 3 or 4 years and still going strong. You should make sure you
take a mineral supplement if you use distilled water.

I make my own latte every morning. They reported on the news that they
could remember when you could get a cup of coffee for a dollar. Well I
remember when it was only a dime--boy does that date me. I like my coffee,
but I have only had a couple of Starbucks in my life, and what I make at
home is just as good.

We spent part of our "rebate" doing our share and bought an ice cream
maker--one that you don't have to freeze the bowl. Cuisinart's was on sale.
I am experimenting with lower fat and of course use Splenda. I went to buy
ice cream a few weeks ago and was floored at the price! That's about the
only desert I crave occasionally. It's easy to make it low carb, but not
easy to cut the fat and still have a quality product!

Hay and grain have gone way up, but my horses have to eat. No hay is grown
in Florida, so that means it is trucked in. We're trying to coax more grass
in the pasture, but fertilizer and gas for mowing make savings questionable.
We're letting the grass get a little longer before we mow.

We've also set the thermostat up a little, and we've actually had a couple
of cooler days this week, and we turned the a/c off completely. That won't
happen often until next fall. I'm on patrol to turn off lights and TV--when
my husband was chief breadwinner he used to nag the family about that and he
is the worst violator now! We have replaced virtually all the bulbs. That
not only saves energy with the bulb itself, but they generate much less heat
than regular bulbs do, so they save both ways if you live in an area where
a/c is necessary.

Okay, I've bored you enough.

Barb C.
"Judity" <Judity01@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:7769d55a-7034-48d4-8e18-e027470b944a@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
With the cost of almost everything going up, a recent discussion
thread on Amazon.com asked the above question. I am curious enough to
ask that question here. Also, in what ways are you trying to save
money?

As for me, my two "must have" items are milk and quality cat food.

I already save money on gas since my previous car used higher octane
that Blue Satyr does.

I use my well water for some things, but buy drinking water. Instead
of spending over a dollar for a quart of fancy bottled water, I spend
25 cents per gallon from the Glacier machine outside the grocery
store. I buy Sunny Delight juice, and the containers are recycled
just for this purpose. Right now I have around 40 gallons I use on a
rotating basis.

All my bills are paid online, so I rarely have to buy stamps.

I love iced coffee, but refused to spend all that money for a
Starbucks. I make hot coffee at home and put a larger container of it
in the refrigerator to chill. One hot days like we're having now,
there's nothing so cooling as delicious iced coffee.

Any of you willing to answer either of the two questions above? You
might give the rest of us some good ideas.

Judity
My Home of the Red Fox book web site
http://jabuxton-06-13-08.bravehost.com/
or read any of my other stories in the link below
http://judity.Writing.Com/



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