Dimes2Vines - Part 2

40 Frugal Living Tips Revisited

“Use it up, wear it out, make do or do without!”

—— My husband

At the end of 2009, I posted “My Top 40 Frugal Living Tips.” Now, 2 years later, it is encouraging to review it. If you have been reading Dimes2Vines for a while, you know the last 4 years have been challenging, to say the least! Starting a 20 acre vineyard from scratch is a lot of hard work. Hard work without an accompanying paycheck!

With a large family, frugal living has always been a part of our lifestyle but became significantly more important. Now after our first successful harvest, we are continuing our frugal lifestyle. Why? To be good stewards. I am not talking about a miserly lifestyle. Rather, we are continuing to work together for our common family goals.

These goals include expanding the vineyard – we are planting another 2 1/3 acres of grapes this year – and finishing our house which overlooks the vineyard. Hopefully, we will continue the Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) upward after this year’s havest in Oct. 2012.

Many items on my top 40 list seem to be common sense things but they are also easy to forget about, such as, #16 adjust your thermostat, #17 turn off lights and #18 turn off ceiling fans when leaving a room.

In fact, as I review the list, we are still practicing them all – from tithing (#1),to writing down all expenses in my budget book (#2) to using VoIP as our phone rather than cell phones (#40).

Don’t underestimate the power of the “little things”. The little things can quickly add up! Each of the 40 tips alone may seem insignificant, but, together they can amount to great savings.

Broccoli Nut Casserole

Broccoli Nut Casserole is one of my mother’s recipes that is definitely a family favorite and brings back lots of good memories. I reserve it for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner but it would be wonderful anytime. This recipe can also easily be doubled, tripled or ….

Broccoli Nut Casserole

2 packages frozen chopped broccoli 2 eggs, well beaten

1 can cream mushroom soup 1 med. onion chopped

1 cup mayonnaise 1 c. grated sharp cheese

3/4c. chopped nuts 2 c. buttered bread crumbs

Cook broccoli and drain. Add soup, mayo, chopped nuts and mix well. Add beaten eggs and onions. Pour into a greased 2 qt casserole. Sprinkle with cheese then cover with bread crumbs.

Bake at 350F for 30 min.

Redecorating – Paint It!

Redecorating can easily mean spending lots of money, but, it does not have to. With phase one of our home completed, I felt it time for some sprucing up in the interior design area. One very budget friendly way to add pizzazz is to start with pieces of furntiure you already have or a yard sale find and paint it!

You can see the difference in an old dresser before:

After painting it is ready to hold our 6 year old son’s clothes:

There are a few things to be aware of before you begin.

1. There are 2 types of paint commonly used on furniture, latex and oil based. If the piece of furniture is already painted, you need to know what type of paint is on it. To do this, take a cotton ball wet (but not dripping) with nail polish remover. Gently rub the painted surface in an inconspicuous spot. If the paint is latex, a small amount of color will show on the cotton ball. If the paint is oil based, the cotton ball will be clean.

Why is this important? If you use a latex paint over an oil based paint – it will peel. The pink trunk below was the toy box from my childhood. It was painted with an oil based paint.

This does not mean you must use an oil based paint which seems to take forever to dry and smells terribly. But, the surface must be primed. I use a primer product made by Kilz for oil based paint. It is available in a spray, a paint can, and either of these are available in a regular or an odorless version. The same pink trunk now primed with Kilz primer for oil based paint. I also taped old newspaper to the inside to protect the surface not to be painted.

Finally, the “new” blue trunk painted with latex paint is better suited for the boys’ room.

I personally prefer using latex paint because there is very little odor, drying time is much faster and clean up is with soap and water rather than mineral spirits.

2. The surface should be clean and smooth. Gently sand the piece with fine sandpaper to roughen it up. This allows the new paint to adhere better.

3. Work in a well ventilated area. The wind here in west Texas makes painting outside many days almost impossible. I painted the furniture pictured in the middle of the kitchen with the windows open. I did use the spray primer on the toy box so the priming was done outside.

4. Protect your work surface. I always spread newspaper or plastic on the floor.

5. You will need a paint brush and an old rag to wipe up any drips.

6. Read the back of the paint can for specifics about drying time and time needed between paint applications.

7. Clean up your brush with soap and water if using latex paint and mineral spirits if using oil based paint.

A Sad Day

Because of more problems with our internet, I was unable to post the introduction to Bob and Monty when I originally wrote them last week. I debated as to whether or not to post them as written. If you read them, you will remember that several of the pictures included Squiggles, our red and white Pembroke Welsh corgi. It is with great sadness that I write – Squiggles is no longer with us.

While we were away one evening, she wandered from home which was very unusual (as far as we know anyway) and someone shot her. Our neighbors all knew her, so, our assumption is that someone mistook her for a coyote. (There has been a problem with rabid coyotes this year.) Although I do not see how, it is also incomprehensible that someone would be so cruel as to shoot a dog and leave it to suffer.

Needless to say, it has been very sad for all of us and many tears have been shed. In light of the suffering that other families are experiencing, I know this may seem trivial. But, while Squiggles was just a dog, she was a great dog and had her place in our family. It is one of those lessons that as parents we must deal with and help our children through. Death is a reality – we will all face it.

This life is temporary and fleeting – make the most of your time and be prepared for eternity.

Monty

We have another new family member.

A cat.

Monty – short for Montepulciano – one of the Italian red grape varieties that we grow.His mother was Siamese. From the looks of Monty, his father may have been Persian.That would make him a Himalayan.

I am a dog person NOT and I repeat, NOT a cat person.

But, even I have to admit, Monty is a nice cat.

Why would I feel this way being such a loyal dog person?

He thinks he is one of the dogs! He sleeps with them. They eat out of the same bowl. They all eat dog food (Monty prefers it!). They run together. They play together. They all walk to the vineyard and back together.

But, Monty, although he may not realize it, is still a cat.

How do I know?

He still purrs!

Boomerang Dog?

Most everyone has heard of boomerang children – but – a boomerang dog?

Well, we have one!

Meet Bob, a Pembroke Welsh Corgi.

Bob was on of Sophie and Scruggs’ puppies and is 2 years old.He belonged to our second oldest son and lived in El Paso. Since our son’s was finding it difficult to spend time with Bob – between girlfriend and work (mostly girlfriend, I think!) – Bob has now come back to his roots.

Bob’s favorite activity? Fetch! He is obsessed with it! Whether it is a small stick or a 3 foot 2′ x 4′ board, he will bring whatever he finds and drop it at your feet.

If you ignore him? He picks it up and drops it again, making a louder sound! If you still do not pick the stick up and throw it, he will go find another and drop it at your feet and repeat the whole process over.

How does Bob like his new home? He loves it! There are 9 people here just to play fetch with him! Then, as if that were not enough, there is Squiggles. They love to play and although she does not understand the fetch game, she races him every time he takes off running, snapping and growling at him. She has finally learned to tease him by grabbing the other end of the stick and they play tug-of war.

Winter in the Vineyard

While many may not see beauty in a vineyard during the winter, I do. Vines which are growing so vibrant and green during the summer, are now brown and gnarly. I’m not sure “gnarly” is a word but it definitely describes the dried, brown, bare vines.

I guess when I look at the vineyard this time of year, I see promise and the hope of things to come.

Or maybe …

I see a vineyard that does not require work right now … ie… a rest period for us!

ICF – Phase 1 Complete!

What will eventually be our basement is now home sweet home. We are all enjoying starting the New Year in our own home. So far we are very pleased with the ICF (insulated concrete forms) walls and are amazed at the insulation value. Our small wood burning stove can quickly cause us to open windows to let out the heat!

Having done all the work ourselves has taken time but certainly saved us a lot of money. As of now, we have spent right at $42,000 and have1500 sq ft with 3 bedrooms and 1 bath (Yes, 1 bath for 9 people can be challenging at times but there are more to come upstairs!).

We did decide to do some extras since this is hopefully the house we will grow old in. The $42,000 figure includes a $1500 Pelican water softener which has been well worth the expense. We did purchase the larger model to accommodate the remainder of the house. If you live in an area which has hard water, you may be interested in one as it uses no salt but rather a bed of crystals. The crystal bed causes the naturally dissolved minerals in the hard water to form tiny crystals suspended in the water. These tiny crystals are relatively inactive and so the water “feels” soft in the shower, dishwasher and other normal usage. The bed never needs replacing and in just 4 years it will have paid for itself.

John also installed a fire sprinkler system inside, we used beaded board wood for the ceiling, the bathroom is floor to ceiling porcelain tile and the kitchen counter is made of granite tiles (bought on sale).

The exterior door opens into the laundry room which leads into the kitchen.

The kitchen, dining room and family room are really one large room.

It is very conducive to our lifestyle to be able to see what is going on from any room. The bedrooms are off the southwest side of the family room. Complete settling in is happening little by little and hopefully will be completed before the vineyard work really starts.

Phase 2 is planned to begin after this year’s harvest. Extending another 14 feet on 3 sides with the ICF and continuing upward. The 14 foot areas will provide storage, wine cellar, cheese cave and root cellar. The first floor will have 4000 sq ft. with a very large center family room surrounded by a 5 ft wide hall. The bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen and study will surround the center room and be off the hall.

The roof will be metal of a yet to be determined color. The temporary TPO (Themo Plastic Olefin) roofing, which is now covering what will be the first floors sub-flooring, will be removed once the ICF walls and metal roof are in place. The exposed basement walls will have a stone facade with stucco on the exterior of the upstairs.

Being do-it-yourselfers has provided us many memories, opportunity to learn new skills, and the chance to work together as a family besides having more that we otherwise would have been able to afford. While it has taken time and been a lot of work, it has certainly been worth it!

Now, to be content and wait for phase 2!

Woes of Country Living

I have not posted the last few days because we have no internet! Tonight, we are visiting our oldest son and his family for dinner, so, I am taking a few moments to let you, I am still here.

Since it is so economical, we have VoIP (voice over internet phone), which means, we also have had no phone this week. Our home has literally been very silent this week (if you disregard the children’s voices, the dogs’ barking, the cat’s meowing and the parakeets cheeps). No telemarketers, no pleasure calls, no ring-a-dings of any type!
Our internet provider is currently working on the problem and I hope to be back full force sometime next week with pics of our new house,the vineyard in the winter, some economical ways to redecorate and add pizazz to your home interior and more.
Have a great weekend!

Ebates – Sign Up Bonus & Double Cash Back!

Ebates is starting the year off with Double Cash Back on select stores – what a way to start 2012!

I posted quite awhile ago about the “Ebates Sign up Bonus”. In addition to the $5 Ebates credit, if you sign up now, you may opt instead to choose from several gift cards: $10 Barnes & Nobles, $10 Home Depot, $10 Target or a $10 Magazine.com.

What is Ebates? It is an online cash back shopping site, working with over 1,200 stores to give cash back and coupons to you. They get a commission from the stores when you make a purchase and instead of keeping that money, they share it with you! Joining Ebates is free. And four times a year they mail you a big fat check, or transfer the money to your PayPal account if you’d prefer.

Like I always say, “you have to spend money to make money, so, the more you spend, the more you get back!” Seriously though, if you shop online, why not get a rebate for it?

Ebates has a nice referral program also. You receive $5 for each referral who signs up using your unique link (found under the “Tell-a-Friend” tab) and then makes a $20 purchase within 90 days of joining. Try it and if you like it, why not tell others. Help them earn money on their online purchases also.