Lifestyle Change | Dimes2Vines

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.

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!

Catching Up!

Time leading up to and following harvest has certainly flown! We harvested the Roussanne, Montepulciano and Aglianico successfully and with much help from family and friends. Because of the extreme heat which causes problems with the harvester, harvesting began anywhere from 10pm to 3am. Before dawn there is an amazing beauty in the vineyard. Lit up by the harvester, with the stars shining overhead, it is an atmosphere made for romantics!

Given the hard winter, unusually high summer temperatures and drought, we had very good yields. Praise the Lord for His provision!

Although we began work on the house as soon as the vineyard work slowed, we still found time to glean the vines for our own wine-making fruit! Remember the “I Love Lucy” show when she and Ethel stomped the grapes with their feet? Well, everyone got in on the action:

From children:

To grandchildren:

Everyone wanted their feet to be a part of it:

Note: Every pair of feet which stomped were properly cleaned and disinfected. However, according to our grape consultant, micronutrients provided, whatever the source, actually help the yeast!

If you remember, we had begun an insulated concrete form (ICF) house. Working on the house which overlooks the vineyard consumed our time once vineyard work was finished. Each morning we packed lunch and dinner to take with us. We even carried school work to the new house and studied in our bedroom which had become the makeshift dining room. Naps were taken in the boy’s bedroom on a rug with blankets. Doing all the work ourselves not only saved quite a bit of money, but has also provided many learning experiences, as well as, great memories.

During this period, I have had a very difficult time physically. My rheumatoid arthritis decided to rear its ugly head. It was aggravated by two plus days of texturing all the walls with sheet rock mud to give a stucco look. Anyway, I am excited about dietary changes that have made an amazing difference and look forward to sharing them with you in the new year.

We moved into the new house the weekend after Thanksgiving (I will be posting pictures soon). Slowly and surely, we are getting settled. Everyone is looking forward to our first Christmas here. Our traditional trim the tree party was a success and our tree appropriately trimmed!

Buttercup handled the move without a problem. The chickens on the other hand have dropped their egg production by half. Squiggles and now our new dog, Bob, are also glad to be here on a permanent basis and not have the 1/2 mile walk one way to work everyday!

Moving Toward Harvest

With temperatures over 100F for most of June and July, we expected the grapes to shut down. Thankfully, that has not occurred. Instead they are thriving and it appears that harvest for us will be a month earlier than last year. This means that we will begin as early as Thursday!

Having drought conditions this entire year, we have had the water on daily since February. The underground drip tape that we have between the rows is a very efficient way of watering – we lose no water to evaporation and it does not encourage weed growth as above ground irrigation would. The drought has not hurt us as it has other farmers. In fact, without rain there has been no need to spray for fungus or molds and no weeds means no hoeing! I prefer to get my upper body workout another way. Another concern with the storms here in west Texas is the threat of hail. Invariably the rain has hail with it which can devastate a vineyard as well as other crops.

How do we know harvest is near? First, the appearance of the grape, they change color. Then the amount of sugar in the grapes is tested. This is called the Brix. Brix is tested by taking a random sampling of grapes, crushing them to extract the juice and then either a hydrometer or a refractometer is used.

Wineries like a balance of sugar content and pH. We will be shooting for a Brix of 23 -24 on each of our varieties this year. Our Roussanne is at 22 and the Montepulciano is around 17. The Montepulciano was a test of only purple, ripe looking berries – so it was not precise but gives an idea. The Aglianico is a bit further behind the Montepulciano so we have not yet checked it.

Normally, as the Brix increase so does the pH which can present a problem for the wineries. Acidity is needed in wine for it to be stable. To balance the pH and obtain the proper acidity, the wineries add tartaric acid. There is, however, a legal limit to the amount of tartaric acid that may be added. If the acidity is too high and can not be controlled by tartaric acid, the wine is again unstable. This year however, the sugar content is gaining much faster than the pH, which is great!

House on Hold!

While we have not actively been working on the house recently, it is so nice to look over the vineyard and see it in the distance.

Much of the house is complete. All but a couple of pieces of sheet-rock have been put up and the last pieces are cut. We even started mudding it. Once the sheet-rock is finished, we can paint it.

The ceiling will be tongue and groove wood which I plan to white-wash so that the wood grain still shows through. Finally comes the finishing with bathroom tile and fixture, as well as, kitchen counter top and fixtures. Oh, and don’t forget the lights, ceiling fans, shelves and trim!

I guess that sounds like quite a list of unfinished items, but in light of what has been completed – we are almost done!

Daily Life

I would like to give you a glimpse into the routine of our daily life.

Every morning we wake, eat breakfast and walk the half mile to the vineyard (we are saving money and getting exercise!). Most people walk their dog but we walk our cow. Yes, you read it right. Buttercup walks with us every morning to the vineyard where she is staked in the rye which surrounds the vineyard.

Squiggles is not to be left out. She walks with us but being the smart corgi that she is, she walks in Buttercup’s shadow to avoid the sun. You can see her in the picture below, to the left of Buttercup

Buttercup’s preference would be to have free reign in the vineyard. She absolutely loves fresh grapevines! But, she settles for the rye. At lunchtime we take her some fresh vines from the ones we have de-budded, fill her water and we walk back home for lunch.

After lunch and a power nap, John and the older children walk back to the vineyard to finish the afternoon work until milking time. Buttercup is walked home for milking, her grain and bed.

I stay home after lunch to allow the younger children longer naps (code for my nap!) and catch up on everything I did not do in the morning (read, housework, make butter, cheese, prepare lunch for the following day, laundry…)

After milking we eat, everyone showers, read as a family, go to bed and …. wake to start all over.

This may seem a bit monotonous to some, but it is very fulfilling. There is definitely a lot to be said for a simple lifestyle!

The Long Road

It never ceases to amaze me just how fast time flies! The past four months have been no exception. The following is a summary or our life events.

At the end of November (2010), I had what should have been routine surgery requiring a three day hospital stay. Things did not go as planned! The initial surgery was on Tuesday and by Thursday, I had lost over half my blood volume (it was in my abdomen) and transfusions began with an emergency second surgery being performed Thursday night. Recovery has been very slow . The most difficult part of the process has been the lack of energy necessitating scaling back on all activities. I know, we do not bounce back as we did in our younger days but then I do not normally feel my age! Anyway, I did not think that applied to me – Wrong!

Next came the Christmas holidays and a trip to Georgia. I spent the trip itself lying on the backseat of our 15 passenger van. Once we arrived at out destination though, we had a great time. Visiting with family is always invigorating.

The next major event was our oldest daughter’s wedding on January 15. Thankfully, the majority of planning had been done before my surgery. After returning from our trip to Georgia, we had about 2 weeks left to finish the arrangements. We had quite a few out of town family members who attended and they all pitched in to make it a successful and joyful event.

If you remember, we had started building our house at the vineyard and hoped to be moved in by Christmas. Unfortunately, with all the complications of my surgery, that did not happen. We were also not able to complete it before the vineyard work began. So, it is on hold for the moment while we prune the vines. Hopefully, sometime this summer – early summer

The last few months have been filled with the unexpected, frustrations and joys. I am thankful to say, I feel back to normal and am enjoying the energy to complete my daily activities once again.

Images courtesy of Bing Images.

Time

“Time is so everything doesn’t happen all at once.”

Frank, Late for Dinner

Do you ever feel like everything is happening all at once? I sure do. Life is a whirlwind!

John and I went to a grape grower’s/wine maker’s meeting last week and toured several wineries. While the speaker’s topics over the two day period were interesting, our main purpose was to network – meeting other growers, winery owners and wine makers. Since we have another 15 acres of grapes coming into third leaf next year, it is important to meet those interested in our varieties. And, even if they are not necessarily interested now, things can always change!

Work on our house had been put on hold while the vineyard was put to sleep for the winter. (That means, compost spread and rye planted between the rows of grapes.) But now the windows for the house will be delivered today (Mon., Nov. 14). After they are installed the house will really be dried in and ONLY the septic system, plumbing, electrical, sheet rock and painting need to be done! I am not so sure we will be in by Christmas but I am remaining optimistic

Our oldest daughter is getting married on January 15 and it is coming quickly. Those plans are also moving right along – thankfully! After checking with several caterers, we decided to do the reception dinner ourselves. As we were coming to that decision, I spoke at length with a friend and former caterer here in the area. And stemming from his encouragement…

We decided to go into the catering business too! So, in my spare time that is what I will be doing. We purchased a 20′ x 20′ building to used as our commercial kitchen and moved it this past weekend to our land. The friend made us an offer for his catering equipment and we will pick it up when we finish setting up the building. It will be interesting to see what doors the Lord opens.

Frank said in the movie Late for Dinner, “Time is so everything doesn’t happen all at once.” What do you do when time flies and so much is happening that it becomes a blur?

Stay focused on what is most important!

No More Paper Route!

In “Creative Income“, I described how our family’s frugal adventure included two paper routes to help meet living expenses. It has been 11 months now, 7 days a week, of rising at 4:30am to faithfully deliver the newspapers to our little town. My husband and oldest daughter were the primary carriers but the younger children were included on Sundays to insert the additional advertisements.

Having been a chemist in his former life, John made the routes a science. He experimented with different routes to maximize efficiency and cut time. Once it was made as efficient as possible, they began sleeping an extra hour. Waking at 4:30am instead of 3:30am helped tremendously.

Since the Lord has provided our living expenses for next year through the grape harvest, there will be no more paper route. Yesterday, Oct. 31 was the last day – yeah!

While the younger children, who love to go on Sunday are a bit sad, the rest of the family is rejoicing! I realize, I will no longer be getting the coupon inserts from the Sunday’s paper, but I will have a rested husband.

So, what did we do to celebrate? We made homemade doughnuts. And, we ate doughnuts! We also drank fresh milk to make them even more nutritious.

One big lesson our whole family has learned from the paper route is to appreciate people. It is so easy to take people for granted, especially when they provide services that keep them behind the scenes. Don’t forget to show your appreciation to your paper carrier, mailman, UPS man, trash man …. anyone who serves you. Sure, they get a paycheck. But, it may be less than you think. Either way, a demonstration of appreciation – a tip – goes a long way to encourage and uplift others. It also gives you the opportunity to show gratefulness.