Moneys tight - so glad we garden

With the veggies growing just as fast as we can get them planted I am thankful for the fruits of our labor. We garden for the nourishment but we also garden to save money. Now I am happy we do. My husband recently got a new job that he starts on Friday. This new job means alot to our family. First it is a pay cut but it has benefits that we don't have now. That means alot less worry for the family. SO with the pay cut and the economy we will not have to cut expenses in our menus because of this change in career choice. I feel we are well equipped for the lack of a pay check for the next month. We always have kept extra things in the house so we are well stocked and some emergency money in the bank, just in case. We picked up our beef a few weeks ago. Its organic raised on grass and is rather good.

Also I found an awesome recipe for dishwasher detergent so that expense is gone with the wind also. I found this recipe on youtube. The recipe is as follows:
1 1/2 cups borax
1 1/2 cups baking soda
1 cup salt

Shake well and add about 1/3 of a cup per load and It washes the dishes wonderfully. I also add vinegar to the rinsing agent dispenser . Our hard water tends to leave a white residue on the dishes but the vinegar rinses them clean with a shine.

The kids are looking forward to this new venture also. They are excited that dad will be home in the middle of the day and have daylight to be able to fish more this summer. And with only 29 more days of school left the new job came at a perfect time!

Free

Okay yesterday we went to my MILs house to help her with a few things. As we where leaving she points out these ( below) and said do you want those? Yup!! Those will coming in handy. They are in wonderful shape.

Weekend wonders

The raised beds are growing wonderful veggies. Above are radish and cabbage plants.

Peas onions, and carrots are growing rapidly ( left). On the Right are the brussel sprouts.

So this weekend we got alot done on our bit of soil. We worked on the house and the garden. We are thrilled to have gotten so much done. We were able to get the garden tilled and some corn, beans, zukes, and cukes planted. The potatoes and some onions are growing in the garden also.

More in the raised beds also. This weekend I planted, peanuts, cukes, beans, ( bush and pole), more carrots, and some squash. I transplanted some cukes on which the seeds came from Freedom Seeds and they all sprouted and are doing great. I just love to watch things grow.

The strawberries are also growing fast. We are pleased that they are growing well around the peach trees in the front year. All of our new fruit trees are leaving out. Everything is waking up for the fresh spring air.

Windows in - cold air out

Right now its 80 + degrees but the cold weather will be here again one day but we will be ready. We changed all of our windows, 6 of them, with our own hands. We also found new homes for the old windows so they are now being reused. So absolutely no waste at all. Our new windows let in so much more light that we don't have to turn any lights on until about 6 or 7 pm. Awww let the sunshine in!!

Friday night movie

I know its a bit late but for the movie this week we watched the Oprah Earth Day show. Which really opened our eyes to alot. Also it showed a clip of the Dervaes family movie. It was a wonderful show. We learned so very much.
I am also pleased to announce that everyone is helping me out with the recycling. We are only throwing out one bag of garbage every 4 days. Thats a real significant drop. They say everyone throws out 4 1/2 pounds of garbage a day. With a family of 5 we should throw away 22 1/2 pounds PER DAY. We are not. We may be throwing that out every 2 weeks, if that.

Earth Day over?

Well the designated day is past. You recycled all day!! You ate locally yesterday, remembered your reusable bags without forgetting, maybe you planted a tree or picked up garbage along the road, and changed a light bulb. And you also vowed to do it next year on Earth day also. And today you may be going right back to what you are used to do on a daily basis. STOP!!!!!! Remember everyday is Earth day. You live on it everyday why not protect it everyday also. It doesn't take more time to put that can in the recycling bin rather the trash can. Your reusable bags hold 3 times more if not more then the plastic bags. Once you start using them you will be amazed at how much you like them.
Buy locally - use what you have until its worn out.
SO the answer to the question, Earth Day over? NEVER.

Friday night movie

I thought I would write a post once a week, hopefully every Friday, about a movie or perhaps a radio conversation that I found to be informative. So for the first one- I watched a documentary called Heart and Soil. If you have not seen it yet its a great 45 minute long movie. They touched basis on several different areas that we here on our bit of soil try to do like GMO free seeds and organic gardening or buying local foods.

But they also talked bits about things I found interesting. Some including waffle gardens, which are kinda like the square foot gardening technique. Also making homemade yogurt out of goats milk.

If you get a chance to watch it, it is worth it. IF you have seen it please feel free to comment on if you enjoyed it or not.



Other movies I want to view are:

Homegrown Revolution

One Man, One Cow, One Planet





Have a great weekend!!! We are going to try the offline days. SO from tonight till Monday morning. Goodnight!