tree huggin greeny or just bein frugal??? Who's to judge?

Thread on tool got me thinkin and made me smile a little...

What do you folks do to cut down on expenses but still get things done (maybe take a few minutes longer)?

We do stuff without even thinking about it that folks (myself included) call other folks names over...

We make 2-3 5 mile loops a day to check horses. Means short trip fuel mileage, dirty daily driver, and messed up roads in bad weather. Not by plan, my (15 mpg) car broke and I replaced it with one that gets 30 on them short trips (but still gets dirty).....

I put together a portable fence setup and just let a couple horses graze smaller places that are a PITA to get the tractor to, then go over them with the ATV and a chain harrow.

Got a power inverter for the car/tractor to run the electric stuff I would need away from power instead of lugging the generator around for everything.

We collect rainwater in a couple of barrels to water flowers and the yard a little but mainly to give mosquitoes a (controlled) breeding place. Goldfish in the barrels and birds/bats take care of anything they produce and we swat a couple a year that gets by them.

Hardest thing on me is the tractor time... I know I'll use less than half the fuel if I drive 5mph as apposed to 15 but I always have to get done and on to something else
:roll:

Just decided to look for and buy a scooter to check the horses with to cut down on fuel and the time and/or expense of washing DD's so much.

Our dryer is 10+ years old and like new because SWMBO uses clotheslines year round...

What do you green weenies do?????

Dave,
Here are some we do:
replaced light switches in Bathrooms with 15 minute mechanical timers. Wired so timer controls the fan and one of the light fixtures. Times your shower and more important(frugal wise) fans never left on by those rascal teenagers.
Once coffee is brewed transfer it to a coffee urn. Mr coffee machine burns a ton of power.
I wrench all my cars from oil changes thru clutches and the occasional head gaskets. Tractor I have to do everything. If I paid to have it fixed Mrs. wouldn't let me hear the end of it.
Buy clothes at Salvation Army.
Restore, think of a home improvement store Salvation Army. Lowes, HD and others dump there unsold stuff there for a tax write off once a month. Got me 3 gallons of oil based stain last week for $5/gal.
On garbage day we(17 yr old son) ride our bikes around the town. He is looking for stuff to sell on CL or Ebay and I am looking for bikes or angle iron or yard machines to fix and use.
Pete

My wife's favorite store is: "Sal's Botique"
(Salvation Army) We've got 2 "Good Will's"
nearby, but they are so expensive that she say's
"I can't afford to shop there!"

My view is you are being frugal, which is a good thing.

The greenie-weenie tree huggers are the folks that want to make others do those sorts of things, not themselves.....

I can be frugal with the best of them. Kinda have to be to be fsarming for long.

--->Paul

I drive 3000+ miles a week at 60 mph because I get 7.2 mpg instead of 6mpg at 70 mph.

I'm so frugal that I retired at 50 to save on fuel and other
expenses, I figure that what I saved is enough to pay for all of
the other things that waste.
Walt

Have altered water usage to cut down on the expense.

Replacing incandescent lights as they burn out with cfi's.

A/C thermostat is on 84 now instead of 76. In the winter, thermostat is set at 64. Electric blanket is much cheaper and sure feels good.

Not doing this so much to be "green", but to keep more $ in our pockets where it belongs.

This is the same tight wad that can afford to Air a stud Horse from Canada... You are not fugual you just watch where you spend your money... Doubt that we can get you one over there but what you need to check the horses in is a new KUBOTA diesel RTV .. What ever happened on the horse deal.Is the wife comming over? Retired I try more and more to watch what I spend but just keeps going. Went to an auction Sat and brought $ 3800.00 worth of junk home..
You aske about price o straw.. We sell 4000 bales or more a year of WHEAT straw ,usually .$2.45 a bale or so whosale to landscapers, quite a bit cheaper than hay.

(quoted from post at 13:41:18 08/16/12) This is the same tight wad that can afford to Air a stud Horse from Canada... You are not fugual you just watch where you spend your money... Doubt that we can get you one over there but what you need to check the horses in is a new KUBOTA diesel RTV .. What ever happened on the horse deal.Is the wife comming over? Retired I try more and more to watch what I spend but just keeps going. Went to an auction Sat and brought $ 3800.00 worth of junk home..
You aske about price o straw.. We sell 4000 bales or more a year of WHEAT straw ,usually .$2.45 a bale or so whosale to landscapers, quite a bit cheaper than hay.

Click to expand...

The deal I mentioned the other day, turns out the folks are BS'n around... Prolly tryin to up the price... We'll find what we are looking for eventually, and she'll be coming on a week or so vacation in conjunction with it. Prolly to Texas as we are trying to get the search closer there.... Figure if we run across an idiot in a particular area, it don't make much sense to look for like minded folks in the same area.....

Ride one of the nags

Well said ...Texas is horse country , you might as well take a break and come on over the pond with her,,,no telling what you would find that you like..