Saving Money as Prices Rise

It is obvious prices are on the rise. It is not awful yet, but some think it will get considerably worse. I am not one to get caught with my pants down. SO, I was hoping to gain some insight on things y'all are doing or plan on doing to make the blow not quite as bad.

I am in pretty good shape, better than most probably but we can always do more.
Some things that I am planning on doing or everyday life things that help my situation.

Heating - We live in the SE TN so heating costs are not a huge issue. We have a reasonably efficient heat pump as our main source of heat. On top of that we also have a wood stove in our living room that we use to supplement in the winter. When it is cold and I am home like on weekends our heat pump doesn't run. The wife is not as good about keeping the stove going but I might have to give her more lessons to keep that heat pump off while I am at work. NEW PROCEDURE - I also plan on running an oil filled radiator during the week while my wife is home so the heat pump doesn't have to work too hard. Probably one in her office and one in the main living space.

Transportation - We both drive 28 to 30 mpg vehicles as our daily drivers, so that helps. And my commute to work is 4 miles, wife works from home. My farm truck is a 85 F250 that get 7 mpg, not much I can do about that except drive it only when necessary.

Food Stuffs- Prices of food are on the rise. Beef and other meats are following right along. I have a deer and a half in the freezer and half a wild boar. Hopefully put another deer in there soon. Also plan on doing the usual gardening this spring. Hopefully seeds will not be in short supply. Might even start it out a little early this year with a cold frame or DIY greenhouse.

Those are the things I have thought about so far. What else have y'all thought about to help ease the sting of rising prices. REALLY value the collective braintrust that is FHC. What are you doing/gonna do different?

 

My wife and I watch sale flyers from grocery stores in the area and will stock up on things that are on a good sale. Grocery stores in our area have their sales on line so it makes it easy to check.

 

I've been buying more in bulk and repackaging to help it keep. Plus into sizes I can use. Several of the grocery stores here have unadvertised specials, not even always on their apps, so it can sometimes pay to walk thru several stores. Kinda tough right now stocking up on frozen stuff, as my separate freezer is full with garden/vegetable stuff. It helps to have an extra freezer. When I bought it, the original plan was for the garden stocks to be depleted by Spring and it would get unplugged for up to 6 months. That never happened. Just buying stuff on sale with some place to keep it nixed any down time for it.

 

Stream of consciousness thoughts ....

Electric car. So cheap to run, it is rdiculous.

Don't buy shiny new stuff. Goodwill (and other thrift stores) is a good place to shop, not just to donate to. buy used cars and machinery when you can, and run it until it dies, or becomes unreliable or dangerous.

Folgers coffee, generally organic foods, but not top tier name brands. Locally sourced meats, bought from the farmer. Brew my own adult beverages, with (mostly) foraged or homegrown berries. Gardening for quality and price.

We have three freezers, and they are full, mostly with "free" food.

Heat with firewood. Inexpensive saws. Inexpensive stove.

Build it myself, repair it myself, and install it myself, whever possible. Use salvaged materials when possible.

Take good care of your teeth, and don't go to the dentist every year.

Take good care of shoes, repair them when needed. Wear socks until they have holes in them, and then keep wearing them until your wife takes them away for rags.

Keep the tires inflated a little higher than the sticker says, see what works. Keep the car aligned so that tires last. Change the oil per manufacturer's recommendation, no more often, no less.

LED bulbs. Ceiling fans, and open windows in the summer. Most folks don't need airconditioning, except in the deep south, don't install it and you won't use it.

Kindle tablet insead of iPad. $100 Android phone instead of iPhone. Used Windows computer instead of new Apple. Cheap cell phone plans (mine is $18/month).

Free entertainment. Walking, visiting friends, working with family outdoors, watching free movies from the library, reading free books from various sources. No paid subscriptions to any movie or music source.

Minimize restaurant dining. We eat out maybe twice a year when not travelling. Travelling, we still fix most meals ourselves.

Make christmas/birthday gifts for those close to you. Tell extended family and friends that they should not send you gifts, and don't send them any either.

Don't shop when hungry. Most larger (over $100) expenses can wait a day or two, and by then may not be "needed" anymore.

Turn the water heater down to 120.

Sock away 20% (or more) of your income, this will help regulate the spend side, and your future self will thank you.

Use high deductible insurance, and reshop it ever 2-3 years.

Never borrow money, never pay interest. (Possible exception for a home.)

These all work for me, and not intended to offend anyone else who thinks differently.

 

YEEEEEHAWWWW!!! Where is the picture of your 4 wheel drive? I see your shotgun and your rifle!
That basically what it boils down to. Being a capable person who is self sufficient or can be when necessary.
I feel sorry for the poor city folk living in a high rise.

 

I don't..

 

For me, it boils down to this: if I can do something myself, I do it myself. If I can't, I watch a YouTube video and figure it out. If that still doesn't work...I get someone else to do it for me and hopefully show me how to do it for next time. That applies to building/fixing my own stuff, raising/growing/hunting my own food, cooking, whatever.

 

If possible try to develop a relationship with farmers/ranchers that are local. They may be wary at first and it takes years to develop a strong symbiotic relationship but once you do it will pay huge dividends. I have developed several connections that I help with chores, drive truck, rake hay, watch the farm if they are gone on vacation, ect. and do not ask for a dime. However I end up getting a 1/2 of a beef from this guy, a hog from another, access to firewood on their land, and even have been allowed to hunt on some prime land. It took years of my wife being mad and giving me heck about giving my time away for nothing but the last few years she has really changed her mind when we had access to fresh farm raised beef, pork, eggs and game and didn't need to pay $20 per pound for a steak and can get it when ever we needed it when store shelves were bare.

 

I put a woodburning insert in the upstairs fireplace. (Osburn 2000) I already had a woodburning stove in the basement. I knew heating oil was going up last November. Should pay for itself the first year. The two of them running together is sweet. The upstairs insert draws the heat up from the basement.

 

Any time my mom has leftovers i will take them!! Free supper!! (actually nothing is "free")

 

First, buy your Busch Light 30 cans at a time and second, buy two 30 packs at a time to limit your trips to the store..

 

Share a shower with the Mrs. !

 

I buy two 30 packs at a time so as to insure I don't run out due to supply chain issues. One gets drank and the other stashed. Repeat.

 

Most logical answer!!!!

 

My wife shops at a farmer's market where there is a stall that sells OSD (over, short, damaged) and the buys can be incredible. Now one has to watch out for expiration dates but for packaged products it can't be beat. 4 bottles of ketchup in a restaurant pack (catsup too) for a buck. Of course thy don't sell everything and one week they may have 1000 oranges for sale but if it can be stored and does not go to waste then it is a good deal. Unfortunately I have never seen beer and wine there - probably never makes it on the truck.

 

Sometimes that leads to more water usage...

 

Now if you have a well...