Posts Tagged ‘Daily Basis’
The Power of a Dollar
Every so often I go on a rampage of frugality. It’s more like a feeling of sickness, a sickness of spending money, sick of the cost of things, sick of pulling out my wallet everywhere I turn, sick of how a dollar doesn’t go as far as it use to. Just plain sick. This past week has been one of those times as the cost gas, water and food increasing almost on a daily basis fills my subconscious.
On the way home from work I swung by the library to peruse their daily used book sale to see if I could find any interesting title additions to my growing library. As I walked the stacks those money infused thoughts crept to the forefront. It drew me to think how and when and where money flitters away. It’s not a great amount, mind you. I’m already a fairly frugal, penny pinching saver, always trying to find new ways to spend less on what the farm and I need. As I drew my hand over the books looking for titles that would interest me it came to me…for a buck I could buy a book, a book that would educate me or entertain me. I stood there staring, thinking really, about how many things I have or could buy with a buck. It was amazing to me that in a short period of time I could list more that a dozen things I have bought that were only a buck.
There was the trip to my favorite ethnic market where the produce is plentiful and the prices reasonable and I could buy…
2 pounds of carrots
5 grapefruit
A string of garlic
3 heads of lettuce
4 pounds of onions
1 cantaloupe
¼ pound of Feta cheese
Or, 1-1/2 pounds of chicken quarters, for a buck.
Then there was the thrift store sale where I bought a new pair of shorts and a few more clay pots for vegetable or flower starts, for a buck.
During a trip to town running errands for work I bought an iced tea to stave off the heat…for a buck.
At a garage sale I bought a galvanized water trough, for a buck.
On Craigslist, I bought iris bulbs, for my ever expanding flower garden, two bags for a buck.
I can also buy two stamps, a fat-quarter of sale quilt fabric, salt licks for rabbits, a scoop of grit for chickens, and a few dog treats, for a buck.
At the library that day I bought a 4-part mini-series, for a buck.
And, of course…a book.
It was proof positive that the dollar has more buying power than I sometimes think. It was nice to sit and reflect on how many things can (or have) been purchased for a dollar. The more I reflected, the more my frugal rampage dissipated, until finally it disappeared all together. Funny how some worries retreat as fast as they come on.
What can you buy for a buck? It’s out there ya know. We only have to look.
Daily Water Wisdom
The past few weeks have been the hottest on record for many parts of the country and my area is no exception. The pinch of a high water bill can send an already tight household budget over the proverbial waterfall.
Here in California water is a precious commodity, one that we fight over, protect and conserve on a daily basis. Many strides have been made in water efficient appliances, but there is still more we can do regardless of where in the country you live. Homeowners can go native with landscape plants or use micro sprinklers that direct water to the roots of a plant rather than water the surrounding area, or install low-flow toilets and showerheads. In the garden we can “put the drops on the crops” with the use of drip irrigation and micro sprinklers.
But with a dry summer such as we’re in amplifies just how fragile our water systems really are. Much of the water that flows from rivers to streams to creeks comes from winter snow pack in mountains that may be hundreds of miles away. When this water source is cut availability to many populations is reduced creating a supply and demand situation, sometimes meaning reductions in use.
Reservoirs and water banking help even out the highs and lows of supply, but many areas still rely on natural rainfall to provide the necessary water to crops and livestock. This uncertainly makes it important to become as water wise as possible—wet year or dry year.
To become more water efficient inside and outside try implementing these helpful water tips:
- Take shorter showers or use only a few inches of water in the tub
- Turn off the faucet while brushing teeth
- Use a broom or a blower to clean sidewalks and driveways
- Adjust sprinklers to water only planted areas and not walkways or the driveway
- Wash only full loads of laundry
- Use grey water on non-edible plants and trees
- Run the dishwasher only when full
- Fix leaky faucets and toilets
- Adjust automatic waterers to prevent overflow
- Use water from cooking on potted plants
- Mulch flowerbeds and gardens to help retain moisture
- Research the water requirements for plants to prevent over watering
- Empty water from troughs and fonts on plants when cleaning and changing
As we see the effects lack of water has on our crops and our food system it is in our best interest to look at saving more water and storing more water on a larger scale for the long term, it is important to become more water wise day by day.
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