10 Ways to Reduce Heating Cost

Living on a homestead means trying, to the best of a person's ability, to use as little as possible while remaining debt free and yet still having a fulfilling life.. With bitter temperatures this year and only one wood stove to heat our entire 1900 square foot home I have had to come up with ways to help the wood stove along without adding a huge dollar amount to our electric bill.

All of these are pretty simple things but not something I even figured out until I put some brain power into thinking about it. 

1. Humidify--The very thing that drives us crazy in the Oklahoma summer is the thing that will help keep us warm in the winter. In the summer I run a dehumidifier to help keep the house cooler. I was setting around thinking one day about why it is so much cooler in the winter and a light bulb went off. I got the cast iron kettle, threw some water in it, and set it on top of the wood stove. In about 10 minutes I had a pretty good stream of steam coming from the kettle. This was a completely free way of adding to the heat. With a sinus infection I added a  humidifier...I actually had to open the flew to let some of the heat out because it got too warm in the house. The cost of running a humidifier is very small in comparison to buying an extra rick of wood per season. Every small thing helps. Even if you do not have a wood stove you can use humidity to raise the temperature in your home. Set a pan of water on or near whatever heat source you use and it will add humidity into the air. The cost of running a humidifier is roughly $1.40 a month For other appliances look here 

2. Feet Warming Fire Bricks--We had to replace some fire bricks in the wood stove last year when we purchased the wood stove used. The fire bricks come in a box of 12. We only needed 4 for the replacement. I set the rest of the fire bricks to the side just waiting to use them. One day I had the brilliant idea that if, in the old times, people placed irons at the feet of the bed to warm them then why couldn't fire bricks be used as "feet warmers". I set 2 on the wood stove and allowed them to warm. I placed a towel around them and put them on the floor in front of my chair. I set my socked feet right down on top of the towel covering and walla...warm feet. The warmth lasted about an hour. I had come inside from feeding and just needed a little extra warmth on my feet. This did the trick. 

3. Fans--put those summer necessities back to use in the winter. I have a fan blowing across the top of the wood stove. It blows the heat around and helps to heat the house. I also use the ceiling fans to help push warm air around. A ceiling fan costs roughly 70 cents per month to run. I have 2 running at all times.

4. Open Curtains/Drapes--during the summer we want to keep the sun out to help the air conditioner cool the house. In the winter you want to do the opposite and open them so sun can help to heat the room. The only downfall to this is that you must remember to close them early enough to not let the cool air come in with the darkness. Set an alarm on your cell phone or timer on your TV to remind you to close the drapes.

5. Socks--These are one of the items I despise. When I have socks on I feel like I cannot breathe, however,  won't wear shoes without socks...so in this aspect I am lucky. I put socks on as I am getting out of bed in the morning times. Then I slide on my fuzzy slippers. In order to make this a force of habit I get a clean pair of socks out at night and place them on top of my slippers next to my bed. If I get over warm I can just slide my slippers off if need be. During the summer you will never catch me wearing socks...in the winter you won't catch me without them.

6. Clothes Dryer--Electricity costs different amounts at different times during the day. The laundry room is right near my bedroom. I wash a load of clothes at night. As I walk past the laundry room in the morning the clothes are transferred to the dryer which helps to knock the chill off the house while I am getting a fire going in the wood stove. 

7. Eat--I am not saying this is an excuse to go gaining weight. It is a fact that food in your belly causes you to be warmer. Eat a warm bowl of oatmeal in the morning to get some extra heat inside...in the evening drink a cup of hot tea or cocoa, or eat a bowl of hot soup to help warm you from the inside out. 

8. Throw Blankets--Walmart has them. They cost $19.88. They cost about 30 cents to run for 8 hours. The ones I bought at Walmart have a 2 hour shut off. Just enough time to get a person plenty warm. I use these on the beds at night as well as in the living room during the day if I get extra chilly.

9 Warm Shower/Bath--A warm bath or shower can raise body temperature and get you all warmed up. I tend to be more cold in the evening after coming in from feeding animals so I will take my shower after dinner and that allows me to get plenty warm for the evening. Although this can get expensive if done several times per day if it is done just once daily during the coldest part of the day then it won't raise your bill much at all.

10. Cover Vents--Our house originally had central heat/air. Since we have gone all electric we no longer buy propane that is needed to power the heat part. This leaves vents open in the floor during winter. We close the vents off with the switch on each one and then cover them with either a throw rug (in the living room and other areas that are seen) or cardboard (in areas that aren't seen by others when visiting). This helps cut down on the cold air entering the house. 

These few things have allowed me to stay warm this winter without having to buy extra wood for the stove. Anyone adding these things to frugal living will dramatically cut costs and help to keep you warm in the winter time. 

Can you think of other things that help you stay warm in the winter time? 

Merry Christmas

I pray everyone had a wonderful, Merry, and peaceful Christmas!

Here at Cluck Acres we had a wonderful Christmas centered on family and Jesus. There weren't a lot of gifts passed around just wonderful time with good food, playing dominoes, walking around the back yard, playing with the cats, and just spending quality time together.

As grannies and pawpaw's age it becomes clear that these Holidays and traditions will slowly move past their time and new ones will be made as people marry and move on. It is a sad thing on one hand but joyful on the other to know that old traditions will be blended with new ones.

Here is wishing you a Merry Christmas and hoping that the New Year brings us all comfort, peace, and a stronger relationship with each other and the Lord.

Loving What The Lord Blessed Me With,

Barbie

Since Morgan and I have decided to work towards being as self-sufficient as possible I have decided to try recipes with the items we will hopefully have in the root cellar next winter. 

Tonight I made a great Cabbage Stew that was flavorful, healthy, and that will freeze well for a hot soup lunch later in the month.

Here is a step by step guide with a list of nutritional information.

A medium head of cabbage,1/2 a package of Eckrich Smoked Sausage, a tsp of butter, salt, and pepper is all you will need. 

I save the other 1/2 of the package of Smoked Sausage. I cut it up, put it in a freezer bag with the date and freeze it for later use.

I cut the Smoked Sausage in pretty small pieces. I do this so there is enough to go throughout the stew and give it a good flavor. No need to put it in a bowl or anything. I just throw it in the pot I will be cooking it all in.

I cut the cabbage into pieces that will be manageable to eat after they are cooked. Since it is a stew the pieces need to be relatively small and manageable. Throw the cabbage on top of the meat in the pot and just stir the two items together so that the meat is throughout the cabbage and put in the teaspoon of butter (I used the I can't believe it's not butter spread to save on calories and fat grams), and salt and pepper to taste. Throw it on the stove and cook it on medium heat. Cook until the cabbage is done to your likeness.

Once the stew is done I like to let it set for just a bit until it cools. It seems to allow the flavors to settle together for a bit. This IS NOT a really spicy stew. I add pepper sauce to my bowl while I am eating it because I prefer it to be spicy. If your whole family enjoys the spice feel free to throw some pepper juice in while your cooking it.

The outer leaves of the cabbage that I pull off before using it do not go to waste. If you have pigs, chickens, rabbits, goats, or other animals feel free to feed it to them. If you do not have animals the compost pile is a great place for the unused cabbage leaves. As you can see below I had a good amount of leaves I pulled from the outer area of the cabbage. If you are composting these it is better if you cut them up some before throwing them in so that they are better able to break down but if you choose not to do that step they will eventually turn into compost regardless of size.

Nothing in our house goes unused. If I use the last sleeve gof crackers I save the box they came in for the wood stove. If I have leftovers of something it goes to the animals or compost. The ashes from the wood stove are added to compost. Using everything that it is possible to use will help you get the most out of your land and animals without costing you anything extra.

So I promised nutritional and cost value:

The stew made eight 1 cup servings.The whole package of sausage cost just $2.87. Since I only used half of that it cut my cost to $1.44 for this recipe. The cabbage averaged about 39 cents per pound at 3 pounds for a total cost of $1.17. I am going to add $0.20 for the butter, although I don't think it cost me that much. The total cost for the whole pot of stew $2.81. Since there were roughly 8 servings in this pot that brings the cost per serving down to just $0.35 per serving. That is an amazing cost for feeding your family. What is even greater is that I will be able to freeze the left overs and make a 2nd meal out of this.

The nutritional value is listed below

Calories                                     116.5g

Total Fat                                      7.9g

Cholesterol                               155mg

Sodium                                      586.9g

Total Carbs                                    8.1g

Dietary Fiber                                  2.7g

Protein                                          ` 4.3g

Low-Fat. Low-Cal, Low-Carb...now that is a feast fit for a farm queen.

Heating Things Up

This summer I struggled with trying to keep my home cool. The 120 degree weather really took a toll on my body and it was just miserable. I felt like I couldn't sweat. It was as if my body just couldn't cool off. I was told to run a dehumidifier in our home during the summer. We bought a used one, from one of those garage sale sites from our county, turned it on, and it dropped the temperature in our home a good 15 degrees. This was amazing!

During the winter months we stay warm via a jacket on at all times, and a wood stove. We have central heat but we do not run it as the expense of it just doesn't seem to be worth the comfort of it when there are cheaper ways to heat our home.

I was setting around a day or so ago and kept thinking how chilly it felt in our home. It might have had something to do with the fact that it was almost 20 degrees outside. I couldn't seem to get warm even with a jacket and the wood stove. I have a cast iron kettle that sets on my stove with water in it. The kettle isn't very large but I actually bought it for its cuteness not for its effectiveness but I was pondering the idea of how to keep things a little warmer.

The idea came to my mind that if taking the water out of the air in the summer to keep it cooler must mean that water in the air would keep it warmer. I started up the small humidifier and let it set blowing warm steam into the air. Within a matter of 20 minutes the temperature in the living room went from 45 degrees to almost 55. In about an hours time I had the room up to 62. I was even able to take my jacket off and enjoy the heat without having to drag that big hoodie around on my body.

I was curious if the humidifier would run up my electric bill so I searched online for my model to see the wattage and such. I got my humidifier at Dollar General for $14.50. I was amazed when  I realized that the humidifier will cost me only $1.75 a month to run it for 12 hours per day.I figure that is a pretty good cost for a 10-20 degree difference. This will allow me to burn less wood to keep the temp at the same price. I will actually save money by running it because my cost of wood will go down significantly. This is the cheap type of humidifier that I have:

The good thing about this particular model is I can put liquid Vicks in it and that will also help with colds and stuffy noses.


I think we can all save a little money in a lot of different places if we just look for them. Sometimes it is an ah-ha moment like I had and sometimes it just takes a little research.

One Hour Yeast Rolls

I found these online. There is no link to the original poster. But I wanted to share them. With Thanksgiving coming up these would be a great addition that can easily be done on Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day and not take forever to get them done. 

ONE HOUR YEAST ROLLS

1 cup of warm water 

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup oil

2 tablespoons yeast

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

3 1/3 cup flour

1.) In a large bowl, mix together warm water, sugar, oil and yeast. Let stand for 15 minutes until yeast mixture is bubbly.

2.) Stir in salt and beaten egg to yeast mixture.

3.) Gradually add flour. Dough will be kind of sticky, but add enough flour until it's manageable. Let dough rest in the bowl for 10 minutes. I cover mine with a towel. This allows the dough to rise more.

4.) Spray hands with non-stick cooking spray (such as Pam) and form dough into balls. Place balls so they don't touch on cookie sheet. Let rise for 20 more minutes. 

5.) Bake in 375 degree oven for 10 minutes.

6.) Mix 2-3 tablespoons of melted butter with honey (to taste) and brush the top of hot rolls with the honey butter.

7.) Enjoy!

Coupon Shopping Trip

I was able to go into town this evening and do some "coupon" shopping as I like to call it. 

Homeland, one of our grocery stores, had a pretty good sale on. I haven't been saving coupons the last few months so I didn't have near what I would have liked to have, coupon wise, when I went into the store. Breaks my heart that I got depressed and stopped clipping them.

Most of the coupons today I printed from Swagbucks so I will get  10 swagbucks for every single one I used. That will be about 120 swagbucks..so not too shabby. I like to use Swagbucks because it allows me to earn a little extra spending money for items for Christmas. That always makes it nice. 

Here is a list of my haul today. I didn't take a photo before putting it all up and now I wish I had :-)

10 packages Feminine Products   

4 toothbrushes

1 tube coalgate toothpaste

30 bars Ivory soap

8 bars soft soap

2 soft soap body wash

1 Bar Keepers Friend Cleaner

8 Boxes Suddenly Salad

26  Boxes  Hamburger Helper

4 Herbal Essence Shampoos

3 Herbal Essence Condition

1 Herbal Essence Mousse

8 Gillette Shaving Gel

4 Palmolive Dish Soap

4 Packages Hefty Food Storage Bags

2 Reach Dental Floss

6 Bags Bugle Chips

20 rolls Angel Soft Toilet Paper

5 Rolls Sparkle Paper Towels

Total Retail Cost $274.58

Total I spent $76.82

I also have $4 CVS ECB and $4 worth of registar rewards to spend in those stores. 

I saved 72% on items today. 

This helps my family to stretch our money just as far as we can possibly stretch it. 

For the record, I believe in giving to food pantries, shelters, and others in need. I do have a stockpile but I always try to share. :-)

The Life That I Lead

Please forgive me for not having posted much sooner than tonight. I would like to say that I had some amazing excuse and give you this wonderful story of the days that have gone by. Truth be told, there is a story, but one that isn't that amazing. Actually, it is kind of sobering to some degree. 

Firstly, I have realized that being a "farmers wife" isn't the only title I carry. It is one of the few that I am most proud of...but far from the only title in front of my name. When all the other titles are put in front as well it seems I am a much more colorful person than I could have ever imagined. 

To some degree, I suppose, because of stigma and fear, I have really set aside a big part of who I am as a person for fear that others would see me differently or think oddly of me. 

I am learning that I must make all things work together to figure out who, exactly, I am and allow all of the things to be what they are without discoloring the rest of the person. 

With that being said, yes, this will still be my life and Christian journey on our small farm. It will also have the spice of life that I have known as Bipolar 2 Disorder for the last 23 years, the struggles as a person with PTSD and anxiety issues, the fears, the joys, and the love that I have known as family and friends for so long. 

I must admit, I was trying to separate that part of me, from this blog and I found it impossible to do. For how I view things aren't viewed from the eyes of a "normal, average" person. I am not either of those things. Actually, I probably am to a much greater degree than people realize as my struggles seem to coincide with others only with a greater degree of intensity. 

For those who are about to judge, please, stop, think, and research BEFORE you react. There are many people who have made amazing contributions to this world in spite of Bipolar Disorder. Albert Einstein, Katherine Zeta Jones, Patty Duke, Beethoven, Georg Cantor, Kurt Cobain, Charles Dickens, Stephen King, and Patrick Kennedy to name a few. 

Bipolar Disorder, easily controlled with medications, is often thought of as some horrible thing. Add PTSD in with it and you could, quite possibly, have the recipe for disaster if someone is unmedicated. However, I am fortunate and was diagnosed early (1990). I have been stable on medications for most of my adult life and I have found myself able to be fairly successful. 

Recently, during a time without insurance, I was not able to have my medications. I have struggled daily, during this time, to keep my head above water and not become overwhelmed. I have finally been able to get back into a doctor and will be able to start those medications again fairly soon. It could take a few months for the full effects to become noticeable but at least relief is on its way in the near future. That makes things appear much more hopeful.

Today I realized that those things are as much a part of me as being a farmer, being a wife, being a mother, being a daughter....so why try to lose them in the sight of a blog that is about my journey through life. A journey always includes ups and downs. It always shares itself with greatness and adversity. To lose a part of myself, in order to appear normal, is as much a lie as if I told you I was President of the United States....and we all know that is probably not anywhere near the truth. 

I will always try to refrain from making posts negative or depressing...but I do want others to realize that sometimes depressing and negative are what I am dealing with. Life is a roller coaster in the best of circumstances...add some funky stuff in there and you have yourself a whole amusement park.

I suppose, to some degree, this post is more for myself than readers. I did want to give readers a heads-up in case any choose to not stay. I am okay with that as everyone has to do what makes them feel safe and secure. 

I will be posting more often...about my journey as a Christian woman, as a biploar woman, as a farmers wife, and all the other "hats" that I wear. 

For now I will leave you with some quotes that I have found helped me to understand all of these things to a much greater degree....

“Creativity is closely associated with bipolar disorder. This condition is unique . Many famous historical figures and artists have had this. Yet they have led a full life and contributed so much to the society and world at large. See, you have a gift. People with bipolar disorder are very very sensitive. Much more than ordinary people. They are able to experience emotions in a very deep and intense way. It gives them a very different perspective of the world. It is not that they lose touch with reality. But the feelings of extreme intensity are manifested in creative things. They pour their emotions into either writing or whatever field they have chosen" (pg 181)” 
― Preeti Shenoy, Life is What You Make It

“Except you cannot outrun insanity, anymore than you can outrun your own shadow.” 
― Alyssa Reyans, Letters from a Bipolar Mother

“Bipolar robs you of that which is you. It can take from you the very core of your being and replace it with something that is completely opposite of who and what you truly are. Because my bipolar went untreated for so long, I spent many years looking in the mirror and seeing a person I did not recognize or understand. Not only did bipolar rob me of my sanity, but it robbed me of my ability to see beyond the space it dictated me to look. I no longer could tell reality from fantasy, and I walked in a world no longer my own.” 
― Alyssa Reyans, Letters from a Bipolar Mother

“Before I die I'd love to see my name on the Famous Bi Polar list I'm not ashamed of my Illness I believe most of my talent comes from it.” 
― Stanley Victor Paskavich

“It was as if my father had given me, by way of temperament, an impossibly wild, dark, and unbroken horse. It was a horse without a name, and a horse with no experience of a bit between its teeth. My mother taught me to gentle it; gave me the discipline and love to break it; and- as Alexander had known so intuitively with Bucephalus- she understood, and taught me, that the beast was best handled by turning it toward the sun.” 
― Kay Redfield Jamison, An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness

“Cincinatti was where I learned that running away from your problems has a three-month statute of limitations, a lesson I have found repeatedly to be true. Three months is still a first impression -- of a city, of other people, of yourself in that place. But there comes a point when you can no longer hide who you are, and the reactions of others become all too familiar...” 
― Stacy Pershall, Loud in the House of Myself: Memoir of a Strange Girl

“In the terms of 'Mental Illness' Isn't stable a place they put horses that wish to run free?” 
― Stanley Victor Paskavich