Victory!

I was approved for unemployment! I will soon be getting weekly payments. I only wish it was coming out of my former employer's pockets... (bitter? Nooooo...)

Mister and I need to go through and budget, but I feel that we'd be fine even without the unemployment. The only problem I have is I get super bored while at home all day. As I type this I have mucho cleaning to do (Mister's sister S is visiting for the weekend), yet I have zero inclination to do so. Mayhap I'll bribe myself with a mug of tea...

Supplies for Music Lessons

I ran downtown today to pick up some supplies for my music lessons. After my non-preparedness last time I wanted to be sure that the lessons would actually be going forward.

Considering I had beautiful service from both locations (one of which I have worked with before), I will certainly name drop.

At Rayburn Music I bought a box of five 2 clarinet reeds, a box of five 2 1/2 clarinet reeds (for my student) and a box of 10 3 Vandoren clarinet reeds for me. I also bought a reed holder for myself that will hold 8 reeds as well as a "Reed Vitalizer". Silly Rico. When will you learn that you aren't that fabulous? I would have gotten the Vandoren one, but it only held 2 reeds and was 2/3rds the price of the one I DID buy. Silly Vandoren as well!

After paying (with a mysterious 31% discount on all items...), I asked if they had any cleaning swabs, as I'd forgotten to ask. The guy working said 'yes', and asked if I was a teacher. (I had previously mentioned that I wanted the shitty reeds for a student and was not willing to buy them Vandorens!) I said that yes, I have the one student, and he gave me the cleaning swab gratis.

Folks, please frequent Rayburn Music, as I have a great appreciation for them right now.

I also stopped at Music Espresso to pick up the lesson book that my student had ordered but not received (Breeze Easy Book 1), and a folding stand. The folks at Music Espresso are great, and not only have a huge selection of sheet music and books, but will order for you anything that you need. Their staff is also friendly and knowledgeable. Please frequent Music Espresso as well!

I spent $70 at Rayburn Music and $24.33 at Music Espresso for a total of: $94.33. I also stopped at CVS for a small notepad, pencils and a sharpener for: $4.52, bringing my grand total to: $98.85.

All I forgot to pick up was: a cleaning swab for me (I didn't have the heart to ask him for two when he was giving it free), and disinfectant spray. But I can probably order those online with no detriment. It seems like most music stores have to order the spray anyways (I quickly looked around both stores to no avail -- I also checked my WW shop back home while I was there).

Relooking through Breeze Easy book 1 has gotten me excited for the lesson today. How soon she'll be playing music!

Update: This was a really good lesson -- the girl is SO excited about her instrument, and she's doing really well. It's a good thing that I picked up the supplies, because if we were waiting upon the order her mom made, we'd still be waiting for something to do!

Shopping List for the Holidays

Misc.:

-- wineglasses for Dad

Grocery Store:

-- pecans
-- candied fruit
-- raisins?
-- rice chex
-- corn chex
-- wheat chex
-- cheerios
-- peanuts
-- pretzels
-- instant coffee

Spending Over the Past Few Days

@LUSH 12/11/10:

-- Aromaco deodorant @ $2.88 (saved $2.88)

Total (with tax): $3.06

@Shaw's with Mister 12/12/10:

-- Quaker Rolled Oats @ $4.77
-- Shaw's brand Cheerio's @ $1.99
-- two bottles of Worchestershire Sauce @ $2.79/each (saved $.72)
-- 3# pasta @ $.99/lb (saved $1.62)
-- dozen eggs @ $3.69
-- 2# butter (salted/unsalted) @ $2.50/lb (saved $1.58)

Total: $24.00

@Restaurant with Mister 12/12/10:

Total: ~$20

@Pizza delivery with Mister 12/13/10

Total: $16.93 (used coupon to save $3.99)

@TJ's 12/14/10:

-- two boxes water crackers @ $.99/box
-- 3# honey @ $8.69
-- two 30oz. containers of steel-cut oats @ $2.99/box
-- two packages dried cranberries @ $1.99/package
-- two cans of tuna @ $1.49/can
-- package of tofu @ $1.49
-- whole chicken @ $6.01
-- Valrhona chocolate bar for Mister @ $2.99

Total: $34.10

Grocery Shopping @ TJ's

To keep with my budgeting, here is what I spent at TJ's yesterday.

-- Corn Tortillas @ $1.49
-- 2 cans of whole tomatoes @ $1.49/can
-- candied ginger @ $1.49
-- almond meal (cheaper than almonds!?) @ $3.99
-- 2 blocks of tofu @ $1.49/block

All total: $12.93

An Old Thought on Homesteading

In August, Mister and I had an argument concerning my desire to be self-sufficient food-wise. It involved the statement: when you uncover the $10-20 million it takes to [farm], we'll discuss it.

Since I'm WELL AWARE that it doesn't require that much input to farm, I emailed my favorite farm guru, Sharon Astyk. In the email, I asked for a rough estimate of what a simple set up would be, not counting property.

-- a couple of pigs
-- a dozen chickens
-- a couple of goats
-- fencing for the animals
-- a hoophouse
-- a farm building or two

Her reply was both thoughtful and in-depth. She warned that this was an exceedingly rough estimate, as it's difficult to judge such things in the abstract. But, here's what it amounts to.

PIGS

Two pigs - I don't buy pigs, so I'm less sure of the range of farm prices for young shoats, but let's say you buy two pigs, a sow and a boar, for $40 apiece - it could be more in a more populated area, but I've known people to get them for that. That's $80. If you have a good source of scraps locally, you shouldn't need to feed them any purchased feed, just a mineral supplement which you can get for $5 every two months. But that requires a lot of regular scraps - so maybe figure $25 per month in feed for six months for the boar and year round for the sow.

Again, I'm less certain about the figures on the pigs because we don't raise them, but I am pretty sure that at 6 months, you can breed the boar and sow, and then butcher the boar. Hanging weights on most conventional pigs are maybe 80-100lbs of pork, although it could be more or less. With vaccinations and mineral, you spent a little over $200 on your boar, and may get your pork back for as little as $2lb - you could sell it for more, of course. If you didn't have scraps, the cost of production might be much higher, but still lower than buying the equivalent. You'd either want to build a smokehouse or buy a freezer to store your pork, and my guess is that either one will cost you 4-500 dollars.

Also in that equation, you'll get next year's pork largely for free if all goes well - average pig litter is 4-8, so figure 6 pigs for next year. with a monthly cost for maintenence of about $30 - but it could be more, again, especially in the winter.

Housing and fencing are a bigger deal for pigs than chickens - pigs are *strong* - it doesn't have to be big, but it does have to be sturdy. A small barn suitable for pigs and goats together would probably cost you $1000-2000 to build, maybe even more if you need a lot of permits, or can't do any work yourself. If you are pasturing your pigs, you'll probably want electric netting to keep them in - about $200 if you are moving the pigs around every day, more if you want to be able to go away - 600, say. If you want woven wire perimeter fencing that's more, but we'll assume you'll go cheap and electric.

Initial start-up: $2000 (animal, housing, fencing)
Yearly input: $180 (food)
Average yearly gain: 80-100 lbs. of pork per animal butchered, selling shoats, stud services perhaps


CHICKENS

A dozen chickens - bought from the feed store as chicks, probably $25 plus feed. Feed costs depend on whether you want organic or not, and how much pasture and scraps you can get. 12 chicks take a long time to go through a 50lb sack of chick grower - probably 2 months, and that will cost you $18 organic and $13 non. Then you might go through a bag a month, plus scraps and pasture for 12 hens at the same prices. Could be a bit cheaper, could be more if you don't have many scraps or pasture.

Remember in that calculation that 12 hens will give you 1/2 dozen eggs a day average year round - 3 1/2 dozen a week. Assume you keep 1 1/2 for yourselves, if you buy the organic and have a good source of scraps, you can charge $4 doz in most outer areas, more in the city. But let's call it that - so you could sell 8 dozen a month at $4 each - and make back cost of feed, plus get your own eggs free. But that depends on how good you are at that sort of thing.

You don't need any fencing for the chickens, just housing - they can range around. For housing, you could probably build a functional chicken coop out of shipping pallets and plywood for under $50, although you could go for greater aesthetic value and also greater longevity and spend several hundred. It would partly depend on your skills and also your neighborhood. If you have to pay someone to build it or buy a pre-made coop, think 700-800 for anything really nice.

Initial start-up: $2000 (animal, housing, fencing)
Yearly input: $120 (food) + any repairs
Average yearly gain: 890 dozen eggs, sale of chickens, sale of eggs

GOATS

For goats - if we're talking big goats, the fencing costs are much higher. If you want little ones like mine, you can get away with woven wire or stock panels, or electric netting easily enough. The big ones can jump over that too easily. So let's talk mini goats.

Two does in milk would cost you 600-800 dollars. You'll get the best price if you buy first fresheners, who have just kidded for the first time and aren't proven in the milk pail (ask about their genetics and their mother's milking) or if you buy an older doe with a few more years of kidding in her. If you can get one of each - a good older doe and a first freshener, you'll probably maximize youth and milk.

For two does, you could easily get away with one roll of electric netting and just move them every few days, so let's assume that. Again, that's about $200. You could let them roam too, like we do, but you won't want to do that if you go away, so having some fencing is essential.

You will also have to buy a winter's hay for them - two does would probably eat 50 bales over the course of a year (that's a high estimate, but let's bet high, since they waste some) - at $4 bale that's $200. They would go through a sack of grain a month - $20 organic, $15 non. They also need a bag of loose mineral every 2 months $5, and vaccinations once a year $25, vitamin E when they are knocked up $5 month for both, and you'd need to invest in milking equipment.

If you use jars and just by the filter like we did, and want a manual milker (useful for being able to go away) you'd probably need to spend $100 on milking start up equipment and you might need to pay as much as $300 to build a stanchion. You could probably build one yourself for $50 if you are handy, though. Kidding equipment would cost you $150 - most of which is amortized over a lifetime of use. Without a buck you'd also pay $20-50 per year for stud fees for each goat to get them bred.

Each year you'd get two kids worth $250-400 if you are registered, $100-200 if not. You'd also get an average of 3 quarts of milk a day for 10 months per year. In most states you won't be able to sell it, although you may be able to use it for barter, but you can do the math for milk and cheese and figure out what the equivalents are for you, whether you do organic or not.

Initial start-up: $1250 (animal, housing, milking, kidding equipment)
Yearly input: $475 (food, vaccinations, stud fees)
Average yearly gain: 225 gallons of milk, $200-400 in kids

HOOPHOUSE

A hoophouse can be made for as little as $100, but I doubt it will hold up long to a cold climate snow load - I'd estimate $500 for a small one - maybe $300 if you are handy and good and building. They could cost up to many thousands if you want a big one.

Initial start-up: $500
Yearly input: any repairs
Average yearly gain: season extension -- fresh veggies longer, earlier start to seeds and veggies

FARM BUILDINGS

Where are you willing to live is one of them - even barring the broader property question, that has implications for how much it will cost to acquire buildings. There are places where old farm buildings will be part of the property for no more than the land would cost - and places where it would be very expensive to find someone to build them.

How handy are you? How good are you at building things in general? If you can do the work yourself, it will obviously be a lot cheaper. If you are good at scavenging, you may be able to get a lot of your building materials for free by taking down old buildings or haunting building sites - but one of you has to be good at this sort of thing.

Initial start-up: $0-1000
Yearly input: repairs
Average yearly gain: storage, useful space, more space for animals perhaps

OVERALL

Initial start-up: $5750-6750
Yearly input: $775 + any repairs
Average yearly gain: 80-100 lbs. of pork per animal butchered, selling shoats, stud services perhaps; 890 dozen eggs, sale of chickens, sale of eggs; 225 gallons of milk, $200-400 in kids; season extension -- fresh veggies longer, earlier start to seeds and veggies; storage, useful space, more space for animals perhaps

So, it looks like I was right about THIS argument. :-P

Spending

Since Mister and I are having to be frugal, I figured it'd be a good idea for me to keep track of what I'm actually spending. Also, taking a leaf out of Allie's book to write down the itemization.

Yesterday, I went to the grocery store and bought:
-- 2 broccoli crowns @ $1.21 (saved $.40)
-- 5# box of clementines @ $4.99 (saved $3.00)
-- bag of frozen corn @ $1.79
-- 2# of pasta @ $1.98 (saved $.72)
-- 1# mozz. @ $5.49
-- 1/2 gallon of skim milk @ $2.39
-- 2 1/2# blocks of Cabot cheese @ $5.98
-- half gallon of Simply Orange oj @ $2.99 (saved $.90)
-- 1 donut @ $.69

So I saved $5.02 all total, and spent $27.51 all total (including $.05 tax). Hopefully that should last us for a while. I bought some stuff we don't normally buy (clementines, juice, broccoli) in an endeavor to get us to eat healthy stuff while we're living on the cheap.

Not Spending Money

So, Mister and I are not going to spend money on things other than groceries for the month of August. I didn't want to have it start before then because of such fun purchases as new car and ring. :-P

We did well for a week of not going out to eat -- we just need to do more of it. The fact that we have two kitchens is really hindering us. Just this morning, I was like "do you have bread?" He said that he had a piece. And I was like "Damn, I have bread, and eggs!" He said that he had cheese, but so do I.

So, we're going out to equip HIS kitchen instead of going to mine.

Apparently Mister considers himself more of a cook than I, and that he does more of the cooking in general. I'm kinda offended by this, as it appears to discount any cooking that I do. But, again, I feel like I do a lot of cooking at my apartment, which he doesn't necessarily see. On the other hand, the amount of leftovers that I often have would imply a fair amount of food.

When I commented about how it was strange that he felt he cooked more than I, he was like "well, I do more involved cooking than you." When I allowed that much of my cooking was throwing stuff in a pan to heat and eat it, he commented that he didn't consider that cooking -- just eating.

Grr. Not happy about this lack of recognition. But let the month of non-spending begin! We shall see who does the cooking. :-P

Cars and such

So Mister's car is dying a long, slow, miserable, expensive death. It's a '96 Saab 900, manual. Even though it's hard for me to believe, 1996 is FOURTEEN YEARS AGO. Holy cow. That was when I started listening to the radio for myself... it's only a couple years ago, right?

Back to the point: Mister has been talking and talking and talking and dreaming and wondering and looking and inquiring about cars. About what he wants in a car. What he needs in a car. What make of car. What model of car. Whether to buck up and buy new or buy used. Many, many, many questions taunt his brain on a daily basis. He's pretty much got it decided on a Volvo C30 (and I could type that without looking up the model -- THAT'S how much he's talking about it!), but because he's really picky, there are no gently used models that have the features that he wants.

So he crunches numbers, and crunches numbers, and does some more. Is it really that close in price to buy new than to buy one year used? He's convinced that it is, and that this is really really upsetting news. He doesn't want to have to buy a new car, nor does he want a new car to be the best option. EVERY ONE knows what a bad deal buying a brand new car from a dealer is; yet it's looking to be an ok deal?

I've been avoiding the numbers, because I am not feeling nostalgic for math class at all. I'm happy to have him run the numbers himself, and tell me his discoveries. Of course, this means he has to tell me every time he rediscovers the same answer... :-P


*****

Have I mentioned that he's particular? Luckily, I'm used to this. I at first was putting my two bits in about gas mileage and such things, but his POV was: if I'm going to care about that, I'd go buy a Prius or something that's hybrid, rather than picking apart the cars I'm interested with THEIR gas mileages. Now if it came in diesel...

I just can't get past the fact that he wants to spend how much on a car? He CAN spend how much? Computer Programmers make much better pay than Ice Cream Store Managers, that's sure as shooting.

A Little Craziness

So everyone is running around like crazy with gardens, and I still haven't been able to put mine in! I hope that I'll be able to get a decent harvest, and I should be able to put it all in next week.

On a brighter note, I might be convincing Mister that little dairy goats are just what he wants. I can understand the not wanting chickens (they are ridiculously noisy and stupid), but I think a goat would be more manageable. I could be completely off my rocker, but I've got a few years to finish up this convincing -- I've got time, and no need to rush it.

So, I am very tired, weary, hot and sticky (in more than one way!). I manage an ice cream store these days, and let's just say that it's the busy season. I'm working up to 6 days a week, and putting in a lot of hours. Granted, I'm making bank tip-wise, but I'm working for it. I was the only one on tonight (due to a coworker covering a shift at another store), and if I had 5 mins combined down time, that's a lot. I had a steady stream of customers -- and what's more, I got called in an hour early 'cause the day girl was swamped and in need of a supply run! So, all in all, 7.5 hours worked on a "5 hour" shift.

Mister and I have changed banks now; we are no longer at Bank of America (evil empire incarnate). We are working with a credit union: USAlliance. The only thing that I care about bank-wise is that I be able to instantly transfer money between Mister and myself, and USAlliance can do that. Mister is more picky, but they cover all of his wants/needs as well. One of the nice things about this place is that they have a minimum balance of only $5 per account. And that opening a savings account is the default. I'm looking forward to saving money in a savings account again. :-D I'll probably be going over my finances to squirrel away money (so that I don't spend it mostly!). ... Looking forward to this actually.