Do You Have An Emergency Fund?

Last week, we had another water emergency. (That makes two in the past 6 months.) While I didn't lose access to water from my tap this time, I did lose access to hot water. Our hot water heater broke! It wasn't a small issue that only required a repair, it broke completely! It was leaking everywhere and had to be replaced.

So, we cut the water off and called a plumber. The first one told us he could not fix it. He said we needed a new 'direct vent gas heater' and that they are very hard to come by. Manufacturers just don't make many of them. He suggested that we go with a tankless water heater or a power assisted gas hot water heater. After some discussion on the matter, I realized both required electricity to operate. Well, as you can guess, I was not going to have that! 

First off, I don't have any power source in the room the hot water heater lives in. It was going to require an electrician to string wire and create an outlet. Both the tankless and the power assisted gas hot water heater have different electrical needs, so the plumbers advice was to pick the one we wanted and then call the electrician. After the electrician finished, call the plumber back and he would install what we decided on. While the plumber was talking, my husband looked at me and knew what I was thinking! He knew there was no way I was going to have anything that required electricity!

We both thanked the plumber for coming and paid his trip fee. After he left, my husband got on the Internet to learn about direct vent gas heaters and see if he could find one. The home improvement stores list them on their website, but after a few phone calls, no one in our area had one. My husband was told, "They don't make many of those kind."

It was my turn to try. I opened up the phone book and started calling plumbers to see if anyone had access to one. I found a plumber who's supplier had two! We booked him to come the next day.

Since direct vent gas hot water heaters are in limited supply, as you can guess, they cost more than a regular gas hot water heater. About three times as much! This wasn't something that could be paid for out of the monthly budget. The emergency fund comes to the rescue! It was meant for times like this!

Emergencies happen all the time! You need an emergency fund for unexpected expenses! If your budget doesn't have any room to create an emergency fund, how will you pay for something like a new hot water heater? A new furnace or air conditioner? A broken window? New tires?

Anyone on any kind of budget can build an emergency fund. If you don't have extra dollars to save, start by saving small change. Then bring your lunch to work one day each week and put the money you would have spent into your emergency fund. If you currently bring your lunch to work, look for other ways you can save a dollar or two each week. Once that is accomplished, look for more ways to save. I know you can find ways to cut back somewhere! Even if it is only a dollar or two, it will add up over time!

Then when something like a broken hot water heater affects your life, you won't be worried at all!  Here is a picture of my current emergency fund. 

This thing was so expensive, it completely wiped out our emergency fund! Now it is time to start saving for a new one! 

That way, when the next emergency comes, I will be ready!

Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day!

Do you come from Irish ancestry? Well, today it doesn't matter because everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day!

I have been teaching a family history class at Church these past few Sunday's and so ancestry is on my mind a lot lately! With that in mind, I must tell you about some of the new features you can find on the LDS FamilySearch website. As always, FamilySearch is a free website for anyone to use!

• Billions of new records have been added from every country in the world!
• New help tutorials have been added for all skill levels. You can find relevant topics whether you are a beginner or an expert!
• Are you still stumped on what to do? Call a Family History Consultant and ask for help! The call is toll free! AND you can call from almost anywhere in the world! (There is a Call Us link on the Home Help Page that lists all the numbers available from around the world.) Here is a screenshot of some of the numbers on that page. I would give you a direct link but the list of phone numbers is a pop up.

• Different ways to display your family tree. FamilySearch now offers 3 different ways you can display your family tree.
• If you have your family tree recorded in Ancestry.com (or another commercial service), you can import your information to FamilySearch! (Save the monthly fees you spend at those other services! How frugal is that!)

I have found over 550 people using the tools at FamilySearch. Remember, this has all been done while sitting on the couch in my family room!  No need to go to the library or anywhere else for that matter! My husband's tree goes back to the 1100's! I haven't broken past 1700 on my side yet, but I am working on it! It is a bit of a challenge to search for records in another language from your computer at home, but it isn't impossible! There are lots of tutorials on the help page geared towards searching in specific countries!

As always, you do not need to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to use the FamilySearch website. You don't even need to create a login account if you don't want to! You can still use the Search screen to find your ancestors and then record the information you find on paper or any other software program.

I highly encourage everyone to cruise the pages at FamilySearch and try your hand at finding your own ancestors!

Time to Start the Summer Seeds!

Wow! Do I love spring! The sense of renewal, the anticipation of summer vegetables and fruits, the glorious hot days! More than ever this year, I am ready for it!

So what do you do with all that pent up anticipation? Start the summer seeds! It isn't too early for us here in the south. During a more 'normal' year, I would have tiny seeds up already. This year, not so much. I am just now starting them. 

Starting seeds is easy! And very inexpensive when compared to purchasing small plants at a store. The largest costs are the seeds. However, I also purchase good quality potting soil to start my seeds in. It isn't necessary to purchase potting soil if you make compost each year. Compost is an excellent starting medium. My homemade compost is at a premium, I can't make enough for all the things I want to do with it! So, I save it to improve my garden soil. 

Next step to consider is the pots you will use to start the seeds. I don't purchase any pots. It is a complete waste of money! I make my own from newspaper. You can see how to do that here.

Once you decide what you want to grow, the rest is easy. Plant the seeds according to the package directions. This year, I am starting seeds for: tobacco, beefsteak tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, chili peppers, many different kinds of herbs, vanilla marigolds, and regular marigolds. Starting seeds early gives the plants a head start when they are ready to go into the garden. If you live in an area that has a very short summer, starting seeds indoors becomes critical to your ability to produce anything. Some plants require a very long growing season!

I haven't finished planting mine. I do a few each evening before I go to zumba. I expect to finish in a few days.

Once they are all planted, it is important to keep them warm and moist. Not too wet, just moist. Some seeds (such as woad and soapwart) won't germinate if they are too wet. I usually place them in a separate tray and don't water it as often. A warm environment is important. Some people use a heating pad underneath their seed trays. That can be very helpful if you can't keep the environment warm. I have never had to use one. My guess is, if I lived further north, I would need one! Here, it doesn't seem to be necessary.

Water the seeds gently. Then to keep the humidity up, I cover with plastic wrap. Check the seeds daily. In my area, I must check constantly for mold growth. It is important to do that every day, but more so if the sun isn't shinning. Mold growth on the soil can rot the seeds. The seeds seem to pop up quicker for me if I put them in a west facing window. Here is a picture of one of my trays from last year.

They should start to appear in about  seven to ten days!

What Have You Payed for Meat Lately?

This post is only applicable for those who live in the 48 continental United States.

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Have you noticed how much the price of meat is skyrocketing? I honestly don't know how people can afford to buy it at the grocery store! We have been told in the news lately that the supply of beef cattle is quite low here in US. This started last summer because of the cost of feed. I am sure the record drought out west isn't helping either. This situation isn't going to get better anytime soon.

Times like this really test our ability to be frugal. We need to stretch our food dollars further than we ever have before. This is where having food storage is a big help! When you have food storage, you don't need to purchase replacement items until they go on sale. Personally, I think of food storage as an investment. It really helps you plan ahead to save both time and money!

While most people think of dry, shelf stable goods when they think of food storage, I consider the food in my freezer part of my food storage program as well. The difference is, food in the freezer requires a plan in place to deal with it should you ever lose power for a significant amount of time. I accept that and have a plan to can most of my meat if I loose power. (Of course if you lose power in the winter, this is not a problem.)

This type of thinking allows me to take advantage of huge savings by purchasing my meat in bulk. When I started doing this a few years ago, I thought purchasing in bulk was a lot of meat to buy at one time. I don't any more! Buying in bulk allows me to skip the meat section at the grocery store entirely! No longer do I pay retail prices!  

So what exactly do I do? I purchase my meat from Zaycon Foods.

The idea behind Zaycon Foods is that you order meat over the Internet and the company delivers FRESH (never frozen) meat to a local pickup point in your area. You meet the truck in the parking lot and pick up your order. It is fast and easy - you don't even have to get out of the car. The nice people at Zaycon Foods will load it for you!

The order process is very easy. You start by signing up to receive emails from the company. When they have a delivery scheduled for your area, you will get an email. Usually you have some time to decide if you want to place an order. The company tends to give about a months noticed before the truck will arrive in your area.  If you're not interested, you are under no obligation to purchase anything! By signing up, you simply gain access to emails notifying you when they will be in your area and what will be available.

At first, you may find the minimum amount you much purchase way too much for your family. That is ok! You can always split an order with some friends or family members. That is what I did when I first started ordering. Now, I usually take 1 or 2 cases of meat just for us! 

It is helpful to have a stand alone freezer. You can find small stand alone freezers in the club warehouses for reasonable prices. Believe me, you can pay for that freezer in a very short time when you purchase meat in bulk!

At the beginning of February, I purchased 40 lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $1.89 a pound. Today, I signed up to purchase 40 lbs. of extra lean (93/7) fresh ground beef for $3.99 a pound. While I don't think of that price as a 'sale' price, ground beef in my area is running at about $4.50 a lb. AND that is for 80/20 beef! I purchased 93/7 beef!

I usually divide the meat into dinner size portions. Then, I wrap it in freezer paper and seal it in a foodsaver bag. It keeps the meat from getting that 'freezer burned' flavor and will last in the freezer for well over one year. Just the other day, we ate some ground beef that I purchased from Zaycon Foods in December of 2012. It was great! I don't have too much left so the order of 40 more pounds will come just in time to restock my freezer! I pick it up at the beginning of April.

Depending on where you live, you can purchase more than just chicken and ground beef. Zaycon Foods also offers the following:

• Fresh Premium Hickory Smoked Bacon
• Pork Sausage Links
• Fresh Strawberries
• Natural Non-Homogenized Whole Milk
• Rotisserie Seasoned Turkey Breast Roast
• Orchard Peaches
• Raw Wildflower Honey
• Smoked Pulled Pork
• Premium Choice Angus Sirloin Steaks

If I lived closer to the North West, I would purchase peaches and milk too. Unfortunately, they are not offered where I live (at least not right now). Next time it is offered near me, I am getting some honey and sirloin steaks! 

Everything I have purchased from Zaycon Foods is high quality! It tastes great and is hormone free. The ground beef is grass-fed beef too! Try buying grass-fed beef at a specialty supermarket and I guarantee you won't get it for $3.99 a lb!

I have been so pleased with my experiences with this company that I just had to share! It is a great way to buy superior cuts of meat at a low cost!

Now that's frugal!

Spring is Here!

It FINALLY warmed up! We are having 'normal' weather now and I hope it continues! Trees and bushes in my neighborhood are starting to bloom and so are some of my flowers.

I also have some daffodils that will bloom in mid-spring, they are up and setting flower buds.

The last set of daffodils are brand new, just planted in December. They are late-spring blooming and they are just starting to come up.

I just love spring! It is a time of renewal and all plants seem to burst into life! I look forward to it every year!!

Now is also a perfect time to plant the spring cool season crops. Around here, they normally go in after Valentine's Day. I planted most of mine on the 17th.  I have peas, carrots, broccoli and spinach in. The peas are just about to pop up, everything else has still yet to show (we did have some cold nights last week so I am sure that didn't help.)

The only other cool season crop I will plant is onions. I have sets from last year and new seeds for this year. I hope to put them both in this week. I will post another picture when everything comes up!

For now, all I have to say is three cheers for spring!