Recent Harbor Freight bargains

Due to moving soon, we've been gathering up some things we can use on the new homestead. Since a Harbor Freight Tools opened in the next town, which is still about a 25 mile drive from us, we started cutting out coupons for the items we need that they have on sale. Also, cut out some 20% off coupons. With everything else that's going on, I figure we need to save some bucks where ever we can!

So, I posted a slide-show type video on my YouTube channel of most of the things we've accumulated so far that will help us as we switch from the grid to off-grid in the new cabin. (We expect the cabin to be delivered next week, barring any problems.)

I've also ordered a couple of things from Ebay. One is a propane tankless water heater and the other is a 12v battery suitable for charging with our solar panels and using as we need it.

Yesterday we also stopped at a house where a person was selling a small propane tank, though it's not the little ones like you see for gas grills. It's about twice that big. We need to take it to the propane place and get it filled. We'll also need to make sure we have the fittings for it and a water supply line that will go from the well to the water heater.

In a few days, we'll head to another town to pick up some food grade blue 55 gallon drums to use as our water holding tanks for the well water, and we'll need to shop around for a small, possibly submersible, 12 volt pump that will send water from the barrels to the cabin.

Last week we picked up a never-used toilet for a song, so we also need to get the supplies needed to install that and hook it to the septic tank.

So much to do and think about!!

It's ours - a new homestead for us

Yesterday I did the scariest thing I've ever done, aside from signing to buy a car. I signed to buy 3 acres of land, then I signed to buy a 10 X 20 foot portable barn to turn into a tiny home/cabin on the same day. I honestly was just about ill from thinking about the commitment, especially on the land. It's a very long 30 year note and, unless I pay it off really early, I will probably never see the deed if I don't.

So, my plan is to pay it off early! The cabin pays off in 3 years which means I can then use that money to put on the land and pay it down much faster.

We've been using quadrille graph paper to work out how we want to deal with the inside of the cabin. Fortunately, this cabin has a 4 foot loft at each end so that gives more storage space at one end and a sleeping loft for my son in the other end. The seller said we can do what we want with the cabin as long as we don't tear out a side or end wall, or the floor.

First thing we need to do is insulate the walls and ceiling so that staying cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter is less of an issue. We are going to extend one of the lofts so there's just a place between them where a ladder or attic stairs can access them both.

We chose a white metal roof and off-white metal siding so help reflect sunlight, since there aren't really any trees around where it will be placed. We also opted for one more window, in the center of the rear wall, so it's across from the two front windows and the double front door. We plan to only actually use one of the barn-style doors and can place furniture in front of the other one.

We'll need to get the water going and the sewer connected to the septic tank. Bought a toilet yesterday for really cheap ($40) so we'll install that. Still working out how to get a shower stall in there that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Thinking of using a small livestock watering tub and fashioning a drain in that to also go into the septic.

Everything will run on solar power or be manually operated to completely eliminate an electric bill. That gives me a few extra bucks each month to get a new battery or expand the solar array. For example, we're thinking we'll put one 85 watt solar panel (which we already have) on top of the well house, add a battery inside the well house along with a small charge controller, and use that mainly for pumping the water. I found a suitable 12v pump on eBay for a reasonable price.

So, as I go along, there'll be lots of updates concerning this new adventure! Stay tuned!

Land change of plans

In order to be able to get on a new piece of land faster and get a cabin put on it, we've decided to buy a smaller spot that already has a well and septic tank on it. Over the long term it will cost a little more but there's really no way I'd have the money to install septic, even though we could figure out the water situation by using rain catchment, food grade barrels, and in-line water filters and pool shock pucks in the filters. (We still might do that.) I'll share a video at the end of where I saw this particular idea, and the shock pucks will treat 10,000 gallons of water!

Where we live, if perc tests show septic to be viable then you must use that. If not, you can use off grid plans ,such as a composting toilet, but it has to be one of a couple of approved brands, and they are very expensive. I have located a house-type toilet for only $40, so we'll go that route. I should be able to use straight rainwater from the roof, via gutters, downspouts, and a 275 gallon IBC tote, to run the toilet. It doesn't have to be potable water. It just has to flush.

 Gray water must be diverted into it, as well, though I might still put the kitchen gray water into a barrel out back to use for watering the garden. I just need to figure out a filtration system for that.

In order to get a potty, shower, and point-of-use hot water unit in, I need the extra money I'll save from the down payment cost. I have 205 watts of solar panels now, and a couple of batteries. I've been shopping online for a whole list of things we'll need in the cabin pretty quickly. And, I normally allow about $100 a month for needs such as these anyway, so there's that money to add to what I have.

• Insulation
• Water management (12v 50w solar submersible pump)
• Propane tank (small ones)
• Toilet
• Sewer pipe
• Water pipe (we may have enough PVC on hand to cover that. Need joints and elbows.)
• Staples (for the heavy stapler to put insulation in with)
• Shower (thinking a watering tub from Tractor Supply, with a drain made into one end of the bottom would probably work.)

Everything we need to start with also needs plumbing to operate, so we're really going to be learning a lot with this new adventure. 

I have all these thoughts spinning in my head, and a lot of them written in a notebook. I've been sketching the inside layout of the cabin to get optimal use of space. Already started packing the limited number of dishes we need on a daily basis. Others will be stored in rubbermaid totes.

No pictures or videos to share today. There will be some coming soon as we go about taking on this new task.

Looking for land

We did go to meet up with a guy that has small parcels of land for sale. I'm thinking they are about the same distance from town as we are now, and supposedly good for going off-grid. He said some even have springs on them. That would be great for an off-grid water source.

So, we went to meet up with him and got there pretty early. Early enough to go by the McDonald's next door and get lunch, and had time to eat it. Since we were early, we knew we'd have to wait. Our appointment with him was at 3:30 pm and we were done eating around 3 pm. So we waited.

It got to be 3:30 and he called, apologizing and saying he'd gotten tied up with another appoinment, and that he'd be 10 or 15 minutes late. Ok. We'd wait.

Then it got to be after 4 pm and no further word from him, so we texted him and headed back to our town. When we got nearly halfway home, he called saying he was at the meet up spot and did we want to come back? Well, no. We had a few other things to do then we needed to come home and feed before dark. He was pretty insistent, but so was I. I told him I'd get back with him later in the week when maybe it would be more convenient for him. I was nice, but firm.

I figure if someone makes an appointment for a meeting, they should either cancel it if they really can't make it, not schedule too many things for the same day, or just wait to make an appointment on a day less busy. I'll talk to him in a few days.

Tomorrow, though, we plan to visit another real estate office, closer to home, to inquire about tracts of land from him. He also does in-house financing which is what I need. I don't have bad credit. I don't have ANY credit, good or bad!

I'm thinking this other guy has maps of various tracts and parcels of land that we can follow and go take a look at them as we want, without him hanging on our every word as we discuss things. It would be nice to have some services - a septic tank and a well. I still plan to be off-grid which means needing a way to pull water out of a well, having enough solar to run a few small things, and keeping the generator in good running order for times when we need to plug in a larger load, like the little washing machine or a very small AC on the worst of days.

We also looked at some yard barns and cabins we can turn into a house. Might get one larger one and one smaller one, which will equal less payment than the rent I've been paying the last few years. In fact, it should be low enough that, by going off-grid and combining no longer having an electric bill plus former rent, I can actually afford payments on both the land and the cabins. And, I should also be able to beef up the solar array and batteries as time goes by.

Just to give you an idea of the kind of land we are looking for, I'll leave you with this picture taken at my current location.

The Homestead Cheapskate - Part 1 The Electric Bill

Probably nobody is more of a cheapskate, skinflint than me. Not in areas where quality far outweighs a cheap price. But in areas where "making do or do without" really counts.

For this installment of The Homestead Cheapskate, I'll address saving on the electric bill. I'm sure many of my tips will be just a rehash of things you've already read or learned in the past. I'm hoping some of them, though, will be a little newer to you. My goal is to so reduce my electric bill and electricity usage that a moderate solar array will actually supply all my power needs. It's a work in progress. At the end of this post, I'll show you our solar setup so far and my goals for extending its use.

1. Unplug those chargers! The "phantom" load on phone chargers, and other chargers, is pretty small. But it still exists. Every hour of every day, even when not in use, those little chargers are pulling power. The more you have, the more power they pull. Unplug them when you're not actually using them. Better yet, seek out a way to charge your devices without having anything plugged into a socket. I use my laptop and a USB cord to charge my cell phone and other devices that need it. I also have a "vape" MVP (I think that's what it's called) that holds a charge for a long time and can plug into my phone to charge it up. It's the mini-USB end and it works for other devices as well. Once the MVP is fully charged, I can use it for my phone 2 or 3 times without needing grid electricity.
2. Monitor your hot water usage! I do laundry in cold water unless something is really needing warm water, like extra dirty towels. Most of the time, though, cold water will work just fine. I also don't own a dishwasher, though they are pretty energy efficient, so I wash dishes by hand. I make sure my dishes are well scraped of any garbage. I fill up my dishpan with hot, sudsy water (it holds less than the actual sink), then I half fill the other sink with plain hot water with about 1/2 cup of white vinegar in it for rinse water. Even plastic items come out squeaky clean from the rinse. I've only used about 1 1/2 to 2 gallons of hot water for rinsing and about the same for washing. Rinsing under hot running water can use many times more than that!
3. Switch the kind of light bulbs you use! Right now, I'm using CFL bulbs but the next bulb purchase I make will be LED. I get the brightness I want and only use a tiny fraction of the power. They also don't generate heat, which is a real blessing in the summer time since it reduces the need for so much running of the AC, which is a window unit.
4. Monitor your electric stove usage! I do have an electric stove, and really wish I could have propane here. I can't, so I do the best I can with what I have. In this case, I actually turn the breaker off to the stove unless I really, really need to use it. After all, it's a 240 watt appliance. If I'm doing oven dishes, I do several of them at one time. Maybe a casserole, potatoes, and bread all together so that I'm only running the oven once for the whole meal. Even side dishes, like green beans, will go in the oven with the rest of the food in oven safe dishes or small skillets. I also make good use of my crock pot or my roasters. I have a large turkey roaster that can do double duty as a table top oven. In the summer, you'll often find it out on the table on the back deck where I'm baking bread in it. Yes! You can bake bread in a roaster and it does get brown! It bakes in exactly the same amount of time, doesn't use as much electricity to bake, and doesn't counteract the AC since it's baking outside!
   
5. Turn off or unplug anything you're not using! I know, this should go without saying. But how many times have I left the bread machine plugged in, the coffee maker plugged in, or a light on in an unoccupied room. Yes, I'm guilty of all that. I bet you are, too. But part of reducing electric consumption is becoming more aware of what's going on in your home. The best method of making sure nothing is sucking those phantom loads is to have things plugged into an outlet strip. Just flip the switch on it, and you will have turned off everything that's plugged into it. Use these for your TV, stereo, DVD player, printer, computer...I'm sure you can look around and see lots of items that would be just fine if you switch off their power!
   
6. Find and use non-electric appliances and kitchen tools! A short run-down of things I use in my home are a manual egg beater, hand crank grain mill, hand crank Victorio food mill, hand crank meat/veggie grinder, wire whisks, mandoline...I'm sure there are more I've forgotten until I am actually cooking. You get the picture, though. I can use my manual egg beater and whip up fluffy whipped topping for cobbler in the same amount of time (maybe less!) than it would take to get out an electric mixer, plug it in, put in the beaters, and do the project. I still have to wash the beaters and I have to wash the manual beater, so that time is the same. The major difference is that I can get the manual beater out, use it, and be done, and not use electricity for it! Same for all the other things I mentioned. They are easy to set up, easy to use, and easy to clean in minutes.

And, here's my solar setup. It's pretty small -- only 205 watts -- and 2 batteries. But, it is very useful when the power goes out. I can plug my modem into the inverter (10 watts) and my laptop (65 watts) and still remain connected to the outside world.

Just chores on the homestead

Ever have one of those days when you seem to be busy the whole day, but it doesn't seem like a lot got done? That was today. I'm tired enough now that I FEEL like I've dug ditches all day. I haven't. Didn't even work on gardening.

We started off slowly, then around lunch time we headed into town to run some errands. I'm talking about Big Town, not the little town where our mail comes from. Some things can only be accomplished in Big Town. One of the errands was to go by Office Depot to pick up some tiny price tags with strings on them. I'll be using those to price the knitted and crocheted items I plan to sell this weekend at a craft/yard sale in the town where my Mother and Sister live. I'll plan to be up there a few days early and celebrate Mom's birthday, then deal with the sale, then head back home on Sunday, which is one of my sons' birthday.

While we were out, we went to our favorite Chinese buffet to eat a late lunch. When we were done with errands, we headed back to our town where I stopped in at a discount store for some needfuls, then we headed home. Stopped at the feed store that's up the road, on our way, to get a bale of hay, came home, and I fixed a pot of coffee. By then it was around 3 o'clock in the afternoon.

Our septic line was stopped up, so we got to work on that and I think it's fixed now. Son did most of the hard work while I went back and forth to check if the toilet was flushing, fetch tools, and just generally be a "gopher". We thought we had it fixed a couple of days ago, but it stopped up again. This is one of those times when a composting toilet would come in handy!

After that, we fed and watered the animals, dispensed hay to the goats, and temporarily patched a hole in the chicken run where the ladies all got out today and free ranged. I don't mind them free ranging, but prefer it to be on my schedule, not theirs. I got them all rounded back up and in their yard, collected a very welcomed 4 eggs today, and filled their waterers. Thank you, hens!

We're pretty sure the hole got in the fence because one of the little piggies keeps getting out. It sure looked like it was pushed up and in, just like a pig would do it to go under the fence.

Then we (I say that as if I actually did anything) worked on the truck. It's old. It's ugly. But it's paid for so a few dollars now and then for repairs doesn't really hurt. We already went through and replaced some vital parts last summer - new belt, new rotor and cap, new battery, new radiator, new alternator - plus the usuals such as oil changes, fuel filter change, and air filter change. This past weekend we put new spark plugs in it. This time there was a rigid little airline that was broken and making the "Check Engine" light come on. It goes to the EGR (is that right?) and might be one of the reasons why it's been running rougher than usual. I'm thinking that air line got broke when the plugs were being changed since it's right over the top of one of them.

I also have front and back brakes I ordered that need to be put on. That will be an all day adventure of it's own, I'm sure.

So, no gardening. Also, I had wanted to move the tote that has the battery bank for our solar setup closer to the house, readjust the solar panels, and start running wires for having off-grid lights inside. I guess that's for another day, and it's supposed to rain tomorrow.