Saving Money as Prices Increase

[HawkinsHollow]

It is obvious prices are on the rise. It is not awful yet, but some think it will get considerably worse. I am not one to get caught with my pants down. SO, I was hoping to gain some insight on things y'all are doing or plan on doing to make the blow not quite as bad.

I am in pretty good shape, better than most probably but we can always do more.
Some things that I am planning on doing or everyday life things that help my situation.

Heating - We live in the SE TN so heating costs are not a huge issue. We have a reasonably efficient heat pump as our main source of heat. On top of that we also have a wood stove in our living room that we use to supplement in the winter. When it is cold and I am home like on weekends our heat pump doesn't run. NEW PROCEDURE - I also plan on running an oil filled radiator during the week while my wife is home so the heat pump doesn't have to work too hard. Probably one in her office and one in the main living space.

Transportation - We both drive 28 to 30 mpg vehicles as our daily drivers, so that helps. And my commute to work is 4 miles, wife works from home. My farm truck is a 85 F250 that get 7 mpg, not much I can do about that except drive it only when necessary.

Food Stuffs- Prices of food are on the rise. Beef and other meats are following right along. I have a deer and a half in the freezer and half a wild boar. Hopefully put another deer in there soon. Also plan on doing the usual gardening this spring. Hopefully seeds will not be in short supply. Might even start it out a little early this year with a cold frame or DIY greenhouse.

Those are the things I have thought about so far. What else have y'all thought about to help ease the sting of rising prices. REALLY value the collective braintrust that is TBN. What are you doing/gonna do different?

 

[ultrarunner]

Cut back a lot the last 18 months and see no reason to change now...

Just about everyone I work with is on a travel binge with Hawaii and Vegas topping the list...

Hundreds of dollars for Covid Testing, Out of this world car rentals, high food costs, etc...

Staying close to home is one way to save...

Not going out, doing more yourself avoids the labor shortages are all ways to keep expenses in check...

 

[Jstpssng]

I've got my winter supply of wood in for "free" heat. My freezer has pork, chicken and turkey enough to last me a long time, plus I have another pig in the field waiting to go to slaughter. (Only half is mine this year, I gave the other half to neighbors who looked after my animals when I had to be away unexpectedly.) I have a company truck so they pay for gas in that. Also enough canned goods on hand to last around 3 weeks... after the food in two freezers are gone. Those are the easy things...
Although winter's approaching I have multiple coled-tolerant vegetables started out in the garden including broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, chard, and lettuce. I plan to build hoops over the beds to help keep heat in and hope to be able to start harvesting around Thanksgiving. Some of my laying hens are getting old and may become dog food as winter approaches. They laid like gang busters for almost a year but now are tapering off; I've been giving dozens of eggs away anyways so won't miss feeding them.

 

[jaxs]

There's not many opertunities open to cut back since I'm no longer working and already living on a tight budget. at 77 it get's harder every year to handle yard work,vehicle repair and keep the house up. I'll soon be in trouble when I start hiring everything done.

 

[Doughknob]

I plan on making more money to ease the sting.

 

[etpm]

It is obvious prices are on the rise. It is not awful yet, but some think it will get considerably worse. I am not one to get caught with my pants down. SO, I was hoping to gain some insight on things y'all are doing or plan on doing to make the blow not quite as bad.

I am in pretty good shape, better than most probably but we can always do more.
Some things that I am planning on doing or everyday life things that help my situation.

Heating - We live in the SE TN so heating costs are not a huge issue. We have a reasonably efficient heat pump as our main source of heat. On top of that we also have a wood stove in our living room that we use to supplement in the winter. When it is cold and I am home like on weekends our heat pump doesn't run. NEW PROCEDURE - I also plan on running an oil filled radiator during the week while my wife is home so the heat pump doesn't have to work too hard. Probably one in her office and one in the main living space.

Transportation - We both drive 28 to 30 mpg vehicles as our daily drivers, so that helps. And my commute to work is 4 miles, wife works from home. My farm truck is a 85 F250 that get 7 mpg, not much I can do about that except drive it only when necessary.

Food Stuffs- Prices of food are on the rise. Beef and other meats are following right along. I have a deer and a half in the freezer and half a wild boar. Hopefully put another deer in there soon. Also plan on doing the usual gardening this spring. Hopefully seeds will not be in short supply. Might even start it out a little early this year with a cold frame or DIY greenhouse.

Those are the things I have thought about so far. What else have y'all thought about to help ease the sting of rising prices. REALLY value the collective braintrust that is TBN. What are you doing/gonna do different?

Please explain how an oil filled radiator lessens the work, and hence the energy used, by your heat pump. I am truly curious about this.
Thanks,
Eric

 

[HawkinsHollow]

They are a small electric radiator that is filled with oil. So once they get up to temperature it does not take much energy to keep them there. They are way more efficient than your average radiant electric coil heater, I have been told, but honestly I have no real numbers to support that. They do a surprisingly good job heating smaller spaces. They look like this.

 

[4570Man]

They are a small electric radiator that is filled with oil. So once they get up to temperature it does not take much energy to keep them there. They are way more efficient than your average radiant electric coil heater, I have been told, but honestly I have no real numbers to support that. They do a surprisingly good job heating smaller spaces. They look like this.

View attachment 719714

Electric resistance heat is already 100 percent efficient. I don’t see how any of the so called magic heaters do anything special. The only way any space heater could save energy is by heating a smaller area than your main furnace. But any $20 space heater could do that.

 

[etpm]

They are a small electric radiator that is filled with oil. So once they get up to temperature it does not take much energy to keep them there. They are way more efficient than your average radiant electric coil heater, I have been told, but honestly I have no real numbers to supp

They are a small electric radiator that is filled with oil. So once they get up to temperature it does not take much energy to keep them there. They are way more efficient than your average radiant electric coil heater, I have been told, but honestly I have no real numbers to support that. They do a surprisingly good job heating smaller spaces. They look like this.

View attachment 719714

Every electric heater is 100% efficient. That is to say that all the electricity they consume is turned into heat. Heating an oil filled radiator does not change the efficiency. The hot oil, acting as a heat sink, may cause the best pump to cycle less, but the heater will still use the same amount of energy, electricity, as any other heater that heats the room to the same temperature for the same length of time. This is basic physics.
Eric

 

[jyoutz]

It is obvious prices are on the rise. It is not awful yet, but some think it will get considerably worse. I am not one to get caught with my pants down. SO, I was hoping to gain some insight on things y'all are doing or plan on doing to make the blow not quite as bad.

I am in pretty good shape, better than most probably but we can always do more.
Some things that I am planning on doing or everyday life things that help my situation.

Heating - We live in the SE TN so heating costs are not a huge issue. We have a reasonably efficient heat pump as our main source of heat. On top of that we also have a wood stove in our living room that we use to supplement in the winter. When it is cold and I am home like on weekends our heat pump doesn't run. NEW PROCEDURE - I also plan on running an oil filled radiator during the week while my wife is home so the heat pump doesn't have to work too hard. Probably one in her office and one in the main living space.

Transportation - We both drive 28 to 30 mpg vehicles as our daily drivers, so that helps. And my commute to work is 4 miles, wife works from home. My farm truck is a 85 F250 that get 7 mpg, not much I can do about that except drive it only when necessary.

Food Stuffs- Prices of food are on the rise. Beef and other meats are following right along. I have a deer and a half in the freezer and half a wild boar. Hopefully put another deer in there soon. Also plan on doing the usual gardening this spring. Hopefully seeds will not be in short supply. Might even start it out a little early this year with a cold frame or DIY greenhouse.

Those are the things I have thought about so far. What else have y'all thought about to help ease the sting of rising prices. REALLY value the collective braintrust that is TBN. What are you doing/gonna do different?

I get 2 steer calves every third year and feed them out. I sell one steer and send the other to the packer for us. Enough to fill the freezer for the next 3 years. The garden fills the other freezer and jars in the store room.