Saveyourseeds. Manyflowerandvegetablevarietiesproduceseeds that you can save and plant the next spring. Saving seeds may take a littlebitofwork,butyoudon’tneedtopayforplantsnextseason,and you’ll have a ready supply of your favourite hard-to-find varieties.
Unless you’re into experimenting, plant heirloom varieties each year.
Hybrid flowers and vegetables generally produce plants significantly differentfromtheirparents,soyoumaybestartledtoseewhatsprouts fromtheseedsyousavedfromlastyear.Lookonlineforplant-specific
instructionsonhowtoharvestseedsattheendoftheseason.
BOTTOMLINE:Savesomegardeningdollarsbyplantingheirloom
plantsandsavingtheseedsfornextyear.Bysavingenoughseeds
toreplace10packagesat$2.50each,youcansave$25ayearand
keepthevarietiesyouliketogrow.
Convert part of your lawn to a vegetable garden. Adding green spacearoundyourhomeintheformofalawnisattractive,butit’salso expensivewhenyouconsiderthecostsofgrowinggrassoverthesavings
gainedfromhavingyourownvegetablegarden.Byconvertingaportion
of your greenery to a small vegetable garden, you get more bang for yoursoilbuckandcansavemoneyonyourfoodbudget.Ifyouhavea
bumpercropandgrowtoomanyveggiesforasummerofsalads,freeze
or preserve them to enjoy inexpensive and healthy produce in the winter.
BOTTOMLINE:Withabitofcare,a$3tomatoplantcaneasilyyield
25poundsoftomatoesbytheendofthesummer.At$1.50/pound,
thisisequivalenttomorethan$35ofstore-boughttomatoes—plus
they’llbetastier.
Plant expensive foods. Use your garden space wisely by growing vegetables that are expensive to buy but easy to grow. Foods like broccoli,garlicandherbscancostdozensofdollarsatthesupermarket.
Freeze,dryorpreserveyourextrasforthewintermonths.
BOTTOMLINE:Planting$5ofherbsfromseedsinyourgardenand
freezingthesurpluscaneasilysaveyoufrombuying$50of“fresh”
herbs in the supermarket over a year—that’s a tenfold return on yourinitialinvestment!
Use a manual push mower. Save yourself lots of green by cutting your lawn with a manual push mower instead of a gas-powered unit.
Manualpushmowersslicethegrassusingtheenergyyouprovideand
costanywherefrom$100to$150withvirtuallyzeromaintenancecosts.
On the other hand, gas-powered lawn mowers are expensive. A mid-range gas push mower costs around $500, while a ride-on mower can cost in the thousands. Add the cost of fuel and you’re looking at tall costsjusttokeepyourlawnshort.Asanaddedfreebonus,pushmowers
arequiet,arenon-pollutingandgiveyouagreatworkout.
BOTTOMLINE:Getphysicalanduseamanualpushmowertotrim
yourlawnandsavehundredsoverthegas-poweredvarietybothin
purchasepriceandfuelcosts.
Keep your lawn mower sharp. You don’t need to be the sharpest knife in the drawer to know that dull lawn mower blades do not cut grass well. If you’re using a gas or electric mower, dull blades can increaseenergyuseby10%.Purchaseasharpeningstonefor$5to$10
atmosthardwarestoresandsharpenyourlawnmower’sbladesatleast
everyothermonth.Justbesuretoturnofforunplugyourmowerbefore
sharpening.
BOTTOM LINE: Dull lawn mower blades can give your lawn a
ragged look and cost you around $20 in increased energy costs.
Sharpenyourbladesbimonthlywitha$5sharpeningstone.
Mowyourownlawn. Ratherthanhireacompanytomowyourlawn,
get your motor running and cut it yourself. Lawn-maintenance
contractorscancharge$100to$200eachmonthtocareforanaverage
lawn. If you don’t have the time, consider hiring your neighbour’s teenagertomowforlessthanthecostofaprofessional.
BOTTOM LINE: Save up to $800 each year by cutting your own grass.
Growatallerlawn. Growingyourlawntoheightsbetween5and8
centimetres(2and3in.)cansaveyouupto50%ofthewaterconsumed
by a shorter 2.5 to 5 centimetres (1-to-2-in.) lawn. Keeping grass cut shortcausestherootstogrowshallow,whichexposesthemtothedrier
soilatthesurface,sothegrassthenrequiresmorefrequentwatering.
BOTTOMLINE:Keepyourlawnbetween5and8centimetres(2and
3in.)tosaveupto50%onyourwatering.Atallerlawnalsohelps
tocrowdoutweeds,savingyouadditionaldollarsonweed-busting
maintenancecosts.
Neveroverwateryourlawn. Anestablishedlawnrequiresonly2.5
centimetres (1 in.) of water each week, whereas many people water double that amount. Every centimetre of water on a 100-square-metre lawn(1,075ft.2)addsupto1,000litres,or1cubicmetre,ofwater.With manymunicipalitiescharging$2percubicmetreforwater,thepriceof
overwatering your lawn can quickly add up. To measure your water usage,buyaplasticwateringgaugeatyourhardwarestoreforabout$5.
Placethegaugeinthelawnandturnoffthesprinklerswhenyouhave
reachedthetargetamount.
BOTTOM LINE: By watering a 100-square-metre lawn 2.5
centimetres each week instead of 5 centimetres, you save $21.67
eachmonth.Decreasetheamountofwateryoufeedyourlawnand
savehundredseachyear.
Waterearlyinthemorning. Wateringyourlawnandgardenearlyin themorningwhenit’scoolout,andbeforeanywindshavepickedup,
can significantly reduce the amount of water you need to use. By watering in the mornings instead of in the hot afternoons, you can reduce your water use, because heat and evaporation are not
diminishingyourwateringattempts.
BOTTOM LINE: Save up to 40% on your lawn and garden water
costsbywateringearlyinthemorning.
Collect rainwater with a rain barrel. Hook up your home’s eavestroughstoarainbarrelandcollectfreewaterforirrigatingyour garden.Theroofonanaveragehousecancollectover1,000litresina
single10millimetredownpour,addinguptoover$2inmunicipalwater
dependingonyourlocation.Rainbarrelscanbepurchasedathardware
storesforaround$50each,butlargeplasticdrumscanbefoundforfree oratverylowcostbybrowsingtheclassifiedsinyourlocalpaper.
BOTTOMLINE:Saveupto$50ayearonwatercostsbyconnecting
yourdownspouttoarainbarrel.
Use vinegar and dish soap to kill weeds. Lawn and garden herbicides can eat holes in your pocketbook while being hard on the environment.Skipexpensiveherbicidechemicalsandcultivateyourown
weed-clobberingsolutionbymixingvinegarwithabitoffood-safedish
soap.Fillanoldspraybottleandspraydirectlyontotheleavesofweeds.
Thisfrugalandenvironmentallysafemixturekillsmostweedsandcan
besafelyusedanywherenearpetsandchildren.Fortougherweeds,abit ofdiggingisfreeandguaranteedtowork.
BOTTOMLINE:Usevinegarandelbowgreasetokillweedsinstead
ofpayingforherbicides,savingyouabout$15ayear.
Makeyourownfertilizerwithcompost. Skipspendinggooddollars on expensive synthetic and petroleum-based fertilizer each year by starting a compost. A properly maintained compost can break d
own wastefrombothyourkitchenscrapsandgardentrimmings.Thecompost
from a single household can replace about $20 worth of synthetic fertilizereachyearandwillhelpkeepchemicalsoutofyourvegetable
garden.
BOTTOMLINE:Startacompostinyourbackyard,underyoursink
or in your basement and save up to $20 each year on buying fertilizer.
GrowingPlantsfromCuttings
Propagatingaplantfromacuttingisaneasyandfreewaytogrowmore
plantsforless.Andit’ssosimple:youtakeaplantpiecesuchasastem andgrowawholenewplantoutofit!Bushes,shrubs,perennialflowers
andvegetablescanallbegrownfromcuttings,savingyoutheexpenseof shopping at your local garden centre. Talk to your friends and
neighboursabouttradingcuttingsfromoneanother’splantstoincrease yourvarietyofspecimens.
WhatYouNeed
•Asourceplant
•Pruningshearsorasharpknife
•Rubbingalcohol
•Rootinghormone(a$10containercanbeusedforabout50
cuttings)
•Soil-lesspottingmixora50/50mixtureofpottingsoiland
sand
•Apot
•Aclearplasticbag
Instructions
1.Selectacuttingfromasourceplant—sidestemsabout5to10centimetres (2to4in.)longarepreferable,andyoungergrowthswithoutflowerswork best.
2.Sterilizepruningshearsorasharpknifewithrubbingalcohol.Removethe cuttingfromthesourceplantbycuttingorslicingdiagonally.
3.Removeleavesfromthelowerhalfofthecutting.
4. Dip the cut end of the cutting in rooting hormone, following product directions.
5.Addyourpottingmixtothepotandpokeaholeinthesoildeepenough tofitthelowerhalfofthecutting.
6.Insertthecuttingintotheholeandgentlypressthesoilaroundit.Water well.
7.Placethepotwiththecuttingintoapartiallysealedplasticbagtokeep thehumidityhigh.Trytoavoidlettingtheplastictouchtheplant.
8.Rootingcantakefromoneweektoonemonth,dependingontheplant
variety.Tocheck,gentlytugonthecuttingonceaweek.Ifyoufeelabit
ofresistance,rootinghasbegun.
9.Oncetheplanthasrooteditcanbetransplantedtoregularpottingsoil.
Successratesvaryfrom50%to90%dependingontheplantsyouuse,so
it’salwaysagoodideatotakemorecuttingsthanyouneedplants.Once theplantshavestartedgrowing,anyextrascanbegivenawayasgifts!
Raise backyard chickens. I cluck you not, there is a growing movementamongurbandwellerstosparesomespaceintheirbackyards
toraisechickensforeggs.Youwon’tsavehugebucksfromraisingyour
ownclucks,though.Themonthlycostofkeepingsixchickensisabout
$30 in standard feed, and this doesn’t include the cost of building a smallcoopandbuyingthebirds.Butifyoulovefresheggs,expectto
fetchabout9to10dozeneggsfromhalfadozenchickenseachmonth,
averaged throughout the year. You can reduce chicken feed costs by givingyourkitchenscrapstothebirds.Chickenscanbefedbasicallyany food,includingfruits,vegetables,kitchenleftoversandsmallamountsof meat.Avoidfeedingyourfinefeatheredfriendsavocado,saltyorgreasy foods, raw potato peels or potato greens, citrus, chocolate, processed sugars and spoiled food. Raising backyard chickens may not save you hugedollarsoverbuyingeggsfromthegrocerystore,buttheeggswill
bemuchbetterquality,andthehome-entertainmentvaluealonemaybe
wellworththeprice.Keepingchickensathomemayevenproveafun
way to teach your kids about farming, helping them develop a better understanding of where our food comes from. If you have neighbours wholoveeggs,considersellingyourdozenstoraisesomeextradollars.
Justcheckyourmunicipality’sbylawsbeforebuildingacoop;somemay
have rules against poultry running free in backyard spaces. Check out backyardchickens.comforresourcesonbuildingcoops,buyingbirdsand
howtotakecareofyourfeatheredfriends.
BOTTOMLINE:Keepingchickensforeggsworksouttoabout$3.15
perdozeneggs—aboutthesamepriceasatthegrocerystorebutfor
muchhigherqualityeggs.
HowtoStartaCompost
Compostingisafrugalandenvironmentallyfriendlywaytoturnkitchen
andgardenwasteintonutrient-richfertilizerforyourlawnandgarden.
Virtually all plant material can be composted, ranging from fruit and vegetablepeelstocoffeegrounds.Awell-maintainedcompostwillbreak
down smaller pieces of organic matter in weeks, giving you access to freshsoilonaregularbasis.Avoidaddingdairy-basedfoods,meatand
fish,poopandnon-degradablematterlikeplastic,glassormetalstoyour compost.
Allyouneedtocreateyourownsoilisacompostbinandashovel.
Composting bins can be built for little to no cost using scrap lumber, whileplasticcompostbinscanbepurchasedatmosthardwarestoresfor
around$50—manymunicipalitiesoftensellplasticcompostbinsforhalf
thepriceinthespring.
CompostingTips
Herearesomewaystogetintothehabitofcompostingandmethodsfor
buildingamoreeffectivemixture:
1. Keep a small bucket or container in your kitchen to help collect biodegradablescrapslikeproducepeelsandcoffeegrounds.Everyfew
days,dumpyourkitchenwasteintothecompostbinandmixthenew
materialintotheexistingcompost.
2.Trytomaintainacompostmixtureofabouthalf“browns”andhalf
“greens.” Browns are materials high in carbon such as dried grass, leaves, sawdust, straw and paper. Greens are materials high in
nitrogensuchaskitchenvegetablewasteandanyfreshplantmaterial
suchasgrassclippings.Youdon’tneedanexactmixture,buthavinga
compost of only browns or only greens will not promote
decomposition.
3.Aworkingcompostshouldnotsmell.Ifyourcomposthasanodour
and attracts flies, make sure you have a good mix of browns and greensandalwayscoverfreshmaterialwithexistingcompost.
MaintainingYourCompost
Maintainingyourcomposttakesonlyafewminutesamonth.Hereare
sometipstokeepyourcompostbreakingdowneffectively:
1.Onceamonththoroughlyturnandfluffallmaterialinthebinusinga shovel or pitchfork. This gets the air circulating around the material, whichprovidesventilationandpromotesdecomposition.
2. In the hotter summer months, add a little water every other week to keepthecompostmoistbutnotsoaking.Moisturefeedsthebacteriain
thecompostandkeepsthematerialcomposting.
3.Afteroneortwoyears,dependingonhowmuchcompostyouproduce,
removemostofthematerialfromthecompostbin.Youcaneitherlet
this sit to “finish” in a pile for a month or dig it directly into your flowerbeds and vegetable garden. Don’t remove all your compost,
though—leaveasmallamounttohelpgetthenextbatchgoing.
BOTTOMLINE:Compostingcaneliminatetheneedtousesynthetic
fertilizer, saving you at least $20 to $50 a year. Composting also reduces the amount of garbage you produce, which can decrease thecostofgarbagepickupandsaveyoufromspendingadditional
dollars on plast
ic garbage bags. Because composted fertilizer
absorbs and retains water more readily than regular topsoil, you canalsodecreasetheamountofwateryouuseinyourgarden.
10VegetablesYouCanGrowinaPot
Don’thavespaceforsoil?Noworries,youdon’tneedalargeyardorthe perfectplottogrowyourownvegetablegarden.Allyouneedisalittle imagination,someseeds,soilandaflowerpot.Ilearnedaboutcontainer gardeningyearsagowhilelivinginanapartmentbuildingindowntown
Ottawa. My neighbours one balcony over always grew a selection of parsley, green beans and heirloom tomatoes in containers and would often share some of their extra bounty. I learned the value of limited gardeningspaceandhowmuchonecouldgrowjustbyusingtheright
containers and two green thumbs. By growing these 10 vegetables or herbsinapot,IestimateIsavedhundredsayearongroceries—andhad
lotsoffunatthesametime.Forfree,customizedadvice,makeuseofthe
experts at your garden centre—they’ll have great local knowledge and will be able to answer your questions about sunlight, location and planting.
WhatYouNeed
•Planter pots. A 10-inch diameter clay pot costs about $5. Plastic containerscost50%less.
•Soil. Untreated potting soil costs about $2 to $3 per bag, enough for severalpots.
•Wateringcan. Youcanmakedowithasmallbucket,butaspoutedcan costing$5to$10makeswateringaloteasier.
•Seeds or plants. Growing from seeds is less expensive than potting plants.
GetPlanting
Growing food in containers is fun, frugal and easy. The following vegetablesandherbsallgrowwelltogether,sodon’tbeafraidtomixsix or seven herbs together in a single pot, or use cordoned containers to growdifferentvegetablestogether.
1.Herbs
Freshherbsboughtfromthegrocerystoreareexpensive.Startingasmall herbgardeninapotcanprovideyouwithfreshherbsallsummerlong.
Rosemary,basil,thymeandsagecanallbeplantedtogetherinasingle
container.
2.Tomatoes
Whilemanygardenvarietiesoftomatoesrequirealargeareatogrow,
397 Ways to Save Money: Spend Smarter & Live Well on Less - PDFDrive.com Page 18