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1 YEP except now that I have to work in Bangor, I have to go in much more often than I would like (for 2-5 hr shifts). and that doesn't coordinate with dr. visits so we have to make extra trips. This sucks.
2. yep, and SELL at farmers markets!
3. nope, but we use the oil only to keep the whole house at a reasonable COOL temp and kero or propane space heater in the room we are in. Bedroom gets almost no heat. Wood is in the works though.
4. Within reason; I have 3 enterprises plus a part time job, so I have to keep a balance. Right now, all are going nuts. Last month, almost nothing.
5. Yep, graphic design (web and print) and folk art painting... both businesses were things started outside Maine, BTW.
6. No, not really, I don't buy much and what I have, no one would want. When I am done with it, it's WORN OUT! (Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without has been my motto for over 30 years, most of it outside of Maine.)
7. Yep, sometimes... also working collaborative with others who do what you do to be more efficient. That is how the Stone Soup Collaborative Farms came about...
8. Yep... you coulda called me "pallet queen" this fall! LOL
9. Yep, see #2 and 5, above.
10. Yep... buying AND selling (anyone need eggs?
I guess I fit the description.
I guess you do.
Other than a staff meeting, if I'm called in, I'm working at minimum 4 hours to offset the cost of gas and my time. This is reasonable to my employer and I'm not too far away.
While I'm glad to even have a job, something can be said for the fact that they've enjoyed my work ethic and willingness to forgo a COLA raise - sometimes for a few years running - to help out on the budget end for the better part of 20 years, so they don't often squawk about it. This is to include working double shifts in the past and being available when they need me. Reality bites sometimes, but so be it.
I still have shoes which I bought in the 80s (in reality, they're heels which my daughter now enjoys because I hate the d*mn things) but I do have to say that I can definitely see a difference in the quality (or rather lack thereof) of what's sold today. I go through a lot of clothes with kids, but I find that for day to day grubby play clothes, the thrift stores are great. Now that they're getting older, they're getting pickier so that sometimes doesn't work well, but once and a while we can find something that no one else has which the daughter in particular enjoys.
Also, I've bought pots and pans and other housewares at Goodwill (some brand new as Goodwill can often buy surplus which the retailers are willing to write off as donations) and some really great out-of-print books can be found there as well.
My husband works an hour away. He had a crappy S-10 pick-up that was paid off but it was becoming a money pit. Last weekend we went out and he got a VW Jetta Diesel -- they ran a comparison of gas costs, and he'll be spending about $250 a month less on gas with that thing. Sure, we now have a car payment, but not too bad because we put money down plus his trade in, and it's under warranty so no repair costs.
Not sure that story fits in here, but here's why I thought it might: in Maine sometimes you have to do lots of driving to do things, depending on where you live. A fuel-efficient car can help keep gas costs down.
My husband works an hour away. He had a crappy S-10 pick-up that was paid off but it was becoming a money pit. Last weekend we went out and he got a VW Jetta Diesel -- they ran a comparison of gas costs, and he'll be spending about $250 a month less on gas with that thing. Sure, we now have a car payment, but not too bad because we put money down plus his trade in, and it's under warranty so no repair costs.
Not sure that story fits in here, but here's why I thought it might: in Maine sometimes you have to do lots of driving to do things, depending on where you live. A fuel-efficient car can help keep gas costs down.
I agree. We have found it impossible to live without a truck due to a number of reasons (we tried for around 6 months but it was a definite no go). We have a truck with a whirlpool in the tank, so how we get around gas costs is that we rotate vehicles.
Once the family car is paid off, it shuffles to the DH's main mode of travel back and forth to work, and a newer (not brand new) car is purchased (with a reasonable monthly payment - double payments if the occasional OT allows) and the money pit truck sits in the driveway and is used only when needed. It fits within the budget and we have only one payment per month. If we plan ahead, we can go for a period with no payment at all for a good amount of time. That frees up money for repair.
When it's apparent that no amount of repair will 'fix' any issues with the 'clunker,' we junk it for $100 at the junkyard.
If you need more than that, you can always pull a battery out of a car.
I've heard of using a car battery to run an oil and/or gas furnace in case of a power outage, too--but I think a voltage converter needs to be rigged up.
If you need more than that, you can always pull a battery out of a car.
I've heard of using a car battery to run an oil and/or gas furnace in case of a power outage, too--but I think a voltage converter needs to be rigged up.
Yes. You would likely need an inverter.
We had a 12vdc circ pump for our radiant floor system that ran from a deep cycle battery. That way whenever we lost power our heating system would continue to run.
But we learned that 12vdc circ pumps are not designed to be ran continuously. They burn out.
Better off just to get some solar panels feeding a row of deep cycle batteries. Then some things like lighting can be done using 12vdc, and you can still hookup an inverter to run things that require 120vac.
If you need more than that, you can always pull a battery out of a car.
I've heard of using a car battery to run an oil and/or gas furnace in case of a power outage, too--but I think a voltage converter needs to be rigged up.
I doubt there is a 12 volt inverter with enough reserve surge power to run a house sized furnace system. Start up is the problem. Electric motors draw twice the power starting up than they do when just running. Problem is in any system you either have a circulation pump for water or a high volume blower for forced hot air that have to run at the same time as the oil burner. That's a lot of juice. You also need water pressure for the forced hot water system. They need to be able to get make up water when needed. On our system that's a 220 volt pump. You won't get all of that out of a 12 volt battery.
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so that sometimes doesn't work well, but once and a while we can find something that no one else has which the daughter in particular enjoys. 
