Making changes

After sitting down and looking at where our money was going this winter, we figured out why we were always broke. We looked at food cost- I already have our grocery/household supplies expenses knocked down to about $50 every 2 weeks as we use a lot of home canned items- so I only buy meat, milk, cheese, rice and pasta ( plus fresh veggies in winter), and a few household cleaners. Animal feed, I did some shopping around in a town I now have to go to for work and found chicken feed cheaper by a couple dollars, but that won't make much of a difference. Energy! We knew it was bad but did not realize how bad...we figured we spend at least $1800.00 each month on energy (kerosene/electric/gasoline/wood pellets) in the cold months. We discussed getting yet another job...we already work 3 jobs between us and have to hire in help a couple days a week. We talked about cutting other expenses, but not much more fat to trim unless I got rid of the dogs. What we really need to cut is energy cost. Cutting gasoline cost- with the rising cost we have only making needed trips and have gotten great at consolidating trips. We talked about more economical vehicles, but that would mean another payment which would cancel out the savings and if we got one for cash, it would add an insurance payment....plus would be of no use in the winter when we need 4WD.  Even if we got rid of the kerosene and wood pellets and went back to all propane we would still have about the same cost per year for heating. Now looking into wood stoves.  That would be more work, but much more economical. I found an antique wood cookstove for $300- picking it up tommorrow.  It will not be enough to heat the whole house, so will need to replace the pellet stove with a wood stove. When we do the kitchen remodel this summer (already have most of the supplies), the propane stove will go. We already have ceramic tile for the floor, so will just need to put tile on the wall as well around the wood stove and it will be ready. The pellet stove was borrowed so will be returned and replaced by a Franklin.
Eventually, we would like to go either solar or windmills to supply our electric.  I will keep an eye out for things that will work for less cost.
I am also starting to think more about bartering. We normally have enough produce to supply us for about 2 yrs.  If I could barter a years worth for hay and grain for the animals, that would be another expense gone. I am considering setting up a produce stand at the end of the lane. I will have to check into laws about that.
Our chickens, turkeys and ducks already pay for themselves with chick/poult sales, eggs and meat.  The rabbits...I need to find a little more econonomical way to raise them. Though I like the PenPals pellets as it contains no corn or soy and I wind up feeding less...I wonder if adding hay would cut down on the amount needed more without sacrificing growth rate.  I may have to make hay racks for the cages and start feeding alfalfa hay to see. I have decided to not to add to the french lops and breed them very little. All I seem to be able to get back from them is an occassional pet or 4H sale.  I can't butcher them...those faces and personality...neither can Tom. So going to concentrate on the meat rabbits which eat less and produce meat for the dogs. Dog food is a large weekly expense as we go through 15-20 lbs of RMB's a week which costs about 65 cents a lb for chicken quarters currently. I do find an occasional deer that has been hit and use that for dog food, but need to find a way to produce more meat from home. I am hoping the bucklings that get grown out will help with that. I am also considering a couple feeder pigs as they could be fed mostly garden scraps and goats milk and after we get the electric fence up- hair sheep which would be fed primarily off the land.  The calves should be ready to pick up within in the next couple weeks.  That will cut our food expense, as the sale of the second calf will pay for the raising and processing for both calves. I am looking into building a greenhouse to extend our growing season as well. After all that is in place, we should have enough food to feed us and the dogs with just household cleaners/personal care and dry staples needing purchased.  My goal is to have our expenses down to the minimum when the house is paid off in 15 yrs so we can do with just one job, or a reverse mortgage on the farm.