Inflation Proofing 

Your Life

But a duplex 

Buy it 2nd hand

Car Cost

Switching to EV is big! No more gas or oil/transmission changes. Even if you just get a cheap low range used one that you do all your daily/commuter driving on. Then if you still need a road trip gas car it will last longer and need less maintenance.



Power cost 

my  energy efficient  Duplex the  electric bill is $540 a year based on $45 a month on budget billing that makes  things like solar panels not worth it since a good portion of that bill is connectivity to the grid which doesn't go away when you go to solar as I'm not going completely off grid.

I like the ideas and ideals of salor better than how it would pan out  I'd be dead before solar broke even.


Yard work 

Getting better at cooking bulk storage ingredients. Buying rice and beans in 20 pounds bags is literally cheaper than dirt (or at least fancy potting soil). They can make a nice addition to certain meals and are much less susceptible than processed foods or more commodity type foods

https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/lawn-alternatives-turfgrass 


I’ve been focusing on building community… through involvement in a community garden and several neighborhood and mutual aide groups. From the farm I get free veg and eggs and from all groups I get social opportunities, people I can call for help when needed( feeding my cat when I’m away, installing a heavy a.c., etc) and the opportunity to offer my time, knowledge and support to other( teaching neighbors to knit, organizing a clothing swap). Any efforts to move away from monetary exchanges is a win in my book!

Iowa mutual aid groups 

https://www.thesupplyhivedsm.org/ 




Cheap Home Cooking

cooking more often vs premade food or eating out

Getting better at cooking bulk storage ingredients. Buying rice and beans in 20 pounds bags is literally cheaper than dirt (or at least fancy potting soil). They can make a nice addition to certain meals and are much less susceptible than processed foods or more commodity type foods



Haircuts 

growing longer hair that needs to be cut once every 3-6 months then you only have to have one or 2 times a year. You can try cutting it yourself too  hair clippers wahl

composting and making leaf mould out of the autumn leaves




converted most of my lawn tools to electric



Less Paper towels  & TP

trying to use dish towels instead of paper towels (and admittedly failing at this one…)


When clothing or sheets finally die, tear them up into squares and use them for things like dusting and cleaning. Not all fabrics are useful this way, but many are. When they get too dirty for that or you use them for something where you can no longer clean them, downgrade them again to shop rags for things like car work, use them one more time, then toss them. A lot of our fabrics get 4 uses this way... I buy all cotten/wool so I just bury the fabric in the yard when I'm done.

More Water & Bidit 

drinking more water instead of milk/juice/beer


Buy in bulk

uy in bulk - but only if you'll actually use it (or share it with others) because 20 lbs of rice at 50% off isn't a deal if you throw away 90% of it. 

preserve foods for later use. cook in bulk and freeze for later use. use dried beans/rice/lentils for cooking vs pre-cooked ones. 


Sometimes buying in bulk is not a bad idea. I usually go as a "guest" to Costco or Sam's when a relative with a membership visits me and stays with me for several days. It's "payment" for getting to stay with me. I get to go once or twice a year. Some things I might buy: plastic trash bags (120 to 150 in a box), toothbrushes in a multipack (I use 4 to 5 per year and it's cheaper to buy a multpack), dishwashing liquid, ziploc bags, aluminum foil, I MIGHT get paper towels or TP if it's on sale or there's a coupon. I might buy deodorant or a big bottle of ibuprophen pills. I avoid buying food in bulk. I never manage to use it all. The idea is to review what I have on hand, and then buy things I will absolutely use and things that don't go bad. If I buy a year or two supply of something - it means I don't have to think about buying it over and over and over during that time frame. I don't keep buying more and more of what I already have. I do an inventory of what I have on hand before I go shopping for bulk items.


keep your freezer full, uses less electricity. put whatever you can on timers/dimmers to reduce electrical usage.

Travel 

Travel off season and to places where the exchange rate is pro USD . Japan FTW 

Holiday in the same country rather than overseas or even in the same state or near by where you can drive or take 1 bus 


Health

invest in healthy lifestyle. Cheap gym membership, eating healthy foods, drink plenty of water, and plenty of cardio literally has 1000x returns for the investment and better quality of life.



BTW, instapots are magical for making it easier to use dried beans and rice. My wife and I find it hard to think about dinner in the morning, so had trouble using dried beans in practice. Then she screwed up and smoked a pot of beans (and I'm sensitive to smoke) and we went looking for a solution.


Now we've almost entirely stopped buying canned beans because we can cook them in 20 minutes with no attention while cooking the rest of the meal. We found an instapot with a stainless steel pot to avoid non-stick.


never really cooked prior to veganism, i was a microwaver, i bought an electric pressure cooker and now i make amazing meals, most of the time i throw random ingredients in the pot with water and random spices and then i go watch netflix for about 30 mins and return to a fully cooked meal


I will also google instant pot indian/ african/ mexican recipes


I dont meal prep, i do however purchase dried grains in bulk from CO OPs or bulk bins, frozen veggies from costco or fresh veggies and then cut them all and freeze in ziplock bags, i barely have any waste cause stuff in the freezer doesnt really go bad, i even bought a separate chest freezer, i buy alot each trip so i go perhaps 3/ 4 times every 6 mth, but if i want fresh salads then i go for that but it takes about 20 mins or so


For cleaning simply use the saute function with water and soap for about 5 mins to help remove stuff, this works well too: Kohler K-8624-0, use a wooden utensil and consume from pot directly thus no plates needed lol


I am not a picky person and i have managed this way for about 6 yrs

Top quality footwear, takes years to wear out and cheap to repair


Repair my own clothes cheaply with spare cloth and fabric superglue