Me, the Tightwad, and Snowbell, Queen of the Goat Lot
Hello. I am a tightwad. Well … I am not a tightwad in the realm of absurd (trust me, I know people who are). But I am resourceful and have chosen a relatively simple, country lifestyle focusing upon clean food, maximum utilization of resources, and saving money. A personal diagnosis with Celiac Disease in 2010 set me on a path of producing as much of my own food supply as I possibly could.
I live on what I like to call a small “micro-farm” in Kentucky. I only own 2.5 acres, but it is more than enough for me to care for. On my itty-bitty wannabe farm I have an assortment of fruit trees and bushes, a small garden, and a modest amount of livestock. We have one acre that is fenced with a pond. Our four goats, Snowbell, Penny, Bella, and Sadie … entirely lazy and worthless though they be … do a halfway decent job of keeping the grass on that one-acre lot in control. It’s been hard for them this year with so much rain. They are, basically, pets. We have no plans for them beyond grass control duty. I want to add a calf, but am afraid that there’s not enough graze to support one. I would really like to add a pig but, alas, my wife has vetoed that idea with a vigorous head shake accompanied by hands on the hips. I know when I’ve been beat, so I don’t even bring it up anymore.
My true livestock love is my chickens. I have roughly twenty five hens of various shapes, colors, and sizes, one Easter Egger rooster named Abraham, and three Japanese Bantam roosters. We have two young full-size “mutt” roosters from out last hatch who will only be with us for another month or two. Once Abraham starts beating up on them they’re either headed to another farm or into the soup pot. That’s a rooster’s destiny around here. My hen girls keep us swimming in amazing, rich, tasty eggs that we enjoy with great regularity. We also sell or barter some to friends whenever we have a surplus. My next addition, hopefully, will be some Guineas. I need some little redneck burglar alarms around here!
When I’m not trying to figure out ways to re-use, recycle, or re-task something, I serve as a full-time pastor in a small church in our community. My other loves are American history (I’m hyper-active in the Sons of the American Revolution), reading alternative history and futuristic “collapse of civilization” novels, and metal detecting. There’s absolute nothing quite like digging your own history with a detector!
My hope is that this hobby site will develop into a place where other tightwads can gather and trade ideas, methods, and lessons learned. I welcome input, analysis, and even a little constructive criticism. (Not much … just a little.) Nothing is “off of the table!” All penny-pinching ideas are welcome.
So join me in this this little corner of the tightwadosphere. Together we can change the world! Or at least make it just a bit more responsible with its resources and money.
Peace and bacon grease. 🙂
Country Tightwad 