Straw Bale Garden- Does It Work?

Can You Really Grow Your Garden In Straw Bales?

Straw Bale Garden Jalapeno Peppers
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

If you want to learn all about straw bale gardens, you can learn everything from planning through harvest:

• Starting a straw bale garden
• Conditioning the straw bales
• Straw bale garden timeline
• Does a straw bale garden work?
• Straw bale garden harvest

I was a little skeptical when I started my straw bale garden back in April.  I was looking for an easy way to get a garden started at my new house without a lot of hard work breaking sod and building up the soil.

I bought 25 straw bales from a local farmer for $5 each.  I used some metal stakes that I found in the garage to stake them down, and used some landscape fabric between the bales to prevent weeds from growing between the straw bales.  You can learn more about starting a straw bale garden in my earlier posts.

The big question I had, of course, was "Would this really work?"  Based on what I have seen through mid-July, I can say that it is working!

Straw Bale Garden Cucumber

Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

We have harvested a few things so far- spinach, peas, and cucumbers.  As you can see in the photos, the plants are growing like crazy.  It is hard to even see the bales under the cucumbers.

Benefits of a Straw Bale Garden

The main benefits of a straw bale garden are that it is easy to start without breaking ground or roto-tilling, and provides easy raised garden beds without building anything.  Also, there are very few weeds to deal with in a straw bale garden.

Straw Bale Garden Broccoli
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Drawbacks of a Straw Bale Garden

Some of the negative aspects of a straw bale garden are that you need to buy a lot of straw bales and get them to your garden.  It also takes a couple weeks of work to condition the straw bales before planting.  

I have also found that the straw bales don't hold water as well as soil, so they require more frequent watering.  I have set up soaker hoses right on top of the straw bales so I can let this run occasionally.  Believe it or not, I also found the soaker hoses in the garage so I didn't have to buy them either.

Straw Bale Garden Tomatoes
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Some crops do not work well in straw bales- growing sweet corn in straw bales is not recommended, and I planted my zucchini in a small patch in the ground instead of in straw bales.

Even though I have listed more drawbacks than advantages to straw bale gardens, I think a straw bale garden is a good solution in some situations.  If you want a small garden and don't mind watering it frequently, a straw bale garden could work well.  The cost of the straw bales and amount of watering could be prohibitive for a large garden.

I plan to use the straw bales to make compost and transition to some garden in the ground and perhaps some new straw bales again next year.

Does Straw Bale Gardening Work?

Straw Bale Garden Herbs
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

The harvest is just getting started, and it has been great to have some fresh vegetables growing right outside the back door.    I wanted a garden that would be fairly easy to get started and not too expensive.  So far, the straw bale garden is working out very nicely.

Check back for more updates on how the straw bale garden turns out.

Penny Pincher Journal

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Pants Are Not Optional At Work!

When Pants Are Required... Quickly

What To Do If Your Pants Fail At Work!
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Sometimes at work I get a memo with a dress code for a meeting that says something like "shirt and tie".  I always joke that pants must be optional...

Last week, I was wearing some 20 year old pants at work and they failed badly.  I don't like to spend money on clothes, but my career is my most valuable asset, and I couldn't very well go walking around with my fly fully open all day!

I briefly considered some options to repair my pants with office supplies such as tape or staples.  I saw lots of opportunities to make a bad situation worse and decided not to repair my pants with office supplies.

The next option I considered was to drive home and change pants.  There were two problems with this.  First, I didn't have that much time- it would take me at least an hour to drive home, change pants, and drive back.  The next problem was that it would take a couple gallons of gas and put about 40 miles of extra wear and tear on my car.

So, I decided to run to the Kohl's store that was a few blocks away.  I had a Kohl's coupon in my car, and Kohl's has some great clearance bargains.  Kohl's was a natural choice.  I slipped out of my office before anyone saw my problem pants and soon arrived at Kohl's.

Clearance on Clothes at Kohl's- 80% Off
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

The first pair of bargain pants I picked up had a waist of 40 inches and length of 30 inches.  Not even close!  After about 1 minute of scanning and looking for my size, I found some nice Dockers brown corduroy pants in just the right size: 34W, 34L.  And they were priced at $5.80.  With my coupon, the total ended up at $5.28.

Receipt For Emergency Pants
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

I wasn't planning to spend $5.28 on clothes, so this is $5.28 of extra spending, but all things considered things turned out pretty well.  I could have missed an hour of work and spent money on gas for an extra trip home, or I could have used office supplies to repair my pants which may have looked ridiculous.

I wonder how long a pair of brand new Dockers corduroy pants will last?

Penny Pincher Journal

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25 IS THE NEW 65: How To "Retire" Outrageously Early And Do Whatever The Heck You Want

Book Review- 25 Is The New 65 by Travis Hornsby

I recently stumbled across Travis Hornsby's book 25 Is The New 65: How To "Retire" Outrageously Early And Do Whatever The Heck You Want while it was free on Amazon for a 3-day promotion when it was launched.  This book is about how Travis (aka TMONEY on his blog) was able to get through college with a respectable amount of savings and lived a very frugal lifestyle while working full-time a few years.  Travis clearly did not enjoy his time working in the corporate world and decided to get out and go a different way.  Living a frugal lifestyle allowed Travis to save and invest enough after working only a few years to "retire" at a very early age.

In this case, "retirement" does not mean never working again, but instead means working part-time or working on things that he enjoys and wants to do to continue to make some money.  Also, this sort of retirement will require living a very frugal lifestyle, living on about $16,000 per year.

This is clearly not the path for everyone.  There is a trade-off between having time to do whatever you want and having money to experience things that cost money.  I am fortunate that I have a career that is interesting, so I don't see working as a form or torture.  Of course, I would like to retire someday, but for me I don't mind the lifestyle of having a professional career and making lots of money for awhile.

This book does have some good examples of how you can live frugally to minimize expenses and boost your savings and investment contributions.  I liked his examples of "typical" spending by young people out of college and how this could lead to working for a very long time to pay off debt.

Many people do not learn to control spending until later in life, this book provides an example of what is possible with extreme financial discipline early in life.  If you are dealing with debt, this book can provide some motivation to cut expenses, boost savings, and get rid of that debt to find your path to freedom.

I enjoyed the exercise of thinking about how frugal I want to be and what trade-offs I am willing to make to have time available to pursue my interests.

Penny Pincher Journal

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Making My Old Shoes Like New Again

Shoe Wash Today!  I saved over $50...

Wash Your Shoes Instead of Throwing Them Away!
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

I have not worn my "good" tennis shoes for a few weeks.  The cat decided to spray them, so I set them outside to get some sun and rain for awhile.  These shoes are a couple years old and have small holes in them, so I thought getting sprayed by my cat might be the end for them.

But these are some of the nicest tennis shoes I have ever owned.  I originally bought them for my son for $25 at Famous Footwear, but they weren't quite right for him.  I was going to take them back to the store, but that would take a driving trip and I needed shoes and liked these.  They were a size too small, but $25 was a great deal, and like I said, I needed shoes...

That was 2 years ago, and the shoes have been great.  They are very lightweight and have memory foam.  I decided to wash these shoes the old fashioned way and try to get another year of life from them.

I Washed My Shoes- No Need to Throw Them Away!
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

My son also had a pair of shoes in the same situation (darn cat!).  I set the shoes on the grass and blasted them with a hose.  Then I put the shoes in a bucket, added some car wash soap that I had handy in the garage, and blasted them some more.  I let them soak in the soapy water for a couple hours, then scrubbed them with a scrub brush that I use to wash the tires on my car.

Next, I set them out to dry in the sun.  I should have shoes back in action after a few days of drying.  I am going to keep them somewhere where my cat can't get them.

Reusing two pairs of shoes instead of buying new ones will save over $50.  That's real money- $50 will buy a day's worth of food for the family.  Try washing your shoes to give them new life.  If you need to replace your shoes, check out how I got a pair of dress shoes for work for $25.

Penny Pincher Journal

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Recycled Plant for Hanging Basket = Free

Plant Rescued, Money Saved!

Our hanging basket got dried out after we forgot about it- I brought it back to life with lots of watering
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

We got an outdoor flower in a hanging basket early this spring and forgot about it. It was dried out and looked mostly dead and the flowers were all gone. My wife mentioned getting another plant to replace it. I decided to try to rescue the plant (and also rescue some of the money in my wallet). I filled the pot overflowing with water every day and fertilized once a week. Now after a few weeks, it looks better than ever!

This worked out well for everyone involved- we didn't buy another plant, so my wallet is happy. We have a nice looking flower, so my wife is happy. And, of course, the plant is happy with how this worked out.

You might ask how much I spent on fertilizer and extra water to bring the plant back to life.  My house is on a community well, with no water meter, so the water was free.  You would think with unmetered water that people would use water like crazy, but surprisingly, people here are very careful with water.

I found the fertilizer in the garage from a past year, so I'm going to count that as free as well since I didn't have to buy it. 

I should note that the "Before" picture was actually taken after to give an idea of what the plant looked like.  It was actually much more dried out and I don't think there were any green leaves remaining.

Penny Pincher Journal

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The Bridges We Cross on the Road to Debt: Guest Post @ Modest Money

The Bridges We Cross on the Road to Debt

The Bridges We Cross on the Road to Debt
Image Source: Public Domain Image Courtesy of Wyncliffe

My guest post went live today at Modest Money, which is one of the top 5 personal finance websites on the internet!

The post is about how people get into debt, why being in debt is bad, and how to get out of debt- all in 1,000 words.

Here is my favorite quote from the guest post:

"There are bridges you cross on the road into debt. These bridges make it easy to go further into debt. When you decide to turn around and leave debt behind, you realize that there are no bridges on the way out. You have to swim across."

-Dr. Penny Pincher

I write about my experience on the road to debt and crossing the bridges of student loans, credit cards, car loans, and mortgage loans on the way in.

The quote above reflects how easy it is to sign your name and cross another bridge going into debt, but there is no such easy way to get out of debt!  Getting out of debt takes hard work to find ways to spend less money and make more money if you can.

I just saw on Twitter that Experian, the giant credit reporting agency, sent out a tweet with a link to the "great guest post by @Dr_PennyPincher on @ModestMoney"

Great Guest Post by Dr. Penny Pincher!
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Thanks to Modest Money for featuring my guest post.  This is my first guest post, so I'm pretty excited!  You can read the entire guest post here:

The Bridges We Cross on the Road to Debt

Penny Pincher Journal

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Air Conditioner Troubleshooting Adventures

Avoid Expensive Air Conditioner Repairs!

Avoid Expensive Air Conditioner Repair
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Summer has arrived, and that means it is time for central air conditioning if you have it, and if you are lucky enough to have it working.  As you'll see, I have not always been so lucky...

Growing up in an old farmhouse on a small farm, we had no air conditioning.  We had fans in the bedrooms and in the living room.  The downstairs wasn't too bad, but the upstairs bedrooms were pretty warm at night, even with fans going.  When I was about 14 we installed a window air conditioner in the living room.  I don't remember how much that cost, but I think it was about $100, and I know it used a lot of electricity.  We ran it on a few of the hottest days of the year and it made a big difference.

Tips to Keep Your Air Conditioner Working

Since then, I have owned several houses and all but one of these had a central air conditioner.  Almost every central air conditioner I have owned has had some trouble.  In general, there some simple things you can do to avoid trouble with your central air:

• Change the furnace filter regularly.  If the filter is dirty, it reduces the air flow and reduces the cooling effectiveness.  If you don't remember when you last changed it, it is probably due for a change...
• Trim back plants growing around your A/C unit to allow the heat exchange to work efficiently.
• Use fans instead of central air when it makes sense.  A fan right next to you can keep you cool, and using a fan is less expensive and saves wear and tear on your expensive A/C unit.

Installing New Furnace Filters Can Avoid A/C Issues
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pinche

Each time I have called a repairman to troubleshoot the central air, it has cost more than the window air conditioner that we bought growing up- just for the repair!  A new central air conditioner costs about $3,000 to install, depending on the size.  Repairing a central air conditioner costs $100 to $300 or more, depending on the problem.

This is Where Furnace Filters are Installed
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Air Conditioner Repair Incidents

Following are accounts of the incidents I have had with my air conditioner over the years, and an explanation of each problem.  Hopefully this will help you avoid some expensive service calls or at least understand what could be wrong with your air conditioning.

A/C Incident 1:  A/C running, but not cooling.  We moved into a house in the winter time and tried to turn on the A/C when summer came around.  Everything seemed to be running, but it just wasn't cooling.  I called a furnace repairman to come and check it out.  This system had a furnace filter installed in the ceiling, which I did not find when I was checking for problems.  Simply changing the very dirty filter made the A/C work well.  This service call was around $100!

How to avoid expensive repair:  Make sure you find your furnace filter and change it!

A/C Incident 2:  A/C not running.  My wife was 9 months pregnant.  It was July and very hot, with temperatures running over 100 degrees at nearly 100% humidity.  This was a house that I just bought, and I wasn't very familiar with the infrastructure.  The A/C stopped working mid-morning on the 4th of July.  I wanted to wait until after the holiday weekend to call a repairman since it was a holiday, but my wife was pretty uncomfortable anyway and it was only getting hotter, so I called a repairman right away.

The problem turned out to be a blown fuse in the fuse box right next to the A/C unit outside.  I checked the circuit breaker panel inside, but it didn't occur to me that there would be a separate fuse box outside with glass fuses.  The repair bill was around $200!

How to avoid expensive repair:  If your A/C unit stops running, check for a fuse box next to the unit.  You can probably get new fuses for about $1 each...

A/C Incident 3:  A/C running, but not cooling.  We lived at an old farmhouse that we were fixing up.  One of the first improvements we made was to add a central air unit.  It worked great for 3 or 4 years and one summer it just wasn't cooling.  I checked the furnace filter- but it was totally clean.  We didn't want to spend money that year to call a repairman, so we went all summer without using the A/C.  The next spring it still wasn't working.  I had been reading about A/C troubleshooting on the Internet and had isolated the problem to inside the plenum.  I wasn't willing to cut into it- we can live without A/C, but I didn't want to risk ruining the furnace.  Heating is not optional in Iowa...

So, after a year without working A/C, I finally called the repairman.  I was right that the problem was in the plenum.  Somehow, a bunch of dog and cat fur had accumulated inside and was almost completely blocking the flow of air.  Apparently a furnace filter had gotten very humid and collapsed, leaving the air return unfiltered for some time.  We had the return air cover off while working on some things, so tons of fur got into the furnace.  After the repairman removed the fur mat that had formed and sealed the plenum back up, it was good as new.  It cost over $300 for this repair!

How to avoid expensive repair:  Make sure your furnace filter is installed correctly and is in good condition.  Dirt and fur can cause real problems if they get into your plenum.

A/C Incident 4:  A/C not running.  This incident happened at the farmhouse as we were selling it and moving out.  We needed to repair the A/C so it would be working for the buyer.  The problem was that a mechanical component failed in the air conditioner.  I didn't pay much attention to what it was since we were moving out.  This repair cost about $150.

How to avoid expensive repair:  Some repairs cannot be avoided-if your A/C has a mechanical failure, it will need new parts.

No More A/C Problems!

This is my second summer living at my current house and I have not had any trouble at this house with my air conditioner... not yet anyway...

Good luck staying cool this summer, whether you use a fan, window air conditioner, or central A/C.

Penny Pincher Journal

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