HOMEMADE SAVINGS

                                                           Berkey's Patented Black Filters

                                                        Optional Fluoride and Arsenic Filters.

Royal Berkey Specifications

• Storage Capacity = 3.25 gallons (12.3 liters)
• Height = 23"
• Diameter = 9.5”
• Portability = The upper chamber nests within the lower chamber for transport and stands only 15.25” in height.
• Flow Rate
  • Configured with 2 Black Berkey purification elements the system can purify 4.0 Gallons per hour.
  • Configured with 4 Black Berkey purification elements the system can purify 8.0 Gallons per hour.
• Fluoride Removal = Up to 4 PF-2 Fluoride and Arsenic Filters may be installed in the lower chamber of this system if desired
• Comes with Spigot, Lid, Washers, Nuts, 2 Blocking Plugs, and Rubber Gasket

     Ultimately, there are 2 variations of this model.  Please review and make your choice below.

• Royal Berkey w/ 2 Black Berkey Elements
• Royal Berkey w/ 4 Black Berkey Elements 

     Each Durable filter will last up to 3000 gallons(6000 gallons per set of 2).  At 10 gallons per week, this is equivalent to 600 weeks.  That's more than 11.5 years of clean water! Berkey water filters assemble in minutes without tools, electricity, water pressure, or plumbing. What's more, they are simple to operate, understand, clean, and maintain.

If you have noticed the price of organic fruits and veggies getting higher and higher and can't justify the cost difference anymore, try raising your own. My garden last year did OK, my strawberries never grew. My husband and kids planted several tomato plants, squash, beans. This year we are going big, complete with raised garden beds.

I made the mistake with my first bed of purchasing treated lumber- of course nothing in this bed can be considered organic now. I went with untreated pine with the second and third small beds.

For soil I am using a mix of peat, top soil and soil conditioner, all organic. 

Pictured above are the first 3 smaller beds for the side yard. I purchased the lumber at Lowe's, had them cut it to size ( first 20 cuts free then .25 per cut) and put it in the back of my mini van. I bought 2x10x8 boards and had them halved into 4 foot long sections. I tossed my receipt but I estimate I have about 25 dollars in each bed so far including soil, which we still require more of. Let's just call it 30 dollars per bed, although I think that is on the high side.

The boxes were pretty easy to pail together, but I will admit that I did break a sweat :)

I have ordered seeds. plants, and shrubs from Burpee, Gurney and Indiana Berry. Buy heirloom whenever possible so that you can harvest the seeds and not have to rebuy next season.

I placed some fiberglass screen mesh in the bottom of each bed to prevent weeds from popping up and to lessen the chance of moles getting into the beds from underneath.

   The costs of keeping a house in working order.. much less looking decent is unbelievable. We have been fortunate in the lawn department, my father helped us buy a riding lawnmower 10 years ago, and I think the little fella has seen his last summer. There is always the cost of gas when you use a riding mower, not to mention oil, spark plugs, new blades, belts, tires....and we were just about to have to replace the lot of them.

   I am sure you have noticed in your own adventures in paying down debt or saving, that as soon as you make the decision to do it, things start falling apart so I wasn't completely shocked when it happened with the mower. But I did at least do my best to be conscious of the costs both up front and in the future.



   We have a little under a half acre lot and in places it is sloped about 45 degrees- this has always prevented me from being willing to ride the lawn mower as I saw myself going over the edge in a blur of grass clippings and flying blades. So the chore was left to my husband who works pretty hard all week long. The things we needed to replace or repair on the mower would have cost about 200.00 dollars (Tires, oil, spark plug, blades, belt)

   So I started looking for some way to keep the yard looking good and spending less money.. man if only baking soda and vinegar could cut the grass.

   I remembered one very long week when I was 10 years old and I cut grass to earn enough money to buy a hamster. Of course my parents weren't going to let a 10 year old use a gas mower, my dad bought a mid evil looking contraption that rolled and as the wheels turned the blades cut the grass.

   Come to find out they still make those jewels, so I went to Lowe's and after a bit of sticker shock ( I mean really.. its like a stroller with blades on it) I spent the $99.00 because at least it was less than $200.00 and went home excited to get my shoes dirty.












   So, as it turns out I am not in as good of shape as I was when I was 10 years old, so it has been quite a chore, but I needed the exercise- no really, and my kids were happy to be out in the sunshine and laugh at me while I struggled up the hills pushing what we now call "The Beast".












   I believe I made the right choice not only financially because it cost less not only to purchase but to maintain and use as well, no gas to buy is a good thing these days. I also am happy that I am able to take some of the work load from my husband it feels good to help him out and I know that I am getting a good workout

The cons of this method of lawn maintenance are; sticks and acorns really gum the works, they get caught in the blade and everything shuts down. Onion grass because it has already grown so high just gets pushed over flat and not chopped to smithereens but I think not allowing it to get so high will resolve this issue. You are going to get your heart rate up, this isn't a con but if you have health issues that restrict your activity this may not be a great idea for you. Lastly, you are still going to have to get out the weed eater if you have sidewalks because the tires on the mower prevent you from going all the way to the edge.









 


Now to estimate my savings, well I estimate that we are saving about 5 dollars a week in gas and roughly 50 dollars a summer in upkeep, not to mention I am giving my husband more free time after work, and that is really priceless.

I bought a second, smaller jiffy greenhouse for some lettuces, onions, beans and honestly I can't remember what all we put in there.... call it salad surprise.



Thisis day 3 on these seeds.

I can almost taste 'em!

   We planted tomato seeds about 3 days ago. I peeked beneath the greenhouse cover this morning to check the water level and was surprised by a bunch of little tomato shoots.

   Looks like the jiffy tomato greenhouse works.

 If you are looking for a super simple cleaner that kills germs and doesn't leave a lingering smell you can make it with 2 ingredients, one that is free and the other is likely in your pantry.

1 cup White Distilled Vinegar
1 cup warm water

mix in spray bottle.

Cost is 12 cents and it is a great deodorizer and bacteria killer due to the acid content.  If you are serious about killing germs you can also use straight vinegar in a spray bottle.