Not everything that you need to start your sustainable lifestyle must be purchased new. In fact, a great deal of what you need is readily available in your neighborhood (and sometimes for free) if you are willing to look . The above grain mill is powered by an old sewing machine motor that is grinding blue corn from the garden for making pancakes on the wood cook stove.
The following are a few ideas to inspire your plans for a low cost lifestyle.
The Barn
An inexpensive barn made of reused materials can make a huge difference in the profitability of your sustainable lifestyle. This 28×40 barn with 2 chicken coops, a milk parlor, hay storage, and shelter for livestock, only cost $4,000.00. The floor of the chicken coops is raised off of the ground to provide proper drainage for a dry floor and easier cleaning, which minimizes odor and provides for cleaner housing (see our chicken housing article). The cedar boards of the chicken coop floors were all free from a neighbor who was remodeling their house and removing their old deck. The lumber and steel roofing were all reused materials. Most of the expenditures were for concrete, nails, screws, caulking, hinges, and electrical supplies. A small, well-planned barn can make your grocery bill drop radically.
The Shed
Some extra space for storage of hay, a car, tools, or miscellaneous equipment will help your efforts last much longer by not being stored out in the weather unnecessarily. This 32x32ft shed was built for only $3,200.00 worth of materials. To buy all new materials the cost would $7,400.00 or more. The cost of labor to have someone else build it for you could triple that price. The steel roofing and walls were salvaged from local buildings that had been damaged by hail storms; the owners were discarding it because insurance claims were replacing their roofs. The poles for the walls were small elm trees harvested from the backyard. $400.00 was used for concrete piers instead of treated lumber buried in the ground to make this building outlast most newly constructed pole sheds. $2,000.00 was spent on new trusses. $300.00 was for the assistance of a crane. And the remaining funds were used for nails, screws, bolts, and caulking.
Fencing
Fencing for a family cow shouldn’t cost much. There are many many old farms that have barbed wire fences that are no longer in use and have salvageable posts and wire for very little money or even free if you are willing to disassemble them yourself.
Buckskin Clothing
Hunting season in the Midwest can give you access to free deer hides for making clothing that will outlast anything from a department store. Use our contact form to inquire about classes on tanning your own buckskin clothing.
Fieldstone Masonry
A wood stove in your house will make heating your home in the winter a much more affordable endeavor. Having a fieldstone surround behind your stove will make your stove even more efficient by retaining heat long after the fire goes out. This example of stone masonry was completed with only the expense of buying mortar. The stone was gathered for free not far from the house from an old pile of fieldstone that had been accumulating for decades.
We hope that these examples will serve to give you some of your own ideas on repurposing the resources that you have access to.
Please contact us when you have any questions about how to ensure that your project is successful and cost effective.
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