Recently a friend of ours who lives in town was commenting on an increase in their water rates. While water is still a fairly affordable utility, they were discussing whether or not they really wanted to spend water on watering their flower beds and garden etc. There's a really affordable solution to that; a rain barrel.
Making a rain barrel is really quite simple. Lots of re-stores, restaurants or stores have barrels that they are willing to get rid of cheap. Or, if you aren't sure where you could get one for free or cheap, there are several nice models available at Home Hardware, Rona or Home Hardware. Stick one of these under your downspout and voila! instant free, soft water for your garden. We've had one for several years now and it's great...as long as there's rain.
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It is important to allow time for the fish to adjust their body
temperature before releasing them into the barrel. |
While setting up the rain barrel is easy there is one major thing that needs to be considered. Open, warm water (like what collects in a rain barrel) is a prime breeding ground for mosquito larvae. This isn't really what anyone wants in their yard. The solution to this problem is simple too: feeder goldfish. We have 12 in ours and their doing a great job gobbling up the mosquitoes and their eggs. We spent a total of $3.84 on our fish. When you get the fish, don't forget that you have to give them time to adjust to the temperature of the water before fully releasing them. Simply place the bag in which you bought the fish in the rain barrel and leave it there for 30 minutes. This will provide lots of time for the internal temperature of the fish to gradually adjust. After 30 minutes the fish can be released into the barrel.
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| Some of the fish getting used to their new home. |
Being frugal doesn't have to be complicated. Sometimes its a simple as a barrel under a downspout. What ideas or tips have you come up with for saving money? Share them in the comments. We'd love to hear from you!
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