Usually this is a figurative adage, but today, for me, it became literal.
I own rabbits. They don’t eat much, and the food comes in a huge bag, but I like to take every chance I can get to stretch that food.
It’s supposed to rain later today… and every day for the next 5 days. Generally, I put the rabbits in their moveable outside pen in the mornings to get fresh air and chew down the grass where the pen is. However, with it raining, that’s not going to happen.
So this morning, before the rain came, and before I’d even had breakfast, I got out with the reel mower (I actually forgot that this is a frugal alternative, I’m so used to it.) and mowed part of the backyard. Then I raked up the clippings to give to the bunnies.
This actually worked better than I thought. The mower didn’t destroy the grass like a gas mower does. I got 5x the clippings from an area half the size as one mowed with a gas mower. (I know because yesterday I tried to scavenge some clippings after a lawn was mowed and the clippings weren’t cleaned up.)
Just a side note, I did the rabbit math, and after butchering rabbits, the meat comes out to $1.25-$1.50/lb. Now, I’ve never seen a rabbit in the supermarket, but the antibiotic-free chicken is about $1/lb and the cheap, antibiotic-ridden beef is about $2/lb. This is smack-dab in the middle, and it’ll be organic and humanely-raised on a small family “farm.” Honestly, we’re not big enough to be considered a farm. We’re a try-hard homestead. But, back to the topic.
I don’t know whether I’m proud or a little abashed that the old “make hay while the sun shines” has become literal for me. I’d probably be more proud if I weren’t a petite woman living in town. I need a farm… maybe someday… maybe goats… but I digress.
Anyway, I’m here to say, go forth and make hay while the sun shines, whether that be figurative or literal.
Frugal Treehugger 