I have been hearing about some wonderfully innovative ways to “Make it Do” lately, and I wanted to pass them along. Friends of ours are thinking outside the box and doing things they might not have considered a few years ago.
Richard, a friend and colleague of my husband Drew had to leave work early the other day… he had to go milk the cow. “But you don’t have a cow.” Drew said.
Richard then told him how his family has just joined a “co-op” with six other families in his community. He pays $20 a month- money that goes to the upkeep and care of a dairy cow. Then once a week, his family has a day they are in charge of milking the cow. For that, they receive between 3-5 gallons of milk a week for their family. Did I mention the milk is hormone free, is not from a genetically modified cow, and would only have antibiotics if they were necessary? That means they are paying between $1 to $1.50 a gallon for really good milk. Plus, what a great opportunity for the family to milk that cow. Don’t you think milking a cow at 6 am has just got to build your kid’s character? (Hee, Hee)
I’ve also seen families in our area getting chickens for the first time… and honey bees.
Down the street from our home, our family watched this spring as fencing when up around previously empty lots, making two large fenced areas. One area was plowed and planted with tomatoes and peppers. Then one day we were driving down the street and my kids began to shout. In the other fenced area were some Texas Long Horns! Not something you see around here very often. The man who owned those lots must have decided it was better to turn them into something useful than to have them sit gathering weeds.
Seeing my friends and neighbors innovate is so inspiring. It makes me think, what else could our family do to save money and have new experiences? What innovative things is your family doing to “Make it Do?”