Grow A Money Tree!

We will get there.

Let's grow money! 

Gardening should have payback.

Start by skipping the middleman: paper money.  Go straight to the things we want to buy with the paper money: a nice house, gourmet food, financial security.

We'll keep it simple: one easy project with payback everyday, peppered with information and funnies.  It will be Pretty -improve the home appearance, Useful -provide a usable product, or Thrifty -improve the financial situation.  Maybe all three!  Keep reading and grow prosperous! ...
DAY ONE'S PROJECT: Planters, short and can be done on a regular, 9-5 work day.

I want a large pot with a big plant in the corner of my patio to anchor it visually.  To stay within the budget, that will have to wait.

Keeping track of costs is the cornerstone of prosperity.  We will be brutal in controlling the costs of these projects to be sure we get more than we spend on each.  We want lifestyle improvement, not more bills.

I'd like to buy several matching terra cotta pots to plant my beans and some other vegetables.  That isn't in the budget.

So, I got some used, FREE plastic two-gallon pots from a local nursery.  They were willing to give them to me because I bought soil for tomorrow's planting:
$15 for a large bag of really good, professional grade potting soil (MetroMix 360.)  I had to special order it through an independent garden center.  Ask a local, professional grower what kind they recommend for your area and pay whatever it costs.  Empires aren't build on cheap foundations!

Also bought a $2 bag of cheap top soil/compost gunky stuff.

I spent a dollar on bleach to wash the pots and make sure I'm starting off disease free.

$6 went for spray paint.  The free pots still need to look nice!  I bought textured, outdoor spray paint.  If you have ever dreamed of working in a nail salon while fighting fires, this is the stuff you need to live out your dream!  It blows out like a fire hose and makes a stinky cloud of fumes.  Save your money on the spray paint.  It didn't even cover three containers and those only got a thin first layer before it ran out.

Cancel the cost of the paint.  Just scrub the pots.  The plants will be beautiful.  Find some neat containers and put them on your birthday list.

Today we made improvement!  Cost for today's containers: $1.