We don't have $$$ to call an exterminator.  DH won't call, We need the money for school supplies and clothes. So he is right.  However, he wants to eliminate them himself with traps/ Dcon methods, do it yourself kind.  I feel an exterminator will get rid of the problem and I don't see how DH will get rid of the problem "completely"  We caught one mouse with a trap, who knows how many more there are? 

Let me know what you think.  I don't have a choice, but do You think that trying this on our own will work or be more work and $$$ without getting rid of the problem?  What about clean up and odors of dead mice?  I am disgusted already!

Any methods you recommend?

Carmina

just a note, we don't have pets (maybe I should have a cat) or little children our youngest is almost 6.  Our home is large and surrounded by fields full of weeds.

 We had a couple of mice a few years ago, and like you I was totally disgusted.  We didn't have a cat or dog at the time, but my kids were pretty small.  My husband got some traps (the sticky kind) and I also called an exterminator.  The exterminator put some of his traps down plus stuffed steel wool in any holes he could find in the foundation.  He told me mice can get in a hole the size of a dime.  That call cost me $600, mostly because I was talked into getting the year service, but it was the traps that my husband laid out that actually caught the mice.  My advice would be, let your husband try to catch the mice and you can look around for holes in the foundation and put steel wool in them.  Then if you can't catch it yourselves you can think about an exterminator.

Do you have a dishwasher ? I had mice coming in because there were 2 holes on either side of the dishwasher. We caulked them with that foam stuff in a pump tube. The glue boards work. So do traps baited with either peanut butter or cheese.

Not to scare you, but if you have lots of mice, you will get black snakes coming into the house to get to the mice. I know because this happened to us in 2006. We caulked up things and that helped.

Black snakes!!! scarry.  OK the first mouse sighting came from behind the dishwasher.  I will have him look there.  I just read that peppermint oil in dipped cotton balls around the house gets them out or boil water with a couple ounces of peppermint oil works too. They hate the smell.  Thanks for your advice.  WE will set the traps we have,do the oil, ckeck the outside and I guess we will be fine.  Another disgusting method is used cat litter box spread around the house outside, planting peppermint.

Carmina

When you live in the country or in an area that isn't clear and mowed, mice are a fact of life. Mouse traps work with consistent use, but to prevent mice from coming into the house, make sure everything nearby is mowed and clean. Keep any kind of seed, pet food and garbage away from the house. Trim bushes and other growth completely away from the house. Mice can come through very small holes or cracks, so check around your foundation and where the floors meet the walls especially. This may be a no brainer, but keep doors closed and make sure screen or storm doors fit very snugly. 

Don't store dry goods in plastic, but put it all into glass containers with good lids. Don't keep your home too cool when it's hot out or too warm when it's cold out. Mice look for comfort and food, so do your best to not provide that for them.

I live in a house that has fields on 3 sides of it. Mice try to come inside when it gets cooler. I HATE mice. I saw mice coming into the kitchen from both sides of the dishwasher (it was like a hole) and the foam caulking did work. You buy it at Lowe's or Home Depot. If you caulk up the spaces, the mice won't be able to get inside. Check under the sink and see if there are any holes that need to be caulked.

Having a cat doesn't mean that you won't have mice. I used to have a good mouser who was a gray kitty. The Silver Streak kept the house free of mice until she died. My other cats were lousy at catching mice. Female cats are better at catching mice than male cats in my experience.

This must be a bad year.  I was embarrased to find I had them, then a friend told me she had a family of them living under her couch .  I put out D-CON, it's the only thing that works consistently.  We've only had one obviously dead one where we could see it and dd with the stomach of steel disposed of it for me.  Liz.

 When we told our exterminator that we had mice, he set out traps.    At least it wasn't an extra charge. 

I have a monthly contract with an exterminatior. I did it because I couldn't keep up with the mice who came into the house looking for a warm place and the food that Mom had laying around. It costs $60.00 a month. I have not had as many mice since I put a contract on the house.

I have a crawl space attic and that's where she puts a lot of stuff to get rid of mice and bugs. I also get spiders, which I hate. I've got carpenter ants also.

Why do you think I refer to this house as Shattered Dreams ? LOL.