How thrifty are you?

[Pupsnpullets]

Hey Prof, I think you should be writing to Ed Begley Jr! You could feed of each other very nicely

Barb

 

[ams3651]

it took me 12 years of living in town to finially break the habbit of keeping old clothes and sneakers because on the farm you always needed old things for working. Now Im on my own land and I have no old sneakers!

We save plastic grocery bags for trash in the bathroom and picking up around the house. I have begun using cloth bags but am torn because I dont want to have to buy these small bags for garbage.
I check freecycle daily for things we need.
My son recycles all the metal and aluminum he can find for spending money.
We are remodeling half a shed for our coop and most of the materials will come from a campling trailer the neighbor was getting rid of (the rest he is recycling)
Just bought a solar spotlight for outside so we dont have to leave the porch light on at night.
My dad farms 900 acres and he hauls tractor trailer loads of chicken maneure from a chicken farm to fertilize his fields. Saves him thousands of dollars in fertilizer and its better for the environment.
I just in general dont spend more than I have to for anything. When my sons friend wanted to get a prepaid cell phone I let him know what plans were what because thats the type I have and had researched all of the companies. I have bought new sneakers from eBay and a used dishwasher from the newspaper for $50. Bought a push lawn mower from a local guy who fixes them up. A 2 year old Craftsman model that was $300 or more new and I got it for $150.
I say my money is so tight it squeeks. Im not cheep Im poor!

 

[hooligan]

When I lived with my parents I used to use a Reel mower to mow the lawn. I just thought it was the coolest thing!
I wish I had one now, even tho the chickens have taken care of all the grass!

 

[FisherMOM]

this was an awesome thread to read, I had to dig it back up.. see if there were any more great ideas!

I have been shredding paper for the bedding for my chicks and ducklings. As they get older I use less and less. When they are in the coop, naturally, I will use straw.

I printed out the pictures for the feeders! thanks!

 

[funkychicken]

I have 4 kiddos and cant pay full price for clothes ..sooo...we check their fave stores online clearance sections and boy can I save..5-10 bucks for a shirt sure beats the origional 24.95 price and I never spend more that 15-20 bucks for jeans...yea yea...I know I could get it cheaper but I dont mind paying for quality clothes that last...my boys have some shirts/jeans that have lasted for years...and thats saying something for teenagers!! Also, they are not allowed to play in school clothes(heres a tip..hang all school clothes and fold all play clothes...no confusing them that way)I have taught the kids to go directly to the clearance rack...if they want something full price they better bust out their wallet...usually they pass

 

[Acre of Blessings]

Well, like alot of others on here,
I save my plastic bags from the grocery stores.
I try my best to do all I need to do in town all in one day.
I make my own laundry detergent (since March of '07 I have spent $35 on detergent)
I make my own fabric softner.
I make my own bread (I also get bread dirt cheap from the bread store).
We have a garden that I preserve alot from (this year I am going to try canning cabbage). I only buy when clearanced or discontinued (even groceries). I use dry milk for baking (save gallon milk for drinking only)
I refill my own printer cartridges
My hubby get me sawdust and shavings from his work
We use the chicken poop as fertilizer
I keep the curtains closed in the summer on hot days to help keep the house cool inside.
I hang my clothes on the clothes line (used dryer maybe 5 times last year)
Make my own scouring powder (works great)
make homemade biscuits and pizza dough
Shop at a local dime store (cheaper than any goodwill or S. Army) Got my rubber boots ther for $1 (L.L.Bean)
We don't eat out often
Bought chickens
Soon to have our own milk cow
Thinking about a couple of sheep

If I think of more I will post

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
Why not make your own earth friendly laundry detergent for only $.60 per 2 gal.?? No sudsing, so very good for the septic system, keeps those heavy plastic detergent jugs out of the landfills and is great for allergy sufferers!

We scrounge for every free thing we can get! I have 9 raised beds measuring 4 ft. x 35 ft. with 3 ft. pathways. The lumber came from a building we tore down for a fellow, the paths are mulched/chipped with wood chips dumped along the road by the utility company, the garden is mulched with 3 round bales that someone let us haul away because it was too old for their horses to eat...it was decomposing! Great mulch!!! The garden looks great and professional and didn't cost me a dime! The same guy gave me heavy mil black plastic he had used on a construction site. He also gave me chainlink fence with all the gates...made a great chicken run. Made my feeders out of PVC, 2 gal. buckets feeders and waterers from big pretzel containers from SAMS.

A couple from my church found out I make my own whole wheat bread and offered to give me about 10 of 35# tins of red turkey wheat (sealed) and a wheat grinder! Also a Vitamix mixer, a pressure canner and approx. 6 boxes of Ball canning jars!

We scrounged a pile of rocks from an abandoned old house (with permission) and built flower beds and a waterfall with two small ponds from galvanized wash tubs.

We save money on movie rentals by borrowing movies from the library, also magazines and books. We don't have cable or dish... a waste of time and money. We grow and preserve our own food, make our own laundry detergent and bread, have chickens for eggs, meat and manure. We buy our vehicles for cash, used, so we can keep liability insurance only and not pay interest rates. We heat with wood, have no A/C, rent a house instead of owning(no repairs, no homeowners insurance, no taxes), deer meat instead of storebought, we buy very little processed foods, dairy, or meat from the store. We drink water only. We shop second hand and thrift stores, as well Dollar stores as much as possible. Work from home to save on gas and vehicle repairs. The list goes on forever! We never pass up a chance to get something free or cheap, will stop and ask about items along the road, let people know what we are looking for....you'd be surprised what people want to get rid of! One man's trash is another man's treasure!

 

[funkychicken]

Can someone please give me your laundry dertergent recipe...sounds great...I have to use the "free of dyes/fragrance" because our job puts us outside all day(sweating) and the other stuff breaks out our skin...would LOVE to be able to make my own..

 

[PulletSurprise]

If anyone is getting toothpaste for the Dollar store, please be aware that the toothpaste is not from the US. It's usually from China. If you see that, don't use it. China allows lead into to too many things and the US isn't stopping it. Atleast, I have found that here at my Dollar store. Good luck and one day I'm going to be like the rest of you!!!

I don't find many things free and I hardly recycle my stuff

I've got my husband's attitude. "Time is Money "

 

[jhill1440]

Quote:
Just a caution for you on making biodiesel. Don't go around bragging about how you make your own fuel and its free. The tax man will come get you. You are not paying tax on the fuel and therefore defrauding the gov't of their share. When you buy a gallon of gas alot of that price is tax. There have been several lawsuits brought against people recently for using home made fuel in there road cars (this is inline with using dyed, red diesel, in a passenger car and not a farm vehicle/tractor). Do a google search they will not be hard to find.

Don't get me wrong, i would love to be able to make my own fuel. Just be careful, uncle sam knows what the people are up to and wants his share.

peace
josh