Just curious who else is living super frugal

[ChickensAreSweet]

100 Dollars a Month blog just posted a lemon marmalade recipe.

I look at her blog occasionally too.

Fun website!

 

[wyoDreamer]

A neighbor down the road came over and invited me to go to his house and pick all of the lemons off of his tree because they were falling off and he was tired of seeing them. So, I went over and picked 15 gallons of lemons.

I will juice a lot and freeze in ice cubes for lemonade and probably make wine with some and bake with the rest.

All I could think of when I saw this picture is LIMONCELLO. My boss come back to work after a cruise and he went on and on about the Limoncello they had. I found a recipe online, but lemons are so expensive here and not really a very good quality, so I don't think I will be making any anytime soon.

 

[Gumiho]

Is picking up grapevine clippings along the side of the road stealing? On my way through the valley, the other day, I noticed a field of grapes that was being pruned for the winter. Clippings from the roadside row were laying along the side of the road; so I pulled over and picked up a bunch. This gave me a potential of about 80 new starts – Hmmm…. Am I being frugal or am I being a thief? In my defense, there was no fence, and the clippings were right there at the road’s edge. I’m not sure if I should brag about my frugality or slink away in shame.

Under those circumstances I would say thats not stealing at all.

Stealing would be more along the lines of uprooting a vine, clipping their vines directly or stealing produce off of someone's plants.

I've known people that have had their fruit trees in their yard, both near the road and far off the road, stripped bare of fruit. That IS stealing. Taking cast off trimmings tossed on the road for collection isn't, imo.

 

[newfoundland]

No way is this stealing. It is making sensible use of what would otherwise go to waste. Here the law says that anything that falls to the ground, on a public right of way is there for the taking!

 

[av8torcrj]

Is picking up grapevine clippings along the side of the road stealing?  On my way through the valley, the other day, I noticed a field of grapes that was being pruned for the winter.  Clippings from the roadside row were laying along the side of the road; so I pulled over and picked up a bunch.  This gave me a potential of about 80 new starts – Hmmm…. Am I being frugal or am I being a thief?  In my defense, there was no fence, and the clippings were right there at the road’s edge.  I’m not sure if I should brag about my frugality or slink away in shame.  

Personally I would have asked the vineyard owner. Obviously if he/she viewed the clippings as trash then the answer would have likely been yes, take whatever you wish. My conscience doesn't buy the " it's in the right of way, take it it's yours" theory. I'd like to think common courtesy still exists in some corner of the planet. Just my hope and opinion.

 

[cassie]

First of all, you have to find the property owner and that often isn't easy. Secondly, prunings are trash. They are either burned, chopped or otherwise discarded. If something is discarded anyone is free to take it.

 

[newfoundland]

Common courtesy doesn't come into this scenario. If the vineyard owner had been there, pruning his vines, of course it would be courteous to ask if he would mind you taking them, but he was not. Had he intended to use them himself as cuttings, he would not be leaving them at the road side to wilt. He was probably quite pleased that they were gone as it saved him the job of collecting and disposing of them. I was not suggesting that anything laying around unattended was there for the taking, but the law is quite specific in this. No trespass was committed and the prunings were removed from the verge at the side of the road. This si not theft.

 

[av8torcrj]

I never suggested it was theft. My assertion was that it would be common courtesy despite the fact that finding the vineyard owner might be " difficult". Again, its just me and how I would have probably approached the scenario. Another consideration is the possibility that the vineyard is planted in a patent protected variety of grapes whereby propagation in and of itself would be considered illegal. I've begun to believe that my perceptions of right and wrong is the variable that makes me enjoy chickens far more than most people. Again, my personal " defect", no one else's, obviously.

 

[DennisK]

Well, it is all a point of view, I suppose. Simply speaking, if it ain’t mine, then don’t touch; however, the older I get, “simple” seems to drift further and further away. In this case, the California Central Valley has corporate farms, and fields are miles from any house. I wouldn’t know who to ask. If I was passing someone’s house, or an obvious farm with barn and abode right there, asking would be the correct thing to do.
An interesting point is made concerning patented rights of certain species and if propagation of those plants is theft – interesting point. I am not a commercial farmer. I just grow things for my own enjoyment. If you take someone else’s idea and use it in your garage as a hobby, then I have been told that is not considered theft. My since of morality would concur – it’s when you start selling that idea for your own profit, is when theft occurs.
In my case, I don’t think I will do any slinking away. I am rather proud of the new members in my field.

 

[Beekissed]

I never suggested it was theft. My assertion was that it would be common courtesy despite the fact that finding the vineyard owner might be " difficult". Again, its just me and how I would have probably approached the scenario. Another consideration is the possibility that the vineyard is planted in a patent protected variety of grapes whereby propagation in and of itself would be considered illegal. I've begun to believe that my perceptions of right and wrong is the variable that makes me enjoy chickens far more than most people. Again, my personal " defect", no one else's, obviously.

I've got it too and I don't consider it a defect but rather a throw back to when folks had manners. I know I don't like folks making free with my land or the things thereon, even on the edge of it, without having the courtesy to ask first. It's just a country code of ethics that seems to be dying out now. Now, if I put a sign on it as it sits out by the road that says "FREE", then they don't need to stop and ask. No sign, come and ask...it might not have occurred to me that someone would even want it~ or I may not want someone to take it other than the garbage man for some reason or other.

It takes very little time to hunt down someone or leave a note and a phone number or even call their farm and ask. I've done it many of times because I'm a dumpster diver from way back.