Just curious who else is living super frugal

[newfoundland]

Well said DennisK! Where I live people are honest. Many cottagers leave fruit and veg on the grass verges and honesty boxes. On the odd occasion when I haven't had any change and knocked on the door they have said, 'Take it, it's fine!.' People have little but are generous to a fault. Anyone is free to pick the soft fruit that grows on the road side of the farmers fields, and no one would be so mean spirited as to resent someone picking up prunings from the verges. It would be regarded as very poor manners to show such a lack of community spirit and selfishness.

 

[Gumiho]

Personally, I consider the patenting of plant varieties immoral itself, especially given the damage some can do by "contaminating" nearby specimens of the same species, but different unpantented varieties. Such contamination is used as grounds for litigation by companies producing the patented varieties.

So use away for all I care, perhaps if it becomes more obvious that the enforcement of such patents is impractical and unenforceable and the damage it does to small gardeners and farmers... The patents may fail or become legally unrecognized and small agriculture can stop being terrorized.

In most cases I would ask first, such as furniture or such in the road. Or scraps in the yard, even if right next to the road. But for scrap vines and limbs in the road, I would not think to do so.

 

[av8torcrj]

When I think of plant patents in this particular instance I'm not necessarily speaking of material that the witch doctors at Monsanto have brewed up. I was rather reflecting , in my personal experience, on the muscadine grape vines for instance that I've purchased from a family farm. Individuals that have spent many years and much expense on developing a special strain or variety. A variety that holds a patent and which by purchasing you agree not to propogate. That being said, the law is the law whether we like it or not. It's not like the bible where we can pick and choose what we want to believe and follow. (Sarcasm)

 

[DennisK]

I hope that the great bargains and fugal discoveries that we find and share on this thread be taken as an inspiration and not as a threat, or a source of intimidation.

 

[DennisK]

This reminds me of an experience I had when I was a boy. I had a newspaper route. The newspaper gave me a route of customers. They charged me a certain amount for each paper, and when I collected the monthly bill from my customers, I would receive a small profit. The thing was, they would always deliver a few more newspapers than I had customers. I would get charged for those extra papers, but that was OK, because I would take them out on the middle road strip at a light and sale the extras to those who were commuting to work – all except one.
There was a family on my route that I liked. I didn’t really know them, but I kind of liked them; so I would deliver one of my spare papers to their door for free. The neighbor, who was paying for their paper found out that they were getting their paper for free, and they went non-linear. The newspaper company made me stop delivering the free paper. The result was that the family received no further deliveries and the neighbor continued paying for their newspaper. No one gained from this experience, except by pulling down the good fortune of someone else. Profit wasn’t real, it was just perceived. This scenario is all too common, and it says much of how we place value on things. Frugality is about real profit, and it represents the most efficient use of materials we would use as opposed to sending that material where it would be of no use to anyone.

 

[newfoundland]

How contemptibly small minded some people are. So afraid someone is getting something, no matter how trivially cheap, that they are not.

 

[Gumiho]

Yes, Law is law. But some laws are inappropriate and have no place existing. If the law suddenly changes to tell me I can't defend myself or family, can't own the breed of dog I have, can't have chickens, can't use the heirloom seeds I have that have been passed around in my family for a long while because someone decided to patent the variety (not all patented plants are unique varieties. Its why the availability of heirloom plant varieties continue to drop yearly. Companies and private entities buy and patent them, removing the competitive variety from market or to claim rights as a sole source. The entire practice is wrong), or that any of my rights are to become void...

Guess what... I'm not going to just roll over and listen. And laws can be changed. So... Yes, actually. We can pick and choose if we're willing to consider the consequences of doing so or make the effort to change them or have them removed.

I have a lot of respect for scenerios like the small grape farmer. And wouldn't propogate such plants out of said respect. But in general, I have little to no respect for the patenting of plants of heirloom or naturally occuring varieties. Which happens. So unless it could be proven that the variety is a unique and uniquely cultivated strain... It shouldn't be possible, imo. (also, there is a lot more to cultivating such varieties. The success of grapes has a lot to do with the land, soil, how is tended, ect. So even if someone did propogate the plants, it would not be with quite the same results. Like Vidalia, if you take a vidalia and plant it anywhere else, its just a regular sweet onion.

DennisK, I do agree. I'll never forget seeing a gentleman on trash day with a hatchet and spray paint destroying items on the side of the road. Spray painting large Xs on a sofa, hacking up an end table and then dragging out and about to start on a drum kit and such. I became curious and he exlaimed he was moving and that the items were fine, he just didn't want people getting free stuff he tossed out for trash and would rather destroy them.

I've met people that felt the same way about pets, like cats and dogs.

 

[lismarc]

For me, its always fun to reuse grocery store produce. For example, I buy a stalk of celery, cut it off at the base and use it. But, instead of throwing away the bulb end, I put it in a small dish of water and within a few days it starts to regrow. When its about 2 inches tall I drop it into some dirt in a sunny window. Don't need to buy celery for a while. Same is true with chives except I put them in a small glass of water to begin. Can't remember the last time I had to buy Chives. Most of the fresh herbs I buy, I root in a small glass of water or pan of moist sand then transplant into my garden. I could go on and on but you get the picture. My neighbor thought I was crazy when I tried to root celery. "THAT WONT WORK", she would proclaim.... Now, she does it.....

Grow potatoes, beans, peanuts, etc. inside the house in the winter in a feed sack. Just keep adding your dirt and have them in a very sunny window. Dig them up as you use them. Otherwise, I leave mine in the dirt until next use. Don't forget to keep a few to save for the next planting.

 

[newfoundland]

I love that idea lismarc I am going to try the celery.

 

[lismarc]

This pix was taken last fall with my cheap phone camera.. In the clay pot is bok choy, rooted the same way I did the celery. The chives are in the blue pot. Rosemary in the jar (I forgot it outside a few nights and it got COLD... didn't make it) and the celery in the front. In the pix it looks like its wrapped in something but its not. It's just the bulb sitting in a Chinese takeout lid filled with water.