What are your frugal and sustainable tips and tricks?

[gtaus]

What I pay for 5 pair of garden gloves is what I could pay for 1 pair in the grocery store, and they wouldn't last as long. Forget about gloves from the garden store.

Absolutely, where and when you buy your gloves can save you lots of money. For me, having a supply of working gloves that I bought on sale has saved me lots of money over the years.

Just about anything purchased in the garden center costs 3X-5X more in my experience. You can often get a much better deal, and better product, in the hardware section of the same store.

 

[saysfaa]

It is wonderful to have trustworthy service people.

When I called the plumbers about getting a new hot water tank, they said they think it can be fixed with new elements. And they explained why the symptoms we have combined with the symptoms we don't have lets them think so.

We haven't flushed the scale out the bottom of it like we should so I thought that would be built up a lot as well as the elements not working.

I also didn't realize installing a new one would cost as much as it does. I thought trying to fix it would be about a half to a third as much as a new one. It's more like less than a fifth as much. That makes it easier to take the risk of trying to fix it.

 

[gtaus]

It is wonderful to have trustworthy service people.

When I called the plumbers about getting a new hot water tank, they said they think it can be fixed with new elements.

Those elements burn out over time and can be replaced. Good for them to suggest that before you got stuck with a brand new expensive tank that maybe you don't even need.

I thought trying to fix it would be about a half to a third as much as a new one. It's more like less than a fifth as much. That makes it easier to take the risk of trying to fix it.

I don't like to do plumbing, but replacing the heater elements is one task that I have done. If you know how to do it, it's not that hard, or scary. I am sure the labor fee will be much higher than the cost of the heater element. But yeah, it's an easy repair for the plumber and you can save lots of money replacing the elements if the tank is still good. Good on them for not trying to push a new hot water tank on you if it's not needed.

 

[Iluveggers]

I picked up a Bluetti battery generator with solar capabilities for power outages. It was on sale, and a friend whose advice I trust recommended it. It's charged up and in the shed, covered and waiting for a power outage. I plan to use it to keep both my refrigerator and freezer running if we lose electricity.
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Thank you. Please update if & when you test it out!

 

[CatInTheHenHouse]

I did something similar for a while. But a few years ago, I switched over to using a clear plastic tote where the lid acts as a seed starting tray and the tote becomes a mini-greenhouse...

The tote lid is much stronger than a standard 10X20 seed starting tray, plus you get the option of using the tote as a mini-greenhouse which I use in the early springtime.

I like this idea (and the net cups) I just don’t know if I have the space.

(For context most of my gardening space is a couple rolling boxes each about the size of those totes.)

I did not have luck with using toilet paper rolls for seed starting. Well, actually, the seeds started OK but you have to transplant and/or up pot them fairly soon. If not, the plant will grow too large and become root bound.

Rootbound? What were you planting? I had the opposite issue, I took too long to plant them last year and the rolls disintegrated and they started to grow into each other.

But you have the cake pans now, so you won't be spending the $$ on them again.

Hopefully. They’re cheap dollar store pans, my record for being able to reuse them has been…suboptimal.

Also, I had a problem with the paper rolls staying too wet and I got mold growing on my paper roll pots. I lost most of them due to the mold.

Mold on my TP rolls is the reason I'm not doing those anymore.

I added a couple splashes of hydrogen peroxide to the water to help with that. (And, admittedly, this is why I’m spending money on potting soil this year. I used top soil I had on hand last time and got mold and also fungus gnats EVERYWHERE, but I’m pretty sure that was the dirt and not the TP rolls.)

 

[gtaus]

I like this idea (and the net cups) I just don’t know if I have the space.

(For context most of my gardening space is a couple rolling boxes each about the size of those totes.)

Space is also a consideration for me. I set up my seed starting shelf in our second bathroom, and that's all the space I really have. The Hefty Hi Rise 72 quart clear totes are nice because when it comes time to move them outdoors during the daytime, I can restack the totes inside the house in the evening and they don't take up much room stacked vertically.

My goal is to someday have a nice outdoors greenhouse. Until then, I will do the best I can with the space I have. The 3-inch net cups take up more room than those square plastic seed starting packs made for the 10X20 trays. But it's a good tradeoff for me because I don't have to up pot my peppers, tomatoes, etc...

Rootbound? What were you planting? I had the opposite issue, I took too long to plant them last year and the rolls disintegrated and they started to grow into each other.

I was planting peppers and tomatoes. The toilet paper rolls are good for starting the seed, but those plants quickly outgrew the size of the toilet paper pots. Well, that and I had a problem with mold. I lost just about everything I tried to start in the paper roll pots. I admit, a more experienced gardener might have had much better results.

I am all for upcycling products and not wasting free materials. I really wanted the toilet paper rolls to work for me. But I did not have much success. Now, I just take those toilet paper rolls and shred them in my paper shredder and use the shreds as deep bedding litter for the chicken coop and then later they get composted. So, I just found a better way to use those paper rolls for my uses.

My toilet paper rolls did not disintegrate. They just got moldy.

I added a couple splashes of hydrogen peroxide to the water to help with that. (And, admittedly, this is why I’m spending money on potting soil this year. I used top soil I had on hand last time and got mold and also fungus gnats EVERYWHERE, but I’m pretty sure that was the dirt and not the TP rolls.)

That will probably help. Good potting soil will drain better. But I thought my problem was mainly that I overwatered the toilet paper roll pots, and they just would not dry out fast enough to prevent that mold from growing. In comparison, the plastic net cups with slits in them are much easier for me to bottom water, they air out better, and I did not have any mold last year.

No doubt I messed up using the toilet paper roll pots and overwatered them. I'm just saying that the net cups worked better for me. I hope you come back and let us know if you were successful with your paper roll pots and what lessons you learned from using them - such as watering, how long you kept the plants in those pots, and if the hydrogen peroxide and better-quality potting soil prevented the mold issue that some of us had with paper roll pots.

 

[gtaus]

Lowest Prices on Tools and Supplies in Years!

Has anyone else noticed that the prices on tools and supplies have gone down, sometimes to the lowest prices in years? That is what I am seeing on tools that I have purchased recently. Many good sales out there if you are in the market. I just watched a YouTube video on the Harbor Freight Spring Black Friday event coming up and it has some of the lowest prices on items that we have seen for a few years. I purchased a $400 miter saw at Home Depot for 50% off a few weeks ago. I picked up a bunch of industrial totes at Menards for prices lower than I ever saw them before.

Today, I restocked my drywall screw storage case with various lengths of screws. They were 15% off at our local Fleet store. Not a great deal, but those screws hardly ever go on sale. When I do see a sale on them, I restock.

After all the supply shortages from COVID-19 and the sky-high prices on everything, it appears that the stores are now overstocked on some items and there are many bargains out there to be had if you look around.

Some frugal tips I have found to save me additional money...

I don't recommend using a credit card for anyone who cannot pay off the full balance every month. But if you can pay get on autopayments for the full balance every month and never worry about late fees or interest payments, you can save money on those store credit cards. I have department store cards that give me back 2%, 3% and 5% on my purchases. That adds up over time, however, if you don't pay off that balance every month, their interest rate can be 20% or higher on the balance.

Gift cards can be a money saver as well. My local Fleet store has periodic sales on gift cards where you can buy them for 10% off. Maybe 2 or 3 times a year. I spend a lot of money at our Fleet store buying chicken feed, tools, supplies, etc... So, I always buy myself those gift cards at 10% off and use them throughout the year. It's especially great when you buy an item on sale, saving money, and then pay with a gift card that you already saved another 10% on!

 

[TooCheep]

Gift cards can be a money saver as well. My local Fleet store has periodic sales on gift cards where you can buy them for 10% off. Maybe 2 or 3 times a year. I spend a lot of money at our Fleet store buying chicken feed, tools, supplies, etc... So, I always buy myself those gift cards at 10% off and use them throughout the year. It's especially great when you buy an item on sale, saving money, and then pay with a gift card that you already saved another 10% on!

I love doing this for stores that I frequent. I've even been able to stack a couple of times. I buy a "Happy" gift card that offers a 10% bonus and then use it to purchase a Panera card that periodically offers a 20% bonus. Lowes offers discount gift cards periodically, though I consider them my secondary hardware store.

 

[gtaus]

I love doing this for stores that I frequent. I've even been able to stack a couple of times. I buy a "Happy" gift card that offers a 10% bonus and then use it to purchase a Panera card that periodically offers a 20% bonus. Lowes offers discount gift cards periodically, though I consider them my secondary hardware store.

I have never heard of Panera but am glad to hear that some other frugal minded people have discovered how to stack discounts on discounts to get a better deal. I think most people think a gift card has to be purchased for someone else. No way! I buy those gift cards for myself at the places I routinely shop when they are offered at a discount.

The reason why so many companies are willing to offer gift cards at a discount is that they know a certain number of people will lose the gift card or maybe never use it. I never buy a gift card for someone else for that very reason. But I do buy gift cards for myself at stores that I know I patronize frequently.

Speaking of stacking discounts, this past Christmas season my bank, Wells Fargo, was offering gift cards for many stores at 10% off. I purchased a gift card (for myself) for Home Depot where I buy a number of tools and supplies throughout the year. Anyways, I bought a clearance item on heavy discount, got an extra 10% military discount on that item, and then paid for it with my Home Depot gift card I purchased at that initial 10% discount.

For me, being frugal does not necessarily mean not buying something you want or need, but rather making sure your dollar goes as far as it can when you do make a purchase.

Also, I save up money for unplanned purchases, like when you just happen to come across an item that is on heavy discount or clearance that you might not need today, but you know it will get used in the near future.

For example, I live on 3 acres of wooded land. I always need a working chainsaw. My "newest" chainsaw is no longer under warranty. If it breaks, I will have to replace it. Most likely, it will break at the worst time, and I will be forced to pay the going price of chainsaws at that time. Well, I happened to be in Home Depot last fall and saw that they had a battery chainsaw that had sold for about $280.00 marked down on clearance for $115.00. The new chainsaw has a 5-year warranty. It was worth it to me to have a new warranty for $23.00 per year and having that second chainsaw. So, I bought that second chainsaw on an impulse with no regrets because I have some money set aside for those type of unexpected, good deals.

 

[Sally PB]

For me, being frugal does not necessarily mean not buying something you want or need, but rather making sure your dollar goes as far as it can when you do make a purchase.

This! Yes!

I often "stock up" on stuff when it's on sale. Like hubby's antacids. They sometimes have a buy one, get one 40% off. That's when I get 4 or 6 bottles, even if that puts me over my shopping budget for that week at that store. The antacids won't go bad, and I won't have to worry about running out.

He usually doesn't remember to tell me until he has just a few pills left. And that's when not only they WON'T be on sale, the store will be out of them!