What are your frugal and sustainable tips and tricks?

[gtaus]

It's spring and many hardware stores are having sales on mulch. I managed to remulch my run for less than 40 bucks (mulch was 2 bucks a bag and I used 16 bags)

Now is the time of year to stock up on those mulch specials.

Dear Wife only wants red mulch for her flower gardens. I have a couple of woodchippers that I can make natural wood chips, and I can get free wood chips by the trailer full at the county landfill, but she insists on only having red mulch wood chips for her flower gardens. So, I have a stack of bagged red mulch wood chips out back.

Although I prefer the look of natural colored wood chip mulch, my opinion is not requested, and my vote does not count.

I was able to strike a compromise with Dear Wife. Instead of putting down 3 or 4 inches of store-bought red mulch, she agreed to using free wood chips for the bottom layer and then using the red mulch on top. That saved us about half the normal mulching expense, and she still has her red mulch on top where it matters.

Speaking of colored mulch, I once watched a YouTube video where someone was spray painting old mulch to make it look new again. I know Dear Wife's red mulch loses its color long before the wood breaks down into compost. I don't know if buying that spray equipment and paint would be cost effective for us, but the professional landscaper was using it on his jobs. If I get time, I might have to look into that further.

 

[Molpet]

Now is the time of year to stock up on those mulch specials.

Dear Wife only wants red mulch for her flower gardens. I have a couple of woodchippers that I can make natural wood chips, and I can get free wood chips by the trailer full at the county landfill, but she insists on only having red mulch wood chips for her flower gardens. So, I have a stack of bagged red mulch wood chips out back.

Although I prefer the look of natural colored wood chip mulch, my opinion is not requested, and my vote does not count.

I was able to strike a compromise with Dear Wife. Instead of putting down 3 or 4 inches of store-bought red mulch, she agreed to using free wood chips for the bottom layer and then using the red mulch on top. That saved us about half the normal mulching expense, and she still has her red mulch on top where it matters.

Speaking of colored mulch, I once watched a YouTube video where someone was spray painting old mulch to make it look new again. I know Dear Wife's red mulch loses its color long before the wood breaks down into compost. I don't know if buying that spray equipment and paint would be cost effective for us, but the professional landscaper was using it on his jobs. If I get time, I might have to look into that further.

Some of the mulches are toxic

"Why You Should Steer Clear of Dyed Mulch in Your Gardens
This dyed wood mulch does not break down to enrich the soil as good mulch should. Instead, it leaches the dye along with the possible contaminants (chromium, copper, arsenic, and others) into the soil harming or even killing beneficial soil bacteria, insects, earthworms, and sometimes the plants themselves. These wood mulches actually rob the soil of nitrogen by out-competing the plants for the nitrogen they need for their own growth. Dr. Harry Hoitink, Professor Emeritus at Ohio State University, warns that dyed mulches are especially deadly when used around young plants and in newer landscapes".

 

[igorsMistress]

Bought a watermelon and it was crummy. Processed the flesh in my blender, strained out the pulp and made 7 half pints of jelly and six pints of juice concentrate with it. The pulp will go to the birds in snacks, the rind went into the compost.

 

[Smokerbill]

Bought a watermelon and it was crummy. Processed the flesh in my blender, strained out the pulp and made 7 half pints of jelly and six pints of juice concentrate with it. The pulp will go to the birds in snacks, the rind went into the compost.

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Those cooling racks look like they'd be a good project to make from pallet wood. Nice.

 

[igorsMistress]

Those cooling racks look like they'd be a good project to make from pallet wood. Nice.

They used be a plant stand that I inherited from my mother when she moved. I really like having them in the kitchen though.

 

[gtaus]

Some of the mulches are toxic

"Why You Should Steer Clear of Dyed Mulch in Your Gardens
This dyed wood mulch does not break down to enrich the soil as good mulch should. Instead, it leaches the dye along with the possible contaminants (chromium, copper, arsenic, and others) into the soil harming or even killing beneficial soil bacteria, insects, earthworms, and sometimes the plants themselves. These wood mulches actually rob the soil of nitrogen by out-competing the plants for the nitrogen they need for their own growth. Dr. Harry Hoitink, Professor Emeritus at Ohio State University, warns that dyed mulches are especially deadly when used around young plants and in newer landscapes".

Well, I sure hope that the mulches I bought are not toxic. Dear Wife uses the red wood mulch only in her flower gardens, and her plants are doing well. I only use natural materials in my compost and our food gardens. No dyed mulch in my raised beds growing food to eat. When I mulch my raised beds, I use the larger unfinished compost that sifts out in the process with my cement mixer compost sifter.

 

[CatInTheHenHouse]

A lot of the pet supply places are having sales on various things, although they aren’t consistent on what. This is good because I’ve been able to find most of what I use on sale somewhere, but bad because I’m ending up with orders from multiple shops. I already got some food for the furball, next on the list is litter and flea meds if I can manage it.

 

[FrostRanger]

A lot of the pet supply places are having sales on various things, although they aren’t consistent on what. This is good because I’ve been able to find most of what I use on sale somewhere, but bad because I’m ending up with orders from multiple shops. I already got some food for the furball, next on the list is litter and flea meds if I can manage it.

I was able to get about 120lbs of kitty litter for 13 bucks the other day. Should last me a little while

What I heard works from a tech youtuber I follow who owns cats is evidently pelleted pine bedding works really well as kitty litter. I haven't tried it myself and idk if my cats would use it but that seems like it would save money if it did work

 

[gtaus]

What I heard works from a tech youtuber I follow who owns cats is evidently pelleted pine bedding works really well as kitty litter. I haven't tried it myself and idk if my cats would use it but that seems like it would save money if it did work

I would think pelleted pine bedding would work great if your cats accepted it as litter. Like changing over to many new things, maybe you could gradually mix in more and more of the pelleted pine bedding into your current cat litter, gradually training your cats to the new pelleted pine bedding litter. Just my guess, as I have never owned cats myself. But I think it might work.

 

[fuzzi]

Pickled Eggs Using Canned Sliced Pickled Beets

We are getting more eggs than we can eat right now. I guess that's a good problem to have. One way I like to use up excess eggs is to hard-boil them and put them into jars with canned sliced pickled beets. I just pour some juice in the pickling jar, add some peeled hardboiled eggs, put on a layer of sliced pickled beets, then repeat until the jar is full or I am out of canned beets.

Here is a Google picture of what the pickled eggs look like after a few days...

View attachment 4094474

I love them in my salads, but you could also have them as a side dish with a meal. I don't add anything to the canned pickled beet slices juice, but I suppose you could. I just don't know what would make it better? Perhaps someone can suggest some herbs for a spicy mix?

In my jars, I will put about 6-8 eggs in and a whole can of sliced beets and the pickle juice. But there was never enough pickle juice in one can of sliced pickled beets to fill it up to the top. So, I would open a second can just to get more juice. Otherwise, the eggs on top of jar might only get half covered in juice. However, if your lid is watertight, you can put the jar in the refrigerator upside down overnight, covering all those top eggs in pickle juice, and then flip it back right side up the next day. That works for me and saves me from having to open a second can just for the juice.

I don't know how long the eggs will stay good, but since it's not a true canning process, I always eat them in about 2 weeks at most.

Well, it's a good way to use up excess eggs. I think they taste great.

I do this, but I use pickled beets brine only. I save the brine from regular cucumber pickles as well.

I think the oldest pickled eggs that I have eaten were 5-6 months old. They were fine, but a bit rubbery. I won't keep them as long in the future.