What are your frugal and sustainable tips and tricks?

[saysfaa]

Wow!!! You are really good at finding odd stuff...
,,,

My dad was, anyway. He liked auction sales and had a tendency to bring home anything that went cheap enough. Especially box lots of things. And my parents didn't have a problem with plastic. These are among the reason I do have a problem with it.

I'm not sure these would classify as "finds." I use that term for things I wanted, at least when I found them.

Anyway, thank you for the ideas! Much appreciated.

 

[gtaus]

Recently I started experimenting with using empty toilet paper paper rolls to make seed starting pots.

Basically just turn the round tube into a square by folding it in half, lengthwise, then half again, lengthwise, to give you 4 corners. Then cut some slits in the bottom on the creases to make a box fold. Works great if you dip the bottom of the TP pot into water and let it soak for a bit, then let the pot dry overnight. Soaking the bottom in water helps the paper folds glue themselves together. I like leaving a small hole in the bottom for both drainage and maybe for using it to wick up water in a bottom watering system.

They are small pots, but maybe just the right size for certain plants to start off for a few weeks.

Empty paper towel rolls could be cut to length and make slightly larger starting pots.

Christmas wrapping paper tube rolls would work as well. Cut to length as needed.

Until recently, I just shredded up the empty tubes and used with other paper products to make paper shreds for deep bedding in the chicken coop. If the TP seed starter pots turn out to be a good idea, I think I will use them for pots instead of just more bedding. Either way, they are reused.

 

[LizzzyJo]

Our bees have been great for not having to buy sugar as well.

I’m thinking about buying a stevia plant from the bakers creek catalogue this year. Has anyone grown stevia?

 

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

Sometimes I just want bad for me, bad for the world fast food.
I have to conquer the cravings

Often those cravings (for me) is my brain trying to change the subject from a thought that is spiraling out of control. (Like being self-critical, worrying to the point of catastrophe scenarios)

I moved to the country and junk is too far to get, so it became easier to identify as the cause of the cravings.

 

[LizzzyJo]

Recently I started experimenting with using empty toilet paper paper rolls to make seed starting pots.

View attachment 3369362


Basically just turn the round tube into a square by folding it in half, lengthwise, then half again, lengthwise, to give you 4 corners. Then cut some slits in the bottom on the creases to make a box fold. Works great if you dip the bottom of the TP pot into water and let it soak for a bit, then let the pot dry overnight. Soaking the bottom in water helps the paper folds glue themselves together. I like leaving a small hole in the bottom for both drainage and maybe for using it to wick up water in a bottom watering system.

They are small pots, but maybe just the right size for certain plants to start off for a few weeks.

Empty paper towel rolls could be cut to length and make slightly larger starting pots.

Christmas wrapping paper tube rolls would work as well. Cut to length as needed.

Until recently, I just shredded up the empty tubes and used with other paper products to make paper shreds for deep bedding in the chicken coop. If the TP seed starter pots turn out to be a good idea, I think I will use them for pots instead of just more bedding. Either way, they are reused.

What a great idea! I tried the tp rolls stuffed with dryer lint for fire starters, but we just don’t really need fire starters.

I’ll do this instead!

That still leads me to try to use my lint for something… I’ve heard paper?

 

[gtaus]

People using pallet wood really should line them, they are absolutely treated with non-food grade chemicals.

Well, I have to disagree in that almost all pallet wood I get is clearly marked as "HT" which means heat treated - no chemicals at all used in that process. The only pallets that I am aware of being treated with chemicals are required to be labeled/stamped with "MB" – for Methyl Bromide, which should not be handled or used for anything around your house. I think those type of pallets have been mostly banned. I personally have never seen one where I get my pallets.

But I have a complete thread on pallet wood projects and we have discussed your concerns. That thread is close to 900 interesting posts now. If interested, check out Show Me Your Pallet Projects! for lots of good information and ideas on how to reuse pallet and reclaimed wood.

 

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

What a great idea! I tried the tp rolls stuffed with dryer lint for fire starters, but we just don’t really need fire starters.

I’ll do this instead!

That still leads me to try to use my lint for something… I’ve heard paper?

My "lint" is dog hair so I just compost it

 

[gtaus]

That still leads me to try to use my lint for something… I’ve heard paper?

I have heard that dryer lint can be composted, but I think your firestarter idea is even better.

 

[LizzzyJo]

My "lint" is dog hair so I just compost it

I just looked it up to see if this is good for most peoples dryer lint and it is! Yay! One less thing to trash!

 

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

Well, I have to disagree in that almost all pallet wood...

Pallets are not made for contact w food, so they will use anything available, they may not have applied anything during the manufacturing of the pallet, but that doesn't mean they started with clean wood. Your choice to trust but I work in supply chain management and I trust people to cut costs.

Remember that we used lots of dangerous chemicals for years before realizing they were bad, we are years away from realizing the danger in what we currently use. Also, the process of heat treatment may be transforming naturally occuring chemicals into something toxic.

But I don't want to get into an argument with you, I choose to line my boxes with food grade plastic (feed bags), you go ahead and use them bare, no problem.