What are your frugal and sustainable tips and tricks?

[BDutch]

Nether one is sustainable, the metals needed are finite. Fossil fuels are finite. I don't know what the answer is, but I couldn't do solar or battery until they can recycle, otherwise it's just more toxic trash at a higher pace then with combustion engine vehicles, etc.

Fossil fuels are a much bigger problem than the materials for batteries. Also the metals are recyclable and the batteries are evolving, getting better.

the remaining stump and burn it out over time instead of renting a stump grinder for something like $150 for one day use.

If you leave the stump to rot it’s better for the environment and it cost you nothing.

Cost of generating electricity is the driving force. Lots of people are not so concerned about the long-term future costs of how we make our electricity. It's not even a consideration for sustainability, either...

Its not about long term. Climate catastrophes are happening already. Did you forget the extreme temps you had in Canada. The ongoing fires in Australia. The increasing force and numbers of hurricanes in the US and the Caribbean, the extreme floods in Bangladesh, Europe and Mozambique. The Islands Tuvalu and Vanuatu who are disappearing into the sea.

And even if we stop using fossils fuels today, and do nothing else the global warming and temp rise goes on for over a decade.

So…Please do not talk about the long term, but about now and today!

 

[gtaus]

A few days ago I posted that Harbor Freight was having a weekend bucket sale. I always say that you can never have enough 5-gallon buckets around the garage. But in the spirit of sustainable tips, let me offer a link for 30 Brilliant Ways To Use Five Gallon Buckets On The Homestead.

I am not so creative. I use my buckets primarily for storing my feed, grains, and chicken scratch for the chickens. The buckets are waterproof and mice proof compared to the paper or plastic bags of feed and grain I buy at the store. I used one bucket to make a PVC chicken feeder. I have one bucket that is filled with tools I use for pallet wood breakdowns. I have a couple older 5-gallon buckets that I use as garage trash cans. We also use the buckets for water when washing the cars. They are great for hauling out small wood to the backyard campfire. If I have to top off garden beds or pots, I will fill up a couple buckets of compost or mulch to carry around to the garden beds.

I probably have at least 15 of these 5-gallon buckets in use at any time. They are great for so many tasks. And, when not needed, they stack up really nice in a tower that does not take up much floor space in storage.

 

[gtaus]

Its not about long term. Climate catastrophes are happening already. Did you forget the extreme temps you had in Canada. The ongoing fires in Australia. The increasing force and numbers of hurricanes in the US and the Caribbean, the extreme floods in Bangladesh, Europe and Mozambique. The Islands Tuvalu and Vanuatu who are disappearing into the sea.

And even if we stop using fossils fuels today, and do nothing else the global warming and temp rise goes on for over a decade.

So…Please do not talk about the long term, but about now and today!

The Canadian Forest fires are still fresh in my mind. I live in northern Minnesota, and we got to breath in that smoke from Canada all summer long this year. It was terrible. Hard to forget that, especially since I have damaged lungs from my service in the US Navy. I moved back to rural northern Minnesota after my military service because I needed to live in an air pollution free environment.

I have lived in both France and Italy in my adult life. I know that many Europeans are much more concerned about the environment than many of us here in the USA. Perhaps people living in larger cities with more air pollution is what drives their concern. I know when we lived in California, it was terrible to go to Los Angeles with all their bad air. No wonder they have some of the most progressive measures to clean up the air. They really need it.

But I now live in a very rural area, where some people don't have a neighbor for maybe 5 miles. The sky is clear. There is no air pollution. And the concerns of global climate change just don't touch as many people here in their everyday life. I do what I can to reduce my waste stream into the environment and hope my small contributions make some difference.

 

[BDutch]

Perhaps people living in larger cities with more air pollution is what drives their concern.

My whole country has a blanket of air pollution most of the time. Only 2 provinces in the north have reasonable clean air. Air pollution floats and spreads.

The pollution is from (chemical) factories, farmers, traffic, aeroplanes … Its there, even if we don’t notice it.

The air pollution is often not worse in the city’s as it is in the country. Some city’s have banned old diesel’s and trucks completely to get cleaner air. And parking is very expensive. We ride bikes and go with public transport if we visit a city center.

In the country the farmers cause problems with bad air. We have way too much factory farming (with GMO soy from Brazil) . The farmers who keep animals contribute to the NOx pollution and greenhouse gasses. Crop farmers and even more the flower farmers use toxic chemicals that spread too. It caused a reduction of the number of insects. People even get Parkinsons disease from the cultivation of flowers.

Garbage is not the problem here. Thats almost solved.

 

[gtaus]

My whole country has a blanket of air pollution most of the time. Only 2 provinces in the north have reasonable clean air. Air pollution floats and spreads.

I am sorry to hear that. I visited the Netherlands in the summer of 1980 and again in the summer of 1984. I thought it was a beautiful country and we (college kids) had a great time touring your country. Loved it. Very nice people.

I spent my last year of college, 1983-1984, studying in Paris. The city would fill up with gas fumes during the day, at times, but generally cleared out in the evenings when traffic was less. I did not have a car but took the Metro or a bus wherever I needed to go. Living in the city, I did not miss having a car because the public transport was so good. In fact, it was often faster to take the metro than it would be to drive across town. There were not many bicycles in Paris, as I remember it. Lots of small gas powered motor scooters though.

Back here in the USA, I have only lived in places that had terrible public transport, if any at all. And now I live out in the country about 10 miles from town.

We ride bikes and go with public transport if we visit a city center.

I would choose to ride a bike as well if I lived in a place where it made sense. I have been looking into getting an ebike to ride into town, but none of the ebikes I can afford will guarantee that they will have the range to get me to town and back.

I am not young and fit anymore. So, I do not want to get into a situation where I would give myself a heart attack trying to peddle a heavy dead ebike back home. Well, that and I live in snow state where we can have snow on the ground for 5-6 months out of the year. Not great conditions to ride a bike on ice and snow. Especially if you live outside of town.

There are many advantages to living out in the country, but I do miss the ease of public transportation like I had when living in Paris.

The air pollution is often not worse in the city’s as it is in the country. Some city’s have banned old diesel’s and trucks completely to get cleaner air.

Where I live, we don't have any restrictions on vehicle emissions. I am sure my old 1993 Ford Explorer would not pass any emissions test if we had them. It pumps out the fumes and only gets 13 miles per gallon of gasoline. But it's a great working vehicle for hauling and towing stuff, and I only drive it maybe 500 miles per year. Insurance is dirt cheap on that old vehicle. I'll probably drive it until it dies, or I do.

FYI, I paid $600 for the old Ford Explorer which I can use year-round where I live. It even has 4-wheel drive if needed on the ice or snow. Compare that to the new ebikes I have been looking at which cost around $1,600.00, are not really made to work in the snow and ice of winter and cannot even guarantee that the battery will get me into town and back. An extra battery would cost another $500-$600 dollars to guarantee I would have the range for a round trip.

From an economic point of view, the old Ford just comes out ahead even though it spits out the fumes every time I drive it. I don't see our government offering any incentives to move to cleaner transportation.

FWIW, in case you think I am a terrible guy for driving an old vehicle that pumps out the gas fumes, I only go into town about once a week, have my route planned in advance, get all my errands done in one trip, and am back home until the next week. I also have newer cars that get much better gas mileage and will take them into town if I don't need to pick up and haul anything. It's not uncommon for those of us living out in the country to have a working vehicle like pickups in addition to smaller cars for most of our transportation.

What you don't see, where I live, is many bicycles for transportation even in town. I doubt if that will change in my lifetime.

 

[saysfaa]

Anyone have any ideas for use for old sheets?

Hopefully, 100% cotton sheets.

One of my favorite use has been cutting and sewing them into pillowcase-like bags to put strings of Christmas lights into - one strand per bag. Very little additional wear to the fabric, very quick and easy to put the lights away, same for getting them out, adds some cushioning so the bulbs aren't scratched or banged, the wire doesn't tangle or kink.

I made similar bags for the lionel train cars. Also folded pieces of worn out sheet accordion style with a piece of track in each fold. This has all the advantages that the bags had for Christmas lights. It is lighter weight, less bulky, and more consistent than any of the several other methods I tried.

Sleeves for dishes if you have any in storage. I have a small set kept up in the kitchen and enough extra kept in the basement that I bring up when more than come. And some keepsake dishes that I don't have a place to display right now. My sister in law did a level better. She had the same dishes as her next door neighbor. They borrowed dishes from each other when either had a lot of company.

Patches for clothes, quilt batting, flags for the tops of stakes or tree branches for landscaping or gardening, dust covers (such as for stored furniture, out of season lawn equipment), drop sheets to catch saw dust or whatever, tablecloths (not usually good for aesthetics but good for under crafts or to protect a table from scratches when sorting dirty things or such), handkerchiefs.

repurposing signs: I made an envelope out of a plain colored sheet that slid down over the top of the sign the roofers left at the end of the yard. On the envelop, I made thick, black letters "SALE" when I had a yard sale. It worked much better than the poster board versions. It also hargs neatly on nails on the garage wall behind some of the shelves.

Dolls or doll clothes.

Rag carpets - cut into strips and braided, hooked, or sewn to a backing. This os the only one of these I haven't done myself. I have some other people made from similar fabric.

Ripped up strips make good tinder.

Scarecrows body or clothes. Flags tied to fence wire to show animals where the fence is.

In all cases, not every sheet is necessarily good for every use. Since most of the wear is on the middle of the sheet, sometimes the outside edge is better for a given thing. Sometimes the threadbare middle is.

Edit to fix typos

 

[BDutch]

I am sorry to hear that. I visited the Netherlands in the summer of 1980 and again in the summer of 1984. I thought it was a beautiful country and we (college kids) had a great time touring your country. Loved it. Very nice people.

The pollution is not visible, you cant smell it. Its from everything together and comes from Germany too (Ruhr area) .

In the link are 2 infographics with a map of the Netherlands. The first one shows pollution with fine dust . The second one NOx pollution. Both from 2013-2020.
2020 was a very good year because we were in lockdown from Covid a large part of the year. Overall you can see we are improving in the years before that too.
https://www.atlasleefomgeving.nl/nieuws/2020-bijzonder-jaar-voor-luchtkwaliteit

I spent my last year of college, 1983-1984, studying in Paris. The city would fill up with gas fumes during the day, at times, but generally cleared out in the evenings when traffic was less. I did not have a car but took the Metro or a bus wherever I needed to go. Living in the city, I did not miss having a car because the public transport was so good. In fact, it was often faster to take the metro than it would be to drive across town. There were not many bicycles in Paris, as I remember it. Lots of small gas powered motor scooters though.

Paris is great. I have been there many times for a city trip and to visit an uncle.

Back here in the USA, I have only lived in places that had terrible public transport, if any at all. And now I live out in the country about 10 miles from town.

This is how the Dutch move around (2020):
Blue is riding a car. Dark blue is passenger. Green is public transport which was unusually low in the year of Covid. Purple is by bike.

We have more bikes in the Netherlands as people. I have two bikes too. One normal bike for shoppings nearby. And kast year I bought an electric bike to go to work, visit my daughter, go to other villages nearby and to make a tour (a day out in the countryside). It has a 80 km range and costed 1800 euro’s .
If the battery goes flat (never happened btw) I can bike just as well as on a normal bike. Techniques have improved you know. It’s only 5 kg heavier as a normal bike.

Its much cheaper than riding a car. And would be worth wile for the good weather months if you have safe roads to go to town or make a tour.

I would choose to ride a bike as well if I lived in a place where it made sense. I have been looking into getting an ebike to ride into town, but none of the ebikes I can afford will guarantee that they will have the range to get me to town and back.

I am not young and fit anymore. So, I do not want to get into a situation where I would give myself a heart attack trying to peddle a heavy dead ebike back home. Well, that and I live in snow state where we can have snow on the ground for 5-6 months out of the year. Not great conditions to ride a bike on ice and snow. Especially if you live outside of town.

I don’t want to ride a bike with ice and snow either. But we have such weather condition maybe 1 week in the year. Not for 5-6 months.

There are many advantages to living out in the country, but I do miss the ease of public transportation like I had when living in Paris.

I live in a small town. Its known as a very green town and I love it. It has the benefits of a town and the feeling of a village.

Where I live, we don't have any restrictions on vehicle emissions. I am sure my old 1993 Ford Explorer would not pass any emissions test if we had them. It pumps out the fumes and only gets 13 miles per gallon of gasoline. But it's a great working vehicle for hauling and towing stuff, and I only drive it maybe 500 miles per year. Insurance is dirt cheap on that old vehicle. I'll probably drive it until it dies, or I do.

My son has a diesel van and has to pay 1200 euro’s tax for it each year. He bought it cheap . But the taxes are very costly. His friends use it a lot to transport loads and big stuff. And in summer he turns it into a camper for vacations.

FYI, I paid $600 for the old Ford Explorer which I can use year-round where I live. It even has 4-wheel drive if needed on the ice or snow. Compare that to the new ebikes I have been looking at which cost around $1,600.00, are not really made to work in the snow and ice of winter and cannot even guarantee that the battery will get me into town and back. An extra battery would cost another $500-$600 dollars to guarantee I would have the range for a round trip.

From an economic point of view, the old Ford just comes out ahead even though it spits out the fumes every time I drive it. I don't see our government offering any incentives to move to cleaner transportation.

FWIW, in case you think I am a terrible guy for driving an old vehicle that pumps out the gas fumes, I only go into town about once a week, have my route planned in advance, get all my errands done in one trip, and am back home until the next week. I also have newer cars that get much better gas mileage and will take them into town if I don't need to pick up and haul anything. It's not uncommon for those of us living out in the country to have a working vehicle like pickups in addition to smaller cars for most of our transportation.

What you don't see, where I live, is many bicycles for transportation even in town. I doubt if that will change in my lifetime.

Right. If you don’t drive much. You hardly pollute. Of course you’re not a terrible guy. Everyone who is trying to contribute is good. I only have a problem with the people who believe there is no problem to tackle and do nothing at all to make a change.

I do lots of things that are polluting too. Because I don’t want to think about the environment all the time. Because I eat and breathe. Heath the house to a comfortable temperature in winter. Take a shower at least 2 times a week. Wash my clothes, use a dryer, a dishwasher and a oven. Because I buy new things and visit family and friends. Drink wine. Go on a vacation 2-3 times a year. Etc.

 

[BDutch]

Hopefully, 100% cotton sheets.

One of my favorite use has been cutting and sewing them into pillowcase-like bags to put strings of Christmas lights into - one strand per bag. Very little additional wear to the fabric, very quick and easy to put the lights away, same for getting them out, adds some cushioning so the bulbs aren't scratched or banged, the wire does tangle or kink.

I made similar bags for the lionel train cars. Also folded pieces of worn out sheet accordion style with a piece of track in each fold. This has all the advantages that the bags had for Christmas lights. It is lighter weight, less bulky, and more consistent than any of the several other methods I tried.

Sleeves for dishes if you have any in storage. I have a small set kept up in the kitchen and enough extra kept in the basement that I bring up when more than come. And some keepsake dishes that I don't have a place to display right now. My sister in law did a level better. She had the same dishes as her next door neighbor. They borrowed each other when either had a lot of company.

Patches for clothes, quilt batting, flags for the tops of stakes or tree branches for landscaping or gardening, dust covers (such as for stored furniture, out of season lawn equipment), drop sheets to catch saw dust or whatever, tablecloths (not usually good for aesthetics but good for under crafts or to protect a table from scratches when sorting dirty things or such), handkerchiefs.

repurposing signs: I made an envelope out of a plain colored sheet that slid down over the top of the sign the roofers left at the end of the yard. On the envelop, I made thick, black letters "SALE" when I had a yard sale. It worked much better than the poster board versions. It also hargs neatly on nails on the garage wall behind some of the shelves.

Dolls or doll clothes.

Rag carpets - cut into strips and braided, hooked, or sewn to a backing. This os the only one of these I haven't done myself. I have some other people made from similar fabric.

Ripped up strips make good tinder.

Scarecrows body or clothes. Flags tied to fence wire to show animals where the fence is.

In all cases, not every sheet is necessarily good for every use. Since most of the wear is on the middle of the sheet, sometimes the outside edge is better for a given thing. Sometimes the threadbare middle is.

Thanks for sharing this ideas.. I do use some old blankets and towels for painting jobs and cleaning.
You named a few nice and worthwhile solutions.

I don’t need to reuse myself because
we have textiles recycle units at every grocery shop.
After collecting, the textile is sorted. The good clothes go to shops for the poor for reuse. The old, worn or stained clothes go to factories to use for new cloth (partly), isolation material, sound absorbing panels, and underlay carpets.

 

[RoyalChick]

Cut up and use for poultices, old rags to clean with, or make quilts/pillowcases out of. They are also good to cover plants for a frost warning overnight.

Also normally an old sheet is OK except in the worn through area so the rest of the fabric is fine for quilts, cushions, pet beds etc.
I used an old sheet as a swamp cooler in the chicken coop when it got absurdly hot a couple of years ago. I wet it down and hung it up and blew a fan over it.
It is surprisingly effective.

 

[RoyalChick]

The Canadian Forest fires are still fresh in my mind. I live in northern Minnesota, and we got to breath in that smoke from Canada all summer long this year. It was terrible. Hard to forget that, especially since I have damaged lungs from my service in the US Navy. I moved back to rural northern Minnesota after my military service because I needed to live in an air pollution free environment.

I have lived in both France and Italy in my adult life. I know that many Europeans are much more concerned about the environment than many of us here in the USA. Perhaps people living in larger cities with more air pollution is what drives their concern. I know when we lived in California, it was terrible to go to Los Angeles with all their bad air. No wonder they have some of the most progressive measures to clean up the air. They really need it.

But I now live in a very rural area, where some people don't have a neighbor for maybe 5 miles. The sky is clear. There is no air pollution. And the concerns of global climate change just don't touch as many people here in their everyday life. I do what I can to reduce my waste stream into the environment and hope my small contributions make some difference.

I live in a pretty rural area but it is hard not to notice the change in weather.
Storms more severe, no snow for me at all last year and my spring bulbs are already coming up which is a good two months early.