What are your frugal and sustainable tips and tricks?

[gtaus]

I try to buy made in the USA whenever possible.

So do I. No brainer if Made in the USA is of higher quality and at a competitive price. Unfortunately, many of the products I want are only available from China, or elsewhere.

I think COVID-19 restrictions have shown us that we need more manufacturing here in the USA. Hope the politicians can work together to encourage more businesses to make things in the US. They might need some kind of tax program to level out the labor costs of free Americans as opposed to child labor in third world countries. And yes, when I was in the Navy I visited a number of third world countries that used cheap labor to make some of those products we enjoy.

Sometimes I try to make things I need with supplies I already have. It gives me great joy if I can reuse something at home instead of dumping it in the trash. I also like making things. Not always successful, but enjoy the process of trying.

 

[saysfaa]

I only have access to water bath. What would happen it I tried beans? Would I know that they were bad? Like botulism?

The problem is that you would not know if they are bad. Yes, like botulism where is no difference in color or smell or taste. I don't know what the actual risk is in percentages of batches that might have it but it is quite deadly if happens and very nasty even if you don't die.

It is much better to freeze beans or dry them if you don't have a pressure canner.

Edit to add: or pickle them. Thanks gtaus

Edit, again, to add: or otherwise cured (smoked, brined, etc). Some things will keep well for months in a root cellar - especially if you look into which need more/less humidity and which like each other.

 

[LizzzyJo]

The problem is that you would not know if they are bad. Yes, like botulism. There is no difference in color or smell or taste. I don't know what the actual risk is in percentages of batches that might have it but it is quite deadly if happens and very nasty even if you don't die.

It is much better to freeze beans or dry them if you don't have a pressure canner.

Ok, so can acidic things with and without vinegar, but freeze the non acidic?

 

[LizzzyJo]

So do I. No brainer if Made in the USA is of higher quality and at a competitive price. Unfortunately, many of the products I want are only available from China, or elsewhere.

I think COVID-19 restrictions have shown us that we need more manufacturing here in the USA. Hope the politicians can work together to encourage more businesses to make things in the US. They might need some kind of tax program to level out the labor costs of free Americans as opposed to child labor in third world countries. And yes, when I was in the Navy I visited a number of third world countries that used cheap labor to make some of those products we enjoy.

Sometimes I try to make things I need with supplies I already have. It gives me great joy if I can reuse something at home instead of dumping it in the trash. I also like making things. Not always successful, but enjoy the process of trying.

We just started only bringing “local/USA” organic meat into the house. I’m not as concerned with the health side of organic as that the animals have to have had better living conditions. We have meat chickens in the freezer, but also went to our local butcher shop for the first time ever
The local beef was fantastic and we may buy 1/4 cow in a few weeks.

The hard thing is not buying the delicious and terrible products that have weirdo meat in them like pizza rolls.

We made our goal for this from Dec 21- March 21. I hope we make it.

 

[gtaus]

I generally use reusable grocery bags, but occasionally (on purpose) will use the store provided bags (when I need trashcan liners).

Yes. Our local Menards makes us bag our purchases. But they have the extra large bags available under the counter and those large bags are big enough to line our kitchen garbage can. I take advantage of that.

 

[gtaus]

By far the heaviest was the animal feed bags. I reuse what I can, but there are so many. Can I get them re-filled with food anywhere?

Years ago, we brought back our empty feed bags and got them refilled at the grain elevators. Saved half a dollar by reusing the feed bag. But you can't do that anymore where I live. So, the challenge now is to find a second life for them for some other use.

 

[gtaus]

I am pretty self sufficient, and I measure that by how many trips I have to make to town. I also keep cutting back on the amount of garbage I am producing and am down to one roadside bin or less each week.

Sounds like a success.

I am also trying to quit buying crap -- and I am decluttering what I do have.

I am pretty good at not buying crap.

I'm not so good at decluttering what I do have. I always tell myself I should save that item and reuse it at once or twice more before it gets thrown out. I save too much stuff, according to Dear Wife, but eventually I find a second life for many things. Threads like this help with fresh ideas on second uses for things like that.

 

[LizzzyJo]

Years ago, we brought back our empty feed bags and got them refilled at the grain elevators. Saved half a dollar by reusing the feed bag. But you can't do that anymore where I live. So, the challenge now is to find a second life for them for some other use.

Was that back when greedy corporate farms hadn’t decimated US family farming?
I also have a Rabbitry and a dog. Sometimes I feel like I can feed the chickens by shoveling up all the corn waste left on the side of the road when they harvest the field corn

But the dog and rabbits are hard too. Maybe a bulk pet store? My dog is spoiled to high heaven and eats the good stuff. Probably won’t have taste of the wild in bulk.

 

[LizzzyJo]

Not to turn this into a prepper thread - I am not truly a prepper- but I do like to think about how long we’d last after a big crash. Then my issues of self sustainability would be my electric well pump and my lack of a fireplace.

Anyone else have these crazy dystopian fantasy moments?

 

[saysfaa]

Ok, so can acidic things with and without vinegar, but freeze the non acidic?

Sort of. Many acidic things do not need vinegar added. Some varieties of some species have been bred to have less acid and some species are generally more acidic than others. I think the growing conditions can make a difference too. It is the pH that matters rather than what list that thing is on. I think you can test with litmus strips.

The Ball Blue Book is the gold standard for safe canning practices. It is well worth reading and then keeping around for reference. Public libraries often have it or can get it. Its is also sold near the canning supplies in many stores. Lol, and I use the lists there and don't use litmus tests despite what I said above. But I don't can anything remotely questionable, either.

You can freeze the acidic too, if you want. If you haven't done freezing before, you might look up how to do it for the product you have. Such as - some veggies are heated before freezing - other wise the enzymes continue to be active and you get mushy veggies. Don't wash blueberries before you freeze them unless you make them into jam or such. If you spread them out on trays without touching each other until they are frozen then put them in the airtight containers then they will not freeze into a block - then you can take part of a container at a time. And a block is harder to position in the freezer.