What are your frugal and sustainable tips and tricks?

[TropicalBabies]

One of my favorite subjects! Bravo OP!

I try my best not to bring extra into my house. We built our "tiny house" 540sq with the planet in mind. I buy my clothes used sometimes but barely buy any anymore. No makeup for most all my life. No real hair products... Soaps are barred or eco friendly and refilled and/or bought in bulk. We shred our paper and I use in nest boxes along with the tall grass I cut and dry. All waste goes into one of our composting systems along with our green/house/yard. I have not bought a zip lock bag in 15 years @ least and purchased very few b4. We don't drink soda, grow our own fruits, dry all clothes on a line. Use a ton of mulch for water retention and organic mater back into our soil. Also have well water on solar for our yard.
My new feed bag project- I'm collecting feed bags and sewing shopping/feed bags and selling them for 100% nonprofit. I have kept about 200 bags out of the landfill so far with another 400 waiting to be sewn and adding a small cash flow to 2 of my favorite nonprofits.
We have solar and PV. I only drive with purpose and multi task and recently bought a motorcycle for my main transpo. So my gas consumption is awesome-ly very minimal. Am working on making a basket for my motorcycle out of used irrigation drip line so I can deliver my eggs and people won't have to come and get etc though must confess most my customers are very local by plan.

Horse feed sourced locally and we also graze a lot. Have a 150 eco boost. Everyday I hope and try to do better and am really glad to hear of a few of my fellow humans doing the same ✌

Real minuses. Cat food.

 

[TropicalBabies]

We also sell our composted horse poop in used feed bags. Almost all customers save their bags and we cycle them that way.
My egg cartons are saved from friends and neighbor and recycled.
We just keep pecking away... would like to use more grey water ♡

@gtaus Mmy auntie was the same about her plastic bottles. We bought her a ceramic water dispenser and refil it with reverse osmosis @our local store. Also got her a nice travel canteen and so far... she has lessened her use quite a bit. We also got her recycling much more major victory lol with baby steps.

 

[saysfaa]

Some questions that I've had recently that I could use some help on.

I don't have a dishwasher (farmhouse). I've heard that dishwashers nowadays use less water than hand washing, but I would have to remodel my kitchen. The waste from a remodel seems to outweigh the water use. I live in a swamp - water scarcity is absolutely not a thing here. We spend our lives placing drain tile.

I also have a clothes drier from the 70s and a washer from the 90s. They both work decently, but we have to tinker with them.

Is it more economical / better for the environment to get new, eco friendly appliances even when it means more waste with trashing/recycling the old ones?

What are your thoughts?

The little bit less water used by the dishwasher wouldn't offset the energy put into shipping the materials, building it, disposing of the scrap, shipping it from China (of the major brands, as of a few years ago, only GE, which is owned by China, has some made in the US), the power to takes to run, and the disposal afterwards. I don't have a dishwasher either and wouldn't give up the cupboard space to have one again.

I would keep tinkering with that washer and dryer. I worked customer service in the call center for the major appliances. They really don't make them like they used to. They can't and meet the newer regulations. If the regulations counted all the environmental costs, I'd be much more supportive of them.

 

[igorsMistress]

Some questions that I've had recently that I could use some help on.

I don't have a dishwasher (farmhouse). I've heard that dishwashers nowadays use less water than hand washing, but I would have to remodel my kitchen. The waste from a remodel seems to outweigh the water use. I live in a swamp - water scarcity is absolutely not a thing here. We spend our lives placing drain tile.

I also have a clothes drier from the 70s and a washer from the 90s. They both work decently, but we have to tinker with them.

Is it more economical / better for the environment to get new, eco friendly appliances even when it means more waste with trashing/recycling the old ones?

What are your thoughts?

That’s a tough one I agree. There are other uses for old appliances, it depends on your space and needs. I’m not sure it’s actually possible to 100% recycle them though. In our case we couldn’t get parts for our dryer anymore so we bought new ones. While the old were energy efficient, the new are more so, and the washer uses only enough water to do a load by weight I believe. Water use is a huge thing here so it was what we thought was best. Replacing our oven was actually a money saver. It’s far better insulated so doesn’t heat the house as much as the old one, which is easier on the electric bill/grid. We’d babied it along for ten years and it was becoming a money pit. Of course in both cases our old machines went somewhere…So there are positives and negatives either way you look at it.

 

[LizzzyJo]

The little bit less water used by the dishwasher wouldn't offset the energy put into shipping the materials, building it, disposing of the scrap, shipping it from China (of the major brands, as of a few years ago, only GE, which is owned by China, has some made in the US), the power to takes to run, and the disposal afterwards. I don't have a dishwasher either and wouldn't give up the cupboard space to have one again.

I would keep tinkering with that washer and dryer. I worked customer service in the call center for the major appliances. They really don't make them like they used to. They can't and meet the newer regulations. If the regulations counted all the environmental costs, I'd be much more supportive of them.

Thank you! I’ve also heard that the “smarter” the new appliances are the more they break and are harder to fix due to the computer systems in use. Did you find this to be true in the service center?

 

[LizzzyJo]

That’s a tough one I agree. There are other uses for old appliances, it depends on your space and needs. I’m not sure it’s actually possible to 100% recycle them though. In our case we couldn’t get parts for our dryer anymore so we bought new ones. While the old were energy efficient, the new are more so, and the washer uses only enough water to do a load by weight I believe. Water use is a huge thing here so it was what we thought was best. Replacing our oven was actually a money saver. It’s far better insulated so doesn’t heat the house as much as the old one, which is easier on the electric bill/grid. We’d babied it along for ten years and it was becoming a money pit. Of course in both cases our old machines went somewhere…So there are positives and negatives either way you look at it.

Yeah the water question is so dependent on area. Our washer drains in an odd jerryrigged way so we only use water safe eco washing liquid. We’d likely have to change that system I suppose. You’re in Arizona? I was just there this summer. Absolutely beautiful! Very different from my neck of the woods

 

[saysfaa]

Thank you! I’ve also heard that the “smarter” the new appliances are the more they break and are harder to fix due to the computer systems in use. Did you find this to be true in the service center?

Hm, I guess breaking down is usually what is meant by not making them like they used to. Sorry, I meant how well they function. The company I worked for only sold them and didn't have much to do with repairing them. We helped the customer with warranty issues sometimes when that process went badly.

 

[igorsMistress]

Yeah the water question is so dependent on area. Our washer drains in an odd jerryrigged way so we only use water safe eco washing liquid. We’d likely have to change that system I suppose. You’re in Arizona? I was just there this summer. Absolutely beautiful! Very different from my neck of the woods

Yes I am. I realize there are places where water is plenty right now, but I don’t think that will always be the case. I recently watched a docuseries about big corporations that bottle water. It was an eye opener. AZ can be quite beautiful! I’ve lived in lots of places though, and each has its own beauty and challenges for sure. I’ll bet it’s plenty beautiful where you are too.

 

[TropicalBabies]

We have eco friendly everything because of the new standard and being a fairly new build. My appliances are 6yo and I am happy with them, no problems except with the icemaker in the fridge. The washer does not clean like my old used washer in the 80's did but no washer I have had since does lol. I use the pre soak a lot more.
I don't have a dishwasher and probably never will. I soak, wash and rinse only opening my faucet less than half when finished with scrubbing dishes, also reusing my rinse water for the next soak. But I do notice others with the faucet fully opened from the start and left to run while washing and don't think thats super eco friendly.
We have some big challenges ahead of us. Lots of mouths and needs.

 

[LizzzyJo]

Yes I am. I realize there are places where water is plenty right now, but I don’t think that will always be the case. I recently watched a docuseries about big corporations that bottle water. It was an eye opener. AZ can be quite beautiful! I’ve lived in lots of places though, and each has its own beauty and challenges for sure. I’ll bet it’s plenty beautiful where you are too.

Yes I am. I realize there are places where water is plenty right now, but I don’t think that will always be the case. I recently watched a docuseries about big corporations that bottle water. It was an eye opener. AZ can be quite beautiful! I’ve lived in lots of places though, and each has its own beauty and challenges for sure. I’ll bet it’s plenty beautiful where you are too.

Well, I’m from Kentucky - which I would put up with the most beautiful states (I’ve been to 46). But I’m in ohio now, which has its own beauty. But I dearly miss my mountains each and every day.