What are your frugal and sustainable tips and tricks?

[Chinachik]

Speaking of eggs, don't throw those empty eggshells into the garbage. I keep my eggshells in an empty bread bag and every so often I smash up the eggshells into tiny pieces. I then put the eggshells pieces into a supplemental feeder I have for calcium. The chickens will eat the eggshells is they need extra calcium in their diet. Much like grit, which I also have available to them in another separate feeder.

Another good use for those eggshells is to crush them up and mix them into the garden soil. Over time, they release the calcium into the soil and that is supposed to be good for the plants.

I have seen some people put eggshells into a jar of water and then use that water for their plants.

If nothing else, just put the eggshells into the compost pile. But, please, don't throw them away. If anyone has more uses for eggshells, let me know.

 

[Chinachik]

You can also add them to your coffee when perking, or coffee makers basket. Adds a little extra calcium to your diet and takes the sharp edge off strong coffee. Add grinds to your compost and it has the eggshells already in it.

 

[gtaus]

You can also add them to your coffee when perking, or coffee makers basket. Adds a little extra calcium to your diet and takes the sharp edge off strong coffee. Add grinds to your compost and it has the eggshells already in it.

I have never heard of adding eggshells to your coffee, but I'm not a coffee drinker. Dear Wife drinks coffee, but has one of those Keurig machines with the individual packets. Terrible waste, IMHO, but then again, she only has one cup of coffee in the morning and nothing more. So, I guess a full pot would go to waste.

Coffee grounds are great for the compost. In fact, I have seen them used as coop litter on some YouTube videos. I have never used coffee grounds as litter, but think it would be a great option if you could get the grounds for free.

 

[Sally PB]

but has one of those Keurig machines with the individual packets.

They make a refillable cup for those. That's what I did when I had a Keurig.
https://www.amazon.com/Reusable-Cups-Keurig-2-0-1-0/dp/B01DP1IWKU?th=1
I found them at the store where I grocery shop by where they sell the Keurig machines. I got a box with 2, and wondered how long they'd last. Never needed the second one.

If you get one, a spoon that is more oval works better to fill it than a spoon that is round.

 

[gtaus]

They make a refillable cup for those. That's what I did when I had a Keurig.
https://www.amazon.com/Reusable-Cups-Keurig-2-0-1-0/dp/B01DP1IWKU?th=1
I found them at the store where I grocery shop by where they sell the Keurig machines. I got a box with 2, and wondered how long they'd last. Never needed the second one.

If you get one, a spoon that is more oval works better to fill it than a spoon that is round.

Yeah, we got a couple of those refillable cups, but Dear Wife won't use them. I guess it's her sinful pleasure to just pop in a new cup for her morning coffee. But I wish she would use those refillable cups and dump the coffee grounds into the compost bucket.

Maybe someday?

 

[gtaus]

I just found this thread so have not read the whole thing but here's one thing we do. We have big plastic trash cans set up to catch rain water. We bring it inside in smaller buckets (empty kitter litter containers, so that's two) and use it to water plants and the animals. They really like it; prefer it, in fact, to our softened well water, as we have given them the choice.

If I lived in a water restricted area, I'd be putting up rain barrels to catch as much water as I could. However, I have heard that trapping water in water barrels is illegal in some areas. I guess they want the rainwater to go directly back into the ground water.

If you live in a drought area and your water is restricted or controlled, you might want to check into the sub-irrigation planter systems. You fill up a reservoir of water in the bottom of the planter and the plants drink it up as needed. Much better use of water than in a typical garden bed or pot with drain hole which basically allow all the water to flow through and dry out the soil in no time.

And if you are using rain water to water your plants, I would also suggest into using a heavy mulch to trap the moisture in the soil and protect the topsoil from the beating sun which would dry up everything. Chicken run compost would make a great mulch and it does not have to be totally broken down into a fine compost if used as top mulch. Wood chips work great, too. Both would reduce the amount of water needed to keep the plants healthy.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Good points, gtaus. We are definitely not water restricted here but you're right. In some drought-afflicted areas you can get into some serious and legal trouble capturing rain water, so know your local laws. Thanks.

 

[YolkFolksHome]

Yes. I don’t consider myself a prepper, I consider myself prudent. We have extra food for humans and animals, 2 months worth on hand at all times. We also have emergency food buckets and alternative options for cooking other than electricity. I have a bunch of water storage as well, but haven’t filled them yet as I haven’t figured out where I’m going to store it all. It’s not just for those dystopian fantasy moments. It’s for any event that puts us in a bind. We are saving for a generator, I’ve heard about rolling blackouts too many times in other areas recently and people are moving here to the desert in droves. That’s adding stress to both our electricity and water resources and I think that is what frightens me the most. I’m looking into hydroponic gardening as it uses less water than a traditional one. Space is my biggest issue there as well.

Pardon my ignorance but, why are people moving to the desert? I'd think that'd be the last place for human settlement. I wanna know what I'm missing in life. My neighbor talks about going to see his friend in Arizona once a year and how a lot of people are living an Rv/nomad lifestyle and I can't understand why.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Just guessing but.. no fires, no hurricanes, no ice storms, no tornadoes, no blizzards, no floods from rain storms ... what am I missing? But also, as you say, no water....

 

[TropicalBabies]

Pardon my ignorance but, why are people moving to the desert?

I'm with you but sure Az has its charm along with cost of living. My daughter is there. Pre pandemic they were able to live in a nice house for much less than other places.