What are your frugal and sustainable tips and tricks?

[igorsMistress]

I don't live in the desert, but I imagine your challenge will be to keep the compost moist - like a wrung-out sponge. If the compost pile gets bone dry, it stops composting. Well, we all have advantages and disadvantages wherever we live. Good luck on your composting!

That’s actually not too hard. I only have to wet down the litter in my coop once every couple of weeks. A spray nozzle on fine mist works pretty good.

 

[igorsMistress]

My you’ve all been busy! I love all the ideas!

Well, our water situation is looking pretty bad guys. The western states couldn’t agree on a rationing plan so the feds are getting involved. This is our number one priority for saving and being frugal right now.

I can typically shower every third day as I use body wipes or a washcloth and soap if it’s just my pits. Since I work at home I only go through about eight articles of clothing a week unless I have to go out for some reason. I’ll wear my jammies for a few days and just change undergarments. We don’t fry our clothes on a line, but I do love the smell! Igor does our laundry and we all have bad allergies and/or asthma so no line drying because of pollen and such; plus he is disabled and works a lot of hours so it is what it is.

I have invested a lot of time, but not a ton of money, getting a hydroponic system set up. I’m using a method that requires no electricity and setting it up in my shade garden outside. The most expensive piece was the meter needed to test pH and EC. These systems can be set up quite frugally with some simple buckets or bins though. Net pots aren’t entirely necessary, you can use those little seed starter pods that expand and toothpicks or skewers to hold them. I think this would be a great reuse option for yogurt cups, sour cream containers, etc. too, just drill a bunch of holes in them and voila!

Also, I often check Temu,com for various gardening needs before I check Amazon, if I can’t get something locally of course. They have much lower prices, although the selection isn’t as extensive and they don’t always have what I’m looking for.

 

[ChicksnMore]

My you’ve all been busy! I love all the ideas!

Well, our water situation is looking pretty bad guys. The western states couldn’t agree on a rationing plan so the feds are getting involved. This is our number one priority for saving and being frugal right now.

I can typically shower every third day as I use body wipes or a washcloth and soap if it’s just my pits. Since I work at home I only go through about eight articles of clothing a week unless I have to go out for some reason. I’ll wear my jammies for a few days and just change undergarments. We don’t fry our clothes on a line, but I do love the smell! Igor does our laundry and we all have bad allergies and/or asthma so no line drying because of pollen and such; plus he is disabled and works a lot of hours so it is what it is.

I have invested a lot of time, but not a ton of money, getting a hydroponic system set up. I’m using a method that requires no electricity and setting it up in my shade garden outside. The most expensive piece was the meter needed to test pH and EC. These systems can be set up quite frugally with some simple buckets or bins though. Net pots aren’t entirely necessary, you can use those little seed starter pods that expand and toothpicks or skewers to hold them. I think this would be a great reuse option for yogurt cups, sour cream containers, etc. too, just drill a bunch of holes in them and voila!

Also, I often check Temu,com for various gardening needs before I check Amazon, if I can’t get something locally of course. They have much lower prices, although the selection isn’t as extensive and they don’t always have what I’m looking for.

I'd love to hear more about your hydroponics

 

[LizzzyJo]

My you’ve all been busy! I love all the ideas!

Well, our water situation is looking pretty bad guys. The western states couldn’t agree on a rationing plan so the feds are getting involved. This is our number one priority for saving and being frugal right now.

I can typically shower every third day as I use body wipes or a washcloth and soap if it’s just my pits. Since I work at home I only go through about eight articles of clothing a week unless I have to go out for some reason. I’ll wear my jammies for a few days and just change undergarments. We don’t fry our clothes on a line, but I do love the smell! Igor does our laundry and we all have bad allergies and/or asthma so no line drying because of pollen and such; plus he is disabled and works a lot of hours so it is what it is.

I have invested a lot of time, but not a ton of money, getting a hydroponic system set up. I’m using a method that requires no electricity and setting it up in my shade garden outside. The most expensive piece was the meter needed to test pH and EC. These systems can be set up quite frugally with some simple buckets or bins though. Net pots aren’t entirely necessary, you can use those little seed starter pods that expand and toothpicks or skewers to hold them. I think this would be a great reuse option for yogurt cups, sour cream containers, etc. too, just drill a bunch of holes in them and voila!

Also, I often check Temu,com for various gardening needs before I check Amazon, if I can’t get something locally of course. They have much lower prices, although the selection isn’t as extensive and they don’t always have what I’m looking for.

I have always been very interested in the south west water wars. I’ve read that California is basically stealing water from Arizona, Nevada, etc. is that true?

 

[alwaystj9]

I would use toggle closures.
I hate velcro but it could be used here.
Toggles can be sewn over the old zipper
easily by hand. You can remove the old zipper
or just leave it.
Make sure you can open them easily before you put them on.
Some have loops that are small and will need to be stretched a bit.
Once you see a set, you can make your own with wood, cord and a drill.

 

[ChicksnMore]

I have always been very interested in the south west water wars. I’ve read that California is basically stealing water from Arizona, Nevada, etc. is that true?

Well... California has the oldest water rights and they use that fact to not play ball on the new restrictions and reductions needed. Arizona has the newest rights and part of that means we're supposed to take reductions first if I understand correctly. I'm not sure how it's going to be resolved but I don't think it's bad to have the government step in and decide a fair use plan...as long as it is fair.

Even on a state level we couldn't get people to come to an agreement. Not too long ago we needed the farmers and the native tribes to come to an agreement on water allocation with water rights at stake if they failed. They failed to make an agreement.

All of the states using that basin want/need to keep as much water flowing to them as possible even though the waters just not there. Logic says all of us need to accept cuts, logic also says we each need to keep maximum access. Then add age of your water rights into the mix and it gets crazy.

 

[igorsMistress]

I have always been very interested in the south west water wars. I’ve read that California is basically stealing water from Arizona, Nevada, etc. is that true?

Not that I’m aware of. There was an agreement many moons ago about how water would be distributed, but it’s outdated. California uses the most water from the river, but they didn’t agree that they should make the most cuts. They pointed to the agriculture in the other states as the reason, but there’s plenty in California too. I know California is further along in their water restrictions in many parts of the state, but it’s rare to find a green lawn here for the most part whereas it’s quite prevalent in California. And people can water those lawns which is insane. Communities in AZ pay residents to switch to xeriscape options if they do have a lawn. Still, the UAE has a farm here that grows hay for their horses, and there are golf courses and such that could go as far as I’m concerned. Have that stuff in southeast where there’s naturally more rain ya know?

Regardless, it’s a scary thing to think about!

 

[igorsMistress]

I'd love to hear more about your hydroponics

I’m trying the Kratky method here. It’s pretty simple, put your nutrients in the bucket and just monitor it. It’s a little more involved than that, but that’s the general idea. There’s a guy that has a YouTube channel that goes by the name Hoocho. He lives in Australia so a similar climate to mine, although a bit cooler, and he shares his failures and successes in his videos. I highly recommend you check them out! I revamped my shade garden a little bit this year, but he has something quite similar and grows everything outside. Also, he covers just about every hydroponic option out there in separate videos and includes time lapses of his grows. He does tutorials that show you how to set up everything and suggests alternatives to the materials he uses too.

I have a couple of Aerogardens so I’m using those to start my seeds, then can transplant the little plug thing to bigger pots for the grow, but it isn’t necessary. You can start them in rockwool cubes, or a perlite/vermiculite mixture, etc. under a grow light instead.

I was not able to find vermiculite or rockwool locally so had to order those, but perlite was available at Home Depot. You can sometimes get food grade buckets from Walmart, but don’t use white or you’ll get algae in your bucket. I also ordered the nutrients I’m using because the only hydroponics shop nearby I knew of is gone. Powdered nutrients are cheaper to use in the long run. Liquid options mean you’re paying for water, so if you plan to make this a growing option long term it would be best to learn how to mix your own. If you try indoor grows you can get daylight bulbs at the big box stores that will work; I like the units that you can daisy chain together so I still have a plug for a fan.

 

[gtaus]

You can sometimes get food grade buckets from Walmart,

Are you talking about "free" buckets, or buckets you have to pay for? Where I live, we pay about $5.00 for a 5-gallon bucket and another $2.50 for a lid.

I have not found a source to get free buckets. That would be the best, of course.

My frugal alternative to paying full price for a bucket is to wait for the bucket sales at Harbor Freight and our local Fleet store. Usually HF gives you a "free" bucket with a minimum purchase, but if you are a Harbor Freight Inside Track Club Member, sometimes you get a free bucket just for visiting the store. Our Fleet store has bucket sales where you buy a bucket for 1/2 off, but then you get maybe a 10% or 15% discount for anything you can fit into the bucket.

The trick to taking advantage of those "free" bucket sales is to have a list of items that you will need now, or in the future, and have that list ready to buy some items when those bucket sales come around. If you end up buying $15 of stuff you don't need just to get a "free" bucket, then I would say that is not too frugal.

In the past 6 months, I think I managed to get about seven 5-gallon buckets for "free" just buying things I use all the time. There are many uses for those 5-gallon buckets, but lately I have been using them to hold my chicken feed, scratch, and cracked corn. Each 5-gallon bucket holds just over half a 50# bag of feed. With a good lid on top, the buckets are basically water and mouse proof. Plus, it's easier to handle a 25# 5-gallon bucket than trying to lift or move a 50# bag of feed. Another advantage is that the 5-gallon buckets can easily be stacked one on top of another, thereby saving me lots of room in my garage.

BTW, the buckets I have been getting for "free" on those bucket sales are stamped with food grade safe recycle markings. IIRC, you can use #2, #4, and #5 recycle marking codes for food grade safe storage.

 

[TooCheep]

You can sometimes get free buckets from bakeries or delis. Just ask. They often get frosting or pickles in those buckets and don't have any good use for them afterwards. You just have to clean them out.

The #2/etc. is necessary, but not sufficient to be "food grade". It is important that it not just be an acceptable material, but that it has never had nasty chemicals in there before.