What are your frugal and sustainable tips and tricks?

[gtaus]

I purchased metal raised beds because plastic is dead in a summer or two. I can use the garden soil in the beds so that’s not a total loss, just need some amendments.

I used to make wooden raised beds out of landscaping timber, but as I got older, I wanted higher walls on the raised beds. Buying lumber a few years ago with the COVID-19 pandemic was prohibitive. I think a 2X4 stud was something like $5,000.00 per board! Exaggeration, of course, but the lumber prices went through the roof for a few years.

During that time, I made some 16-inch-high raised beds using wood frames and galvanized metal panels. That saved a lot of money. I used salvaged lumber and bought the metal panels. Total cost per 4X4 bed was about $50.00 compared to the price of an all wood raised bed, at that time, around $200.00.

Picture of raised bed using galvanized metal panels....

Last year I got into making stuff out of free pallet wood. Now I have built 4 pallet wood raised beds and all I had to buy was the screws and nails for the project.

Picture of free pallet wood raised bed...

I don't know how long the pallet wood raised beds will last, but certainly longer than plastic sitting out in the sun, and not as long as metal which will last for many years. I expect to get 5 years or more from the pallet wood beds, at which time, I will either replace any rotted wood or just build a new raised bed. After all, the cost is basically free.

Personally, I like the all-pallet wood raised beds better because they are all wood. But the galvanized metal panel raised beds are nice too and saved me a lot of money at the time. Since I started getting into pallet wood projects, almost all my gardening builds are made out of pallet wood.

For comparison, both types of raised beds are 16 inches high and 4X4 feet square. I fill the bottom 8-10 inches with hügelkultur wood and the top 6-8 inches with a mix of topsoil and chicken run compost mixed 1:1 for the growing medium. I have had excellent results in growing food.

 

[Mason Farm and Ranch]

I plant gardens with healthy foraging in mind. I .are the gardens to grow food, but protect them so the hens can peck at the plants but not destroy them.

I feed organic and soy free, so the feed is pricey, but they don't eat a lot of feed because they have tons of variety in the yard.

Seriously, I have 50+ birds now. They use 100 lbs of feed/scratch a month and it's available free feed.

I use all parts possible from animals, including pressure cooking bones to make meal I add to my animals feed.

When my husband goes fishing, I have him bring me the fish carcasses (his friends too). I freeze them until I have a big batch and pressure cook bones, scales and all. They get some in their evening meal almost every day. It's 70% protein, is chock full of calcium and collagen and adds flavor to their dinner.

I do the same with deer, goats, chickens and pigs. (Pressure cooking the bones prevents me having to go to the vet because a bone is stuck in my dogs throat.)

For treats, I used up my oldest eggs and make a crepe batter. I add herbs and supplements to the batter and when making the crepes I Sprinkle mealworms and sunflower seeds. I have to dice them up because they start fights, but they cost me pennies and my girls are spoiled. My roosters love them too.

I use sand and sparse hay in the run. It cleans easily and I put the clean out in garden beads and compost. I don't buy fertilizer. In fact, I've sold a bit of composted soil because I have THAT much.

I do a ton of penny pinching ideas. These are the ones off the top of my head.

 

[gtaus]

I use all parts possible from animals, including pressure cooking bones to make meal I add to my animals feed.

Do you feed all the pressure-cooked animal parts at once, or do you save it somehow and ration out the stuff a little each night? If you save it, how do you do it? I think that's a great idea, pressure-cooking the animal parts and feeding it to the chickens.

As for me, we have a "chicken bucket" in the kitchen and throw all the bones, scraps, and leftovers into the bucket which I feed to the chickens daily. The chickens pick the bones clean, and the bones compost in the chicken run. I have fed some fish remains after cleaning, but my chickens don't eat much of the fish offal. I think I would get more benefit from pressure-cooking those animal parts like you do.

I do a ton of penny pinching ideas. These are the ones off the top of my head.

Well, this is the thread to return to and post more of your frugal ideas as you think of them. Thanks for your input.

 

[Mason Farm and Ranch]

Do you feed all the pressure-cooked animal parts at once, or do you save it somehow and ration out the stuff a little each night? If you save it, how do you do it? I think that's a great idea, pressure-cooking the animal parts and feeding it to the chickens.

As for me, we have a "chicken bucket" in the kitchen and throw all the bones, scraps, and leftovers into the bucket which I feed to the chickens daily. The chickens pick the bones clean, and the bones compost in the chicken run. I have fed some fish remains after cleaning, but my chickens don't eat much of the fish offal. I think I would get more benefit from pressure-cooking those animal parts like you do.



Well, this is the thread to return to and post more of your frugal ideas as you think of them. Thanks for your input.

I use my pressure pot I bought/use for canning. I have quart sized plastic jars I pack it into. 1 jar lasts about a week. I freeze them. I strain off the broth and use it to cook grains. Brown rice, wheat, barley ....scratch.

I blend up shredded veggies I grow in the garden, grains I cook for them, the fish meal and fresh corn into their evening meal. They love it and I use the routine to insert my preventative schedule into the food. I can't remove all sources of water and we all know they would rather drink from a muddy puddle instead of a pristine drinker filled with filtered water. But mom comes out with the bowl and only a bird not feeling well does not line up for 'Chicken Dinner'. Except Lance.

Lance likes to pretend he doesn't eat. Lance is THICK. But he likes to pretend.

The fish carcasses will crush up just using your hands. I don't recommend a food processor as it turns it to past and they don't seem to care for the texture. But they leave no trace of the crumbles.

Larger mammal bones soften up enough to be crushed by hand as well.

BUT my chickens do seem to enjoy pecking them apart, so I randomly put one or two out as treats. I can't put them out more often as they never last more than a day. Once the dog finds them, they are gone.

 

[Mason Farm and Ranch]

I used to make wooden raised beds out of landscaping timber, but as I got older, I wanted higher walls on the raised beds. Buying lumber a few years ago with the COVID-19 pandemic was prohibitive. I think a 2X4 stud was something like $5,000.00 per board! Exaggeration, of course, but the lumber prices went through the roof for a few years.

During that time, I made some 16-inch-high raised beds using wood frames and galvanized metal panels. That saved a lot of money. I used salvaged lumber and bought the metal panels. Total cost per 4X4 bed was about $50.00 compared to the price of an all wood raised bed, at that time, around $200.00.

Picture of raised bed using galvanized metal panels....

View attachment 3598431

Last year I got into making stuff out of free pallet wood. Now I have built 4 pallet wood raised beds and all I had to buy was the screws and nails for the project.

Picture of free pallet wood raised bed...

View attachment 3598437


I don't know how long the pallet wood raised beds will last, but certainly longer than plastic sitting out in the sun, and not as long as metal which will last for many years. I expect to get 5 years or more from the pallet wood beds, at which time, I will either replace any rotted wood or just build a new raised bed. After all, the cost is basically free.

Personally, I like the all-pallet wood raised beds better because they are all wood. But the galvanized metal panel raised beds are nice too and saved me a lot of money at the time. Since I started getting into pallet wood projects, almost all my gardening builds are made out of pallet wood.

For comparison, both types of raised beds are 16 inches high and 4X4 feet square. I fill the bottom 8-10 inches with hügelkultur wood and the top 6-8 inches with a mix of topsoil and chicken run compost mixed 1:1 for the growing medium. I have had excellent results in growing food.

Where do you get free pallets? I can buy used ones for $4-5 (still cheap), but free would be better.

 

[Mason Farm and Ranch]

I try to live sustainably and sometimes I do and sometimes I don't! What are some of your tips or things that you can't do?

Example of things I do:
- no purposefully bought single use plastics in the home. This has been made much easier by the new variety of plant-based baggies and saran wraps!
- no spray cleaners, I use bar soap, bar shampoo, and bar conditioner (no bottles as the US doesn't really recycle plastics anymore and the pacific garbage patch is growing)
- Of course using egg cartons from friends and not buying eggs Also trying to grow as much of my own food as possible.

Examples of things I don't do :
- I still have my plastic toothbrush, floss, and toothpaste with fluoride.
- I am terrible about buying things from Amazon that comes with plastic bags.
- Chicken, dog, and rabbit food comes in plastic bags
- I still eat meat (but I grow some myself)
- I buy makeups, clothes, dog toys, and household items that aren't sustainable

What about you?

3 Years ago I started converting our property into a producing homestead.

I currently have chickens and dairy goats. I'm learning to make my own dairy products. I use plenty of eggs. And recently seem to have reached a competence in growing food. This year I'll be getting more than a couple of unsweet cantaloupe, over ripe okra and tiny squash. I grew the crap out of some kale though.

Right now I have various greens, pickling cucumbers, piles of Basil (which I love) and loofah (you can eat them and they make great feed), tomatoes of various varieties and ground cherries. I have zucchini planted, but those worms are sabatoging me.

Recently I started switching out the plastic food containers for glass or ceramic for health reasons. I do use reusable plastic containers to freeze homemade wet feed because they don't burst.

I buy fresh ingredients on sale and can them. I also can dairy products. I am playing with waxing and aging cheeses. I'm trying to bake bread, but I suck at it. I've played with making pasta but, nothing serious.

I no longer buy new clothes. I have a outlet resale shop near me that sells everything for one price, depending on the day. The highest price is $2.25. I've got a spectacular wardrobe with some pricey names. Before I retired, my office co-workers were green with envy, but too shallow to buy second hand. Their loss.

My weirdest thing is I stopped maintaining our pool. I let it go green and started adding plants and fish.

 

[gtaus]

Where do you get free pallets? I can buy used ones for $4-5 (still cheap), but free would be better.

I started getting free pallets at Harbor Freight. Maybe only one or two per week, but it added up. Then I found a NAPA auto parts store that had free pallets out in the back by their dumpster. Across the street a paint store would stage free pallets out by their dumpster. Then I found a tractor company that had lots of free pallets piled up in their backyard. They were more than happy to give them away because it cost them money to have the pallets hauled off. Our local Co-Op also had some pallets for free.

So, basically, I just drove around the back of businesses where they had dumpsters and if I saw pallets there, I would ask the manager if I could pick them up for free. For a while, I was also talking to anyone and everyone asking if they knew about where I could pick them up for free.

I don't live in town, but when I went into town I would just drive by each place and pick up a pallet or two if available until my old Explorer was full. I can fit as many as 6 pallets in the back of the Explorer. Sometimes I came back home with a full load, other times a partial load, and sometimes I got skunked. Over a number of months, I had amassed a nice pile of pallets.

Last count I had about 80 pallets in my backyard. Dear Wife said I had to stop picking up pallets until I worked down my stock. Well, OK. I have been making some raised garden beds, work benches in the garage, shelving, etc... and am slowly working down my stockpile. But honestly, I probably have enough pallets for a number of years.

If I come across an exceptionally good pallet, or a pallet that has special features about it, I will pick it up. For example, I have salvaged about $40 worth of high quality torx deck screws from some pallets, bolts and washers off a few pallets, and 6 and 8 foot long pallets with long 2X4's for bigger projects. I have picked up some pallets with half sheets of plywood on the top. Those plywood tops make great work benches for the garage, or for shelving. I also got a few pallets that used 4X4 beams instead of 2X4's. I salvaged lots of rope off a few pallets that I keep in my truck to use as quick tie downs.

The best thing about having a good supply of pallets is that I can really be picky about any new pallets I take home. I only take really good pallets, or specialty pallets, at this point.

Having said that, if I take apart a bad pallet and end up with lots of broken and unusable boards, I just burn them in my fire ring where I am burning out stumps. So even the bad wood gets used for something good.

Anything you can use a pallet for is a plus for the environment. Where I live, the pallets that get dumped out at the local county landfill are just buried in the ground. That's a complete waste.

 

[gtaus]

I'm trying to bake bread, but I suck at it.

My grandmother baked fresh bread all the time. It was a rare occasion that we ever saw store bought bread in her house. Her bread was better than the store bread. It was always a real treat for me to go to my grandparents' house and eat homemade bread.

I bought a bread maker many years ago when they were in fashion. I made lots of homemade bread and even used my grandmother's recipe, slightly modified for a bread machine, and it was very good. But, it always take time to make the bread and for my working years, free time at home was limited.

It's been a few years since I made bread in the bread machine. As far as being frugal, I don't think you save any money making bread at home compared to just buying it in the big box store. The only advantage is that the homemade bread might be fresher, and you can use your own favorite ingredients. The downside is that homemade bread doesn't last very long on the counter.

I bought a Dutch Oven to make no-knead breads with the hard crusts. I really like that bread and it was super easy to make. Unfortunately, Dear Wife was not able to chew the hard crust. So, she continued to buy soft crust store bread and would not eat my no-knead hard crust bread. With only 2 of us in the house, we just had too much bread so I stopped making the hard crust bread that she could not chew.

I still feel bad about not using my Dutch Oven like I wanted to make bread. That's the main reason I bought it. I got a good deal on the 6 quart $80 Dutch Oven from Amazon, buying an open box unit at half price, but it still came out to about $5.00 per loaf of bread that I actually made before I gave up. That's expensive bread. I still use the Dutch Oven for cooking some other things, but not too much.

On the frugal side, I had a bunch of Amazon Reward Points that I applied to the purchase and got this Dutch Oven delivered to my house for less than $20 out of pocket.

If you really suck at making bread, and you have a Dutch Oven, check into the no-knead bread recipes on YouTube because they are easy to make, and the bread is great - if you like hard crust breads.

Edit: The reason I went with the Lodge Dutch Oven was because it was rated for the high heat for bread baking. The Lodge Dutch Oven was rated for 500F. The less expensive Amazon brand Dutch Ovens were not rated for the bread baking temps. They were limited to 400F. IIRC correctly, the bread making recipes I used called for baking at 450F. Also, some brands of Dutch Ovens have lids that are not rated for high oven temps and you have to buy separate high heat knobs for the lids. That would have been an extra expense for me. But the Lodge lid was rated for 500F out of the box.

 

[Mason Farm and Ranch]

My grandmother baked fresh bread all the time. It was a rare occasion that we ever saw store bought bread in her house. Her bread was better than the store bread. It was always a real treat for me to go to my grandparents' house and eat homemade bread.

I bought a bread maker many years ago when they were in fashion. I made lots of homemade bread and even used my grandmother's recipe, slightly modified for a bread machine, and it was very good. But, it always take time to make the bread and for my working years, free time at home was limited.

It's been a few years since I made bread in the bread machine. As far as being frugal, I don't think you save any money making bread at home compared to just buying it in the big box store. The only advantage is that the homemade bread might be fresher, and you can use your own favorite ingredients. The downside is that homemade bread doesn't last very long on the counter.

I bought a Dutch Oven to make no-knead breads with the hard crusts. I really like that bread and it was super easy to make. Unfortunately, Dear Wife was not able to chew the hard crust. So, she continued to buy soft crust store bread and would not eat my no-knead hard crust bread. With only 2 of us in the house, we just had too much bread so I stopped making the hard crust bread that she could not chew.

I still feel bad about not using my Dutch Oven like I wanted to make bread. That's the main reason I bought it. I got a good deal on the 6 quart $80 Dutch Oven from Amazon, buying an open box unit at half price, but it still came out to about $5.00 per loaf of bread that I actually made before I gave up. That's expensive bread. I still use the Dutch Oven for cooking some other things, but not too much.

View attachment 3598913

On the frugal side, I had a bunch of Amazon Reward Points that I applied to the purchase and got this Dutch Oven delivered to my house for less than $20 out of pocket.

If you really suck at making bread, and you have a Dutch Oven, check into the no-knead bread recipes on YouTube because they are easy to make, and the bread is great - if you like hard crust breads.

Hard crust isn't my favorite. And FYI, hard crust breads are a bakery item here and run about $8 a loaf. In my book you still came out ahead.

I'm going to buy a bread maker. I want homemade bread. I don't need another mess to clean up.

 

[gtaus]

Hard crust isn't my favorite. And FYI, hard crust breads are a bakery item here and run about $8 a loaf. In my book you still came out ahead.

Thanks. That makes me feel a little better.

I'm going to buy a bread maker. I want homemade bread. I don't need another mess to clean up.

Our local Thrift Store has slightly used bread machines for sale almost every week. They sell for less than $5.00 here, and most of them look like they were hardly used. If you can find a good used bread maker with a manual and recipes, you might be able to try it out on the cheap and see if you like it.

I'm sure you will find that your homemade bread tastes better than the store bread. Nothing better than a fresh hot slice of bread out of the machine with some butter melted on top. Like eating cake without all the guilt.

Bonus idea: We used to make pizza dough in our bread machine all the time. Homemade pizzas are great because you can make it exactly the way you want. We used to set the machine on a timer to make the dough when we were at work, and when we came home, the dough was ready for a pizza supper.