What are your frugal and sustainable tips and tricks?

[gtaus]

We've grown *very* complacent and soft as a society. Almost no one knows what it is like to go without luxuries that weren't available to kings from years past. The peasants of those times had it much harder.

Well, you might be right. However, it may also be a lack of education. I am an old guy now, but back when I was in High School, all the girls had Home Economics where they learned how to cook and all us guys had shop class where we learned how to use tools and maintain a vehicle. Yes, it was completely sexist in some respects as guys never got a chance to learn how to cook and the girls never picked up as much as a hammer at the school.

I like to think things have improved, but not too long ago I talked to a former Home Economics teacher who said that their school eliminated those classes, so nobody is learning any life skills in her opinion. She ended up teaching adult women to cook for a number of years before she retired. Seems to me that some skills are better learned before people have families and find themselves short of money.

As for me, I joined a Senior Citizen's Cooking Class that meets once a month. Our instructors teach us how to cook all kinds of good food, mostly seasonal in nature, and take advantage of growing food at home in gardens or getting food on sale for that time of year at the grocery store. Dear Wife and I hardly ever go out to eat. We make better food at home at a fraction of the cost. But we were both raised that way. So, it's not like we are missing out on anything.

 

[Sally PB]

We've grown *very* complacent and soft as a society. Almost no one knows what it is like to go without luxuries that weren't available to kings from years past. The peasants of those times had it much harder.

My step dad was born in 1914. If you didn't like what was on the table, a sibling would be happy to eat it for you. There was nothing else. He got a little bit impatient with us kids "not liking" what was for dinner.

I knew someone who, as a child, was told he could pick one thing that he didn't like, and when that was served, he didn't have to eat it. Other than that, he was expected to eat what was on his plate. His choice was lima beans.

I talked to a former Home Economics teacher who said that their school eliminated those classes, so nobody is learning any life skills in her opinion. She ended up teaching adult women to cook for a number of years before she retired. Seems to me that some skills are better learned before people have families and find themselves short of money.

Oh wow. We are not doing the students ANY favors by not teaching them basic life skills. And few of them will learn it at home. No wonder fast food is what so many people eat for most of their meals.

We are paying the price in our population's health for this stupidity. And we are all paying the price economically.

 

[fuzzi]

I think it's best to have a well stocked pantry full of goods that were bought on sale. You can save lots of money that way. But I think the key to the method is the rotation. That is where we fail at my house.

I would like us to practice the FIFO method, First In First Out, so that the oldest stocked goods are used before the newest supplies. In reality, we live under the FISH method, First In Still Here, as all the old goods get shoved to the back of the cupboard shelf.

We use a Sharpie marker to write the expiration date in BIG numbers on the front of the box, can, jar. It's easier to rotate when you don't have to squint and search for that tiny date somewhere on the packaging!

 

[fuzzi]

In 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, I bought some things that store a long, looooong time. Just in case. Nobody knew what would happen, so I have, among other things, lots of dried beans. I don't care about a "use by" date on those (same with pasta). As long as they don't get moldy, I think they're fine.

We don't eat many bean dishes. So I still have a lot of dried beans. The reasons I bought them? A) the keep practically forever, B) nobody knew what was going to happen, C) Costco still had lots of dried beans, D) they are cheap, E) they go with a lot of things we already had (home canned tomatoes).

This winter, I am going to make more soups and chilis to use up some dried beans.

I did the same, beans, rice, sugar, salt. I have flour in the freezer, too.

 

[TooCheep]

Well, you might be right. However, it may also be a lack of education. I am an old guy now, but back when I was in High School, all the girls had Home Economics where they learned how to cook and all us guys had shop class where we learned how to use tools and maintain a vehicle. Yes, it was completely sexist in some respects as guys never got a chance to learn how to cook and the girls never picked up as much as a hammer at the school.

They fixed that problem by eliminating both Home Econ and Shop classes in many schools. Eliminating practical skills is not exactly an improvement considering current curriculums.

My step dad was born in 1914. If you didn't like what was on the table, a sibling would be happy to eat it for you. There was nothing else. He got a little bit impatient with us kids "not liking" what was for dinner.

I had a milder version of that as a young kid in the '60s. I hated grilled cheese, but my mother made it fairly frequently until I threw up all over the table. At that point, if I didn't want what she was serving, she just told me to make my own food. I was happy making Campbells soup or PB&J sandwiches.

Oh, and it was uphill in the snow both ways to school. Never quite figured that one out.

 

[Sally PB]

I hated grilled cheese, but my mother made it fairly frequently until I threw up all over the table

That'll do it! My French teacher said he was forced to eat peas until, as he put it, "they returned." (We all laughed.) Then his mom said he didn't have to eat peas anymore.

Oh, and it was uphill in the snow both ways to school. Never quite figured that one out.

Yeah, that one puzzled me too.

 

[fuzzi]

My step dad was born in 1914. If you didn't like what was on the table, a sibling would be happy to eat it for you. There was nothing else. He got a little bit impatient with us kids "not liking" what was for dinner.

I knew someone who, as a child, was told he could pick one thing that he didn't like, and when that was served, he didn't have to eat it. Other than that, he was expected to eat what was on his plate. His choice was lima beans.

When I was a child we had a rule in our house, you could take a smaller "no thank you" portion of something you didn't like. And if you didn't want to eat any of it you could ask to be excused from the dinner table. You would then wait for the next meal. I hated asparagus (love it now) and would try to hide it in my napkin!

 

[1cock2hens]

Oh, and it was uphill in the snow both ways to school. Never quite figured that one out.

my mom had to go uphill both ways barefoot while it was simultaneously snowing and 100 degrees

 

[fuzzi]

my mom had to go uphill both ways barefoot while it was simultaneously snowing and 100 degrees

 

[Debbie292d]

In 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, I bought some things that store a long, looooong time. Just in case. Nobody knew what would happen, so I have, among other things, lots of dried beans. I don't care about a "use by" date on those (same with pasta). As long as they don't get moldy, I think they're fine.

We don't eat many bean dishes. So I still have a lot of dried beans. The reasons I bought them? A) the keep practically forever, B) nobody knew what was going to happen, C) Costco still had lots of dried beans, D) they are cheap, E) they go with a lot of things we already had (home canned tomatoes).

This winter, I am going to make more soups and chilis to use up some dried beans.

You could try fermenting or sprouting them for the poultry. I somehow have like 20# of some orange lentil somethings that I mix a little bit in with the grains I ferment every few days. Who knows if it's good for them but they've been eating a little bit of that every week for years.