What are your frugal and sustainable tips and tricks?

[gtaus]

Recycle shopping bags, save money, reduce waste

Here is a frugal tip that I think is also great for the environment at the same time. When I shop at Menards, you have to self-bag your purchases. Instead of using the regular sized plastic bags, I grab the extra large bags under the counter to bag my stuff. Then, at home, I use those extra large bags as my garbage bag liners for my kitchen trash bin.

These large checkout bags fit perfectly in my kitchen trash bin. They are even stronger than many of the "trash bags" we have been buying for about 25 cents per bag. When full, I simply twist the hand straps together to tie off the bag.

You might want to see if other stores offer these larger bags at the checkouts. Instead of grabbing the smaller regular-sized plastic bags at the checkout, take the extra large bags and reuse then for your trash bins.

You can use the regular-sized plastic checkout bags as liners for the smaller bathroom trash bins. But we don't use many bags in the bathrooms. If you have a choice of bags at the checkout, grab the extra large bags next time!

 

[MROO]

The fail that bothers most is feed bags. I wish feed still came in burlap bags.

There are LOTS of free tutorials online for turning feed bags into sustainable shopping bags. I've even seen them turned into sleeping mats for Scouts. If there isn't someone near you already willing to cut & sew, approach your local 4H chapter about starting it as a fundraiser. Sewing is definitely a 4H activity - and there are many 4H livestock groups that could use the financial boost of an easy fund-raising project. I'd even be willing to bet there'd be a good market at your local County Fair for them, if only for families to carry around their "treasures" while they visit.

 

[gtaus]

This is the time of year to be looking for clearance prices on last year's tools!

Just want to remind people that this is a great time of the year to be looking out for those end-of-the-year clearance prices on last year tools. Lots of companies will be coming out with new model tools and they want to clear the shelves in the stores. Last year, I bought a clearance priced Ryobi multi 6 tool package at almost 75% off. Other brands had similar end-of-year sales as well.

I often find that the stores I go to have their clearance priced items way in the back of the store, or somewhere where they don't have much foot traffic. I make an extra effort to check out those clearance racks even if I have to walk to the back of the store. Sometimes, you find those diamonds in the rough and it is well worth your time to check out those clearance racks.

Don't forget about the Amazon WishList feature!

I have mentioned before that I often find something I like on Amazon but am not willing to pay full retail price for item. I'll just put it on my Amazon WishList and let it sit. This past week, one of my WishList tools was marked down 29% from $100 to $70. I got an email notice about the mark down because that item was in my WishList. Well, that's the lowest price on that item in over a year of history, so I purchased it.

This morning, I got another notice that another tool in my WishList has just been marked down 26%. I don't know if I will buy that tool, but the point is that using the Amazon WishList for items you don't need immediately, and letting them sit there, might result in you saving lots of money down the line.

To me, being frugal is both having the patience to wait for a potential lower price, while at the same time having the shopping knowledge to jump on a good deal when it comes around so you don't miss out.

 

[Sally PB]

If you have a choice of bags at the checkout, grab the extra large bags next time!

I have a "bag bag" out in the mud room to collect any plastic film product. Chip bags, the wrapper around a package of TP, and, of course, plastic bags. My local store takes 'em all. I really like the bigger bag for a bag bag!

The really good ones are the half bushel basket bags that I get apples in at the farmer's market. The plastic is thicker (apples are heavy, after all!), and is less prone to getting sliced by a corner of something that catches it just right. Like a chip bag.

This is the time of year to be looking for clearance prices on last year's tools!

Thanks! I really want to get a DeWalt cordless hand vacuum. We have their batteries. I really want to suck up all the cobwebs out in the coop.

 

[fuzzi]

I have a "bag bag" out in the mud room to collect any plastic film product. Chip bags, the wrapper around a package of TP, and, of course, plastic bags. My local store takes 'em all. I really like the bigger bag for a bag bag!

The really good ones are the half bushel basket bags that I get apples in at the farmer's market. The plastic is thicker (apples are heavy, after all!), and is less prone to getting sliced by a corner of something that catches it just right. Like a chip bag.

Thanks! I really want to get a DeWalt cordless hand vacuum. We have their batteries. I really want to suck up all the cobwebs out in the coop.

I have a bag stuffed full of plastic grocery bags for cat box cleaning. I also have plastic grocery bags stuffed in Folgers coffee canisters in strategic locations around the backyard, for cleaning up after my dog. When I mail packages I use grocery bags as padding, to keep the contents from shifting.

 

[Sally PB]

When I mail packages I use grocery bags as padding, to keep the contents from shifting.

Great idea! I'd love to get bags I can either use or recycle with shipped items, instead of packing peanuts.

Even paper is better. Good firestarter this time of year.

 

[Iluveggers]

NY has paper bags only (except for bagging individual fresh produce). So it’s either cardboard bags or bring your own. I have a bout 20 reusable bags I bought when the law changed and they were marked 2/$1. Just keep a pile in each trunk and one hanging by the door for whenever we go shopping.

 

[gtaus]

NY has paper bags only

That seems like a more environmentally friendly law. We don't have that here in MN. Most of our bags are still plastic. In fact, it's hard for to think of any local stores that even offer paper bags.

I prefer to use paper products. Also, I shred almost all our paper products at home and use the paper shreds in the chicken coop as deep bedding. Then, twice a year, I toss all those paper shreds out into the chicken run and let them compost in place. The paper shreds break down and compost much faster than the wood chips I used in the past.

I have a bout 20 reusable bags I bought when the law changed and they were marked 2/$1. Just keep a pile in each trunk and one hanging by the door for whenever we go shopping.

We have a few insulated reusable bags that we use for transporting frozen goods. Maybe one or two of those insulated bags in each car.

Of course, this time of year, we don't need insulated bags for frozen goods when the outside temps are -16F! Maybe better used to keep things from freezing on the way home...

 

[gtaus]

I mentioned that this is the time of year to pick up lots of clearance items at places such as Home Depot. Today, I was in town and checked out what my local Home Depot was clearing out.

The first thing I noticed was that they had some PowerSmart 2-stage snow blowers on clearance. One had a retail price of $1500.00 on Clearance sale for $400.00, and another had a retail price of $1300.00 on Clearance for $300.00. I'm not in the market for a snowblower, and I don't know anything about PowerSmart snowblowers, but that sure was a heavy Clearance discount.

Interesting thing was that these snow blowers are not normally sold at our local Home Depot, so they must be shipping them around to stores hoping to sell them on Clearnace before winter is over and they are stuck with dead inventory.

IIRC, I bought my big gas snowblower about this time of year ~20 years ago and paid less than 50% of the retail price. I bought a more expensive name brand snow blower, but the point is that if you need a snow blower, this is a great time of the year to potentially save lots of money on your purchase.

I did pick up a power inverter from Ryobi. Normally selling for $149.00, it was on Clearance for $75.00. On top of that, I got my 10% Military Discount bringing the purchase down to $67.50. That item has been on my "wish list" for over a year, but I just was not willing to pay full retail.

There was a $500.00 Dewalt 21-inch lawn mower on Clearance for $250.00. I assumed it was a battery lawn mower, but it might have been a small gas mower. In either case, I was not in the market for a new mower.

Well, Home Depot had lots of other stuff on Clearance as well. Lots of items at 50% or more off on Clearance. None of these Clearance items at my Home Depot are marked down online. So, you really have to physically go into the store and check out the unadvertised Clearance deals going on.

Again, if you are looking to save money, this is the time of year to look for those Clearance items before they are gone.

 

[fuzzi]

Wish we had a Home Depot.