What are your frugal and sustainable tips and tricks?

[gtaus]

I bought something similar last year. About the same price. I used it outside. It lasted less than a year. Probably not really waterproof.

Last month I bought 2 new ones for 24 € each. With a splash proof claim. IP 54 and 2 years garantee.

https://prd01-pim-documents.diymaxeda.org/products/10103934/s04/origin.pdf

I like to buy things that will last. Like I said, I have not yet been into town to check out that Solar LED Light, so I don't even know if it has any warranty at all. In any case, my idea was to mount the light inside the shed/garage where it would not need to be waterproof. The solar panel mounted outside is the only thing that would be exposed to the elements. It might last longer inside a covered building.

 

[gtaus]

Frugal lifestyle changes as we get older?

I tend to buy a lot of things on the cheap if it is something that I won't need for a long time. that usually works out well for me. When I buy tools that I use all the time, on the other hand, I have paid more for higher quality and warranties.

Having said all that, I am also at that age where I no longer consider needing things for another 20 or 30 years. That has changed the value I put on higher cost, higher quality items. I often look at something and say to myself, if I was in my 20's, then I would buy this higher cost item, but in my 60's, this cheaper item will do good enough.

Many of the items I now buy at my age are devices that help me do things easier. Since I now work alone, I have bought a number of stands/clamps/supports to act as a third hand in my projects. I went from in-ground gardening to raised bed gardens, for a number of reasons, but certainly getting older it's much better not to have to bend over all the way to the ground. Stuff like that.

I have considered myself to be a frugal person, even at a younger age, but at this stage of life, I'm OK with paying more for things that make my life easier. For example, I retired my old one-wheeled wheelbarrow and bought those 4-wheeled Gorilla carts at 3X-4X the cost. It was just worth it to me.

Just wondering if other people following this thread have noticed any frugal priorities shifting as we get to a certain age? I certainly have.

 

[Sally PB]

Oh, yeah, definitely!

Part of the shift also has to do with the "you can't take it with you" mindset.

I am planning some things in my life as though I'll live another 30-40 years. Like finances, diet, exercise. We redid the bathroom (mostly done) and saved a LOT of money by doing nearly all the work ourselves. But we're spending $2157 on the sliding glass door, and frankly, I thought it was going to cost more.

Why aren't we buying a kit/DIY door? Because we want it to last 30 years, or as many as possible. Because trying to get glass doors home from Menards or wherever would be very difficult. Because we have never done that job, so we'll leave it to the experts.

 

[MotherofOrpies]

I have bought a few things the last couple of months to help me , like a back scratcher, an extended gripper to pick stuff off the floor without bending, something which helps me open lids without destroying them, I also bought a new wheelbarrow ( very expensive) to help me carry stuff like the laundry to the drying line , then I have started to buy smaller packages, I used to buy 25 kg bags, which are now way to heavy for me, I started buying 5 kg( which are more expensive but easier to handle for me), or buying 25 and then refilling them into smaller ( lighter) containers, since hubby will be retiring in a few years, but we still have 2 kids at university, we will have to cut costs anyways, cos in less than a year he won’t get money any more from the government for our 2 youngest “kids”, so the tax will go up, our health insurance will also go up , cos the health insurance from the employer will drop cos the “kids” won’t count anymore
I plan to plant more veggies next year, have to see if my back will take it, I plan to make more raised beds next year.
I have had mixed results from youtube videos, on one hand, they helped me fix ceiling spots (after first buying the wrong kind of bulbs, but I could return them ) and also, when the control of my furnace didn’t work, (cos of an power outage) but… things like changing the faucet or shower head and hose stumped me, they made it look easy on youtube, but…my own stuff looked totally different, I didn’t have the right tools, maybe I lacked strength, those didn’t work out

 

[gtaus]

Part of the shift also has to do with the "you can't take it with you" mindset.

Yeah, that cuts both ways, though. On one hand, I don't want to spend a lot of money on something that will certainly outlast me by 20 years if I can find something less expensive that will do fine for me for 5 years, or maybe more. I'd rather save that money for something else.

On the other hand, you only live once, and you can't take anything with you. So sometimes I willing to pay extra for something that allows me to enjoy my hobbies for a number of years longer.

I used to buy 25 kg nags, which are now way to heavy for me, I started buying 5 kg , or buying 25 and then refilling them into smaller ( lighter) containers,

Although I can still lift a 50# sack of chicken feed, what I now do is transfer the feed into two 5-gallon buckets with lids. It's much easier to move a 25# bucket of feed with a handle than wrestling with a 50# sack of feed with nothing really to hold on to.

Also, the airtight bucket lids help keep the feed fresher, longer, so if there is a good sale on chicken feed, I will stock up and save money by using the 5-gallon buckets as storage.

I plan to plant more veggies next year, have to see if my back will take it, I plan to make more raised beds next year.

I switched over to raised bed gardening about 10 years ago. My native lakeside soil is too sandy. So, I built raised beds and filled them with a high-quality topsoil. I mix my chicken run compost into the compost which really boosts the growth of my plants.

As I get older, I really appreciate the higher raised beds because they are so much easier on the back.

I have had mixed results from youtube videos,

Yeah, me too. But I have saved lots of money by learning how to make some repairs around the house by watching YouTube. I like that.

Sometimes you just watch a YouTube video and have to say that it's not for you and it's time to call in a professional. I'm OK with knowing when to call in help.

 

[BDutch]

Having said all that, I am also at that age where I no longer consider needing things for another 20 or 30 years. That has changed the value I put on higher cost, higher quality items. I often look at something and say to myself, if I was in my 20's, then I would buy this higher cost item, but in my 60's, this cheaper item will do good enough.

Many of the items I now buy at my age are devices that help me do things easier. Since I now work alone, I have bought a number of stands/clamps/supports to act as a third hand in my projects. I went from in-ground gardening to raised bed gardens, for a number of reasons, but certainly getting older it's much better not to have to bend over all the way to the ground. Stuff like that.

I have considered myself to be a frugal person, even at a younger age, but at this stage of life, I'm OK with paying more for things that make my life easier. For example, I retired my old one-wheeled wheelbarrow and bought those 4-wheeled Gorilla carts at 3X-4X the cost. It was just worth it to me.

40 years ago thing you bought often lasted a long time. There were hardly any so called ‘Chinese quality’ products on the market. I know they can make good products too so I hope not to offend anyone using this terminology.
Nowadays you have to be picky to buy things that last for a normal period.

Its not just the time it will last thats important for me. Sustainability is very, or even more important. Thats why I started to follow this thread. Not to buy things cheap or on discount.
E.g. All plastic stuff, especially vinyl is very toxic. Things with pfas, are even more toxic.
In general plastics used outdoors break down quickly. And finally they break down into micro particles.

New research on pfas in chicken eggs,
showed that pfas in chicken eggs get there when the chickens eat earthworms. Earthworms appear to be the link between pfas contamination in the soil and chicken eggs with high concentrations of pfas.

Therefore I try to use very few plastic products and disposable products. Unfortunately there are often no alternatives.

 

[Sally PB]

Yeah, that cuts both ways, though. On one hand, I don't want to spend a lot of money on something that will certainly outlast me by 20 years if I can find something less expensive that will do fine for me for 5 years, or maybe more. I'd rather save that money for something else.

Oh, definitely. Sometime hubby or I will buy a cheaper thing, and it will last as long as we need it, like for a one-and-done project. Other times, we just know that we need the better quality item. Sometimes it's just a guess which will better suit our needs.

Sometimes you just watch a YouTube video and have to say that it's not for you and it's time to call in a professional. I'm OK with knowing when to call in help.

Yes. This applies to us too.

Therefore I try to use very few plastic products and disposable products. Unfortunately there are often no alternatives.

If you find any, be sure to post about them here. I would love to cut way down on the plastic in my life.

 

[TooCheep]

If you find any, be sure to post about them here. I would love to cut way down on the plastic in my life.

I've recently been upgrading my plastic kitchen utensils to all-metal.

Unfortunately, we also wear *a lot* of plastics. I had a hard time finding cotton socks & pajamas locally recently. I saw a tag on one set boasting how it was partially made from recycled 2-liter bottles. The best I could find was mixed cotton and synthetic. I ended up buying from Amazon instead.

 

[saysfaa]

... Therefore I try to use very few plastic products and disposable products. Unfortunately there are often no alternatives.

Yes. This.

I'm also moving away from plastic in the kitchen. I found out wood is inherently antimicrobial - it is the tannins, I think. I'm not sure all species of wood are equally good for cutting boards but the maple in mine is great. It has the added benefit of being much better for the knives. I also like it for spoons for cooking.

I found one brand of all cotton socks - Buster Brown. I bought some for my mother when she developed severe allergies. I think they are reasonable but there are limited colors, sizes, and styles. One of my projects this winter is to knit socks. I found a book on how to adapt any pattern so it fits well; that should help.

I know someone who makes their own underwear. They do it for a better fit. I've thought of doing it to get away from the elastic and packaging. Socks first, though.

 

[gtaus]

Sustainability is very, or even more important. Thats why I started to follow this thread. Not to buy things cheap or on discount.

I have often thought about the title of this thread, frugal and sustainable tips. Most of my posts here have been on saving money, the frugal part of the topic. I would love to hear more sustainable ideas on this thread, too. But it's only as good as members who want to post their sustainability ideas.

I have created a thread called Show Me Your Pallet Projects which offers lots of ideas on how to reuse pallets to make things. I personally have posted a number of ideas on how to use pallets to make things like raised beds, trellises, and compost bins. At one time, all those things I have had purchased in plastic, but now use pallet wood instead. I guess that would fall under the sustainability category. I have saved a lot of pallets from the landfill, and that gives me a feeling of doing a small part to make things better for everyone. Also, using pallet wood instead of plastic is something I am willing to do in many projects.

Therefore I try to use very few plastic products and disposable products. Unfortunately there are often no alternatives.

Well, sometimes plastic is just the better option. I just would like to see better recycle programs for used plastic. Or, maybe a better plastic that could be recycled at a lower cost than making new stuff from new plastic. From many things I have read, it costs more to recycle plastic than just to make new plastic stuff.

Personally, I am not willing to pay more for recycled plastic products compared to new plastic products. I don't want to support a system that pumps out bad products for the environment. Paying more for recycled plastic products, to me, is still supporting the plastic industry. Better if we can find alternatives to plastic in the first place.

I would suggest using more glass instead of plastic, but I still remember growing up in the 1960's and having broken glass bottles and jars all over the place. That was no good, either.

I would love to cut way down on the plastic in my life.

Me too. Problem is plastic certainly does have advantages.

One small thing I do with some of my plastic jars, like peanut butter jars, for example, is to repurpose them as storage containers for small parts, nuts and bolts, nails and screws, etc.. out in the garage. Plastic is better for me in the garage because if I drop the plastic jar, it will not shatter like glass jars.

I repurpose those plastic jars for use in the garage. They are also excellent for holding parts that I might want to toss into a tool bag. Keeps them all together in one nice container. I use the smaller plastic jars for the tool bags. I have taken some of the larger jars and fastened the lid in an overhead place with a screw. Then I can just screw the jar into the lid. It's one small way to space in a small garage...

Back in the day, grandpa used glass bottles for storage like that. Plastic is better for this use. Might as well repurpose those plastic jars for use in the garage. IMHO, it's better to reuse them before recycling.

Not my thing, but those plastic jars are great for arts and crafts...

To make a hanging jar, you can drill a couple of holes in the jar lid and use a zip tie to make a handle. I can't find a picture of a zip tie handle, but it would look like this metal handle, only using a zip tie...

I have used that idea on a few things. The zip tie actually makes a better handle for hanging things on a hook, nail, or screw because the zip tie is flexible.

We also repurpose some plastic food containers, like whipping cream bowls, to use for leftovers in the fridge. We use those plastic containers until they break, crack, or maybe get stained and just look "dirty" at that point.

One of my favorite repurposed plastic food containers is the Great Value sliced ham we get at WalMart...

That paper label on top comes off and you can see through the lid. Those plastic containers stack great in the refrigerator. They also are more space efficient compared to a round container. All I do is keep a roll of masking tape handy, along with a Sharpie marking pen, to write the labels and dates on the leftovers. Eventually, the lid will crack, or the bottom might break, but we usually get a few years out of them before they get sent to the recycle bin.

Yeah, I try to reduce the amount of plastic in my life, but I have found some good repurposing uses for some of the plastics we do buy. I think that might fall under the category of sustainable tips and tricks. I certainly don't spend extra money for plastic containers that I can reuse or repurpose.

Would love to hear what other people are doing to keep things out of the landfill.