What are your frugal and sustainable tips and tricks?

[gtaus]

I don’t pay much attention to the price or discount they advertise with. It triggers me to take a look though. Just look at the price and decide if that’s okay.

Well, that works. Most of the items I purchase on clearance were items I checked out earlier in the year but was unwilling to pay full retail. So, when I go into town, I stop by places like Home Depot and check out the clearance rack for old overstock items that they want to move.

 

[gtaus]

Take Advantage of Lower Price Guarantees!

A few weeks ago, I purchased a clearance item at Home Depot for $30.00. There were only 2 units left, so I thought I had better pick up one before they were all gone. Sure enough, a week later, they got 6 more units in and marked everything down to $20.00. So, I went to the customer service desk and asked them to paper return my previous purchase and resell it to me for $20.00. No complaints. They just returned the item and resold it to me for $20.00, saving myself another $10.00. Kudos to Home Depot on that transaction.

Not all stores are like that, however. I purchased an item at Menards and it went on sale after 30 days. That is beyond their normal price guarantee period. I went to the customer service desk and asked them to give me the lower price, having the original receipt in hand. At first, the representative told me that it was too late for the price guarantee and there was nothing he could do. I knew better.

I asked him how long I had to return the original purchase, and he confirmed to me that I had 90 days to return it. I agreed. Then I asked him if the store wanted me to buy a new item on sale and return the old one so I could get the lower price. He was confused. I asked him to ask a manager before I bought a new item at the lower price. The manager came over, understood what I was going to do, and told the young rep just to paper return the purchase and resell it to me at the lower price.

If they would have told me that they could not reduce the price, I would have just returned the previous purchase and let them deal with an open box item. They came out ahead by giving me the lower price and not having a return to deal with.

Menards is a good store and I buy lots of stuff from them. In fact, I even use their store Credit Card, which I get 2% cash back on purchases. I don't know if using the store credit card bought me any goodwill in that specific transaction, but at least they know that I am a regular customer. They make lots of money on me every year.

Point is, you think you got a good deal on a sale item and then find out a better price later. You might have options to get the lower price on a previous purchase if you ask, even after the normal price guarantee period. But you have to be willing to advocate for yourself to save money. I guess that's just a part of being frugal, knowing how to play their game!

 

[gtaus]

I hate to see this thread die out. So, I'll post a quick notice of free 5-gallon buckets this weekend at your local Harbor Freight. I use these buckets for lots and lots of projects. There is no end to what you can use them for. Currently, I have about 16 buckets filled with chicken feed, scratch, and cracked corn. Keeps the mice out. Keeps the feed dry.

 

[BDutch]

Just fun to share:
My chickens preferred to lay in the shredded and poopy paper under the roost , above laying in the nestboxes with hay I bought in the shop.

My 3 youngest hens (out of 8) are laying now. Brown eggs are from my Amrock pullets. The white egg is from my 3yo bantam RIR.

I use used egg cartons for my own eggs. I write letter on them in alphabetical order. This way I have an easy system to eat the oldest eggs.
Start with A..B..C etc. until K and then I return to A again.

I had to buy eggs last winter when I had no young chickens. And now my daughter saved a few to replace the old egg cartons.

 

[Molpet]

Just fun to share:
My chickens preferred to lay in the shredded and poopy paper under the roost , above laying in the nestboxes with hay I bought in the shop.

My 3 youngest hens (out of 8) are laying now. Brown eggs are from my Amrock pullets. The white egg is from my 3yo bantam RIR.
View attachment 4055620

I use used egg cartons for my own eggs. I write letter on them in alphabetical order. This way I have an easy system to eat the oldest eggs.
Start with A..B..C etc. until K and then I return to A again.

I had to buy eggs last winter when I had no young chickens. And now my daughter saved a few to replace the old egg cartons.

I reuse cartons also. I put painters tape with the date of the first one I put in.

 

[gtaus]

We sell our excess eggs. Our customers give us their old store-bought egg cartons so we don't have to pay 50 cents per empty egg carton at the Fleet store. Saves everyone money and reuses those cartons until they fall apart.

For eggs that we eat at home, we bought an egg skelter. You just put the newest eggs on the top and take the oldest eggs off the bottom. My egg skelter holds about 2 dozen eggs, more than enough for just Dear Wife and myself. If we get too many eggs to use, we hard boil a pot full of them and use them on salads, etc...

Picture of the egg skelter we use...

The egg skelter works great for fresh eggs with the protective bloom still on the shell. If you wash your eggs and remove the bloom as you gather them, then you have to refrigerate them. We just wash our eggs as we use them.

Don't forget to wash your hands good after handling fresh eggs! You don't want to take any chances of Salmonella getting on your food.

 

[gtaus]

My chickens preferred to lay in the shredded and poopy paper under the roost , above laying in the nestboxes with hay I bought in the shop.

I have fake wooden eggs which I leave in the nest boxes. Other than the youngest pullets with maybe their first lays, all my chickens use the nest boxes. It does not take long for the young hens to use the nest boxes. It's fun to watch them jump up on the nest box roost bar and look inside the nest boxes, see the fake eggs, and learn that is where they should lay their eggs.

Picture of fake wooden eggs that I got on Amazon, they look real...

 

[BDutch]

The egg skelter works great for fresh eggs with the protective bloom still on the shell.

Never seen one where I live. Probably wouldnt be useful for the eggs of my Dutch (tiny ~ 30g). And would take to much room on the counter. Our kitchen isn’t very big.
The egg cartons are stacked in cupboard.

I have fake wooden eggs which I leave in the nest boxes.

I use rubber eggs (like the Amrock eggs) in the nest boxes for many years. 2 years ago I bought 4 extra fake small chalk eggs (like the Dutch eggs) so I had many to stimulate broodiness. The shops sell these before/at easter time to get painted. Chalk eggs are more sustainable and are much cheaper than the plastic eggs they sell at the animal& gardening shop. I have never seen wooden eggs for sale.*

Problem was that one of the hens suddenly liked to try another spot to lay her eggs. And the others followed.
The agri shop where I bought mine previously doesn’t have them now.

Found another reseller with chalk eggs in many sizes . price €0,65 each for the bantam eggs.

*I saw wooden eggs just now but only from 2 chinese webshops with a bad reputation.

 

[Molpet]

I saw wooden eggs just now but only from 2 chinese webshops with a bad reputation.

Amazon but I try to avoid buying from them.
Our farm stores used to sell wooden eggs . It seems like they sell ceramic now ..
Rather expensive


I craft store has plastic to color for kids
https://www.michaels.com/product/cr...60964?com_id=pdp_AlsoLike&path=youMayAlsoLike

The chalk eggs sold here are for drawing on sidewalks

 

[gtaus]

I have never seen wooden eggs for sale.*

I don't know if you have Amazon there in the Netherlands, but I had to order my wooden eggs from them.

Our farm stores used to sell wooden eggs . It seems like they sell ceramic now ..
Rather expensive

Yep. My local Fleet store only sells the ceramic eggs, and they are about $3.00 each. Amazon was selling colored wooden eggs for about $1.00 each. It's probably a once in lifetime purchase, either way, but I wanted to save some money. I think having fake eggs in the nest box does encourage the hens to keep laying in the next box. For me, it was a good purchase.