What are your frugal and sustainable tips and tricks?

[Molpet]

My feed bill is about half in the summer compared to winter. I thought it was because they were digging in the compost all day finding good stuff to eat. But someone mentioned that the warmer weather might have more effect because the chickens need to eat more in the winter to keep warm. In any case, my feed bill is half in the summer months.

I had to lock up my chickens for most of the day because of fox attacks. I lost a quarter of my hens and they are eating more than before the fox lockdown.
So I think the food they find makes a difference

 

[gtaus]

I had to lock up my chickens for most of the day because of fox attacks. I lost a quarter of my hens and they are eating more than before the fox lockdown.
So I think the food they find makes a difference

I think being outside in my chicken run compost system and digging in the compost litter all day makes a difference. They seem to be finding stuff to eat all day. I can't see what they are eating, but it's obvious they are finding stuff. Certainly, that must be part of the reason why my feed bill goes down in the summer compared to the winter.

Also, I think my chickens just like being outside and digging in the compost litter. It brings out their inner chickeness, if that is even a word. They sure seem to look forward to me opening the pop door every morning.

 

[fuzzi]

I think being outside in my chicken run compost system and digging in the compost litter all day makes a difference. They seem to be finding stuff to eat all day. I can't see what they are eating, but it's obvious they are finding stuff. Certainly, that must be part of the reason why my feed bill goes down in the summer compared to the winter.

Also, I think my chickens just like being outside and digging in the compost litter. It brings out their inner chickeness, if that is even a word. They sure seem to look forward to me opening the pop door every morning.

I have to watch where I step, as my chickens dig deep holes in their run.

 

[gtaus]

I was at our local charity Thrift Shop yesterday and found a computer hard drive docking station. I did not know the value of the device, or even if it worked. But usually, people don't donate stuff to the Thrift Shop unless it actually works. It had a sticker price of $1.50 on it. So, I picked it up.

You know, our charity Thrift Shop gives money to our local organizations that help those in need. The money they make helps to take care of those less fortunate in our community. Every once in a while, I might buy something that does not work from the Thrift Shop. Then, I just consider it a donation to our local charities. But usually, it works fine, and I save some money. I don't mind buying used stuff. It's a win-win for the community.

Anyways, I got the docking station at home and checked it out. Everything works fine. I went online to get the specs of the unit because it did not come with a manual, and it was much better than I thought. It's actually new enough that it is still being sold!

I got lucky in that find, for sure, but that's why I like checking out the Thrift Store when I can. You never know what thing of value you might find at a great deal.

 

[TooCheep]

I was at our local charity Thrift Shop yesterday and found a computer hard drive docking station. I did not know the value of the device, or even if it worked. But usually, people don't donate stuff to the Thrift Shop unless it actually works. It had a sticker price of $1.50 on it. So, I picked it up.

Nice find. It is a good way to add disk storage using extra laptop/desktop drives. If you match it to a USB 3 connection on your computer, then the drive is quite fast.

I use mine mostly for backups. I have a scheduled program to write important files to the drive. Backups don't really need USB 3 speed as it runs overnight, but the additional speed allows you to use it for daily activity as well.

If you don't use both slots, I recommend covering one with removable tape to avoid having dust accumulate in the connector.

 

[gtaus]

I use mine mostly for backups. I have a scheduled program to write important files to the drive. Backups don't really need USB 3 speed as it runs overnight, but the additional speed allows you to use it for daily activity as well.

Yep. I have a media center server running DrivePool which consolidates a number of drives into one logical drive that I can access over my home network. I will be using the docking station to make backup copies of some of those media files that I can store in my closet.

On my old computers, USB3.0 is about 4X faster than the USB2.0 ports. Makes a big difference if you are babysitting file transfers in real time. Overnight - not so much of an advantage.

Speaking of saving money on computer hardware, StableBit DrivePool allows you to pool old HDD's of different capacities and create one big pool of drives. That has allowed me to get year's more service out of my HDD's.

I have even set up a DrivePool using old HDDs that have started showing signs of age. I just used the Duplicate feature of DrivePool so that every file has a backup on a different drive in that pool. If I lose a HDD, I still have a good copy of the file in the pool. Given the price of HDDs, it allows me to get maybe another 3-5 years out of a drive before it has to be replaced.

I don't know if the program ever goes on sale, but IMHO, it has been worth every penny. It just works. Over the years, giving me extra life out of old drives, it has paid for itself many times over.