What are your frugal and sustainable tips and tricks?

[Smokerbill]

I've been putting some of my Home Depot 70% off cull lumber to good use over the last week adding an additional chicken run to the other two already in place. I've used several 2x10s, some 2x6s and a 4x4. I'm guessing total cost for lumber to be around $30.

I did have to spring for a 5# box of torx drive deck screws, about $30 worth. And last year I bought a 100' roll of 1/2" hardware cloth for $100, and I'll need to use about 35 feet of it. And I got a pair of galvanized door hinges for $5.

I'll be making a door from a section of 7/8' OSB I picked up for free at a home construction site (with permission from the builder).

So the total cost of my new, secure 12'x6.5' chicken run will be around $100.

This will be my growout pen for meat birds, and for pullets to grow big enough to be ready to add to the existing flock. I'm building a shelf inside the run for a brooder so I can raise the chicks in there too.

I'll try to remember to take some pics tomorrow to show how it's coming together.

 

[fuzzi]

You can order online. These are Merv 5
View attachment 4266002

 

[gtaus]

I've been putting some of my Home Depot 70% off cull lumber to good use over the last week adding an additional chicken run to the other two already in place. I've used several 2x10s, some 2x6s and a 4x4. I'm guessing total cost for lumber to be around $30.

I love checking out the cull lumber at Home Depot. Sometimes you can get mostly great lumber at that 70% off. Did you spend $30 for that cull lumber or was that the pre-70% off price?

When I do a pallet/salvaged wood project, I like to compare the cost of my project with how much new wood would cost for the build. Although the wood is free, you do end up having to tear apart pallets or clean up that salvaged wood. You don't have to spend that same effort on the Home Depot cull wood.

I have picked up some really good deals on the Home Depot cull lumber and maybe only a corner is broken, or the end of a board has a twist. If you are going to cut off that portion off the wood anyway, who cares? Save yourself a ton of money.

I did have to spring for a 5# box of torx drive deck screws, about $30 worth.

Those Torx screws can get expensive. They are nice, though. It's always the hardware that costs me money in my projects.

Sometimes I pick up pallets that use those Torx screws instead of the standard pallet nails. I save all those screws for my next project. Sometimes I find pallets with special bolts, nuts and washers. That stuff is expensive. I save it all for use later.

I also save the pallet nails when I tear apart the pallets. I have maybe a 5-gallon bucket full of pallet nails. However, I have only used salvaged pallet nails on one or two projects. I prefer to use screws on my projects. I don't know why I save those nails. Force of habit I guess.

Growing up back in the day, we never bought new nails if we had a jar full of used nails in the garage. My Depression era Grandpa taught us how to straighten out nails. Nothing was wasted. Maybe some others here on BYC remember those days?

Frugal tip for reusing nails: When dealing with pallets or salvaged wood, I have lots of nails that come out straight, and others only slightly bent and can easily be straightened out with a hammer. I have found that the nails do not have to be perfectly straight to be reused. What I started doing was pre-drilling a small hole for the nail and then driving it in. The nail will follow the drill hole much better with far fewer nails bending when you hammer them in. I almost always pre-drill holes when using screws, so I am used to that step. Pre-drilling helps prevent the wood from splitting at the ends. With the used nails, it just makes the used nail go in straighter, and faster.

 

[Sally PB]

Frugal tip for reusing nails: When dealing with pallets or salvaged wood, I have lots of nails that come out straight, and others only slightly bent and can easily be straightened out with a hammer. I have found that the nails do not have to be perfectly straight to be reused. What I started doing was pre-drilling a small hole for the nail and then driving it in. The nail will follow the drill hole much better with far fewer nails bending when you hammer them in. I almost always pre-drill holes when using screws, so I am used to that step. Pre-drilling helps prevent the wood from splitting at the ends. With the used nails, it just makes the used nail go in straighter, and faster.

What a great idea! Thank you!

 

[Smokerbill]

I love checking out the cull lumber at Home Depot. Sometimes you can get mostly great lumber at that 70% off. Did you spend $30 for that cull lumber or was that the pre-70% off price?

Those Torx screws can get expensive. They are nice, though. It's always the hardware that costs me money in my projects.

That $30 estimate was the post-discount cost, however I underestimated a bit. But I overestimated on the cost of screws since I've only used 1/3 of the 5# box. This is the breakdown of what I used. Final cost was still a bit under $100 to build a 12' x 6.5' secure chicken run. Because it's secure there will be no need for a coop. I'll just cover part of the walls with old OSB panels to block the winter winds.

2 4x4x8 treated 15.08 x2= 30.16
1 2x6x10 treated 15.18 15.18
1 2x6x8 treated 11.38 11.38
1 2x6x10 prem fir pf 7.48 7.48
2 2x6x12 pf 8.97 x2= 17.94
4 2x10x10 pf 21.34 x4= 85.36
=167.50
167.50 x 30% = 50.25

screws 29.97 x 33% 9.89
hinges 5.00
hardware cloth 33 feet @ $1 per, 33.00

total cost $98.14

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Yesterday my son and I finished up all the framing, so all that's left is to attach the hardware cloth, then build and hang the door. There are also a few small gaps that need to be filled in, and I'll used wood scraps, leftovers and cutoffs for that.

I was originally planning to rip the wider 2x lumber down into a size closer to 2x4s but didn't. I've found that often, when ripping wide boards into narrower width pieces, they tend to twist or bend. So I left all the boards at their original widths.

 

[BDutch]

We did some serious pruning in November. Plum , willow, ash, and cherry.

The electric branches saw , we bought last year came in handy. No cable, it has a chargeable battery.

We have calibrated* the cherry and the willow. A lot of branches for a wood burner came off. But we don’t even have a chimney. And people in our neighbourhood weren’t interested.

We decided to buy a fire basket of 18 euro (30% discount) for some cheap fun with Xmas, and to make a bonfire on many chilly evenings in 2026.

* calabreing - is this the right word for very heavy pruning?

 

[gtaus]

I was originally planning to rip the wider 2x lumber down into a size closer to 2x4s but didn't. I've found that often, when ripping wide boards into narrower width pieces, they tend to twist or bend. So I left all the boards at their original widths.

Yes, that can happen when you rip a board. They might end up twisting or bending over time. The only time I rip down a 2X4 is when I really need a lighter board. I made some protective wire cages for my garden beds and using all 2X4's would have made them too heavy for me. So, I would rip the 2X4's into half, or even thirds, knowing that I might have to replace some boards if they twist out of shape.

Many times, I have decided to build with the original 2X4's even though I only needed a smaller 2X2, because I did not want to lose the integrity of the original board. I don't mind over building a project if it's something I will not have to move.

That $30 estimate was the post-discount cost, however I underestimated a bit. But I overestimated on the cost of screws since I've only used 1/3 of the 5# box. This is the breakdown of what I used. Final cost was still a bit under $100.

Yep, you saved over $100 by using cull lumber. That's a good day!

 

[gtaus]

* calabreing - is this the right word for very heavy pruning?

I have never heard of that term, so I looked up what heavy pruning would be called. Here is what I found...

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In horticulture and arboriculture there are several terms used to describe heavy pruning or cutting back plants more aggressively than routine maintenance:

• Hard pruning
  
  • A common term meaning cutting back a plant severely, often to near ground level or to the main framework of branches.
  • Used with shrubs like roses or buddleia to rejuvenate growth.
• Coppicing
  
  • Cutting a tree or shrub down to its base to encourage new shoots.
  • Traditionally used with species like willow or hazel.
• Pollarding
  
  • Cutting back the upper branches of a tree to promote a dense head of foliage and branches.
  • Often seen in urban settings or with species like plane trees.
• Rejuvenation pruning
  
  • A term used in gardening to describe heavy pruning intended to renew an old, overgrown shrub.
• Heading back / Cutting back hard
  
  • Informal terms often used by gardeners to mean reducing a plant drastically in size.

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Bottom line: The most general term is “hard pruning”, but depending on the plant and method, you might also hear coppicing, pollarding, or rejuvenation pruning.

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I'll admit, I was not aware of any of those terms. I just use pruning or heavy pruning.

The electric branches saw , we bought last year came in handy. No cable, it has a chargeable battery.

I have a cordless (battery) pole chain saw and a cordless hedge trimmer. On my property, I don't use either one but maybe once a year for a small project. I really like the freedom of having a battery on the devices. Both devices now are over 10 years old, but since I do not use them very much, both run like new. My pole saw and hedge trimmer are in the same battery/tool line as my other power tools. That saves me money when I can just swap out my batteries from one tool to another.

 

[BDutch]

I'll admit, I was not aware of any of those terms. I just use pruning or heavy pruning.

Okay, that leaves heavy pruning,
Pollarding or Heading back / Cutting back hard as options to what we have done.

Almost finished cutting the cherry

We have been cutting it back so hard, that we are not sure if it will survive. But it looks much better now than it did before, with multiple heavy pruning actions.

 

[Rillowen]

I like to dehydrate extra fruits in the oven, I also can, but only Waterbath, I dont have a pressure canner. We also use or drink the juices. The kids hear me opening a can and its a stampede to see who gets to drink the juice, for everything but green beans lol. Scraps go to the compost or dog or chickens, almost no food goes in the trash. We also boil, dry, and podwer our chicken bones for organic bonemeal. (if you add powdered banana peel and urine or fish emulsion you now have an ideal full spectrum fertilizer!) Also dried and grou d juniper berries make a reasonable pepper alternative. And growing and drying and grinding your own spices is very doable for most things.
I think Laundry nuts were the biggest learn for us, cloth reusable bag, 30$ a year for all my laundry and dog washing needs!, and when they are spent they go in he compost!
I have heard there are plants I can grow around here for the same purpose, I intend to look into it. On a similar train of thought I foraged most of our teas this year, spice bush, sassafras, creeping Charlie, chicory root, dandelion, purple clover, rose hip... there are tons of options. I intend to get a Youpon Holly next year, so we can make our own green tea. We use green tea and honey to brew kombucha (technically Jun tea, since its not sugar and black tea) no soda here, that and well water saves a ton of plastic.
We burn our boxes and papers, then put the ashes in the flower garden or dust bath.
We planted a large garden and fruit trees, berry bushes, and grape and passionfruit vines next year, so if we can get those going it will be great.
Homemade yogurt and kimchi also save us money and make us healthier.
I use cloth diapers part time, and for potty training, I would like to all the time, but I have not the patience or time for that.
Our feed bags are paper, and double as single season sweet potato planters. Although I have been trying to design a homegrown chicken feed for next year.
We live in a heavily wooded place, so we have a wood furnace, which is very nice.
I sew, so i patch and repair our clothes, or cut and alter and adapt them into new clothes (a men's button up polo turns into a fabulous children's apron). We have many little girl skirts made from old Tshirts.
I think im missing some things. I will be looking through the post for new ideas!