Frugal Friday

[ecosophia]

Welcome back to Frugal Friday!  This is a weekly forum post to encourage people to share tips on saving money, especially but not only by doing stuff yourself. A new post will be going up every Friday, and will remain active until the next one goes up. Contributions will be moderated, of course, and I have some simple rules to offer, which may change as we proceed.

Rule #1:  this is a place for polite, friendly conversations about how to save money in difficult times. It's not a place to post news, views, rants, or emotional outbursts about the reasons why the times are difficult and saving money is necessary. Nor is it a place to use a money saving tip to smuggle in news, views, etc.  I have a delete button and I'm not afraid to use it.

Rule #2:  this is not a place for you to sell goods or services, period. Here again, I have a delete button and I'm not afraid to use it.

Rule #3:  please keep it to one tip per person per week. Data dumps are tedious for me to moderate and also for readers to use. If you have lots of tips, great -- post one per week. This is an ongoing project. If you want to comment on someone else's tip, that's welcome, but again, don't use that as an excuse to post a second, unrelated tip of your own.

Rule #4:  please keep your contributions reasonably short -- say, 500 words or less. If you have something longer to say, please post it elsewhere -- a free Dreamwidth account is one option -- and simply put a link here. Teal deer comments won't be put through.

Rule #5:  please give your tip a heading that explains briefly what it's about.  Homemade Chicken Soup, Garden Containers, Cheap Attic Insulation, and Vinegar Cleans Windows are good examples of headings. That way people can find the things that are relevant for them. If you don't put a heading on your tip it will be deleted.

Rule #6: don't post anything that would amount to advocating criminal activity. Any such suggestions will not be put through.

With that said, have at it!

Comments

Re: Energy Saving Cooking -The Wonderbag

[(Anonymous)]

I have one for making yogurt, very useful stuff. Over here (Portugal) we make them out of shredded cork, which is excellent, but probably much harder to find!

Re: Butternut Squash - easy to grow, pest resistant, can store for a long time

[(Anonymous)]

Don't forget about the seeds! Like pumpkin seeds, the seeds on winter squash are perfectly edible-- though some may have trouble digesting the hulls, as with pumpkin.

A tip: look for disease-resistant varieties. You may think you're perfectly situated for squash, but one extra-damp year and you may find yourself not only losing the crop, but with your garden contaminated with fungal spores that will kill off baby curcubits for years to come. (Ask me how I know! If I had planted a disease-resistant rather than highest-yielding vine, I'd still be growing curcubits. Alas, I have another year at least where the whole family is written off until enough of the spores have died off.)

Re: Butternut Squash - easy to grow, pest resistant, can store for a long time

[dendroica]

Butternut squash is one of the longest storing, but not always the best suited to areas with shorter growing seasons. In Oregon the Sweet Meat seems to be the go-to variety for long storage, though they're big enough that it can be a challenge to eat it all when you open one. Delicatas and Futsus are nicely productive and better sized for a single meal.

Scarves, neckies, and bandanas

[claire_58]

Wrap your neck to stay warmer indoors. Scarves, large or small, are a great way to retain a bit more body heat. They can be utilitarian or they can be a major fashion statement. A flash of colour or a neutral that goes with everything.
A "necky" is a tube of stretchy knit that pulls down over your head. They come in a variety of colours and patterns and are used by both men and women. They are usually long enough to be worn as a hood; they can be folded small to make a headband/ear warmer or twisted up and folded back to make a toque.
Look for them in hiking/camping stores or make you own from an old T-shirt or sweater. They are also a great project for anyone learning to knit.

Upside-down bottle trick to get all the liquid out

[slclaire]

Among other "thick" (viscous) liquids that come in bottles are dishwashing liquid, laundry detergent, and shampoo. When I can no longer get anything out of a bottle that I have stored standing up, there is still liquid in the bottom and on the sides that I could use. At that point I store the bottle upside down, propping it up if necessary. I make sure the cap is secure so the contents don't leak. Now the remaining liquid will slowly drain into the cap and a bit of the top of the bottle. To use it, I hold the bottle upside down, open the cap, and let out how much I need, quickly securing the cap again. This is easy with flip-top bottles but a little more messy with caps that I have to unscrew. Still, it's worth doing because I get at least two or three, sometimes more, uses out of bottles stored like this.

After it seems like I've drained everything from the upside-down bottle, there is still a little more left in it. At this point, I rinse the bottle with water, allowing the rinse water into the sink or washer, until it rinses clean. I've always had enough left for one load of dishes and clothes from the rinse water, and I know the bottle is truly empty and I got everything you could out of it.

Re: Estate Sales

[slclaire]

My husband found a wooden clarinet, a decent high school or early college level instrument, at a yard sale in the neighborhood. He told me about it because I was looking for one, having sold my plastic clarinet from junior high years before then. The sale was two days long. I went on the second day. The clarinet, priced $50, hadn't been sold. I offered $25 for it and got it.

Re: Get a bidet

[methylethyl]

Or you can do what practically everybody in asia does, and get one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/JapanBargain-S-3042-Japanese-Water-Ladle/dp/B004K6OI8A

(apologies for linking to the big river. you can probably find them at your local asian grocery)

there doesn't seem to be a standard term in English for them, but "asian bath ladle" tends to bring up the right thing, in a search.

Re: The Gifting Season Approaches...

[methylethyl]

ah! I remember membrillos! Took me the longest time to figure out what they were-- in the market they looked like heaps of weird pears with dandruff. I have never been able to get them back stateside, but always wondered what people did with them.

Re: Are you using too much soap?

[walt_f]

Besides soaps and shampoo, another factor to consider for skin and hair is hot water. I've had great results from using cold water for all bathing, year round, for close to four years now. I'll post a more thorough assessment on a future Frugal Friday (because after all it does save some money too), but in the present context the benefits for "sensitive" skin (as if reacting badly to experiencing a higher temperature than is usually encountered in nature amounts to undue sensitivity) and better hair texture are worth noting.

Re: Double brewing tea

[methylethyl]

...and then dump the used ones in your flowerbed. Compost brings it full circle ;)

Re: Seeds, seed saving and the vegetable garden

[methylethyl]

Your method for cleaning and drying tomato seeds also works for pumpkin and squash seeds-- you're just rotting the sticky bits off so they'll dry properly :)

Re: Pour-over coffee

[methylethyl]

A couple years ago, I ditched my drip coffeemaker for a french press. They are very inexpensive, same principle as a pour-over, but don't require a filter.

Re: Are you using too much soap?

[methylethyl]

A lot depends on the texture of your hair-- I don't have curly hair, so anything I say here may not apply to people who do.

I haven't used conditioner in years. There are two reasons people need conditioner, and both are avoidable. So.

1) Damage: Lots of things cause it: chemical treatments, blowdrying with hot air, ripping brushes through your hair, using pinchy hair ornaments that catch, wearing your long hair down and then rubbing it against office chairs and car seat-backs, walking around in wind and letting it get tangled... so if you've already got a lot of damage, you're either stuck with conditioner for now, until the damaged part grows out, or you can cut it all off and try to take better care of it while it grows out. That means no dyeing, no curling or straightening irons, no perms, throw out your hair dryer, get a seamless comb and be more gentle while detangling, don't comb it while it's wet and weak, brushes are only for smoothing and styling, not for detangling! wear your hair up if it's long, stop using the dang alligator clips, and in general, just try to protect it from mechanical damage-- keep it out of car doors and stuff. Avoiding damage is the #1 thing you can do to make your hair look nicer and detangle more easily. Conditioner is a stopgap measure for damaged hair.

2) pH: all soaps and shampoos are alkaline. If you look at hair through a microscope, it's got a bunch of scale-like things going down each strand. Alkalinity makes them floof out. If they stay floofed, hairs catch on each other, like velcro. So after you do anything alkaline to your hair-- soap, shampoo, pool water, or even your city's overchlorinated tapwater-- it's good to use a diluted acid rinse on it. This makes the scaly bits lie flat again, so the strands are smooth. I use a 1 to 4ish solution of vinegar to water, in a squeezy ketchup bottle in the shower. If the smell of vinegar turns you off, you can also get vitamin C powder to add to the water in the squeezy bottle-- it'll do the same thing without the salad dressing smell.

Re: Store brand rice crispies

[(Anonymous)]

soaking food in a 1% baking soda solution for 15 minutes removes most of the glyphosate. this works even with things like oats.

[thinking_turtle]

Recommended! Nothing clarifies your real priorities like a month of financial fasting. Although my fasting is less extreme, I only eliminate wants and still go shopping.

The opposite also works: a frivolous high spend month. Spend twice or thrice as much as usual. The purchases of your desire lose much of their appeal when you experience their reaility.

Re: Pour-over coffee

[industrialchemy]

I have a variation on this that I have used daily for more than a decade, which can make multiple cups at a time and uses inexpensive filters and equipment.

Equipment:
1 canning funnel
1 reusable basket filter
1 Mason or other jar of a size that will comfortably hold the amount you want to make
(Optional) an insulated thermos or coffee carafe to keep it warm if you like to drink multiple cups

Filters: standard basket filters 8-12 cups. I buy them in bulk for less than a penny each.

Setup: place the filter in the basket, the basket in the canning funnel, and the funnel in your cup/thermos/carafe.

Place the ground coffee in the jar with just enough cold water to cover it. Add a bit of salt to bring out the flavor. If you like to add cinnamon or other spices, throw those in too.

Boil your water, then add it to the jar. Stir for one minute. This allows the coffee to brew before filtering.

Pour the coffee into the filter. Be careful of the edges or they may collapse inward. As soon as you've gotten enough in to fill the basket halfway the danger is past. Let it filter and add more from the jar as it goes down, until the jar is empty.

Once it's done filtering, prepare your coffee how you like it.

I've made up to a half-gallon of coffee at once this way. With a bigger jar, it's safer to scoop some out with a measuring cup at first so that it doesn't spill.

Cheap, no moving parts, easy to clean, lasts a long time, easy to replace, and makes great coffee. It does take a little experimentation at first to find the right amount of ground coffee for your taste.

Cheap Building Materials

[stefania]

With lumber and other building materials being so expensive these days, I've found the best approach to making small building projects affordable is to skip the lumber store and go straight to the demolition contractors. The guy we usually go to sells everything from dimensional lumber to barn boards to steel and tin roofing, for dirt cheap. I've found old doors, windows, rebar and steel t-posts, and other random useful stuff too. The lumber needs to be carefully checked for splits, rotting and occasional insect infestation, and often has nails, hinges etc. that need removing but for the most part it is more than good enough for backyard-type projects. We've built all sorts of stuff with recycled materials, for a fraction of the retail price. Just do a search for 'demolition contractor' in your area, and hopefully you'll find some people!

Re: Pour-over coffee

[(Anonymous)]

To add another option, I prefer the Areopress with a reusable metal filter and an upgraded valve to allow the coffee to brew a little bit before pressing. There are pourovers also with the valve option. These are all basically the same but I have found the result is actually different even with the same coffee so if possible try a few and gift what you don't like to a friend.

There are also resuable cotton filters for pour overs.

And don't forget the additional advantage you can take all of these camping as long as you can get hot water!

Re: Are you using too much soap?

[(Anonymous)]

OP here. The ACV actually controls the itching, as well as a good rough brushing. When I said that it takes a while to revert to normal I was referring to that "oily" condition. Soaps are alkaline and strip the natural protective oils from the hair and scalp, thus the body goes into overdrive.

Conditioners are basically silicon ('cause it's cheap) which messes up a lot of stuff. I would recommend a couple of drops of a vegetable oil on wet towel dried hair. Caster bean oil is amazing stuff, thick, and slippery it absorbs totally. I've read that in parts of Africa it is used to promote hair growth. I have straight(ish) hair so by now I don't need the oil.

Re: Upside-down bottle trick to get all the liquid out

[methylethyl]

Note:

If there's a lot of temperature variation in your house, this can result in very messy leakage (how many times have we got honey on the counter this way? Too many!), if you turn the bottle upside down, and then it warms up, the air inside will expand, and even if the lid is on securely, sometimes the internal pressure will still push the contents out through the cap. You can avoid the mess by upending the bottle over a cup or jar (custard cups are good for this), or by sticking it in the fridge.

Black Friday Stinks (Like Rotten Eggs)

[(Anonymous)]

I also hate Black Friday. People are supposed to be home with their families on that day, recovering from the turkey and other fixings. To make it worse, the past few years, they've started it on THANKSGIVING DAY! Some people have rushed through Thanksgiving dinner, and *left early* to get to Wal-Mart because electronics were on sale at a certain time. One year, there was a Black Friday fight at the local Wal-Mart over bath towels, of all things.

I've thought about trying to buy Christmas presents and all food and supplies for a month, hopefully keeping my family out of stores as much as possible for the Christmas season. The rampant materialism drives me nuts.

Re: Butternut Squash - easy to grow, pest resistant, can store for a long time

[scottyc]

I'm not 100% sure but I did read where someone recommended to keep the squash from touching the ground so that's why I think the splotches come from. That being said, the discoloration does absolutely nothing bad for the interior "fruit".

A few of our squash grew hanging down without touching the ground but the majority laid on the ground without any intervention for weeks. That being said, next year, I'll put something under them.

This year we've had close to 30 squash that was good to go and the only two that were spoiled with obvious insect intrusion were two very small ones. Good ratio for not having to do much during the growing season.

In comparison, we have been successful with melon, another vine fruit but we have to constantly patrol against squash bugs. Butter nut squash, those vines will go everywhere, fruit is low maintenance, and like others said, they keep for a long time. Definitely, my weekly suggestion for frugality.

Re: Butternut Squash - easy to grow, pest resistant, can store for a long time

[scottyc]

Good points.

Just for FYI and because I consider that our little area is beneficial for butternut squash (and melons and I suspect all types of vines) our info :

Hardiness Zone 8a (this is USA specific).

Our soil is "Augusta" which is a thick clay soil. Probably not the best soil but shows the versatility of squash. Bet you the squash will grown well in all types of soil and in different zones.

Re: Energy Saving Cooking -The Wonderbag

[(Anonymous)]

It’s a great idea but no need to be that complicated. I use a cube box (12x12x12) from uhaul and a couple of old blankets.

Re: Pour-over coffee

[(Anonymous)]

You can make more than one cup at a time with pour-over. Just need a funnel large enough to hold the appropriate amount of coffee (we do pour-over at my office, my boss being a coffee snob. We usually make 2, can make 3 good strong cups in one batch)
And you don’t really need the fancy expensive cone shaped filters. Get regular ones for a slightly larger size (ie 10-12 cup drip coffee maker) and fold it to make a cone. (Hard to describe the right technique, it is a show not tell - open it up flat, fold and crease twice to mark the center (will become bottom) with an x, pull two sections of the outer rim together so you have some overlap and it is now cone shaped. Hard to describe, easy to do. Takes only a couple seconds)

I dunno about french press. People always say how environmentally friendly they are, but it always seems to take an awful lot of water to clean them.