Welcome, Guest. Please Login
SLINGING.ORG
 
Home Help Search Login


Pages: 1 2 3 4 
Send Topic Print
I Am the 947th Cheapest Person On Earth (Read 7753 times)
Rat Man
Slinging.org Administrator
*****
Offline


Slinging Rocks!

Posts: 13666
New Jersey, USA
Gender: male
Re: I Am the 947th Cheapest Person On Earth
Reply #15 - Mar 16th, 2019 at 4:45pm
 
  The other day I was walking one of my dogs by the local high school.  I noticed in the dumpster they had thrown away  hundreds or maybe thousands of soft pretzels.  I suppose they had become too old.  This made me angry and sick at the same time.  I can take a soft pretzel that's a little old and stale, put it in the microwave for twenty seconds, and it's as good as new.  I know they have microwaves in the school.  I pay what I consider outrageous property taxes which paid for those pretzels.  I'm sure they're just the tip of the iceberg.  If I checked those dumpsters on a regular basis I'm certain I'd find even worse waste.  I'm also certain such waste is happening all over the country. In America we're spoiled because good food is plentiful.... so much so that we waste mountains of food while a good portion of the world starves.  Bla, bla, bla... I know, another rant.  But I truly believe that we throw away enough food to feed another country the size of America. Yes, this makes me angry.
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Kick
past-moderator
****
Offline



Posts: 4451
Finland
Re: I Am the 947th Cheapest Person On Earth
Reply #16 - Mar 17th, 2019 at 5:15am
 
Two things we've started doing is using old newspapers as bags for biowaste. It's very easy to fold them into bags, you save money by not havig to buy the biowaste bags and those "biodegradable" bags aren't actually as biodegrable as they say. They're basically just bad plastic that breaks a bit quicker than a black bin bag.

The other thing which we've had for quite a while now is Dubia (Argentinian) cockroaches. If it's plant matter, they'll eat it. Old banana, pepper stems, cucumber ends, oranges that have gone bad, celerey ends, carrot ends, etc. they'll eat them all. I've actually set them up in a bioactive tub with soil, springtails, woodlice and various tiny beasties so there is no mould, no smell and the cockroaches are doing VERY well. We started with about 50-60 last year and we now have hundreds. I already had to sell some off because we had so many and I've now had to seperate off a load into a seperate tub to be sold off. So it's all well and good that they are eating the scraps but what benefit do they bring? They are basically high quality fertilizer factories. I haven't made use of their abilities quite yet (been wanting to ensure they have a strong stable population before messing around too much) but my plan is to have them helping with the vegetable patch Cheesy

I highly recommend them as they are so easy to look after and breed faster than rabbits, the extras being readily bought up by people looking to feed their pet reptiles. Gestation is just 28 days and each female will have 20-40 babies at a time, nympths will mature in 4 to 6 months and the adults live for up to 2 years. All this means a population explosion in no time.
Back to top
 

You are a great guy Kick but also slightly scary at times. - Morphy
"Nothing matters, but it’s perhaps more comfortable to keep calm and not interfere with other people." - H.P. Lovecraft, in a letter to Frank Belknap Long, 7 October, 1923
 
IP Logged
 
Rat Man
Slinging.org Administrator
*****
Offline


Slinging Rocks!

Posts: 13666
New Jersey, USA
Gender: male
Re: I Am the 947th Cheapest Person On Earth
Reply #17 - Mar 23rd, 2019 at 1:56am
 
   During the warmer months my cooking suffers a little.  I NEVER use the oven and use the stove top only when absolutely necessary.  I try to do as much cooking as possible in my microwave. Making heat in a house where I'm paying a small fortune already to stay cool irks my soul.  In my last apartment, a duplex, the lady downstairs would use her oven almost every day in the Summer while running her central air.  She was poor too... it's not like she had money to burn.  To me this is insane.
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Rat Man
Slinging.org Administrator
*****
Offline


Slinging Rocks!

Posts: 13666
New Jersey, USA
Gender: male
Re: I Am the 947th Cheapest Person On Earth
Reply #18 - Apr 7th, 2019 at 4:08pm
 
   I reuse pieces of aluminum foil to wrap food until they're either dirty or too mangled to be of use.  I've also been known to reuse plastic storage bags that were in good shape.
    To save electricity I have just a small, dorm type refrigerator. "How can you get by with a dorm frige?"  Easy.  A lot of what many people keep in their frige doesn't need to be there.  Eggs, potatoes, bread, sweet potatoes, turnips, margarine, onions, and garlic, don't need to be refrigerated.  I'm sure there are other things I'm not thinking of right now. In that I drink just skim milk I by powdered so that also saves space. It took a little getting used to but a dorm sized refrigerator suits me just fine.
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Rat Man
Slinging.org Administrator
*****
Offline


Slinging Rocks!

Posts: 13666
New Jersey, USA
Gender: male
Re: I Am the 947th Cheapest Person On Earth
Reply #19 - Apr 9th, 2019 at 8:25am
 
I save the plastic sacks the waterfowl's cracked corn and the bird seed comes in and reuse them as trash bags.
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Kick
past-moderator
****
Offline



Posts: 4451
Finland
Re: I Am the 947th Cheapest Person On Earth
Reply #20 - Apr 10th, 2019 at 5:04am
 
We've been saving every plastic bag we have for trash bags. If it can conceivably hold something without completely falling apart, we'll use it. Bread bags, plastic toilet roll bags, the bags from frozen vegetables...
Back to top
 

You are a great guy Kick but also slightly scary at times. - Morphy
"Nothing matters, but it’s perhaps more comfortable to keep calm and not interfere with other people." - H.P. Lovecraft, in a letter to Frank Belknap Long, 7 October, 1923
 
IP Logged
 
perpetualstudent
Interfector Viris Spurii
*****
Offline


Slinging Rocks!

Posts: 1405
Gender: male
Re: I Am the 947th Cheapest Person On Earth
Reply #21 - Apr 12th, 2019 at 10:28am
 
One thing I learned eventually was that saving plastic bags is only worth doing if you use them. That principle actually applies to a lot. If you save and don't use, you're heading into hoarder territory. Potential value matters less than realized value. Opportunity cost also applies, a clean house has value too.

Thrift is an underrated value though this thread shows not entirely dead. We just all have to beware going too far in any direction  Smiley
Back to top
 

"Facts stand wholly outside our gates; they are what they are, and no more;they know nothing about themselves and they pass no judgement upon themselves. What is it, then, that pronounces the judgement? Our own guide and ruler, Reason."
 
IP Logged
 
Kick
past-moderator
****
Offline



Posts: 4451
Finland
Re: I Am the 947th Cheapest Person On Earth
Reply #22 - Apr 12th, 2019 at 10:56am
 
perpetualstudent wrote on Apr 12th, 2019 at 10:28am:
One thing I learned eventually was that saving plastic bags is only worth doing if you use them. That principle actually applies to a lot. If you save and don't use, you're heading into hoarder territory. Potential value matters less than realized value.


This is true. We actually picked up hundreds of plastic bags and a few of the canvas shopping bags one time from the bin shed that all the student houses use and it was obviously someone's "collection" that they dumped before they moved. We've been slowly getting through them and we still use the canvas bags for own shopping. They obviously didn't use them and just needlessly stored them.
Back to top
 

You are a great guy Kick but also slightly scary at times. - Morphy
"Nothing matters, but it’s perhaps more comfortable to keep calm and not interfere with other people." - H.P. Lovecraft, in a letter to Frank Belknap Long, 7 October, 1923
 
IP Logged
 
AncientCraftwork
Interfector Viris Spurii
*****
Offline



Posts: 2403
Re: I Am the 947th Cheapest Person On Earth
Reply #23 - Apr 14th, 2019 at 2:33pm
 
I try to buy as much as possible from thrift stores.
Clothing, furniture, appliances. Thrift stores are my favorite shops.

I can't stand seeing cans thrown on the street or with regular trash. All metal goes to the scrap pile, where we separate it and get paid for it.

If I happen to drive by and see scrap out on the street that fits in my car I will take it. A good chunk of scrap could cover the costs of fuel for that trip.

If I happen to spot beverage containers that has a deposit on them while cycling, I will collect those too. Usually here its 10 cents for beer bottles and 25 cents for larger plastic bottles.
Back to top
 

All Glory to God forever and ever, amen
 
IP Logged
 
Kick
past-moderator
****
Offline



Posts: 4451
Finland
Re: I Am the 947th Cheapest Person On Earth
Reply #24 - Apr 14th, 2019 at 3:10pm
 
In Finland they have a "buy back" scheme for cans and bottles, much like in other European countries. Because of this you rarely see cans and bottles as litter.
Back to top
 

You are a great guy Kick but also slightly scary at times. - Morphy
"Nothing matters, but it’s perhaps more comfortable to keep calm and not interfere with other people." - H.P. Lovecraft, in a letter to Frank Belknap Long, 7 October, 1923
 
IP Logged
 
Rat Man
Slinging.org Administrator
*****
Offline


Slinging Rocks!

Posts: 13666
New Jersey, USA
Gender: male
Re: I Am the 947th Cheapest Person On Earth
Reply #25 - Apr 14th, 2019 at 5:41pm
 
   Kick wrote on Apr 14th, 2019 at 3:10pm:
In Finland they have a "buy back" scheme for cans and bottles, much like in other European countries. Because of this you rarely see cans and bottles as litter.

   Some American states have a similar policy, predominantly in New England. Unfortunately, in my slob state of New Jersey there is no such policy.
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Rat Man
Slinging.org Administrator
*****
Offline


Slinging Rocks!

Posts: 13666
New Jersey, USA
Gender: male
Re: I Am the 947th Cheapest Person On Earth
Reply #26 - Apr 14th, 2019 at 5:48pm
 
  Like Jauke I also buy from thrift stores and thrift supermarkets.  The one I go to the most is Save A Lot.  Their prices are about half of what you'd pay in a normal supermarket.  One of the many ways they cut costs is that they don't provide free bags.  You bring your own.  They sell a lot of off brands but the quality is good. I also like to shop at Goodwill stores and such.  They have quality used clothing, appliances, and other items at very reasonable prices.
   I like Kick's idea about folding up newspapers into bags for biowaste. I'll have to learn how to do that.
     With three dogs I am always in need of poopy bags so I do use all of the plastic bags I save.
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Kick
past-moderator
****
Offline



Posts: 4451
Finland
Re: I Am the 947th Cheapest Person On Earth
Reply #27 - Apr 15th, 2019 at 3:49am
 
This video shows a really easy method and it's really easy to learn. I can put together 50 or so bags in no time whilst listening to a podcast or just some music. It can get quite therapeutic Cheesy The music on the video isn't quite therapeutic (to me) but it can be muted.

https://youtu.be/TDVEkkvODdQ
Back to top
 

You are a great guy Kick but also slightly scary at times. - Morphy
"Nothing matters, but it’s perhaps more comfortable to keep calm and not interfere with other people." - H.P. Lovecraft, in a letter to Frank Belknap Long, 7 October, 1923
 
IP Logged
 
perpetualstudent
Interfector Viris Spurii
*****
Offline


Slinging Rocks!

Posts: 1405
Gender: male
Re: I Am the 947th Cheapest Person On Earth
Reply #28 - Apr 16th, 2019 at 1:37pm
 
At least in New York City they actually make it really hard to return the jars/bottles to get the deposit back. They try hard not to take bottles they didn't sell. Because if the bottles they sell don't get returned the stores get to pocket the deposit. If this seems bassackwards, it is! It's also exactly what I expect out NYC.
Back to top
 

"Facts stand wholly outside our gates; they are what they are, and no more;they know nothing about themselves and they pass no judgement upon themselves. What is it, then, that pronounces the judgement? Our own guide and ruler, Reason."
 
IP Logged
 
Rat Man
Slinging.org Administrator
*****
Offline


Slinging Rocks!

Posts: 13666
New Jersey, USA
Gender: male
Re: I Am the 947th Cheapest Person On Earth
Reply #29 - Apr 18th, 2019 at 5:05pm
 
   When I was a kid we had a refund on bottles here.  From what I understand the bottle and canning lobby bought some politicians and did away with it.  Now we have bottles and cans laying all over the place.
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Pages: 1 2 3 4 
Send Topic Print
(Moderators: Masiakasaurus, David Morningstar, Rat Man, Chris, Bill Skinner, Curious Aardvark, Mauro Fiorentini)