Most outlandish frugal thing you did

[DayByDay]

Originally Posted by lrjohnson

There are more reasons to not always flush than monetary. In San Francisco int he late 70's and early 80's we had water issues. No one I knew got ill from a small amount of urine sitting in a toilet with the lid closed. I'm somewhat bothered by the level of judgment here. If someone is doing this, it can be a very valid choice, especially if there are water shortage issues.

I remember those days in California and the many news reports asking people not to flush their toilets every time. If no guests are in the house, we don't always flush ours every time (urine only). It's no big deal to me. Our toilets are regularly sanitized and scrubbed till they sparkle. Even a flushed toilet is not without it's urine residue anyway.

[flinnie]

I also only do this with urine only. I guess a throw back to when I was a kid and we
were so poor. Only a little more money now.So this is my most outlandish frugal thing been
doing it so long it just stuck to me.Do'nt know any other way to be.

[Broken Arrow]

Urine can sometimes be used as an antiseptic. Naturally, I wouldn't recommend doing this to save money when it comes to cleaning wounds, but... I agree it's not a big deal to flush all the time.

Another interesting factoid is that since urine is warm, it's also workable as an on-the-field method of protecting someone from hypothermia. I only know this because I know someone who nearly died during SEAL BUD/S training, and he survived because his teammates peed on him.

[GoodBuyGirl]

I look for printers at garage sales for $5 or less and buy them for the ink cartridges. Most people sell the printers with good ink cartridges in them. After I've used up the ink cartridges. I trade them in for $3 store coupons from Staples. I just donate the printer to one of the junk stores.

[getforfree]

When I was a kid, we would usually running barefoot in the summer time. If anyone would acsidently scruch or cut their feet, we would pee on the wound, ourside of cource. It healed pretty fast.

[flinnie]

Shocking
It great as a eye wash when you have pink eye too. When we were kids my mom had us
wash our eyes with pee for pink eye it healed up in no time.No kidding.We could not run
to the doctor for every little thing...no money.

[Ima saver]

That is pretty outlandish!!

[flinnie]

Yes it is but,it true and it realy work.

[Ima saver]

Sorry, I don't think I could do that!! (never had pink eye)

[flinnie]

No need to be sorry just a fact of life...They say what do'nt kill you only make you stronger.
Life to short to worry about the past.We were happy...only poor.

[Ima saver]

I don't think I have done anything really outlandish! Sometimes I reuse aluminum foil and I tear paper towels in half and just use half. When I was a kid, my mother and i would share a steak if they were on sale.

[flinnie]

Now wash and reuse zipper bags.Keep things to long thinking that I might need them
later got to get over that....house to small and dont have storage building.

[Ima saver]

When ever I run the dishwasher, I do not use the dry cycle. I try and run it only every 3 days or so.

[flinnie]

Did'nt blow dry my hair after washing....let air dry.

[Ima saver]

I always let mine air dry too.

[Jewelsmom]

My husband's aunt takes the cake on cheap. At Christmas one year she sent my three school-age daughters an old musty shoebox (smelled of dampness from her basement) full of old yellow cereal box stickers, cracker jack box plastics, a yellow-melted candle with a broken glass holder; and freebies from her dentist! There was even a dead shriveled-up spider in the box. Gross!

Now THAT's cheap!

[Jewelsmom]

My kids just came home from visiting Grandma and Grandpa in Indiana. The Aunt I mentioned in my earlier post is sisters with Grandma.

They said Grandpa would pull out a 6 oz steak for dinner and offer to split it four ways. Ha.

In my home the meal is centered around the protein (plenty to go around and leftovers too), followed by veggies, and then the starch. My husband, their son, prefers it this way.

[Jewelsmom]

A friend of mine buys Jansport backpacks at garage sales on the cheap. If the zipper is broken, she talks them down to pennies for the sale. Jansport has a a lifetime warranty on the zippers. She mails the backpack to Jansport and they either fix the zipper or send her a completely new one.

[flinnie]

When it rain I collect rain water to water my garden.Also use free five gallons buckets
to collect this rain water.

[Ima saver]

Jewelsmom, that is cheap!! I use to buy easter stuff the day after easter and save it for the next year's easter baskets.