Most outlandish frugal thing you did

[frugalelf]

Re: Most outlandish frugal thing you did

Folks, when you consider what all these fast food restaurants throw away in unsold food at the end of each day it doesn't seem like "stealing" to take home extra condiments. The food wasted behind the counter could feed all of our hungry and homeless! If they aren't worried about literally tons of good food being thrown each year I'm sure not going to worry about some condiments I take home and put to good use.

My husband told me that when he worked as a site manager building Walmarts and other big stores they throw away all the fans, heating units, tools etc.... that they buy to use on that particular job. It is cheaper for them to throw them into a dumpster to get hauled away then to ship them for use on the next job!! Contracting companies don't care, it's all tacked onto the cost of building the particular store. You wonder why things are so darn expensive? Do a little research. We are probably the most wasteful country in the world. And that friends is why there are so many frugal people.

[pjmama]

Re: Most outlandish frugal thing you did

I guess I'm one of the bad guys as well... I usually pick up a couple extra packets of equal when I'm getting coffee, and a couple extra of the smuckers diet blackberry jelly when I go to Eat N Park (watch, they'll be knocking on my door tomorrow!). I dont feel it's stealing at all. The restaurants put these things there for the customer, and if I'm paying (and tipping very well too!), I dont feel the slightest bit guilty for taking a couple extra. I dont really want to pay a bunch to get name brand diet jelly... and I dont use it very often either. Besides, though I only use one packet of sweetener in my tea, other people use 2 or 3! So I'm sure they bought enough to have me in mind.

I guess you could call me a student that's REALLY starving...

[Ima saver]

Re: Most outlandish frugal thing you did

It is true about all the food being thrown away! I worked at McDonald's way, way back , and we threw out tons of hamburgers every day. I always wondered why they did not give them to a place to feed hungry people.

[tinapbeana]

Re: Most outlandish frugal thing you did

It is true about all the food being thrown away! I worked at McDonald's way, way back , and we threw out tons of hamburgers every day. I always wondered why they did not give them to a place to feed hungry people.

nowadays, it's because they're afraid they'll get sued.

i was the community relations liason for old country buffet a couple of years ago. we catered the press booth for the local college football games. requirement was to throw away any food left, b/c if the restaurant donated prepared food that went 'off' they could be sued.

i would always drive by the men's shelter, take off my name tag, and as if they'd like an anonymous donation of prepared food. they never once refused.

[lieweheksie]

Re: Most outlandish frugal thing you did

that allways makes so sad and mad to see good(mcD?) food thrown away- in south africa we dont have as much of a suing culture as in the states- one of the good news stories is when a girl who used to work on the movie sets in cape town saw all the food being thrown away she asked if she could take it to a shelter- the press got hold of the story now there is a whole group of people who collect leftovers form all the movie/ tv shoots, and some restaurants, and deliver it to shelters- with sponsored vehicleshttp://www.savingadvice.com/forums/newreply.php?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=121166#

[frugalelf]

Re: Most outlandish frugal thing you did

I guess I'm one of the bad guys as well... I usually pick up a couple extra packets of equal when I'm getting coffee, and a couple extra of the smuckers diet blackberry jelly when I go to Eat N Park (watch, they'll be knocking on my door tomorrow!). I dont feel it's stealing at all. The restaurants put these things there for the customer, and if I'm paying (and tipping very well too!), I dont feel the slightest bit guilty for taking a couple extra. I dont really want to pay a bunch to get name brand diet jelly... and I dont use it very often either. Besides, though I only use one packet of sweetener in my tea, other people use 2 or 3! So I'm sure they bought enough to have me in mind.

I guess you could call me a student that's REALLY starving...

Thank you, PJMAMA! Gosh, I can sleep better tonight knowing I'm not the only one out there that doesn't see the harm!!

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Re: Most outlandish frugal thing you did

My state has had a law for a couple of decades that protected restaurants and other donors of food from liability when they are in good faith trying to help the hungry. But even before that law, I knew of quite a few businesses who had their employees, on paid time, package up leftovers for a shelter for homeless. I personally picked up food from from a hospital kitchen, a huge bakery, a mom'n'pop donught shop, a butcher that supplies restaurants, several caterers, a cafeteria that served lunch only, and even a large chain grocery store. So sometimes, it was small businesses making the decisons to not waste the food, and sometimes it a local manager of a big business. This was before the Good Samaritan law went into effect, before they could be certain they would be protected. Just decent people who understood the need and knew that they could help.

[PetMom]

Re: Most outlandish frugal thing you did

I have watched as our basic living expenses are going up. The electricity last summer was bad. I have always thought myself careful with electricity but now I am getting very strict with it's usage.

I have been following this bill and to my dismay happened upon our never above $75.00 water/garbage pickup bill. It was $90.00!!! And we do not have a pool or hot tub.

You can bet I am gathering every little tip.

A few cities have had water shortages and one used the slogan:

If it is yellow, stay mellow (don't flush)
If it is brown, flush it down.

This little slogan helped all remember to follow this. Fortunately it did not last for long.

Me? I would hate for a drop by friend to happen in upon a mellow toilet. But it is
good to take note of some ideas and the cost of flushing.

I do know the low water usage flushing toilets always take me two flushes to flush.

My deodorant tip: I use my husband's antiperspirant/deo in the Sport scent, but also use
just coconut oil if I am home or not going to perspire much. (It really does work and is organic and natural, no chemicals - read about this on a coconut forum).

[lieweheksie]

Re: Most outlandish frugal thing you did

""My deodorant tip: I use my husband's antiperspirant/deo in the Sport scent, but also use just coconut oil if I am home or not going to perspire much. (It really does work and is organic and natural, no chemicals - read about this on a coconut forum).""

Hi Pet mom
souns interesting-Could you post the link to this forum- DH finds that most deodrants make him itchy!
may thanks LH

[LuxLiving]

Re: Most outlandish frugal thing you did

inexpensive underarm tip: learned from a missionary - for the deodorant portion of your skin care regime: Use rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball for a quick underarm refresher rather than showering or bathing in 'jungle/low-water' conditions!

[mom-from-missouri]

Re: Most outlandish frugal thing you did

This one is gross, but works if you have chickens or pigs and want to cut down on your feed bill:

Offer to help the local schools and nursing homes cut down on their trash. What you do is provide each with a large rubbermade trash container daily. The school dumps left over food off of kids plates into it. After lunch (on a daily bases) go pick it up and leave them a replacement container. Just trade them out daily (the have to be washed daily also). Some meals you cant recycle--such as meals with garlic in them (affects the taste of eggs). The school can not put any trash or paper items in it though, only food scraps.

Our Christian School jumped at the idea after we told them we would donate a pig that they helped feed with left overs at the annual school fund raiser auction.

Kids at school waste more than they eat. They are too busy talking at lunch time.

[PetMom]

Re: Most outlandish frugal thing you did

lieweheksie: I found that forum months ago while surfing the net for info about coconut oil and had just briefly read about the various uses for
coconut oil. Since I already had some in the house it was worth the
try. It is a hard product at room temp. and has to be melted to
body temp. to apply each time.

[PetMom]

Re: Most outlandish frugal thing you did

I found it:

https://www.Coconutoil.com

click research on coconut oil

then click coconut diet forums

then you will find the Skin Health section and is in that,
should also explain how to warm up in palms before
applying too.

[tinapbeana]

Re: Most outlandish frugal thing you did

regarding coconut oil:

it comes in several grades and varities, and while 92 degree coconut is solid at room temp (up to about 92 degrees actually, as you might guess by the name), there is 'liquid coconut' oil otherwise known as 76 degree coconut oil. this would be liquid or semi-liquid at room temp.

[lieweheksie]

Re: Most outlandish frugal thing you did

thanks pet mom and tina-
guess i'm going shopping