#tightwadery

[tightwadspoonies]

How to Shop at an Asian (or other ethnic) Grocery Store

Do you live in or near a city in the US?

Need to save some money on groceries?

Might I introduce you to... shopping at the local Asian grocery?

Asian grocery stores aimed at an Asian-American customer base almost always beat the prices of their western (or for-western) counterparts. Often by a significant amount, especially in categories like produce, meat, rice, and spices. Plus in addition to lower prices, you get the satisfaction of supporting a small, local business instead of a larger chain store.

(Note that a lot of this information applies to other ethnic grocery stores as well, but we're using Asian because they're common in many cities, and have particularly good prices on produce.)

But it can be a little bit of a learning curve when you first start to shop at them. This post will give you the information you need to navigate them.

So how do you find a good Asian grocery store?

First, go on google maps and search "grocery".

Note that you are NOT googling "Asian Grocery" or "Cheap Grocery". If you search "Asian Grocery" you will get results for Asian stores marketing toward a western audience, and because of this, will be neat, shiny, and very pricey. If you search "Cheap Grocery" you will get stores marketing themselves as cheap, which generally are only slightly less expensive than their "expensive" counterparts (think Aldi). Okay in a pinch, but you can do better.

Second, look at the pictures of all the stores you can easily get to.

Here's what you want: not a lot of printed ads, pictures of hand-written signs (especially in languages other than English), food in cardboard bins, and you want it to look kind of "junky". Bonus points if you can see prices listed in the pictures or the people shopping there are mostly older, ethnic women.

Third, If you couldn't find anything like this, go on your city's subreddit.

Search "cheap", "cheap grocery" and "expensive grocery". Why "expensive grocery"? Because you want to find people complaining about grocery prices, and you want to see the advice they get. Many times, that advice is Asian or ethnic grocery stores.

If you're still not getting anything, google "[city name] cheap grocery" and "[city name] expensive grocery" (see above). Scroll until you get to FORUMS discussing groceries in your city. You DO NOT want blogs or articles. Again, you're looking at the advice people are given when they complain about grocery prices.

One of the first questions people ask upon walking into an Asian grocery store of the type discussed in this post is:

"Is the food I'm getting here safe to eat?"

The answer is just as safe as anywhere else you might shop.

You're probably used to very clean, pretty, well-lit, well-organized stores. This will probably not be that, but it will be regulated by the same health department that regulates those stores. They are held to the same standards.

It's a lot of work to keep a store looking like a western consumer expects. It's a lot less work (and thus less money) to keep a store looking like an ethnic career housewife or grandmother expects. That is largely where the savings comes from.

What's a good deal at an Asian grocery?

Produce. You're probably used to things like onions and carrots being the cheapest per pound. Here it's going to be greens, apples, pears, radish, cabbage and maybe squash and sweet potatoes. Check unit prices and prepare to try some new things. Also a pound of greens is a LOT of greens. Keep that in mind. Also keep in mind that you might see a few pieces of produce that are bruised or have mold on them. That's okay. Just don't buy those pieces. The rest of the batch is probably fine. Wash produce when you get home if you're concerned, though you should be doing that anyway.

Rice and dry beans. If you like to buy in bulk, you're in luck. Don't expect to walk away with a pound or two of these. They come in 40lb packages. But if you tailor most of your meals around them, those meals will be cheap af. There are also lots of different types of specialty rice if you want to make your own sushi or mochi. Learn how to soak and sprout beans.

Tofu. Tofu is expensive when you buy it at a health food store. It is not when you buy it at an Asian grocery. It probably won't be in pretty packages, but again, cheap is not going to be super pretty.

Meat and fish. Meat is generally going to be cheaper here, though maybe not by as much as the produce is. Pork will probably be your cheapest option. You may also see cuts you don't normally see, like tongue, intestine, liver, kidneys, blood, etc... "Weird," however, does not automatically mean cheap in this context. Check unit prices and prepare to be adventurous. If you don't know what else to do with them, dried fish and animal organs make fantastic stock when boiled.

Spices. Again with the extremely large quantities here. But very inexpensive compared with their western counterparts.

Candy. This makes a great inexpensive gift if you need one, since the candy sold at these stores is fairly exotic for a western audience.

What isn't a good deal at an Asian grocery?

Dairy. This includes fresh milk, butter, cheese, etc... If they have it, it will be very expensive. Consider buying elsewhere.

Eggs. Again, this will probably be as expensive or more than the eggs you could get at a western supermarket.

Snacks. Pre-made items will be expensive in general, even though they may be tempting because they are different from what you are used to and you don't need to learn to cook a new thing. Do your best to avoid these and make your own if you can. If you can't, frozen pork or vegetable dumplings are probably your best bet for a quick meal.

Bread. It's pricey. A lot of Asian cuisines use rice, noodles, or buns for their starch instead of western-style bread. So if you can find it it will often be a novelty item.

What else do I need to know?

It's okay to be overwhelmed by new ingredients. Look up some YouTube videos on how to cook certain ingredients if you're not familiar with them.

These are not supermarkets. They sell food and sometimes the kitchenware (steamers, woks, chopsticks, etc...) needed to cook it. You will probably need to get your soap and household items somewhere else.

Pay in cash if you can. Most of these are very small businesses and paying them cash makes it so they don't need to pay credit card fees. At the very least, make the minimum purchase before paying with a card.

[macgyvermedical]

How to Cook Cheap Staples:

I recently learned that in the USA, on average, each person eats about 1,670 calories per day of just 4 foods: wheat, corn, rice and soy.

Wheat, corn, rice and soy also happen to be some of the cheapest foods available in US grocery stores. If you buy them as wheat flour, corn meal, rice, and soybean oil. If you buy them as bread, soda, rice cakes, and fried foods, they can also be some of the most expensive.

Based on the least expensive versions of these staple crops available on Amazon (because I didn't want to get off the couch to go to the store for you all), you can get 23,380 calories (the average 1,670 calories per day for 2 weeks) in 5lb of brown rice ($6.20), 5lb of wheat flour ($2.49), 2lb corn meal ($2.98), and 32oz of soybean oil ($6.48).

This means if you make all your own staple foods, 3/4 of your calories could be taken care of for about $9/week. You could even go cheaper than this if you buy white rice. I just threw the brown stuff in there for flair and fiber.

Here's how to cook your staples:

Yeast Bread Loaf

Quick Bread Loaf

Tortillas

Pancakes

Fresh Pasta

Hand Pie/Pierogi/Dumpling Dough

Polenta (don't need the cheese or butter)

Cornbread (can replace butter with oil and buttermilk with milk or water)

Corn Cakes

Tortillas (masa- this is different than cornmeal)

Tamale dough (masa)

Steamed Rice

Congee

Rice Pudding

Rice Cake

If you're trying to save money, shoot for a meal plan that basically includes your staples as the primary food, and adorn with your protein and vegetables. That means, say, a bowl of polenta with tomato-beef sauce. Or rice with black beans, onions, peppers, and spices. Keep in mind that since your staples have been taken care of, you just need about 400 calories in legumes, meat, fruit, and vegetables per day to meet a 2,000-calorie target. That's pretty much an apple and peanut butter for breakfast, a little tomato-beef sauce at lunch, and a handful of beans flavored with onions, bacon, and peppers at dinner.

If that sounds like you're eating mostly starch and fat, you're right, but technically if you're the average American you're already doing that. This is just doing it cheaper.

[tightwadspoonies]

The 7-Item Cleaning Kit

So you need to clean your dwelling, and you don't have the resources to buy a cleaner for every occasion.

Well have I got a post for you!

Basically all household cleaning can be done with 6 items and water. And those items are fairly inexpensive.

Rags. Don't buy these. Any piece of cloth you were going to throw away/donate will do. Cut it into manageable sizes and use sewing or fabric glue to make a small hem around the outside. You can wash them in the same load of laundry as everything else (pre-treat very oily rags with soap and water) Scrap paper (paper bags, newsprint, etc...) will work for really dirty things you don't want to wash. Keep a pile going.

Water. Water is a nearly-universal solvent. It won't work on oil, wax, metal scratches on porcelain, or calcium buildup, but it will work pretty much alone (or with a rag and some elbow grease) on everyday dirt.

Soap. If water doesn't work alone, soap and water together usually will. A good rule of thumb is one part soap, one part water, and one part whatever you're trying to dissolve. The only things soap and water won't work on are those metal scratches and calcium buildup.

Melamine Sponge. What will work on metal scratches and calcium buildup without damaging porcelain, you ask? Melamine sponges. That's the generic for a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and let me tell you they're dirt cheap if you buy non-brand-name.

Broom and Dustpan. These are two things technically I guess but they usually come purchased as one. This will do general duty to sweep your floors, dust your walls and ceilings, and when you tie a large rag to the broom, damp mop too.

Medium or Hard Bristle Brush. This one is useful for loosening caked-on dirt on your floors and upholstery, and getting into tight spaces you can't with a rag.

Blade or Scraper. This can be an old credit card or a razor blade. This is for getting the bulk of gum, wax, mildew, stickers, or other hard-to-clean goo off of things.

Have questions about how to use these items for a specific cleaning project? Send an ask to @tightwadspoonies!

[tightwadspoonies]

This sounds like BS or at the very least the placebo effect, but it was very much a cool thing that happened.

My wife has COVID and with it shortness of breath. We didn't have any albuterol, but we did have another idea!

Knowing that theobromine had been studied as a bronchodilator and found as effective as theophylline, and knowing that cocoa has a lot of theobromine in it, I set out to make a mean cup of bronchodilating hot chocolate.

So the effective dose of theobromine is 10mg/kg, which for my wife is about 900mg. Since cocoa has about 20mg/g of theobromine, about 45g (about 1/2 cup) would do it. We used about 1/3 cup and it... worked amazingly well.

Like so well my wife said it was the best she had ever felt lung-wise. Like, we're thinking she might have asthma because her shortness of breath is better right now with COVID + Chocolate than it is on a totally normal day without COVID.

Definitely talk to your doctor if you're having shortness of breath and don't know why, but if you just wanna make a mean cup of bronchodilating hot chocolate for kicks, the recipe is below:

1 cup water

1/3 cup cocoa powder (or if you want to get really precise, the number of Kg of body weight divided by 2 equals the number of grams of cocoa)

1-2 tablespoon sugar (to taste)

Put the cocoa and sugar in a mug and add about a quarter cup of the water to it and stir into a paste. Add the rest of the water and stir until liquid. Heat in a microwave or on the stove to desired temperature.

Enjoy!

Its not, like, the tastiest hot chocolate ever, but it's not horrible.

[tightwadspoonies]

What To Do... Hygiene Edition

If you don't have a toothbrush-

The goal of brushing teeth is to prevent tooth decay. Prevent tooth decay by preventing bacteria buildup on teeth. Plaque (the slimy film that appears on teeth after a day or two) is a buildup of bacteria, saliva, and tiny food particles. If you can remove this once or twice a day, before it becomes hard (tartar) you are much less likely to have cavities and gum disease.

You can do this without a toothbrush by taking a small piece of rough cloth (like the corner of a washcloth or towel) and rubbing it all over your teeth twice per day. Rinse it well afterwards and let it dry completely (preferably in the sun) between uses.

If you don't have toothpaste-

Toothpaste is a paste containing rough particles, flavorings, and other chemicals that remove and may help prevent plaque and tarter from forming.

If you're doing a good job brushing your teeth to disrupt that plaque formation, you technically don't need toothpaste. However, if you would like a little bit of freshness or feel like you need more than just a brush or cloth, you can take a pinch of baking soda and (optional) add a drop or two of flavored extract (like vanilla or peppermint- DO NOT USE ESSENTIAL OILS FOR THIS). Put this on your toothbrush or cloth and brush as normal.

If you don't have deodorant-

Deodorant is not absolutely necessary for health, but if you work somewhere that has a "hygiene code" or some BS you probably need to smell like something other than a human.

The recipe is the same as toothpaste above. A pinch of baking soda and (optional) a drop of extract like vanilla or peppermint. Rub under each armpit.

If you don't have lip balm-

Lip balm is often necessary in colder or dryer climates to prevent cracking and infection. Any fat can be used as lip balm, for example, petroleum jelly (Vaseline), lard, butter, vegetable oils, your own face grease, etc... Just put a drop on a finger and rub on your lips until it rubs in.

If you don't have toilet paper-

You will need a plastic cup and a wash cloth. Use the plastic cup to pour water over the soiled area. If it's poop you'll need to use your hand to make sure everything washes off. Once clean, use the wash cloth to dab up any remaining water. Wash your hands well afterward.

This might sound horrible if you're used to toilet paper, but it is used all over the world and leaves you a lot cleaner than TP does.

If you don't have soap-

For handwashing- use water to wash anything visible off the hands, then follow with hand sanitizer or a few drops of rubbing alcohol to sanitize.

For body washing- You don't actually want soap for most of your body, including your privates. Wash with water only. For hair (since it tends to look greasy if unwashed), use a few teaspoons of baking soda or tablespoons of lemon juice and rub it in. This will help get rid of dirt and grease when soap or shampoo is not available.

If you don't have nail clippers-

Use sharp scissors. While these might be more challenging the first time and you'll need to be careful, you can absolutely use scissors for nail clippers, it's what everyone did before the invention and popularization of nail clippers.

[tightwadspoonies]

Dumpster Diving and Salvage Shopping

If you asked me what my role in the ecosystem is, I'd say I'm a scavenger. I hate confrontation and I hate spending money when there are other options. I will gladly just take whatever you don't want in order to avoid such unsavory obligations.

So dumpster diving, salvage stores, and incidental meat registries and I get along pretty well save for the anxiety. This post, hopefully, takes some of that away for my fellow scavengers who would love to dumpster dive but just don't know how yet, or are afraid of getting in trouble.

Dumpster Diving:

First of all, dumpster diving is legal in all 50 states of the US, but check local ordinances because rich people get fussy about people digging through trash to the point of some cities condemning the practice. It's on a bunch of other posts but it's worth saying.

Cops, of course, will lie or imply otherwise on this. A good way around that is to look like someone who is "not breaking the law". AKA: look like a suburbanite: Wear some khakis and a polo shirt, carry a Starbucks cup, and act as white as you can possibly get away with. If approached, smile, call the cop "officer" or some such referential title, and explain that you thought it was legal. Not that you know it's legal- that you thought it was legal. If they tell you to scram, do so. No argument with law enforcement is worth what is in that dumpster.

Note that it is illegal in many places to put stuff into dumpsters that aren't yours, though, so if the cops are having a slow night, be careful about them asking you to put stuff back.

You also don't want to be the reason dumpster diving gets banned in your community. Do this primarily by never getting into a dumpster. I know the container of perfect strawberries is just out of reach, but if you fall or are unable to get out you are not only up a creek yourself but potentially causing an anti-dumpster-diving frenzy that your town's grocery stores will never recover from. Also, people have legitimately died from getting into a trash compactor.

Now, "legal" does not mean "pro-store-policy". One of the main reasons for this is that is dumpster diving can be somewhat dangerous and no store wants to be the store that's known for letting people break legs on their slippery dumpster juice or what have you.

Avoid too many store policy issues by waiting until the store closes, doing a pass-by to ensure no one is waiting to see if anyone is picking out of their dumpsters, and (again) looking like someone who wouldn't be diving in dumpsters.

Store management tends to worry that they will be sued for letting you eat expired or unsafe food. If you do get approached by a manager who isn't excited to see someone picking over their dumpster selections, it is a good idea to impress upon them how very many dumpsters you pick from and how you wouldn't possibly be able to prove it was their dumpster that gave you food poisoning. Also, if you're feeling particularly bold, let them know that you are saving their store money by decreasing the weight of their waste. Probably not by a lot, but hey, you're on their side here. If told to scram, once again, do so with haste.

On that note, there are safe and unsafe foods to pick:

Generally Safe:

Packaged shelf-stable foods even with damaged outer packaging

Milk if still cold

Cheese

Eggs

Bread (including frozen bread if still cold)

Whole Veggies and Fruits, even with bad spots

Fermented anything

Non-Food Items like dry pet food, hand sanitizer, soap, cleaning products (except bleach), etc...

Generally NOT Safe:

Sliced lunch meats

Cheese touching meat

Cut salads or veggie trays

Prepared hot foods (even if still hot)

Pre-cooked refrigerated meals

Frozen veggies (unless still mostly frozen)

You want to make sure you have some time the next day to process your haul. Everything needs to be carefully sorted, cleaned, peeled, and in the case of perishable food like eggs and veggies, cooked prior to eating.

One final thing:

Be considerate. Leave everything how you found it and make sure you're not making more work for employees. Also, if you know others in your area dive, leave some stuff there for the next person.

Salvage Shopping:

Perhaps you aren't completely up for dumpster diving but still like living your lil raccoon life? Thats fine!

Salvage groceries are a great option. Essentially, instead of throwing food away that they can't sell to traditional consumers, grocery stores sell near-dated or damaged products to salvage grocery stores for pennies on the dollar, and that savings is passed along to the consumer.

Most salvage stores are smaller than traditional grocery stores, and some are cash-only. Some have fresh or frozen sections, but the smaller ones are pretty much all packaged goods. If you are living exclusively on salvage stores, you may want to supplement with some dumpster diving, foraging, or gardening (or even maybe going to a grocery store, but that's hella expensive).

Salvage groceries are not necessarily going to be perfectly food safe. There will be expired goods (doesn't mean bad). That just means you will have to do some due diligence. For example:

Make sure that an item you want to purchase is still in a sealed container

If there are more than one of an item, make sure they are the same color

Prioritize un-dented cans

If you must buy a dented can, make sure the dent isn't on an edge or seam

Don't buy expired canned tomato products

If you open a food and it smells bad, looks like it thawed and re-froze, hisses or bubbles- THROW IT AWAY

Generally be more cautious than you would normally be at a grocery store.

In my area these are pretty much always run by the Amish and Mennonite communities, but check around in your area. They are becoming more and more common outside these communities.

Not all of them will be listed on google maps. Look for a shop called "Bend and Dent" or "Salvage Groceries" or a small store advertising "Discount Groceries". Once you find one, it's easy to find others by asking at the checkout, since they tend to cluster together.

A drawback is that, because they do tend to cluster, they may be farther away than other grocery options. If you are far away, I highly recommend getting a few friends together and making a day of it. I can't say this about most things, but the extra cost in gas is well worth the savings, even if you are driving over an hour.

[tightwadspoonies]

Dry Beans on the Stove, in a Pressure Cooker, and In the Microwave

Do you know how to use dry beans?

It's an important life skill. Not only do they taste better than canned, but they are significantly cheaper and lower in sodium (if you're watching that).

Before you cook your beans, you have to do a couple of things. First, you want to rinse your beans and pick out any that look shriveled. Sometimes there are small stones in dry bean packages and you should also pick these out.

You also need to soak your beans. This is especially important if you are using a stovetop or microwave to cook your beans. The easiest way to do this is to combine 2 cups of beans (1lb) and 10 cups of water in a container and let sit for 8 hours.

Stovetop/hotplate: Once your beans are soaked, drain them and put them in a pot with fresh water and salt to taste (optional). You're going for about double the amount of water as beans. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium, and simmer, covered, for 45-120 minutes. The larger your beans, the longer they will take to cook. Try them periodically to see if they are your desired level of tender.

Electric Pressure Cooker: Generally you can put beans into a pressure cooker dry and unsoaked. Cover with water (again about double the amount of water as beans). Cook on high pressure for about 45 minutes and quick release.

Microwave: Put 2 cups of soaked beans and 6 cups of water into a microwave-safe dish. Microwave on high 15-20 minutes, or until your beans are your desired level of tender.

[tightwadspoonies]

Squashage (stuffed squash)

Want a nice fall meal that's relatively quick, cheap, and can be dressed up or down depending on the need?

May I introduce you to Squashage!

1 medium-sized squash (acorn, pumpkin, kabocha, etc...)

1lb bulk sausage (or you can sub the same amount ground pork, sage and rosemary to taste if you're watching your salt)

1 cup cooked rice, brown or white

1 medium onion, diced

1/2c sour cream

(optional) 1/2c chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, or pine nuts depending on taste)

(optional) shredded cheese

Cut your chosen squash in half, scoop out the guts, and microwave each half for about 9 minutes.

While microwaving, sautee the onion pieces in a pan with a little oil. Making them translucent will do, but you'll get deeper flavor if you caramelize them.

Add sausage to the pan and cook it through, breaking it into small pieces.

Once cooked, add your rice, nuts and sour cream and stir to combine.

Scoop mixture into the hollow area of the squash halves. You can eat it now, or...

Cover with a thin layer of shredded cheese and broil the tops in the oven or toaster oven.

Enjoy!

[tightwadspoonies]

Hi everyone!

Do you or someone you know use tube feed? Having an issue with current shortages or just need something less expensive?

The following formula can be used temporarily or permanently (if using permanently add a daily multivitamin).

For one serving:

1/2 cup overcooked peas

1/2 cup overcooked rice

3 tablespoons peanut butter

Flavorings as desired (cocoa, cinnamon, vanilla, banana, etc…)

Cook peas and rice with about 1.5 as much water as called for in the preparation and cook long enough for things to get really mushy. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend. If you’re using a cheap blender you may want to microwave the peanut butter first so it’s more liquid. If this comes out too thick, add some water to thin it out.

If you are putting this down a corpak you’ll need a more expensive blender (like a ninja, nutribullet, or vitamix) or you’ll need to strain it through a sieve in case there are chunks.

One serving contains about 500 calories, 22g protein, 50g carbs, and 24g fat in about 300mL of formula (about 1.6cal/mL). Assuming 4 servings a day, you can get the ingredients for about $10/3days.

[tightwadspoonies]

Have an idea for a tightwadspoonies post? Send us an ask!

[tightwadspoonies]

The Salvage Economy in Your Local Area (And Why You Should Use It)

A salvage economy is an economic system that incentivizes the use of existing ("used") materials over the use of virgin ("new") materials to create products and generate income. They are more circular economies, where profits are more equitably shared, waste is reduced, and items have continuing value beyond a single consumer.

Let’s give the example of a piece of clothing. In a mainstream economy, raw materials would be grown (in the case of cotton/linin) or mined (in the case of something like polyester). They would then be manufactured (a water- and energy-intensive process), shipped to a store (another energy-intensive process) and sold for a profit. Once the end consumer was finished with the item, they would throw it away, losing their investment entirely, as well as losing the material and energy investment in the production of the product. Depending on the disposal method, the item would either go to a landfill (which has a limited amount of space) or burned (which releases the remains into the atmosphere where it can be a danger to human health and the natural environment- even with the most stringent of filters/re-burners).

In a salvage economy, however, the piece of clothing is diverted at the point of the first consumer no longer wanting it. It may be donated or sold to a thrift/consignment shop (where the person may get a small return on their initial investment). It could then be re-purchased by someone else repeatedly until it was no longer in a decent enough shape to be re-sold, then it would be sold to a re-processing facility, where the material itself could be deconstructed, re-woven, and returned back into that cycle (energy intensive as well, but less so than creating a garment from new materials). Everyone gets a small cut of the money involved in the item.

If the material was too damaged to continue in this cycle in a meaningful/economical way, and it needed to be disposed of, it could be added to building materials like concrete (ideal for things like polyester, for which other disposal methods would be environmentally damaging), composted (cotton/linin) to create biogas (heat/energy/cooking fuel), or burned for heat/energy (same problems as burning just to get rid of it, but at least you get energy from it, and you’re displacing some of the fossil fuels that would otherwise have to be mined just to burn for energy)*.

Salvage economies exist in parallel with more mainstream economies throughout the world, with varying levels of accessibility and cultural acceptance based on a person’s location, generation, and background. You’ve probably shopped at a “thrift” or consignment store or bought something on Craigslist or Facebook/Amazon Marketplace- this is participating in a salvage economy. But it goes deeper than that.

Culturally in the US, salvage has traditionally been seen as a cheaper second-best option if you can’t afford something new. However, in younger generations and as new items become harder to find and of lower quality, older items are becoming more desirable, and purchasing pressure is shifting, if only a little bit. While I am no economist (my highest degree is in environmental health science) I also think that as the scales start to tip to raw materials becoming less viable economically, companies will look at alternatives, and those alternatives will be existing materials.

I’m not here positing that we should abandon mainstream economies entirely. People will always want new things and be willing to pay for them. But we have a problem of too much trash and too few (and too expensive) raw materials, which create both pollution and shortages** (a problem that has been increasingly in the spotlight in recent years). And I believe that over the next few decades, the pressure (both from market demand and difficulty/expense creating/mining raw materials) will begin to shift, and with it, if you believe traditional economic theory, so too will companies looking to maintain profits. CEO’s gotta eat, (and purchase his 14th yacht), you know.

But I am here saying that you can start putting this pressure on corporations early. Avoid the rush, as they say- before shortages mean everyone turns to the salvage economy all at once with not enough infrastructure to support them. Here are some ways you can participate and build up that infrastructure:

Borrow or rent things you don’t use regularly

Hardware stores rent tools/machines

Look into tool exchanges in your area

Libraries for books (eLibraries like Libby are great if you can’t go to an in-person one, especially if you like audiobooks)

Libraries for toys/games/kits/electronics

Industrial kitchen rentals if you preserve or sell food in moderate quantities

Buy as much as you can used:

Need clothing and home-goods? Thrift stores like goodwill and consignment shops are great at this.

Some thrift shops have a fabric or yarn section if you have/want the skills to knit/sew your own clothing. I’ve gotten some excellent quality wools from Goodwill for super cheap.

Need building materials or furniture? Salvage yards run by demolition companies and charities like Habitat for Humanity ReStore have your back.

Pull-A-Part for car/engine parts

Need books, textbooks, physical media, really specific tools/items, etc? Facebook/Amazon Marketplace, Craigslist, eBay, Thrift Books, etc…

If you can’t get it used, at least save it from a landfill:

Shop for clothing/ home goods/furniture/food at overstock and “damaged goods” stores like Marshalls, Ollie’s, Gabe’s, Rose’s, local wholesale stores and the like.

Look into salvage grocery stores. Some are run by charities and specifically serve low-income clientele, but many are open to the public (especially in areas with high Amish populations). These stores buy overstock, expired (doesn’t mean bad), and food with damaged packaging in bulk and sell it for an extreme discount (like 90% off). Some even have frozen, refrigerated, and fresh sections.

Craigslist sometimes have people advertising fruit trees in their yards that are a nuisance to them d/t falling fruit, and want someone to come collect it

If you already have something, but it broke, try to get it fixed instead of replacing it. Look into:

Appliance repair places are still a thing

Electronics repair and referb places

Repair cafes (events where people with repair skills, people with tools, and people with things that need to be repaired can meet)

Mending circles and learning to mend and alter clothing yourself

Tailor/clothing repair shops

Watch/jewelry repair shops

Shoe repair shops

Car repair places (it’s like I’ve always said- the best car for the environment is the one you’re currently driving, especially if you keep getting it maintained and fixed appropriately as needed, but even if you don’t, it’s better than creating demand for something new)

Gardening! (look at it as making something you have or have access to (land/a yard) into something you need (food))

Most of these are cheaper options, some of them aren’t, but it’s great to create a list of resources in your local area as you find them- that way you’ll be less tempted to go straight to Target for a new item.

Additionally, with the exceptions of a few chains and online resources, many of the “salvage” stores are small, local businesses. And you want these to thrive, both to stick it to Amazon and Wal Mart, and because they keep skills and resources circulating in your local community. Yay!

*You’ll notice I didn’t say the word “recycling” anywhere in there. While traditional recycling works for some materials, it is expensive and the infrastructure just isn’t there currently to handle the demand, largely because as it stands there wouldn’t be a lot of return on that investment. To the point where most recycling is either sent to US-based landfills or sent abroad (where we’re not really sure what happens to it- some of it is sold back to US corporations as post-consumer materials (primarily for “greenwashing” efforts, but that’s a whole other thing), but we think the majority of it just ends up in foreign landfills or above-ground dumps). While recycling definitely has a place in salvage economies, as we do it today it is divorced from the end consumer/waste generator and has little purpose or accountability beyond making people feel like they’re not just throwing stuff away.

**You wanna know how that happened? We abandoned buy-it-for-life models popular before WWII and adopted obsolescence models that provided extreme short-term profits for corporations at the near-immediate expense of human health and the planet.

We also developed the absolute scourge that is disposable packaging. Think about how much of your trash is just packaging from things you bought. Did you know before WWII you purchased most of your goods by purchasing your first metal can or glass bottle of consumables with a deposit, then came back and got the same can/bottle refilled a bunch of times? And if you no longer wanted it, you returned the container to get your deposit back? It’s true. Some companies (liquid manufacturers, like soda/milk, up until the 1970s) had a system where you returned your empties for a return deposit each time, and they’d wash and refill them, and sell you full bottles + deposit for the next go-round? Imagine how much less trash we’d have today if we still worked on that model. We literally had to teach people to throw things away with advertising (see below). But I digress…

[tightwadspoonies]

Punk Gardening!

It’s that time of year again where you are all out there planting gardens and being anxious about how none of your seeds have come up, or they’re “leggy” or there’s too many weeds or you didn’t water them enough.

And I’m here to say screw all that. You’ve been sold what a “garden should look like” by pesticide and herbicide companies. To be perfectly honest you’ve been sold that about your lawn too, but that’s for another post. It's time to take back gardening and grow some delicious, nutritious food!

So let’s talk about some things that can make you grow a happy, healthy, gnarly-butt garden that’s gonna grow a lot of food and take very little actual effort.

First: Weeds

There’s no such thing. Weeds are a myth. There are plants in your garden that weren’t the ones you planted? Great. Plants like to grow in your dirt. That should make you happy. It means the ones you want to grow will probably also like your dirt and want to grow their fruit/bodies there.

You’ve probably been told non-planted plants take nutrients from the plants you want there. They don’t. Seriously. For one thing, plants need different things, and clover isn’t going to want the same nutrients as your tomatoes, and it’s also probably not going to out-compete your tomatoes for sun. In fact, “weeds” also contribute good things and generally work together with your other plants.

Good plants to see growing in your garden:

Clover: A nitrogen fixer, meaning it will help your garden self-fertilize year to year. You want as much of this as possible in your lawn, too. It’s killed by a lot of major herbicides though, so to justify it’s use, you’ve probably gotten told you want a monoculture of bladelike leaves for the “perfect lawn”. A perfect lawn like that is both really hard to keep alive if not the exact correct type for your yard, and also generally needs added nitrogen fertilizer… because you removed the clover with your herbicide… sigh.

Dandelions: These are great because they have a really deep taproot that breaks up ground and brings water and nutrients to the surface for your other plants to enjoy. This means less watering, less fertilizing, and less need to till the soil before planting! Plus, young dandelion greens, while bitter, make a great topping for a salty sandwich or pasta dish. Their early-season buds can be pickled for capers, and if you’re vegan, cheap, or just want some variety, you can make dandelion “honey” by using dandelion flowers to flavor a sugar syrup.

Henbit: not going to hurt anything, gives good root mats that can help keep water in the soil around your plants, and is also edible, if bitter.

Grass: Similar to henbit, it creates a root mat that aerates soil, keeps in moisture, and prevents erosion.

Plantain: There’s not as much I can say about this one, but it’s not going to hurt anything. And you can make tea out of it if you like.

The only plants I would really take out are the spiky ones (that might make it hard for you to access your food come time for harvest, and are easier to remove when small) and really tall ones with large leaves, which genuinely may shade out smaller plants, especially at the beginning of growing season. If you have a bed near a tree that produces a lot of seedlings, you may also want to be selective about which ones you keep, if any.

Second: Choosing Seeds

You can go the cheap/free way (link), and make yourself a nice dumpster garden out of discarded food scraps. If you’re particularly daring or broke I recommend going to an actual dumpster, since a lot of the discarded produce will be overripe and most plant-able. If you’re gonna invest in seeds, though- make them ones that are native to your area. As my dad found out after several failed years of 2-fruit harvests- growing lemons in Ohio is expensive and futile. Something like sweet potatoes or squash though will be a much better use of your energy.

You can easily recoup your investment in good seeds if you get heirloom and save the seeds for next year, limiting the number of times you’ll have to buy them in a lifetime. A lot of time it’s as easy as letting a few plants/fruits “go to seed” or overripen, then remove and dry the seeds. This is especially easy for brassicas, lettuces, and greens, but can also be done for tomatoes, cucumbers, squashes, and others with a little research and strategic planting to ensure minimal inopportune cross pollination.

Third: Planting and Care of Your Plants

Historically, nature has been pretty dang successful in growing things. Even things humans have decided we like to eat. The biggest thing you can do for yourself here is think “what would nature do?”.

Nature doesn’t till. Generally you can help root veg (carrots, beets, potatoes, etc…) get a little bigger/more uniform by roughing up the soil, but you don’t have to do it for anything else. Not tilling actually helps plants grow longer and more complex root systems, which decreases the need for watering and fertilizing, and they’re more likely to survive high winds.

Nature doesn’t plant things in rows ¼ inch deep. She dumps a ton of seeds in one area, half of them get eaten by birds, the other half sprout and beat each other up trying to get sunlight. A few nice, hardy, delicious plants remain. You can take some advice from this, but also help nature in this regard. I recommend dumping a ton of seeds in a section, then scrabbling your hand through them and the dirt over the area you’d like them to grow. There. Planted. Some will grow too close to each other and may stunt each other’s growth. You can thin to an appropriate distance, and generally eat the sprouts whole in a salad. You’re just gonna have to assume that some of the seeds will be eaten by birds/squirrels and be okay with that. Seeds are cheap and a renewable resource- especially if you got them from a dumpster.  

Nature doesn’t start seeds indoors. Just plant when it says on the packet outside.

Nature doesn’t water things regularly. If the soil is super dry when you plant, you may want to dampen it with some tap water. Other than that, water only when it’s been dry for a week or so, or the ground is exceptionally dry despite your clover and grass cover.

Nature doesn’t use petroleum-based fertilizers. She uses composted organic material (vegetable food scraps, yard waste if you’re on a 1-year compost cycle, plus pet waste, meat and dairy scraps if you’re on a 3-5 year cycle), and urine. Yes your urine. It’s great. High in nitrogen. Very free. Add it to your compost or use it directly by mixing it with about 3 parts water. You can either apply it in the rain or just try not to get too much of it on the leaves- pee plus sun will burn leaves.  

Finally, nature doesn’t neatly harvest on a particular schedule. Leave a tomato plant out and watch a deer go to town on it. We actually had all of our tomato plants last year eaten down to nubs early in the season, and they came back and gave us one of the best harvests ever! I don’t recommend this as a strategy, per se, but if you’re picking something like greens or basil, harvest by just grabbing handfuls and ripping it off the plant. Our basil and other greens LOVE this and grow massively when we do this.

Fourth: Miscellaneous Tips

Move your plants around year to year. Crop rotation isn’t just a big farm thing. Tomatoes are going to take what they need from the soil but leave the rest and add something back with their own decomposition, which might be something your squash wants next year, etc.. You don’t have to be perfect about it, just try to put things in different places from the year before.

Speaking of which, once you’ve gotten what you can out of them, just chop the plants up and cover them with a little topsoil or mulch at the end of the season. Saves you time and returns everything you can back to the soil. You may get volunteers next season, but really the more the merrier!

Also- some plants you can eat a lot more of than others. For example, the only thing edible on a tomato plant is the tomatoes. But radishes? You can eat the root, the greens, the flowers, and the seed pods, and they are all great! Look into other things you have growing and you might end up with more food than you thought!

Your plants will look weird. That’s okay. Some of the leaves may rot or fall off. The tubers will be weird shapes because they grew next to a rock. Some of them will get eaten or break and be a little behind because they had to grow back. Your tomatoes may have a crack or two in them. Just eat those first. Produce isn’t supposed to be as perfect as it is at the store, and it’s not a problem that it loses a few leaves or is “leggy” at first or other things people worry about. Plants grow, sometimes weirdly. That’s really, genuinely, okay. It very likely won’t harm the end product at all.

[tightwadspoonies]

CHEAP Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS)

Hi Folks,

Do you use pedialyte or sports drinks frequently but hate how expensive they are?

There's a lot of reasons you might need ORS. From vomiting or diarrhea to POTS to heavy workouts to living in a country suddenly way hotter than normal. And a single serving of a powdered rehydration drink mix can cost you more than $2 per serving. You might need multiple servings a day, which isn't necessarily sustainable for a lot of people.

But I've got you. Tested by my very POTSie wife for effectiveness and flavor, I present a drink with as much sodium, potassium and chloride as the brand name's Advanced Care line:

Cheap Fake Pedialyte Advanced Care, Lemon-Lime Flavor:

4 cups (1 L) water

1/4 tsp (1.7g) Table Salt

1/8 tsp (0.8g) Potassium Chloride (usually sold as "salt substitute")

4 TB (60ml) Lemon Juice

3 TB (45ml) Lime Juice

3 TB (38g) Granulated Sugar

Throw it all together in a bottle and shake it until everything is dissolved.

Assuming you had none of these things already in your house, your initial investment could be somewhere in the neighborhood of $11, less than a 6-pack of the powder packets, and which would be enough to make several weeks' worth of the drink (with additional purchases of the lemon and lime juices).

If you don't have lemon and lime juices, or want an orange flavored version, replace the total juice content with orange juice instead.

If you can't do that much sugar, try a sugar substitute, or try without sweetener (which would take some getting used to).

Want those powder packets instead? For a little more expense, get some granulated citrus (True Lemon, etc...) and put single-servings of the ingredient mixtures (- the water) in plastic baggies with a few grains of rice to prevent caking.

[macgyvermedical]

The best part of 2022 is watching 12-year-old shows like doomsday preppers and extreme cheapskates and being less “lol people are crazy” and more “damn I wish I had a tilapia powered greenhouse...”

[tightwadspoonies]

A taste of spring! Our peas are sprouting, the grapes are leafing, the orchard is coming back to life, we’re cultivating unused spaces to encourage wild food like raspberries and grapes and garlic, setting up our summer kitchen, finding cool plants in unused spaces to take and grow cuttings elsewhere, and our first crop of asparagus season!

[tightwadspoonies]

Crabapples!

Pulled over on the way to my parents today to harvest some crab apples from trees we’ve been eyeing for the last few months (on public land).

Crab apple trees are technically any tree that produces apples less than 2 in across. While often overlooked as a food source due to the more intense, wild, or tart flavor (or even actively disliked due to “mess” or “ugliness” in yards), their apples can be sauced, baked, fried, pie’d, made into apple scrap vinegar for canning or cleaning, or turned into apple butter. I personally also really like them raw!

Not to mention they’re totally free (save for the harvesting/collecting)!