# Money saving tips



## ilovetigger (Aug 10, 2011)

I have seen so many folks complain that they cannot afford to get food stock, firearms, bug out supplies. That they are living paycheck to paycheck and have NO extra for anything. I AM GONNA SHARE A COUPLE OF MY SECRETS FOR Y'ALL!

COUPONS.
I have not paid for toothpaste in over 5 years. Watch for sales especially at stores with double coupons. Put ALWAYS $10 of your food budget into stock. You will be amazed to discover you can.

GARDEN
After the initial expense for seeds.......unless you get some from a friend or neighbor..........heirloom seeds will allow you to save your own. The only expense you will have for "hopefully" an abundance of fresh produce is sweat equity. With that savings, invest in some canning jars and supplies to store that abundance.

BUDGET
Work your budget from HAVE to haves. Don't manage your payments, manage your money. And, when making a purchase ask yourself if you REALLY need it, REALLY need it new, and for any large expense ALWAYS wait at LEAST 2 weeks or more before you buy. Research and ask questions. You may discover that you really didn't need or want it as much as you thought. 

SWEAT EQUITY
Yep, We hang our clothes. Saves at least $50 a month. Coulda bought that shelving unit........built one instead cheaper and nicer. Bought our home and DD as a repo and put the work in. Saved 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of the home. Ours is paid off, and she is set up to have hers paid off QUICKLY. Learn the basic skills to do oil changes, car repairs, home repairs. If you HAVE to hire someone.........watch and learn so you can do it next time. I learned to can and dehydrate reading online and watching utube videos. I have learned a LOT via utube and reading.
You would be surprised how many general daily things you can make yourself much cheaper but, just as effective. (ie. laundry soap, household cleaners, shelves, etc.) Perhaps others can start adding recipes or thoughts on this link to help us ALL save some money.

CREDIT CARDS/CHARGE CARDS
I know, I know. TABOO! BUT, if you make them work for you they can assist someone living paycheck to paycheck start their stock. If they DO NOT pay YOU something for using them............DON'T USE THEM! I have 2 charge cards I use and a 2 store cards. The trick is to pay them immediately online or pay the balance IN FULL every month. DO NOT CARRY A BALANCE! That is where most folks struggle. 
EXAMPLES: The cabelas Visa gives me points every time I use it. I have to pay my gas/electric bill monthly, my phone bill, for groceries. I pay with the Visa and either immediately go online to pay off what I charge or pay in full at the billing cycle. NEVER carry a balance. This allows me to pay my everyday bills yet STILL accumulate points for FREE supplies at Cabelas. Same with my Credit Union Visa. When used it accumulates points for FREE cash cards or shopping via catalog. Kmart, our grocery store, warehouse store, and I am sure several others have much of the same program. I have to shop and pay these bills ANYWAY.........Why not make them work for you?

SECOND HAND
Those second hand stores are a gold mine............as are garage and estate sales. You can often get things used that are much nicer than you would have bought new. Sometimes you may need to put in a little sweat equity but, WOW! And don't forget to check out the local library sales. I haven't bought a new book in years. Books that new are $4-$25 I am buying for 10-25 cents. Sometimes even cheaper when they have the $5 a bag and get a bag free.


This is just a start. I thought we may ALL have some tips for those just starting, those struggling, and even those of us who could use some fresh new ideas.


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## Immolatus (Feb 20, 2011)

Good points all, thank you.

I would just point out one commonly held misplaced belief.

Using a credit card NEVER saves you money. Every credit card transaction initiates a fee to the store, which they obviously pass on to you. Thats why some stores (and this is evidently becoming more popular) offer you a discount for paying in cash. Using credit cards/debit cards for ANYTHING drives up the cost.
Essentially you are paying for any supposed benefit you get from using the card. 5% cash back? No. The store most likely raised their prices by 5% to account for it, so you gained nothing. But the processing company and credit card company made out like bandits.


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## FatTire (Mar 20, 2012)

craigslist and freecycle have lots of free stuff, and even if you dont need it, you might know someone who does, who may be able to trade you something for it. 

also, those plastic half gallon vodka bottles (just me?) are good for storing water...

oh and lets not forget dumpster diving, youd be amazed what people throw away


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## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

1) pack your own lunches
2) make your own laundry soap
3) hang out your laundry (saves a ton of electricity)
4) change your own oil, change your own oil filter, air filter, etc.
5) grow a garden (even a few plants will improve your diet)
6) shop thrift shops and yard sales in nice neighborhoods
7) start making meals from scratch- avoid packaged meals full of additives and expensive- make extra for your lunches


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

FatTire said:


> oh and lets not forget dumpster diving, youd be amazed what people throw away


Not around here ... It will get you a few days in jail.


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

1.	*Sweat equity *- Our first house we put 25% down payment on a house built in the earlier 1900's. Spent the next 30 years, roof, windows, plumbing, wiring, siding, insulation, garage, insides, 95% all by myself. Worked on it almost every evening and weekend. Sold it for a nice profit.

2.	*Buy used *- Always wanted a Jeep. Children are gone I can afford it now! Bought a 1 year old low mileage truck for $10,000 les then what the new Jeep would have cost.

3.	*Marriage* - Whoever said that, "Two can live cheaper than one" wasn't married.

4.	*Furniture*. Daughter lived in Chicago for a spell. Renters wouldn't have the means to move their larger furnishings so they wold abandon them in alleys. She got some pretty good pieces of furniture by "alley shopping".

5.	*College Education *- Daughter (the oldest) TOLD ME that I was going to pay for her college education. I TOLD HER that I wasn't going to go into debt so she could have a paid vacation. She went from a straight B Student to a straight A. She worked her way thru college, Peace Corps 2 ½ years to pay down her college loan and then a 100% scholarship for two more years. Son (youngest) went from a D minus student to a straight B and worked his way thru 4 college, married and now planning for 3 years of seminary. Parents don't "OWE" their children a college education.


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

ilovetigger said:


> ...EXAMPLES: The cabelas Visa gives me points every time I use it. ....


Cabelas Visa points :thumbraise:


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

TheLazyL said:


> *
> 
> Marriage* - Whoever said that, "Two can live cheaper than one" wasn't married.


THAT is why I plan on finding some woman I can't stand and just give her a house... Sparing myself 20+ YEARS of bullcrap. :lolsmash:


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

FatTire said:


> also, those plastic half gallon vodka bottles (just me?) are good for storing water...


Yes, but they are much better at storing Vodka! For barter and medicinal uses of course.


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## artman556 (May 2, 2012)

Those are good points


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## ilovetigger (Aug 10, 2011)

The_Blob said:


> THAT is why I plan on finding some woman I can't stand and just give her a house... Sparing myself 20+ YEARS of bullcrap. :lolsmash:


Little bitter are we?


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## machinist (Jul 4, 2012)

*Junkyard Junkie*

The local metal scrap yard provided much of the machinery in my shop, most of our garden tools, our clothes dryer, (seldom used), materials fo rmaking clothesline posts, garden fence, chicken house, small yard barn, and a lot of other things.


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## Bobbb (Jan 7, 2012)

machinist said:


> The local metal scrap yard provided much of the machinery in my shop, . . .


Would you please expand on this part a bit more. Were these antiques, broken equipment, barely functional equipment or what?


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## machinist (Jul 4, 2012)

Bobbb, 

All of the above you mentioned and then some. 

All the machinery and such were just old equipment that needed repairs, mostly "obsolete" machine shop stuff. I did rebuilds on 3 metal lathes, a huge drill press (flat belt drive, circa, 1900), an old Sioux valve grinder, a Van Norman cylinder head grinder, and other smaller items. I bought the machinery for scrap price. 

I built a powered sheet metal slip roll, 20 ton and 50 ton hydraulic jack presses, a 1" x 48" belt sander (made from a water pump motor and an old exercise machine), a cabinet sandblaster, and an English Wheel/power forming hammer from scratch, plus numerous machine stands, tables, and fixtures of all sorts. Virtually all the materials for those came from junkyard salvage. I've built air compressors from AC compressor pumps and LP gas tanks. 

Other salvaged and repaired items: garden hoes, rakes, shovels, and all the rest of my long handled tools, a one wheel push cultivator, chicken waterer (I soldered a leak and painted it 4 years ago--still working), galvanized furnace duct material that became chicken nests, and ALL my carpenter tools, plus about half of my mechanics tools. Body dollies, Vixen files for lead/body putty, body hammers, slide hammers (for pulling dents), gear pullers, log chains, and 300# of nails all came from the same junkyard, at about 12 to 15 cents a pound. 

Old bodybuilder free weights became ballast on my small tractor disc, and front wheel weights for the tractor. I found old front wheel weights for a farm tractor that were just right for rear wheel weights on my garden tractor. I have an old 5 HP Sears tiller that is almost finished with restoration. Salvaged a mower deck for parts to keep my old riding mower going--spindles, blades, pullies and a drive belt, all for 30 bucks. 
Presently, awaiting restoration in the shop are 2 corn shellers and a 300 pound cast iron sorghum mill. That last is a roller affair that was originally powered by horses turning a 16 foot pole, but I have a 6 1/2 HP gas engine for it and an 1,800 to ONE drive reduction (it wants to run 2 RPM) made of gearboxes and roller chain drives. (A friend of mine grows sorghum cane.)


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## machinist (Jul 4, 2012)

Here's a video of a garden tractor like mine (the orange on in front), another restore job, although it was bought from a friend for $600. ( A new Case Ingersoll costs around 10 grand.)
Link:




The answer to saving money is to ignore the "I gotta have a NEW one" idea. Lots of good stuff out there for cheap, if you look for it and are willing to work at it.


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## Jimthewagontraveler (Feb 8, 2012)

Kerosene is much higher in price than diesel and both burn
in a wick lamp.
If you want light inside just hang the lamp near a window.
You will learn to clean the glass and trim the wick.
Coleman stoves/lanterns work very well on unleaded fuel.
You will learn to clean the flow valve.
Coleman fuel is slightly more explosive than gasoline.
CHICKENS CHICKENS CHICKENS!!!
Your neighbor and the local barny fife like eggs be generous
Eggs can be sold for $1.00 each!!!
Pickle them with a few peppers & onions add red food color
And a few drops of tobasco.
Pack them in old pickle jars.
Do most laundry in cold/cold mode. 
Get receipts on every thing and see where your money goes.
You will be surprised.
Drive less walk more.
How much does that car cost you PER MILE
Are you allowed to use a lawn mower/golf cart/powered bike?
How much would you save with no vehicle insurance?
Would it be worth taking a lower paying closer job?
Mow less.
Mow and bag for your neighbor for 2x the price of fuel then
Feed clippings to your horse/goat/chicken or blend in garden
To increase the fertility of your dirt.
Use grass clippings as mulch ( this will kill trees)
A $50 shotgun 2 boxes of shells requires 12 dead rabbits in
the pot to break even ( if your going to miss don't pull
the trigger)
Use half the recommended soap.
If your horse won't pull(wagon/log)and saddle fix him 
cause he ain't right!
If your dog won't shut up or not eat on command fix him
cause you ain't the boss and if you ain't the boss he 
ain't happy!
Ok maybe those last 2 might just be pet peeves but they 
are true and I got you to read them.


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## CapnJack (Jul 20, 2012)

machinist said:


> Bobbb,
> 
> All of the above you mentioned and then some.
> 
> ...


Great post, Machinist. Re-use and re-purpose has got to be the best way to save money, while also reducing the impact of junk and trash on landfills, ect. Before I throw anything out, I consider any possibility of re-use or re-purpose. Then, only if it can't possibly be re-used in some way, and is not 'recyclable' does it go into the garbage. Am I a hoarder? Depends on your definition. But either way, I am ahead of 90% of the rest of the population when it comes time to need stuff, ya know?

Oddly enough, even though I keep my eyes open whenever I am on the road, looking for just set along the curb, I have never given a thought to going to the metalyard to purchase those types of items for scrap prices. You might be getting a call from the wife soon :lolsmash:


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

The_Blob said:


> THAT is why I plan on finding some woman I can't stand and just give her a house... Sparing myself 20+ YEARS of bullcrap. :lolsmash:


Marriage is absolutely wonderful if you marry the right person and if you're the right person for them. Overall, I know a lot more rotten men than rotten women. A lot of men don't know how to love. They expect their woman to be their slave. They expect 10 times more consideration from them than they ever give in return. My brother-in-law was a cold-hearted, selfish man who never treated my sister very well. I used him as a model of how I would never treat my wife once I got married.

My wife and I are happily married. We've been married for 18 years. We're still in love. I think one of the most important reasons why is I can deal with things as they come up, resolve them, move on, and never mention them again.

Another reason is that I'm a Christian and so is my wife. So God is not only my Father but also my Father-in-law. I know that in order to be on good terms with Him I need to treat his daughter properly.


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

Immolatus said:


> Good points all, thank you.
> 
> I would just point out one commonly held misplaced belief.
> 
> ...


You could look at this way: If there's no cash discount then you're better off using your credit card to get whatever rewards that you can. Then paying it off each month in full.


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## machinist (Jul 4, 2012)

CapnJack said:
"...I have never given a thought to going to the metalyard to purchase those types of items for scrap prices. You might be getting a call from the wife soon.  " 

That's okay. I've been called a lot of things.... 

Here's some cheap long term storage foods:

-spaghetti, vacuum sealed in canning jars.
-rolled oats (got ours at the feed store, 50 lbs. for $20.99), vac sealed in Foodsaver bags.
-rice, vac sealed in Foodsaver bags.
-dry beans, ditto. Especially pintos bought in bulk.
-sugar, mylar bags in buckets, keeps forever.
-salt, ditto. Can't have too much, and it's cheap.
-peanut butter, original package. Lotsa food value for the $$.
-instant coffee. Stores for ages in original package.
-Kool Aid, dry Gatorade. Original packages put into ziplock bags.
-teabags. Seal in ziplocks, or vac seal in bags. Saves space, keeps for years.


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

TheLazyL said:


> 1.
> 2.	*Buy used *- Always wanted a Jeep. Children are gone I can afford it now! Bought a 1 year old low mileage truck for $10,000 les then what the new Jeep would have cost.


Yes, it's good to buy used. Used low-mileage trucks are very difficult to buy cheap. You can do even better if you look for older, used cars with low miles. I bought our last three cars by looking at Craigslist every 15 minutes all day long in some cases for weeks until we found the car we were looking for.

I think we bought our last 3 cars in 2009. The best one was a 2000 Buick Century with 19,000 miles for $5,000. Another one was 1995 Buick Century with 58,000 miles that we was $2,000. The third one was a 1992 Olds Cutlass Ciera with 55,000 miles that we got for $2,000.

I live in NE Wisconsin but I've driven to Chicago a few times to look at cars because they're considerably cheaper there than here. If you can save $500 or $1000 on a car purchase it's worth driving 150 miles to get there.

I also look for cars on eBay. A good place to buy a good used car is from a new car dealership. 99% of the time, if the dealership is selling the used car, it's a car they believe in or they would just sell it wholesale to someone else. That's especially true if the dealership is selling a brand of car that they don't sell new. For example, if a Toyota dealership is selling a Buick. My dad claimed that he could always buy a used Chrysler from a non-Chrysler dealer cheaper than from a Chrysler dealer.

When we were looking for cars we kept a few thousand in cash in the house so that if a good deal came along we could be the first ones there with cash.


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## machinist (Jul 4, 2012)

Here's a copy of a post I made on a beginning prepper's forum. Some is very basic, others not so much. 

-Get rid of the TV, especially if you have KIDS! They get programmed from it to be CONSUMERS. Instead, teach them how to live well without consumerism. We do have a TV, but my wife's bird watches it. Our daughter's Cockatoo learned a lot from PBS kids' programs, and talks about them a lot. THINK ABOUT THIS! If a bird with the intelligence of a 3 year old human can get indoctrinated by TV, WHAT IS IT DOING TO YOUR KIDS? When our kids were about 10 years old I took our TV to our trash dump on the back of the place and shot it with a .357, end of TV. No more whining for certain cereals, sneakers, toys, etc. End of problem. No cable bill, no paying for a new TV every so often, either. Use the time you would waste watching the thing to do something constructive.

-Downsize your vehicle. Keep an older one to save money on first cost, taxes, (license/property tax fees in Indiana are based on vehicle value), insurance. Get one that is cheap on gas, too. It probably WON'T be an SUV if it fits this description. If yours doesn't get at least 25 MPG and you aren't hauling freight, you need to take a look at this. 

-Learn to fix everything you possibly can yourself. Replace electrical outlets (shut off the main breaker!!), replace a faucet, change oil in your vehicle, etc. 

-Wife cuts my hair. I haven't paid a barber for over 20 years. At about $10 for a cheap haircut, twice a month, that is $240/year X 20 years = $4,800. That will buy you a decent used pickup truck. 

-Save free containers of all useful sorts. Most of our food storage is in either free, or cheap used containers. 

-Learn to build stuff. Maybe start with a fence, doghouse, picnic table, outdoor benches, birdhouses. Graduate to a woodshed, a garden tool shed, and maybe a needed porch where you can process garden stuff in the shade. Last week I saw a 10 ft. X 16 ft. "yard barn" at Home Depot that cost $3500!!!! I built our yard barn that is 12 ft. X 28 ft. for about $500 after scrounging most of the materials. 

-Sew. Fix your own clothing when it needs it and save a lot on replacements. Make curtains. Sew on buttons. Use iron on patches on work jeans.

-Buy clothing used at yard sales, Goodwill stores, Salvation Army, or wherever you can get it for 10 cents on the dollar. I bought nice dress shoes (men's) and work boots at the army surplus store. Also a great place to get work clothing. 

-Buy tools at the flea market (know your prices and what is usable, not trash), junkyard, Craigslist, and antique fairs. Old stuff is usually more durable, if you know what you are doing here. You gotta be able to fix what ails them, though, like filing and setting a hand saw, filing the end of a screwdriver, replacing handles, etc. 

-Collect rainwater for drinking and washing your hair, at least. Better yet, create a cistern system to get all your water. Stop paying a buck a bottle for water!

-Buy used tires from a junkyard, and be very picky about it. Always buy them in pairs, of exactly the right size and off the same vehicle to assure you have an evenly worn pair. Around here, I can get any car or light truck tire used for 20 bucks, and they have at least half the tread life on them.

-Gardening and cannng is great, but be sure you concentrate on what you will EAT, and then on the high-priced stuff: Ketchup, salsa, canned soups, canned meats and stews, spices like sage and red pepper, and costly vegetables like asparagus. Some fruits are costly, too, and moreso when they are made into jams, jellies, and pie fillings. Can your own convenience foods! 

-Buy spices and herbs online and in bulk to last a while. Typically, you will save a BUNDLE. Try Monterey Bay Spice Company for what you can't grow at home. 

-Get free plant starts from friends and fencerows (be polite and ask permission). Make your own cuttings to propagate plants. Save seeds.


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## machinist (Jul 4, 2012)

All those "Miracles-in-a-Bottle" that are so popular have substitutes. All you need to learn is what is REALLY in that bottle. Gas line antifreeze was the first one I discovered, just reading the ingredient = denatured alcohol, also known as shellac thinner which you can buy for far less by the gallon. Same goes for fuel injector cleaner = Xylol, the better grade paint thinner. Others include Windex (mostly water, with a bit of alcohol and a wetting agent = a few drops of dish soap). A little household ammonia makes it better for really grungy stuff, but make sure you have good ventilation so you don't breathe the fumes. 

Retailers sell all manner of stuff in bottles that are mostly water with a spiffy label. Read and see. Many folks on this site and others make their own soaps, lotions, toothpaste, and you can too. Make it a challenge to see how many things you can create on your own! 

Over the counter meds are a BIG racket. We get along with simple aspirin for most pain relief, and generics for the rest. One of the most egregious offenders is the mucous relief stuff that sells for an outrageous price in a pill form. The same ingredient, Guanifenisin, is available at Wal Mart in generic liquid form for next to nothing by comparison. 

One of the best pain relievers (told this by a doctor and a couple nurses) is the standard package-directions dose of tylenol along with the standard dose of ibuprofen at the same time. I was told they work on pain in different ways, and together are more effective than narcotic type pain relievers. And they don't make you stupid when you take them. DO YOUR OWN DUE DILIGENCE ON ALL MEDICAL ISSUES. SEE YOUR MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL FOR PROBLEMS. I AM NOT A DOCTOR AND I DON'T PLAY ONE ON THE INTERNET, THUS TAKE WHATEVER I SAY ABOUT HEALTH FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY! There. The lawyers should be happy now.


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## machinist (Jul 4, 2012)

Since times began to get harder over the past few years, businesses have gone under and been liquidated by their creditors. I have attended industrial auctions and bought machinery and business equipment really cheap, many times for pennies on the dollar of new cost. 

Individuals are liquidating, too. Many people are strapped for cash, and selling anything that isn't nailed down, and some that WERE nailed down and they pried it loose. Search all the usual suspects--Craigslist, eBay, and all the used and junk sources for these bargains, but also watch front yards in your travels. I see everything imaginable sitting in yards for sale. There are more than the normal numbers of vehicles, boats, RV's, and trailers of many sorts. I also see farm equipment and tractors, ATV's, portable sheds, mowers, livestock equipment, truck tool boxes, and sports equipment. 

Services are "On Sale" too. Seems like about every 3 pickup I see around town has a sign on the door advertising cut-rate car repair, painting, carpentry, lawn service, or other business that doesn't cost too much to start up. Shop these new vendors for some real deals. I got a lot of work done toward restoring our 2 pickups that I didn't want to tackle (rebuilding rear ends, changing fuel tanks, replacing complete brake systems, lines and all) for about $40/hour, compared to $65 to $75/hour in town. I did the easier stuff myself. 

If we are going to SELL something, I listened to what an old friend of mine said, "A gallon of paint sells pretty high, if you put it on something". Boy howdy, does it ever! Many times it makes something marketable that otherwise would look too much like junk. People are like a bunch of crows, grabbing at anything shiny, it seems, so take addavntage of that and spiff up what you are going to sell. I have seen two tractors, very nearly identical otherwise, sell at auction: the one brought in as-is went for half what the newly painted one brought. AND, make sure what you are selling WORKS. Fix what it needs to be functional, and the price goes WAY up, often at a tidy profit.


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## timmie (Jan 14, 2012)

FatTire said:


> craigslist and freecycle have lots of free stuff, and even if you dont need it, you might know someone who does, who may be able to trade you something for it.
> 
> also, those plastic half gallon vodka bottles (just me?) are good for storing water...
> 
> oh and lets not forget dumpster diving, youd be amazed what people throw away


hubby actually went dumpster diving. one of our local stores was remodeling we asked if we could have the pegboard at the dumpster, the manager told us we could have anything in or around the dumpster .we filled the backend of our truck with pegboard and tons of pegs.first time he went diving .he is hooked.:2thumb:


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