Frugal Living Tips

PLANTING POTATOES IN RINGS INSTEAD OF TYRES
I was very disappointed on opening a big bag of soft cooking potatoes which I’ve purchased from the local SPAR, in Pinetown a few weeks ago. I’ve paid …

D.I.Y. MOSQUITO REPELLENTS 
With Spring around the corner, mosquito pests awaits us as we work in our gardens, as they breed out in a matter of days in upturned lids or containers …

Catching fish for food
My brother loves fishing and usually ends up with a few fish to clean at the water’s edge or at home. He always clean the fish on his home-made wooden …

“COOK” YOUR FOOD IN YOUR COOLER BOX FOR FREE
With possible future power cuts in the pipeline, I suggest that you make use of a cooler box to “cook” your meals in or keep the cooked meals hot for longer,…

DETER ANTS WITH PENNYROYAL HERB
Lately I’ve had a lot of problems with small, black ants inside my home, around and inside my electric kettle, distiller and even in the butter dish. I …

Homemade Hanging Planters
Every day one to two milk bottles get thrown away in the refuse bin, so I’ve decided to make use of this wonderful resource just gone to waste, by turning …

TAKE A HOLIDAY BY VISITING INTERESTING LOCAL PLACES 
A few months ago I took an overseas visitor to our local Mariannhill Monastery, situated close to my home. I’ve made arrangements to visit their very …

SEED LABELS MADE FROM MILK BOTTLE SIDES
I have found these labels made from milk bottles very handy as I can write all the details on it, after use, can discard it, and cost nothing extra, except …

SOAPBERRIES OR SOAPNUTS – NATURAL LAUNDRY DETERGENTS 
Whilst walking in a Botanical Garden, I came across a tree that dropped strange big seed pods. It tickled my imagination and I managed to find the name …

GROW YOUR OWN SUPER ORGANIC PINEAPPLES
I have grown many organic pineapples from small bought Queens pineapples that taste sweet. Just cut about a centimetre of “flesh” off under the pineapple …

SOWING BUSH BEANS IN A 80 LITRE TUB
I sow half a packet of bush beans in the 80 litre black plastic tub (obtainable from PicknPay, Games etc. – paid about R60 for it a while ago – now nearly …

CLEANING YOUR DISTILLER WITH VINEGAR
A few years ago I bought the above distiller for health reasons.
I was amazed by the muck it removed from the tap water and a tip I received by the salesman …

GROW YOUR OWN WHEAT GRASS FOR JUICING
Weigh 100g of organic wheat kernels, and place these in a glass bottle. Fill bottle with enough cold water just to cover the top of the kernels. Place …

Green Living on a Yacht
We have been cruising/sailing for 10 years, living on our yacht whilst circumnavigating.

We make our own fresh water from the sea with a desalinator,…

Home Made Furniture Polish
I know a lot of people already do this but this is still one of my favorite green cleaner! It saves the environment by not buying aerosol cans and most …

Energy saving tips
Try and eliminate your ‘ghost power’ – this is the power used by appliances that are left on at the wall but turned off at the appliance (think of stereo’…

Husband Does Grocery Shopping
I challenged my man to take the last of our money and buy food for the week. This was a tough call. I would have been hard pressed to fulfil the task …

GUINEA PIGS AND RABBITS
Guinea pigs and rabbits make fantastic droppings that can be added to the compost heap. They are great, inexpensive pets for children and can be bred for …

Bring Outdoor Lighting Inside!
We have four children that are avid readers. They will often stay up for hours reading a good book. I decided that the outdoor solar lights were perfect …

Homemade Chicken Stock
After roast chicken, instead of throwing away the carcass, make your own chicken stock. You can add home grown veg and herbs for a complete organic stock….

Vinegar
Use Vinegar for your rinse in your washer. Simply fill your softener cup with vinegar instead. Clothes will smell mildly vinegary when they are still …

STRAWBERRY BAGS AS PROTECTION AGAINST SLUGS
My strawberries are ripening one after the other, gaining double the size of normal strawberries, and bearing quite a lot in the Winter – unbelievable!…

Frugal “green” fire lighters.
We dry our twice used tea bags on the window sill. Stored in a jar with just a little parafin, these work as eco fire lighters, rather than blitz and they …

Sharing and Saving Seeds!
Instead of buying vegetable or flower seeds save them from your own plants and trade them with your neighbors or friends or even online!

Frugal Green “Shampoo” and “Conditioner”
In December 2009, we stopped using store-bought shampoo and conditioner and switched to a healthier, cheaper and enviro-friendly alternative:

Composting
Instead of throwing away your kitchen scraps e.g. Vegetable peels, egg shells, tea bags, coffee grounds etc, compost them and use the compost in your garden….

Silver / brass cleaner
The ashes from a wood burning stove / fire are brilliant at removing tarnish – just apply a little bit of cold wood ash from your fireplace with a damp …

Really Cheap Bathtime Fun!
My children would always argue at bathtime. Lots of stores sell very pricy fizz balls etc that colour your childrens bathwater. My kids love them, and …

Milk Bottles
Milk is great for plants, my mom taught me to rinse empty milk bottles with water and pour it onto my plants before washing them.  Empty milk bottles …

Saving water
These are just a few tips that make a little difference.

1. Use your bathwater to water the garden – think carefully about what soap you use. Can you …

Frugal Living Tips that Help Save Money AND Benefit Your Health!  Not rated yet
Most know that following frugal living tips will have a positive effect on your pocketbook but the health benefits derived from this lifestyle should not …

Need Help With Organic Gardening?….Try Using These Tips  Not rated yet
Your organic garden can be an important part of your life. Just like you, it needs to be taken care of properly. You need to research what you need, and …

Home Insulation – A Short Cut To Energy Efficiency?  Not rated yet
While there are tangible energy-saving gains to be made by installing more efficient appliances, these pale in comparison with the gains that can be made …

Tips on How to Make a More Energy Efficient Home   Not rated yet
Having an energy efficient home is really achievable, more achievable than most individuals would initially think. To make a perfect energy efficient home,…

LET ALOES LIGHT UP YOUR GARDEN DURING WINTER  Not rated yet
Flowering Aloe Ferox and all other types of aloes always reminded me of burning candles due to their intense yellow and orange flame colours, which brightens …

SUCCESSFUL SEED HARVESTING TIPS  Not rated yet
To live a frugal lifestyle, you have to look at nature and learn from it when harvests of seeds happen at various times of the year. The slightest breeze …

Health and spice benefits off Bay Leaf   Not rated yet
Yesterday my gardener Eric cleared the bottom branches of the large Sweet Laurel Bay tree in my front garden. We had a recent spate of house burglaries …

MY VERY FIRST BRAAI IN MY LIFE ON MY OWN MINI STOVE  Not rated yet
I am so excited that I was successful in making my very own braai on my mini survival stove (I’ve got three extras to sell if anyone’s interested). The …

NATALIE’S LATEST INVENTION – POTATO RINGS  Not rated yet
I’ve just placed my latest invention, namely a potato ring over my two organic potato plants, as this ring prevents the heaped soil being washed out of …

USING MY STRAWBERRY BAGS FOR ALL MY PRODUCE NOW  Not rated yet
The article about the strawberry protection bags has brought my first customer who purchased ten strawberry bags to try out on her crop of strawberries …

WIZZARD LAUNDRY GEL – MONEY SAVER GEL  Not rated yet
I’ve just made my own home-made, money saving Laundry Gel for use in my front loader washing machine, as mentioned in Wendy’s article. The above photos …

D.I.Y. ODOUR-FREE FLY TRAP TO CATCH LIVE FLIES  Not rated yet
I was searching the Internet for a D.I.Y. flytrap that will be less smelly than bought ones, and came across this idea on YOU-TUBE etc.

Use a cool-drink …

Natural ant poison  Not rated yet
I went into the Internet to get some tips about getting rid of ants in a more “greener” way than buying Ant Traps or poisonous sprays, especially with …

Make Your Own DIY Plant Self-Watering System!  Not rated yet
Use a 2-litre milk bottle and drill a row of 4 holes on the two opposite sides of the milk bottle – so you end up with 8 holes altogether.
Place this …

WONDERFUL MILK BOTTLE INVENTIONS  Not rated yet
I’ve received photos from my friend Douglas on my Face Book how to cut out a spade from an empty 2-litre milk bottle. The photos included the illustrated …

How to grow mushrooms at home  Not rated yet
I have just photographed my mushroom kit and took these two photographs to show you the size of these mushrooms. The bigger ones I will harvest tonight …

Vermicompost reused as seedling mix  Not rated yet
Yesterday my gardener Eric, and I dug out half of the shelter’s 17 year old vermicompost (topsoil) for use as a very good and friable seedling compost …

MONEY-SAVERS BY USING CUT-OFF BASES OF ONIONS AS NEW PLANTS  Not rated yet
A very handy frugal tip is to use bought onions, leeks, celery, etc. cut off bases of these vegetables with a bit of the flesh (say 1cm plus) to regrow …

Free Screen Savers  Not rated yet
I frequently replace one of my holiday photos for another holiday photo on my computer monitor as a screen saver, just depending on the frame of mind I …

Sweet Violets – Edible Medicinal Flowers with Herbal Powers!  Not rated yet
The sweet scented, tiny purple flowers of the Sweet Violets (Viola odorata) which I’ve photographed early in the morning in my garden, reminded me of the …

HYACINTH – AIR FRESHENER PLANT FOR A BATH ROOM  Not rated yet
I’ve received a lovely small potplant recently and after placing it in my sunny bedroom, noticed that it was not doing so well there. I moved the Hyacinth …

Growing seedlings in winter time  Not rated yet
I grow seedlings throughout the year, especially through winter time by using 2 small seedling trays, 2 cat litter trays, 1 part compost, 1 part potting …

Making Baby Food  Not rated yet
I decided to make all of my daughter’s baby food, rather than buying. It’s actually much easier than it might sound. I like it because I know exactly …

Orange help  Not rated yet
Save money by not buying sponges to clean pots – also reduce waste by reusing your orange bags.

Tie old orange bags in a ball as a scrubber for scouring …

Why buy new when secondhand will do?  Not rated yet
I have discovered the joy of buying quality items at half the price….secondhand! And I feel good about my “green” footprint as I am recycling by doing …

Pine Cones as Firelighters  Not rated yet
Pine cones make brilliant firelighters – once they are dry they catch easily and burn hot and steady for long enough to get the fire going. Even better …

Save Power – boil the kettle less.  Not rated yet
In our house we used to boil the kettle almost constantly, we are a large family, so there was a constant tea and coffee on the go. I bought a really …

Save Money And Help The Environment With Vegetarian Cooking  Not rated yet
Ask anybody in the know and they’ll tell you that eating meat has two real downsides. The first of these is that meat is expensive to buy when compared …

Left Over Mashed Potato  Not rated yet
I freeze the left over mashed potato from a meal, then when I am making stew or soup I just add the frozen mashed potato, this helps to thicken the dish….

Worm Farming  Not rated yet
Worm Farming is fun, frugal, educational and very GREEN. Before starting, know that you can source earth worms. The ones I have are known as red wrigglers….

Share what you can  Not rated yet
Sharing plant cuttings and seeds, and plant indigenous where possible can keep costs down particularly if you are an avid gardener.

Versatile washing soda: the best de-greaser  Not rated yet
Plain, old-fashioned Washing Soda crystals dissolved in hot water are the perfect replacement for detergent when washing dishes. Just wash and rinse, and …

Tea-bag firelighters  Not rated yet
Don’t just toss away your used teabags. Leave them to dry thoroughly, then pop into a sealable jar and drizzle with paraffin (lamp-oil).  They make …

Homemade Christmas Cards  Not rated yet
I really like making my own cards and gift tags at Christmas time. They’re much more personal than ones you buy in the store, and as a bonus they’re also …

Organic Pest Control  Not rated yet
Place a slice of cucumber in an aluminium baking tray in the garden where you have a bug infestation. The cucumber reacts with the aluminium to create …

Give the kettle a break  Not rated yet
Are you in an office/ home where the kettle is constantly being boiled for individual cups of tea & coffee?

Save energy and time by keeping a flask …

Frame weaving  Not rated yet
Construct a frame loom out of an old picture from or 4 pieces of wood screwed together. Children can weave their own place-mats or artistic wall hangings …

Save Electicity  Not rated yet
Here is another quick frugal tip to save money on electricity – don’t turn on the oven for just one thing. If you plan to heat it up for dinner, make a …

Frugal Milk Replacement  Not rated yet
With winter being upon us we are making more cheese sauces and custards for puddings. Using milk powder (reconstituted) in these recipes and all baking …

Keep it simple  Not rated yet
No matter what I do and where I am – I always keep the KISS principle in mind (keep it simple stupid;-)) Too much of anything is…too much! Not only

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