[i.e. the years I lived as a dumpster diver in NYC]
Jane spotted this under some garbage bags after we went to the Mexican supermarket for some supplies. Naturally, we wheeled it home atop my bicycle.
Then while dinner cooked itself in the crock pot, I fished out what was left of the paint I had used for my walls, and did a quick (shoddy, but improved nonetheless) revamp of this grand trunk. As ever, it was a pleasure making strokes with the thick milkshakey scent-free zero-VOC paint. Our new trunk now houses winter boots and other unsightlies.
Like a mommy at Talbots, I feel peachy keen satisfaction when traipsing through the aisles of a Salvation Army thrift store. Gems abound. The turnover is tremendously quick as well. People get rid of massive quantities of clothing. I reckon there is enough of it in the world right now to clothe many bodies for much time. So I save buying new for special occasions--like I do for meat eating.
...I will do it as my Dad has always done it. It's the oldest trick in the water-saving book, but it's tried and true and easy peasy. Just take a brick or some heavy object that won't rust, or take a milk jug or similar container and fill it with water so it doesn't float. Then place it in the tank. Whatever you put in (up until the water line) is how much water you'll displace, and therefore how much water you'll save every time you flush! Pictured here is about a quarter gallon, so if the average person flushes the toilet about 2,500 times a year, and my two roommates and I are home maybe about half the time, this teeny tiny little action (that until yesterday I had forgotten that I even did) saves about a thousand gallons of water a year.
One store, one night.
A sea of non-perishables--from clam knives to cranberry to corn picks to candles to cous cous...and even grapefruit spoons! Click 'read more' for itemized list and prices.
The market staff was nothing less than friendly. I made it a point to assure them I would tie everything back as I found it, and while placing new bags carefully separate from those I had already rummaged through, they joked with me about how many jars of mustard one person could consume. Nothing was defective, some of the food was expired (but of course in sealed, clean, pristine packaging). All of the utensils, gadgets, cleaning cloths, candles, and so on were of course without an expiration date and fully functional, all be their packaging slightly dated (cheesy graphics, glue around plastic packaging had become brittle). I understand that food goods have expiration dates, beyond which, in our litigious society, liability becomes an issue. But I find it so difficult to stomach the mass disposal of brand new unopened can openers, strainers, thermometers, pencils, knife sharpeners, rubber gloves, and honey stirrers being thrown. I find myself desiring ever more the implementation of infrastructure to absorb this excess. It could be as simple as an individual (yes, there happens to be a mirror just across from my desk) willing to transport these goods from the market to the pantry, the shelter, the Salvo, what have you. The inventory is as follows:
| Item | Units | Price | Total | ||||
| Power Bars | 36 | $2.49 | $89.64 | ||||
| Kind Bars | 1 | $2.49 | $2.49 | ||||
| Cliff Bars | 1 | $2.49 | $2.49 | ||||
| Good Earth Tea | 5 | $1.50 | $7.50 | ||||
| Granola | 6 | $3.99 | $23.94 | ||||
| Pomegrante | 1 | $5.99 | $5.99 | ||||
| McCann's Irish Oatmeal | 1 | $4.99 | $4.99 | ||||
| Raisins (assorted flavor) | 10 | $1.50 | $15.00 | ||||
| Boulder Canyon Chips | 1 | $3.99 | $3.99 | ||||
| Rice Select Organic Rice | 8 | $3.49 | $27.92 | ||||
| Near East Long Grain Wild Rice | 4 | $3.49 | $13.96 | ||||
| Grey Poupon Squeeze Bottle | 3 | $4.19 | $12.57 | ||||
| Maille Dijon | 3 | $4.19 | $12.57 | ||||
| Dijon Country Jar | 1 | $5.99 | $5.99 | ||||
| Sweet Pea Can | 1 | $1.99 | $1.99 | ||||
| Cranberry Sauce | 1 | $2.49 | $2.49 | ||||
| Cambells's Chunky | 1 | $3.49 | $3.49 | ||||
| Progresso Tomato Puree | 1 | $1.50 | $1.50 | ||||
| Escarole in Broth | 2 | $1.50 | $3.00 | ||||
| Lucini Fig and Walnut Balsamic | 2 | $3.00 | $6.00 | ||||
| Numeral candle | 44 | $0.99 | $43.56 | ||||
| Soy milk | 17 | $1.50 | $25.50 | ||||
| Chanukah Candles | 6 | $2.00 | $12.00 | ||||
| Playtex Living Gloves | 3 | $2.99 | $8.97 | ||||
| Potato Leek, Mushroom soup | 3 | $1.50 | $4.50 | ||||
| Chicken Broth | 2 | $1.50 | $3.00 | ||||
| Tomato Couscous | 1 | $14.29 | $14.29 | ||||
| Shower curtain | 1 | $6.99 | $6.99 | ||||
| Mr Clean reusable wipes | 7 | $1.99 | $13.93 | ||||
| T-Stick | 4 | $2.99 | $11.96 | ||||
| Pencils | 1 | $1.69 | $1.69 | ||||
| Sharpie | 1 | $6.99 | $6.99 | ||||
| Poultry Lacers | 8 | $2.19 | $17.52 | ||||
| Disinfectant Wipes | 8 | $2.99 | $23.92 | ||||
| Salt and Pepper Mill | 1 | $12.99 | $12.99 | ||||
| Ice Cream Scoop | 1 | $2.99 | $2.99 | ||||
| Honey Server | 10 | $0.99 | $9.90 | ||||
| Spatulas | 3 | $3.99 | $11.97 | ||||
| Heat Resistant Spatula | 1 | $5.99 | $5.99 | ||||
| Spoonula | 1 | $4.99 | $4.99 | ||||
| Apple Corer | 1 | $3.99 | $3.99 | ||||
| Grapefruit Spoons | 1 | $3.99 | $3.99 | ||||
| Clam Knifes | 2 | $2.99 | $5.98 | ||||
| Casabella Water Stop Gloves | 3 | $3.99 | $11.97 | ||||
| Window Cleaning Cloths | 6 | $2.49 | $14.94 | ||||
| Turkey Timer | 4 | $0.69 | $2.76 | ||||
| Kitchen Thermometer | 1 | $9.99 | $9.99 | ||||
| Beef Raw Hide | 1 | $3.29 | $3.29 | ||||
| Assorted Cleaning | 5 | $1.99 | $9.95 | ||||
| Gulf Wax | 1 | $3.99 | $3.99 | ||||
| Knife Sharpeners | 2 | $2.49 | $4.98 | ||||
| Shrimp Deveiner | 1 | $3.99 | $3.99 | ||||
| Wrist Tape | 2 | $4.29 | $8.58 | ||||
| Corn Picks | 5 | $3.99 | $19.95 | ||||
| Mayo Knives | 7 | $1.99 | $13.93 | ||||
| Mildew Gone | 1 | $2.99 | $2.99 | ||||
| Toothbrush Covers | 3 | $1.29 | $3.87 | ||||
| Cheese Markers | 2 | $1.79 | $3.58 | ||||
| Butter Slicer | 1 | $4.99 | $4.99 | ||||
| Mini Strainer | 1 | $2.99 | $2.99 | ||||
| Meat Thermometer | 1 | $9.99 | $9.99 | ||||
| Kitchen Wine, Sherry, Vermouth | 5 | $3.89 | $19.45 | ||||
| TOTAL |
|
||||||
| GRAND | TOTAL | $661.30 |
Artichokes, rutabagas, mushrooms, apples, tofu, flat bread, pumpernickel bread, bread rolls, sweet potato pie, oranges, bananas, potatoes, sour cream, ricotta cheese, string cheese, cream cheese, Gobstoppers, Life Saver gummies, and oh so many Hot Tamales.
Need I say it? From the trash bags, outside grocery store, en route to landfill.
This is what I wanted.
I watched the woman place her shopping bags on the floor, slip onto the red naugahyde stool, swallow a few bites of her cheeseburger, nibble on her onion rings, crumple her napkin, slide a few bucks under the salt shaker, and shuffle off. What was left was really exactly what I wanted--half a cheeseburger, half an order of onion rings--and just because it was, for free...and about to go to waste.
This is what I got.
I had a little angel-devil dialog with myself as I waited my turn in line, peering over at the site posted above. Dispute settled, I paid $14 for a cheeseburger with grilled onions, an order of onions rings, and a peppermint oreo shake. In the wake of some user or technical error, what actually turned upon my tray were two cheeseburgers with grilled onions, two orders of onions rings, and two peppermint oreo shakes (I gave one away to a teen boy).
There I sat, alone in the food court of a shopping mall with $14 less than I wanted and some 3,000 calories more than I wanted. All because I had a bit of silly tact ingrained in me a little too strongly.
Halloween costumes can be the cause of such stress! They're cheaply constructed, generic, and expensive.
Some thrift stores set up Halloween sections during this time of year. If you live in Los Angeles, at the moment there is a large section in the Goodwill at the corner of Santa Monica Blvd and 6th St in Santa Monica. I'm sure other thrift stores have a similar set up. They may not have the hottest superhero your child most desperately needs, but they're likely to have more unique options (no one wants to show up wearing the same thing as someone else), and still allow your kids the fun of roaming the aisles to pick out his or her own costume. I think it's also a good chance to instill that Halloween really is about having fun, getting dressed up, and stuffing yourself with candy. And just as much fun can be had in a used Gumbi costume as in a brand new Iron Man costume.
I've also heard of parents organizing costumes swaps. Both are really great ways to get kids fun new costumes on a budget, and while helping to minimize clothing manufacturing and landfill use. If you're in New York, go to this one that my friend is organizing on October 24th !
Another idea is to convert an old costume into something new. With new accessories a fairy can be adjusted to a princess, remove the padding and get a new nose and an elephant becomes a seal, dye a good witch dress and it becomes a wicked witch.
You can also make your own costume. All of my favorite costumes growing up were made by my mom. They were nothing too elaborate, but it ensured that no one else would have the same costume, and I got to help her out and suggest changes here and there, so I got just what I wanted. We also stored costumes away, so I often wore what my brother had worn a couple years prior. They also had a great homemade touch--accents and accessories were actual tactile objects, not just screen printed onto chintzy fabric. Scrap fabric, string, glue, tape, paint, and carboard boxes can take you a very long way. It's so much fun to get creative with kids. Making costumes with them is a great way to stretch their imagination and encourage them to find ways to translate that imagined idea into a functioning frock.
A whisk, sea salt, bagels, assorted herbs, salad dressing (probably 8 jars), skewers (a handful out of thousands), soy sauce, BBQ sauce, tomato paste, green beans, dozens of eggs, a peeler, and cookie cutters!
Please note that the fumee de sel carries a price tag of $28. And cookie cutters don't go bad.
I recently secured $50 selling two charcoal BBQs that I found on the street and ended up having no room for. Two posts, two emails, two 3 minute exchanges. Now I have pocket cash and less clutter, an Irish lady has the means to cook on her camping trip, and the Broke-ology set at Lincoln Center Theater has a prop. Three winners!
I tallied the price tags of the non-perishables that I collected from Gristedes the other day.
The total is $291.05.
I only took what I wanted and could carry, which was only about 1/5 of what was there. And the figure doesn't include baked goods or produce. And that was only one store out of so very many on one night out of so very many. Consider how much that all adds up to!
I understand the need for an sell-by labeling system. It's the same with college move-out day--I understand why it happens, I know the feeling of having three hours to pack to move across the country while hungover, with your parents looking over your shoulder, foreseeing no future use for a shower caddy or XL twin sheets. The frustration I have is that because it is foreseen and unfailing, then infrastructure should be in place to comfortably consign the goods to another user. Cambells soup! The most classically non-perishable food item I can imagine, was being thrown out by the dozen. Yes, the sell-by date had come and gone, so fine...the store can't sell it. But value does not have to vaporize along with that store's ability to put it on their shelves.
The granola and nuts were being tossed because their expiration date had passed. The thing is, granola doesn't instantaneously spoil. A cereal moth might nudge it's way in, or the oil might begin to taste past its best, but even then it's a matter of taste--it's nothing biological emetic. That being the case, it would be nice if there were a way for liability to be relaxed so that perfectly edible food could be redistributed.
I don't meant to get preachy, but with 400,000 people in New York City suffering from moderate to severe hunger, and over 1,000 soup kitchens & food pantries in operation, many far over capacity, the framework of food disposal seems to be in need of a major overhaul.
A couple months ago I collected many books from the dumpsters at Columbia and NYU. The other day I finally got around to posting a couple on Amazon, not really expecting them to sell given a presumed summertime lull in textbook sales. Lo and and behold, I am now $140 wealthier! And two more people can gain knowledge (or not, based on how pristine these books were) from the pages of those trees.
Aren't trees and trash generous!!
I do love an odd job, and there is nothing more odd than being paid to participate in medical experiments. Any university runs research studies like this and they're always looking of participants. Simple questionairre or computer based tests pay about $10/hr. In college I tried to do it just enough to cover the lunches that I didnt use dining dollars for, that way I never dipped into other monies while on campus. Or if I planned to go to the cinema one night, I would try to pop into the psychology building during a break and catch an experiment. It isn't a terrible sum, but if you're already on a university campus, it's a very simple ways to make some quick cash. The big money though is in more elaborate tests like fMRIs or my gig in the ophthalmology department. There the doctors study balance in old folks and use me as a control sample. They sit me in a padded chair, strap my appendages tight, stick a mouth guard between my teeth, clamp my head down and my jaw up, and insert into my eyes thick hard plastic contact lenses with electrodes attached. Then they turn out the lights, point a mechanical red laser towards my eyes, and flip on the switch to the hydraulic pumps fixed underneath the chair. My body hurls around as I desperately track the laser with my eyeballs. I pretend I'm on some crazy mission in outer space. It becomes a game and I actually get really into winning it. Plus, the better I do my job, the better the control, and the more beneficial the study to the affected population. Also, if you do a good job, they'll come looking for you again. After a job well done at the ophthalmology lab one summer in LA, I found myself fielding calls as every vacation period approached, in the hope that I wold be returning home. After the fMRIs you can ask for printouts of your brain, and the ophthalmology gig provides me with feedback about my eyesight and tracking ability--I might never have known I had 16/20 vision. In addition, you gain valuable information about yourself like how tolerant you are of extraordinarily annoying beeps or how well you can block out dribble on your cheek when you can't wipe it away. It's the little things in life that prepare you.
I love the smell of libraries, the hush of its patrons; I love perusing libraries, reading in them. The only problem I run into is that I like to write in my books and keep them on my bookshelves, both to look smart, and so I can go back to my notes and sound smart also. That's how my memory works--it needs its madeleines. So the library shelves are not ideal for me, but library sales: oh what a place for books! 25 cents! That even puts Strand's dollar racks to shame, and the selection is often really great. My dad (from whom I inherited this frugan gene) has even found scads of classic first-editions ($!). Most public libraries have sales, usually every month or two. You can find sales here. In addition to expanding your knowledge whilst saving money, you're also supporting the library, saving trees, shunning land fills, and all the rest of it.
I got these wooden planks from the lumber yard (but preferably would have picked them up off the street or purchased them from a salvage yard), cheap L brackets from the corner hardware store, and plaster screws. Then I stained the wood with stain leftover from the previous tenants. I painted the shorter wood pieces with zero VOC paint leftover from painting our walls and put them up with the same screws and the smaller size of the same L brackets. I found the medicine cabinet mirror on the street. After a quick sponge bath it was ready to throw on the wall and has proven very useful. The project took me the better part of a day, but I learned a lot, it felt good, and cost about $15.
Get out of the city! The bottle on the right is 1L and was purchased for $41.95 at a well-priced store in the East Village. The bottle on the left is 1.75L and was purchased for $45.99 in the boondocks far outside New York City. That's 37% cheaper! In addition, by pooling the purchase with my friend's liquor, we received an extra $25 off the total order. At the time, I had no dire need for whisky, as the bottle on the right was still quite full. But a frugan must always think ahead, and purchase for the future when the pricetag calls for it.
Switching hotels in Paris? Don't waste money on a taxi when it could be spent on steak frites! Instead, throw your suitcase, instrument, and rose onto your rented bicycle and wobble on down the street.
During blistering summer days, swim in public pools like here at Hamilton Fish. Although, there are no fishies.
