Jason closes his journal... Thanks!! I love you!!

[Wifezilla]

Score!

Banner material is awesome. We never throw our old ones out.

As for diving, little sisters are great for that. You throw them inside to get the good stuff and then fish them out. My sister is very petite and my brother and I used to toss her in to get stuff all the time....well....we did until mom found out!

 

[Henrietta23]

Don't know whether to or or
I guess I wasn't clear enough there. Dumpster diving is easier for taller longer legged people.

I usually stick to stuff I can reach from outside it because of that. I'm just 5' 6" .

Yup, my DH is 6'3". He's a pro! Actually he buddied up to the guy at the gate who checks stickers so that guy does some picking for him during the week. Last thing he got was a telescope with an broken plastic eye piece thingy. DH glued it and pointed it at the moon the other night. We saw craters!! Too cool. And FREE!!!

 

[Occamstazer]

Dumpster diving is indeed an honorable sport!
When I was in High School, my dad and I lived in a very ritzy snotty town, and he used to always exclaim that "Mountain Brook has the best trash!"

We'd often get apparently brand-new things from other people's trash piles by the side of the road. The best was when someone was renovating a room! Great lumber, empty aquariums, buckets, furniture, you name it!

 

[FarmerDenise]

First thing I learned when I immigrated! Americans throw away good stuff!! Grandfather was a Super Indendant of an apt building. He had to take care of the garbage. We furnished our whole apartment, brand new dishes, toasters, bedding, the works. All out of the "garbage".
Waste not, want not. Yup!!

Love dumpster diving!!! I agree, it is an honorable sport. It helps if there are two of you though. Some of those dumpsters can be hard to get into and harder to get out of

I make a point of going to the fair, the day after it closes. If it isn't free, it is at least really cheep. I get my bedding straw at $2 per bale. I can fit 2 in my car.
I've gotten air mattresses (they were missing their plugs, but I always keep those, when I recycle old holey ones), tubs of margarine, plants, buiding supplies from displays, vinyl from tables, salt licks, buckets, moss, string, sheeps wool, and who knows what else. You never know, what someone will toss rather than pack up and haul home.

Edited for spelling

 

[justusnak]

Ohhh, MP, you sneaky little devil! HAHA! Man oh man, what a great find!!! I cant go dumpster diveing...I cant see over the edges! Im only 5 ft tall..and MOST dumpsters are taller than I am..and there is NO WAY I will climb in one, not knowing whats in there! MY luck I would land in a big pile of rotten cabbages!
Now, If I see it on the side of the road, or in someones trash...hmmm, I might be inclined to stop and grab it.
Denise....what a great idea! The day after the fair..wow, I never thought of that! Now I have a even BETTER reason to look forward to the fair.

 

[Farmfresh]

When we went to the fair I saw something that simply made my old SS body DROOL. Giant mountains of poopy bedding! Oh how I wish I had a way to load a big dump truck full of THAT stuff and bring it home for my garden.

 

[modern_pioneer]

Debbie is vertically challenged HAHA!!! hee hee My mom was short and squidgy, but she was wonderful person.

Sorry about the sizing of these photos, so its not going to be pretty, just keeping it real. So just short of April, harvesting season still 4-5 months away in the new garden, if I were living as a true pioneer, my veggie supply would be low. Back in those days, I am sure there were no hunting/fishing restrictions, and with that I would have planned accordingly. I also would have prepared better storage if I needed. So just for fun, I decided to let you see into my pantry.

Presented here is Jams on top back (straw, black, rasp, straw-rhubarb) on top right is the last of my dried mushrooms. Hanging in a plastic basket are the last of my shallots, the dried plant were once filled with red chili peppers, on the second shelf are dried pumpkin seeds, stewed bell peppers, salsa, deer meat, ketchup, and a general sauce.

So my freezers are still half filled with other veggies, and if I didn't have a freezer, I would have canned more veggies.

My freezers contain only the food I grew, hunted, caught. However I did purchase some Rainbow trout to add to the mess DS and I caught last spring. We still have 11 pounds of cat fish we caught last fall.

So as for being SS this past year, I think I would give myself a B- because I purchased some tomatoes because mine caught that blight, and I still bought new materials for some projects.

My goal is not to be 100% off grid, my goal of self sufficient is to provide more than 80% of my families needs within my level of living. I believe I have saved close to 5,000 to 6,000 dollars by providing for myself in ways that I can.

 

[Dace]

Cool pics!

I love the onions in the panty hose great thinking!

 

[valmom]

Wow, I am suitably impressed!

 

[justusnak]

Vertically challenged. yup...thats me. Good thing my hubby is 6ft 3in.
Jay...your pantry is looking a little on the thin side there. Glad you have freezer stuff left too!
I will get some pics of how our pantry is looking...Hey..maybe I will start another thread....