#frugality

1. Does it have a spinny part that's not spinning, or isn't spinning the way it's supposed to? Look at it- is there anything stringy wound around the spinny part? Remove it. Applies to: vacuums, aquarium filters, blenders, and rototillers, weed eaters, and lawn mowers.

1.b Is there debris from the spinny part that is building up on an nearby surface? Remove it. Applies to: vacuums, lawnmowers, probably other things.

2. Does it have a part that air, water, or other materials move through? Look at it- is there a clog, even a small or flimsy looking one? Remove it. Applies to: lawnmowers, vacuums, pumps, probably more.

3. If it has a gas engine, does it have gas? The right kind of gas? Does it have oil? If it's electric, is it plugged in? Or is it's battery charged?

4. Does it have a filter? Is the filter dirty/clogged? Clean it. Applies to vacuums, pumps, and some small engines.

5. Is it electric? Is there a safety feature where it won't work unless a certain peice is in place? Is there something keeping it from popping up or into place? Remove it. Did a small plastic peice break off? Can you super glue it back on in a safe manner?

6. Are there fluid tanks? Do they have fluid levels between the empty and full marks?

7. Are there tubes and/or wires? Are they all attached and going where they're supposed to? If it has spark plugs, are they all where they're supposed to be? If it has belts, are they taut?

*regular people who live off the land because it’s what humans have done for millennia

**christian nationalists and tradwives who are dominating so much of the self-reliance and sustainability conversations with their nasty ass agenda that people are just handing the whole lifestyle over

i would say “let’s take this lifestyle back!” but it was literally never theirs, dammit. they’re just the loudest mfers in the room because they’re so gross that the rest of us don’t even want to admit that we also want to live in a more self-reliant, sustainable, conscious way. we just, you know, don’t want anyone’s rights relinquished about it.

please keep making sourdough, keep breaking ground, keep planting and saving seeds, keep making jelly. these are HUMAN THINGS and they are the things that are going to keep us going in times of scarcity. 

I’m tired of worrying that I might be mistaken for a Mormon when half of these goofballs on the internet aren’t even doing half the work they say they are. I’m going to go ahead and let those people put on a show for their followers, who really just want something to dream about, and while they’re setting up their cameras so they can pretend to gather storebought eggs I’m going to just….keep working hard, keep crocheting, keep learning how to make clothes, continue to mouth off and talk back, and i’m gonna do all of that in a dress and apron if i fucking want to because they do not own those concepts either. 

my grandmother would call homegrown & home cooked meals and preserves and jellies and handsewn this-and-that “making do” because to her, that is just what life is. and no, she doesn’t *have* to do it anymore, but (with the exception of her daily Pepsi which isn’t very Ballerina Farm of her) she lives pretty much the same way she always has. this is a way of life. when did we decide it belongs to the millennial maga girlies on instagram? 

this is so all over the place and i’m sure you’ve stopped reading by now if you ever even started in the first place but essentially, as someone who is a mother with a very strong identity outside of motherhood and enjoys self reliance and sustainability please can we not just hand over the one thing that humans all over the world, every culture, every language have in common straight into the hands of the people who want to use it to maintain and gain power over women, LGBTQIA folks, and anyone who isn’t white? 

"Frugal" investigator Trait from Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy. Every investigator has 3 to 6 Traits!

If you guys are sleeping on ShopGoodwill for laptops or electronics you gotta get on itttt

I use a ridiculous huge gaming laptop for school I got off ShopGoodwill years ago for $170, but it's way too unwieldy to take anywhere to do schoolwork. (when i got it, I had to order a charger, replace the battery, and put in a 1tb ssd)

I would love to work at the library once in a while, so I just snagged a 11.6 Zenbook off ShopGoodwill for literally $17, $31.83 after shipping. Bad battery, no charger, but the laptop was tested and works fine, comes with linux.

I ordered a new battery and charger, about $40, and I already have a boot drive for Windows to install when it gets here. Will it be crusty and have some dead pixels? Probably. Will I scrub it up and put tons of dumb stickers on it? Absolutely. You can get a great basic laptop for less than $100, and they regularly have cheap Thinkpads that are donated from companies.

Ditch big corporations for good! Learn how to boycott long-term with smart swaps, local alternatives, and survival tips to keep your values and wallet intact.

https://www.rfr.bz/f750858

10 WAYS TO BOYCOTT for the long term

First Step

First, look at your bank statements, receipts, cabinets, and think about what you really could do without.

Rural Families

Rural areas have been systematically stripped of local businesses and alternatives, which is exactly the problem. That's by design. And it's not going to change unless we start tackling the policies and power structures that put us here in the first place.

It Takes Planning

Meal planning can be a game-changer for boycotts because it helps people avoid impulse purchases and reliance on big corporations.

Use Your Library

Disney, Amazon Prime, and Netflix are all corporate giants. Use Public libraries (for movies & books), local theaters, indie streaming services.

Coffee

There are many small batch coffee roasters to choose from online. And, if your community does not offer independent coffee shops-all the more reason to boycott the big guys

Banks

Big banks are tied to corporate greed, fossil fuels, and shady practices. Use a local bank or credit union.

Sneaky Greenwashing Brands

Some brands pretend to be sustainable but still engage in fast fashion practices Madewell, J Crew, Anthropoligie Urban Outfitters; avoid H&M, Shein, Temu

Groceries

Grocery shopping is one of the hardest things to boycott because the big food conglomerates own almost everything. But with some planning, you can cut them out as much as possible.

Online Resources

Use websites like Freecycle or "Buy Nothing" groups to get rid of what you don't need, and find what you do need.

The Long Haul