So, you don't have to turn the matter in the Composter 3000?  If you quit adding to it, how long does it take for the last-added stuff to turn into compost?  My husband and I are looking at doing a garden next year, so I'm interested in this stuff.  Although we have enough horse manure to probably serve all our compost needs and then some, LOL.  But my husbnad is convinced that you can't have just composted horse poo.  He says it's not compost unless there's plant matter in it (never mind horse poo is full of grass matter) and that horse poo alone will burn up the grass.  I cannot convince him that everyone I have talked to disagrees.  I can't convince him that it will work as well as pellet fertilizer, even when I point out the bare patch where he put down seed and the only noticeable grass is this big clump coming up from a horse patty that got dropped after he put down the seed! 

 I have been told that horse manure will be full of weed seeds as they dont break down....just poop the seeds out. so if you use it on the garden, you will have lots of weeds. I use the horse manure in a tea to water the garden. Maybe someone can confirm this for us. Babs

Cheryl:

One more.. I use the very small wastebaskets in our bathrooms, and I line them with the grocery store bags. Saves a ton over buying bags.

We do that too, but we've started to run out of bags because we always take reusable bags to the store now. We've actually considered taking bags we don't need just to get more wastebasket liners... which seems wrong somehow....

Cheryl:

I will lay one flat on the counter next to my cutting board, and use it as a "garbage bowl" if there are any Rachel fans out there. I scrape carrots onto the flat grocery bag, put onion peels on there, etc. When I'm done with all my veggie prep, I just gather up the corners of the bag and toss it. Keeps me from having to lean over the trash can, which is low. Those items would be good for a compost pile, but we dont have a garden right now, and not sure when we will again.

We put all our peels and other veggie scraps into a bag that we store in the freezer. When it gets full, we dump it all into a pot, fill it with water, and boil it down to make vegetable stock for soups. Each batch tastes a little different, but hey, it's free. And whatever remains of the veggies can still be dumped in the compost bin.

Just glancing around my house, I spotted a whole bunch of reused objects:

* one-side-used paper in our printer (mostly scavenged from old work projects)
* my work "inbox," which is actually a large flat basket that was originally filled with chocolate and other goodies (I got it a few years back as a premium for donating to an organization)
* coasters made from useless CD-ROMs (such as those AOL disks they send in the mail every so often), covered with pictures cut out of catalogues (museum-gift-shop catalogues are particularly nice for this) and protected with clear packing tape
* half a coconut shell, used to hold matchbooks on a side table
* several decorative tins that once held flavored coffee mix (I was addicted to that stuff back in college), which are the perfect size for holding random odds and ends--I have three of them on my dresser holding makeup and toiletries, one in the kitchen to hold paper napkins, another for Post-Its, and two in the medicine chest corralling ointment tubes and other small containers. (I used to store 3.5-inch computer disks in these, before they became obsolete.)
* a large, chipped water goblet (rescued from a trash pile) on the kitchen table for holding fresh flowers
* and of course, cracked or otherwise unusable mugs to hold pencils and rubber bands

And there are probably lots more that I can't think of offhand. Reusing things is one of my favorite frugal activities--I love the creative kick of seeing an otherwise useless item in a new light.

When we start to run low on bags, I ask the cashier to double bag our stuff.

Keriamon:

So, you don't have to turn the matter in the Composter 3000?  If you quit adding to it, how long does it take for the last-added stuff to turn into compost?  My husband and I are looking at doing a garden next year, so I'm interested in this stuff.  Although we have enough horse manure to probably serve all our compost needs and then some, LOL.  But my husbnad is convinced that you can't have just composted horse poo.  He says it's not compost unless there's plant matter in it (never mind horse poo is full of grass matter) and that horse poo alone will burn up the grass.  I cannot convince him that everyone I have talked to disagrees.  I can't convince him that it will work as well as pellet fertilizer, even when I point out the bare patch where he put down seed and the only noticeable grass is this big clump coming up from a horse patty that got dropped after he put down the seed! 

Good questions!  I don't know anything about the poo, but the Composter 3000 gets turned on it's side and rolled around the yard a couple of times once a week or so to mix it up.  I've had this batch going now for about a month and it is already looking and smelling very much like compost.  The new stuff looks almost unrecognizeable after about two weeks although I don't think it's completely broken down yet.  Bigger things like canteloupe rinds and eggshells take longer.  I'd give it a month or so after you add the last stuff for it to be broken down enough to add to the garden.  Another tip...DH adds a skunky beer leftover from one of his fishing trips to the mix every couple of weeks to keep the whole mess going.  I have been VERY pleased with the results from this simple and very cheap composter.  Good luck!

I save DH's worn work pants (Khaki and black cotton) to sew winter pants for our child.  I also cut off elastic waistbands from her outgrown pants and we've used them for headbands and recycled the elastic for new skirts (material given to us, recycled from my old out-of-style work clothes, bought at local thrift stores, etc). I cut off the sleeves on outgrown shirts to make tank tops too.  Holey kneed lightweight pants become pajamas, which in turn, become shorts.  Some of our old material becomes napkins, then cleaning cloths.  Square butter containers corral small things in our medicine chest.  Lidless plastic containers hold reused bread/muffin /pancake bags in our freezer, as well as flat packs of pre-cooked ground beef, shredded cheeses and the stash of cheese sticks, and bag of meatless spaghetti sauce cubes.  Plastic hospital bins (after disinfecting) became a recycling bin, cleaning supplies bin, and a toy holder.  We also got a hospital pillowcase (should have snagged more) after my parent's surgery (they just throw them away).  Worn out sheets and accidentally bleached towels make great picnic blankets.  Non-returnable cheap shampoo is great to mix with baking soda to clean our fiberglass tub.  Discovered this week that baking soda cleans non-stick cookware beautifully-Praise God who gave me the idea!    We're still using baby washcloths years later for our child to wash her own face (smaller=easier for her to wring out herself).  Our china hutch houses most of our Home School supplies.  Did you know that you can temporarily repair holes in leather tennis shoes by stitching them up, using a surdy needle, thimble, and dental floss?   Don't turn down free stuff (unless it's absolute, cruddy junk)-we've gotten two filing cabinets, a sewing machine, 2 bedroom dressers, a hutch, tons of file folders, dining room set, magazines to read & donate, sample and travel size things to donate to domestic abuse/pregnancy help centers, clothes, complete livingroom sets, etc.  Our motto is if we can't use it, we usually know someone who can.

 Matthew 6 ,25-34 is on of my all time favorites.My re-uses are as follows,empty plastic sandwich spread jars instead of spendy tupperware,home made leave in spray hair conditoner made from 1-2 tblspscheap hair conditoner and 1-2 cups luke warm water in a reused spray b ottle.Shake before each use.Really tames the frizzies and costs pennies to make.To save on electricity I turn heat down at night 15 degrees and throw on extra quilt,I always save left overs in fridge and eat them next day so they don't go to waste,If its not on sale and not on my list when I shop for groceries I don't buy it.A grocery list makes a diffrence!Pay your monthly bills on time if not a little early and save on late fee and such.Save your butter wrappers in a reusable container in the fridge  to grease cake and muffin pans.Put cooking oil in reusable spray bottle and you'll use a lot less oil when cooking and save money and calories.Cheap shampoo works as a fantastic spot pre-treater for greasy laundry a stains.Mix stale cereal withleft over marshmallows to make what I call "Hay stacks".Melt 2-3  cups  marshmallows and 2-3 tsps shortning over low heat in  dbl boiler,pour over 3-4 cups stale cereal,what evr kind you have,stale popcorn or crackers would work also.Mix thourghly and drop by spoon fulls on LIGHTLY oiled surface till cooled,Enjoy!!! Yum!!

It's pretty well standard everywhere that when a sewer is instaled you MUST hook up to it.  That was true in my hometown when I was a little girl and in the last place we lived, which went from rural to McMansions.  We had a septic system and a wonderful well, but that did not matter.

 

I have two trash can composters.  We cut the bottom completely off and drilled holes in the sides.  When it is time to turn the compost, just pick up the can and move it beside the pile.  Then, just fork the pile back into the can.  This really works for us.  It usually only takes about 2 weeks for it to "cook" down to half.  I also use the same size trask cans for water barrels.  I keep my gray water to use later.  I have one that only gets the fresh water while I am waiting for it to heat up.  This is the can where the goldfish live.  They eat mosquito larvae.  Another one is strategically located right under the air-conditioner that drips.  Free water. 

• stuff, stuff, stuff.....old plastic sled to collect weeds in the garden (find those in the trash!); sunday newspaper delivery bag for lining trash cans; slab of bluestone on top of treadle sewing machine base for table outside; cut up plastic mini blinds for plant labels; tiny clay flower pots, upside down, under plants on deck (pot feet- get it?); mesh onion bag on a plastic coated metal hanger for clothes pins; tissue paper from gifts (preferably white) for cleaning glass/mirrors; leftover bits of candle wax wrapped in gift wrap or newspaper for fire-starters; coupons that come in junk mail, envelopes of them, all printed on one side of business size paper, clipped together for scratch pads. whew, my fingers are out of breath!    cherylm