How do you save money?

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gunslinger

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
OTBS Member
I thought this would be a good way to share each others secret savings ideas.
Obviously we all either raise our food or buy in quantity when the price is right, or like us, both. What I would like to share is how we save $$ in other areas, like food prep items, or throw away items and the like.
I'll go first since I started the thread.

Cling wrap:
We buy 1400 foot rolls of skid wrap or pallet wrap. It's like 10 bucks and lasts us several years. It doesn't cling to a dish as good as the national brand wraps, but it does cling to itself very, very good. In fact it clings to itself better than the name brands. And at ten bucks/roll, we wrap the entire dish instead of just the top. The roll also fits in a standard width packing paper roll holder and cutter.

Next?
 
When it comes to aluminum foil I go to Sam's to get the 750 sq. ft. rolls for food service. It lasts much longer than the standard rolls from Wally's. Also while I'm at Sam's I scoot over to the spices isle to see if there is anything I need there. Sam's is a major saver spot if you have room for the bulk items
 
As far as spices go; what my wife doesn't grow, I buy online in bulk. First I go to Sams website and do a cost comparison. If the spices online are more with shipping by the oz. then I buy at Sams. To date, I've gotten much better deals online.
 
When it comes to my smoke'n hobby, I SUCK at save'n money. My business, farming, I just saved over $30,000 on a sprayer, (used but still 30g less than like sprayer used...still work'n on mine too). My local groc store is high, don't get to the big town(40,000) enough to do much good......and their not a "great" deal cheaper. When I smoke it is a ........."hey, I can smoke something.........head to town(11m one way) and grab what looks good..........on most occasions anyway.

I like do'n things "cheap", but don't spend enough time to shop around for food, food prep, spices, etc. I spend most my time do'n the same for my business.

Anyway, I'm the perfect example of "high dollar homemade". But, then again, I don't mind or give a dang. I like to save money on big ticket items rather than worry about $20 items, I know they add up, I'm a excel/Quick Books/Farm expence guru, but save'n coupons is'nt a thrill for me.

Just my $.02........keep the change.


Someday, I'll be a better shopper for smoke'n items, but for now I keep them happy.
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Not proud at all, just a simple fact about me.
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Great idea for a neat thread, Tom! I raise chickens and sell fresh eggs. I also incubate a number of hatches each year and sell chicks, enhance my own flock and fill the freezer. Next year will also start with pigs.

I garden. For now my garden is only a small effort and will soon grow to a point where I can do a much better farmstand type of business. I dehydrate as well as vacuum pack goods for longer life.

I fish.

I hunt.

I shop for any herbs and spices not produced here online.

I waste nothing, heat with wood and do most of my own vehicle and equipment maintenance.

Cheers!
 
I'd be very cautious using skid wrap ... it is definitely NOT food grade. I have seen warnings here about using it.
As I recall my Chef brother warned me about it ...
 
I grow flowers for hotels/restaurants in Hawaii and own a small taxi fleet in the Florida Keys...and there's no cheap anything. We do have a GFS (Smart&Final) and that's about as inexpensive as I can get. I have to buy wood online!
 
Been using it for probably 13 or 14 years. Ever since me and the missus got hitched anyway. Never sick, never poisoned anyone, never a residue of flavor, nothing. I believe I'll stick with it.
IMHO people get a little to paranoid about this kind of stuff. I mean, my homebuilt smoker is far from "food grade."
Hey, be careful with aluminum cookware and foil. Your wives will get breast cancer, your kids will have brain damage, and you, well your digits will start falling off. Get the point?
And let's not even talk about propane.
 
Great topic Gunny,

I dont grow anything (meat or veggie's)........... my wife is very frugal at the grocery store on our day to day items ........... I, on the other hand, tend to buy what i NEED at what ever price ........ I do buy spices & the jumbo foil pack at Sam's, I will look over the meat there as well. I have a great "butcher counter" locally and love to pay too much/lb when I'm ready to buy meat because the beer & charcoal is very cheap there....... A one stop shop is worth a bundle of cash to me, maybe its a time issue ......... I just dont like multiple trips for saving a buck here or there .......... I wish I was more frugal and look forward to learning from this thread.
 
We raise chickens too. We're out of the poultry meat business now though. It's just too much. Now if we want chicken, I go get a young one from the flock and that's dinner. My wife sells the eggs. She has brown, white and a new addition, green. Pretty cool.
The pigs we have will also be the last. I can get one from the Amish for less, and I know what they're fed.
My wife's garden is about 80X80 and when we get our new house built, the garden will grow to about an acre.
Speaking of dehydrators, I just received my new one. It's a 9 tray Excalibur. All I can say is "WOW."
 
Thanks all for the replies to this.
I know most of us bargain shop for meat and food, but what I'm thinking is what about everything else.
For instance; do you wash your plastic-ware, stuff like that. Or what do you do in a pinch?
How about cutlery. I have some nice cutlery, and I have quite possibly the best knife sharpener made. But I get most of my working knives from a friend of a friend that works in a packing house. Sharp, comfortable, good quality cutlery is a must for these guys. Not only for good cutting but to combat against fatigue. To him, his knives are wore out when I get them, but for me, they last for years. I also got my meat cutting apron from him. It's a little wore, but will last me the rest of my life.
I save a lot of money on meat packing supplies because I have a federal firearms license (FFL) and I get wholesale prices on this kind of stuff from some of my suppliers.
 
Point taken Gunslinger ... didn't mean to ruffle any feathers ya know?
I have to imagine that there are many different manufacturers, some processes might be cleaner.
 
i reuse my plastic margarine containers, they are great for freezing leftover chili, stews, they hold exactly a good soup bowl full.

i can and freeze everything when it is in season, saves a whole bunch of money in the winter when fresh is just way too expensive

i dont have a dehydrater or vaccuum sealer yet but that is next on the list, after that is a meat grinder & slicer.

my biggest savings come from me telling the missus that she has to buy her own designer clothes
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... she doesnt buy very many anymore..lmao
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I'd like a vacuum deal too, because I always make way more than I'll eat for days (all that fuel and wood). I get ice crystals on some food, even though I try to compress the freezer bags.
 
I have a foodsaver vacume sealer. But I think I wasted my money. don't get me wrong the thing works great, but I'm always opening the frige and stealing little bites. The food never last long enough to freeze. Damn I like BBQ!!
 
Green eggs...must have a few Aracauna's? Me and some friends used to raise chickens as kids. We ordered all kinds of exotic chicks, Polish, Aracauna's, etc...etc... Their offspring was even weirder than the first batch! As fars as money saving, my wife's excellent at it! She comparison shops for any semi large item online then searches for "coupon codes" or whatever. We (She) just got a foodsaver vacuum sealer for $30 and that included shipping. Brand new! I personally buy on impulse though!
 
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