Prairie Eco-Thrifter

MARCH 17, 2014

It’s been around forever in one form another, whether back when your grandmother reused glass bottles for canning or in 2014 when a truck comes around to pick up all those empty soda cans you put out at the end of your driveway. Ah, recycling.

Recycle 217

Recycle Recycled Recycling Reuse 217

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

MAY 28, 2014

I happened upon some old canning Mason jars at a garage sale, and now we use those for everything–making iced tea in the summer, putting leftover soup in, holding our homemade laundry detergent. We bought some plastic leftover containers, but those frequently cracked or broke. Throwing those away isn’t good for the environment.

Saving Money 191

Saving Money Simple Money Friends And Family Sale 191

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

DECEMBER 22, 2016

You use your time gardening or tending animals, canning, plowing or digging wells and you aren’t going to have time to go to the higher paying job. You can’t really trade a couple of chickens for a solar panel to get electricity. It’s hard to capture rainwater or have a well if everything is paved. I used to garden.

Canning 100

Canning At&T Gardening Garden 100

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

MAY 17, 2012

You can look up the vegetable seasons for your area of the country and try to buy those vegetables when you can. If you want try canning vegetables, tomatoes are especially easy. Canned vegetables can be used when the vegetables are not available or when they are not in season (and more expensive).

Saving Money 188

Saving Money Dinner Money Bulk 188

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

FEBRUARY 23, 2012

Food was preserved by canning, drying or storing in a cool cellar or the ice house. She didn’t need to pay utility bills – wood for heat and cooking was obtained from the farm. Water was drawn from the well. Light was obtained from oil lamps (and yes, she did need to buy that oil).

Plumbing 227

Plumbing Grandmother Food and Drink Gasoline 227

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

NOVEMBER 26, 2012

Glass jars can be used for jelly and canning things like pickles. Plastic bags are used as trash can liners, food carriers on trips, package stuffing for shipping and re-wrapping precious Christmas keepsakes for storage. They fit nicely into ice chests and won’t break.

Re-use 235

Re-use Used Reuse Amusement Park 235

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

DECEMBER 9, 2013

We find that when we buy canned cranberry sauce, we end up throwing away a lot of it. We have started buying cranberries and making an easy cranberry sauce, then canning what we have left over for the next year (or for Thanksgiving the following year). It’s also much more tasty. It actually saves over the year.

Dinner 192

Dinner Christmas Food and Wine Bulk 192

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

APRIL 19, 2011

There are many ways of preserving food, including canning and drying, but freezing is one of the easiest and most practical. It is especially practical for singles and smaller families because it can be done with any sized portion of food.

Saving Money 154

Saving Money Money Food Waste Freezers 154