Frugal to a Fault?

[journey11]

The other day, I finally broke down and bought a 3.5 gal. poultry waterer for $20. I hated to do it, it seemed like too much to spend.

For 3 years I have reused empty one gallon juice bottles, drilled two holes in the bottom sides about 1" up, and set them in a $2.50 plastic oil change pan. The water would let out on it's own and it worked pretty well. UNTIL I enlarged my flock, from 13 up to 39. Even with two 1-gal. juice bottles in there, they were constantly running out of water and it was aggravating to keep filling it all the time.

So the new one I dropped twenty bucks on will hold enough clean water for 4 days and the bowl stays cleaner than the one I had. Soooo much easier to deal with.

I thought it might be fun to hear any similar experiences you guys have had.

What things in the past have you attempted to make do or do without that you found out later it just wasn't worth the aggravation?

 

[FarmerChick]

lol you did yourself a good buy on that one

4 days of water without aggrevation is well worth the $20 in your time haha

gosh, tons of things I tried to improvise on the farm and realized the dollar spent on the correct item for the job was WELL worth it.....too many to count

 

[freemotion]

Once my chicks are maybe 5 weeks old or so, I use a small rubber feed pan with a brick in it (in case one goes for a swim, it can get out) for a waterer. I raise this up on bricks if needed as they grow, but since it is on dirt or grass, I don't usually raise it up.

When they are almost full grown, I use a small bucket for water. It is SOOO much easier.

For all the poultry that free-ranges with the goats on the pasture, they share a larger flat watering tub.

Of course, I only have maybe 50 birds, so this may not be worthwhile for a larger flock. I do use the commercial drinker for the babies, since I worry a bit more about drowning when they are so tiny.

I guess that doesn't meet your thread criteria, though, since I didn't return to a storebought version.

Hmmm.....Oh, I know. I made a couple of wooden feed boxes for the goats from scraps, but prefer plastic purchased ones since I can clean them thoroughly for the little fussy-pants goats.

 

[journey11]

Yeah, I'll always try to make my own first if I can. My hanging feed bucket worked out great -- free 5 gal. from the deli, cut some 1.5" holes around the base for the feed to let out, and bolted a round plastic planter tray to the bottom. Ya win some, ya lose some!

 

[Denim Deb]

Just remember, there's a difference between cheap and frugal. Cheap is buying your mom a card from the dollar store when your salary and your hubby's combined is well over $100,000. Frugal is making your mom something really nice that she really enjoys from "junk."

Right now, I can't think of anything, but if I do, I'll let you know.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Those chicken waterers are so expensive. This year I made my own using new 5 gallon buckets and metal hog pans from TSC. I just drilled a small hole in the side of the bucket (up near the top) and fill with water, put lid on, and invert into the hog pan. They work wonderfully and they only cost about $3.50 for the bucket and $3 for the hog pan!

 

[Jen-pi]

I tried making my own dishwasher detergent recently. I think that the recipe might be posted somewhere on here. Our dishes are a dark purple melamine and the homemade stuff left a white film on them. I opted to just buy a big bottle of Cascade.
I do use vinegar in the rinse receptacle though!

I also am currently using a 9x13 pyrex for the chicken waterer. Works great for the warmer months, however when the weather gets below freezing, I will have to come up with something different. I too dont want to spend the ridiculous money on a metal waterer.
I am a thrift shop junkie, and everytime Im there, I keep looking at those heated foot bath/massager things trying to figure a way to use that. It would heat up the water (not sure if enough to keep it from freezing though) and pry not use much energy. Im still thinking on that one.

 

[savingdogs]

I was looking at the mega-sized chicken watering thingys at our local feed store and they were 40 bucks! That was just more than I wanted to spend.

I do find that some things are worth the money. I try to buy good quality animal food, for instance, because it seems like that works best and doesn't cost more in the long run.

I spend more for REAL Dawn dishwashing detergent and REAL clorox bleach. I felt my hubby was being frugal to a fault when he brought home cheap dishwashing detergent, it did not save any money. And when he tried cheap bleach, it smelled too strong, just seemed more harsh than Clorox.

 

[journey11]

At least Dawn makes a large refill size... That's what I get too. It also makes a good multipurpose cleaner, since it cuts grease so well. We also use it to wash up if we've gotten into the poison ivy. If you get to it fast enough (and use cold water), the Dawn prevents a bad rash.

Jen-pi, with my first batch of chickens, I bought one of those galvanized metal waterers. Yeah, don't waste your money!! It didn't even make it to the end of the summer. It got so rusty, the water would turn brown!

Around the farm (or micro-farm in my case), there's many things it is wise to improvise. It can be the difference between making a profit or barely breaking even. I like to try to work something out or reuse/recycle something I have laying around before I break out the checkbook and head for Tractor Supply! I've had more things that worked out than not, really.

And I agree wholeheartedly with you, savingsdogs, high quality feed pays you back!

 

[aggieterpkatie]

I also am currently using a 9x13 pyrex for the chicken waterer. Works great for the warmer months, however when the weather gets below freezing, I will have to come up with something different. I too dont want to spend the ridiculous money on a metal waterer.

In the winters I use one of those fairly shallow round black rubber feed bowls, usually found in TSC or other Ag stores. They're great because if the water freezes, I just turn them upside down and stomp on them. The rubber flexes and the ice just falls right out! They're virtually indestructable!