How to be cheap

One of my biggest goals in creating this garden is to do it as cheaply as I can. Like everyone else, my funds are limited. And I just don't see the point in spending more money than I need to. So I look for ways to save money on things I need all the time. But in working on my garden project, I took this to a whole new level.

I've discovered that there are some great resources for anyone interested in previously used materials. Check out how I've taken advantage of what these groups have to offer:

Stardust Building Supplies has two locations in the Valley. They are a non-profit organization that accepts donations of used building material, and resells them at a fraction of the original cost. I scored some 2x6 and 2x10 timbers there to frame out a raised garden bed, and it only cost me about $14. They even let me come back with my saw to cut the wood down so it would fit in my truck bed!

The Freecycle Network is another non-profit group that consists entirely of people willing to reuse and/or donate items for reuse. There are many groups throughout the country. There are even some regions that have more than one group you can join. I was able to donate some pallets that I had acquired to someone else. Funny thing was, I grabbed the pallets so I could build a nice big composting bin. When I realized I'd be better off using the bins from the city, I read Tanja's request for pallets. I asked her what she was using them for when she came to get them, and it turned out that she wanted to build a big composting bin! Great minds think alike!

And a resource that would be silly to overlook is Craigslist. If you go to the craigslist homepage and select your city, you can browse through listings of stuff that people are giving away under the "free" link under the "for sale" section header. This has been an enormous resource for me. I've scored goat and cow manure, bales of straw, and even the wood I'll be using to construct my big raised garden bed! The manure has been aging for 6 weeks now, in a pile. I stir the pile every week or so. The manure will be well mixed with compost to become my soil. The straw will be my mulch. Straw makes an excellent mulch here in the desert because it is hollow. Since it's hollow, it's got a better insulating property than hay does, so it will help my plants and beds hold onto their moisture and also reduce the crazy fluctuations in temperature througout the day. And the wood came from a family in Tempe who removed a shade structure from their backyard. The 2x4's are all made of white cedar, and I'll need to do a little work to get them ready for my project. The boards are painted and they still have nails in them. I'll need to remove as much paint as I can, since I don't want the chemicals to leech back into my soil. I also have to pull the nails out. The price was right, and I don't mind putting in a little elbow grease to save a buck or two!

This is by no means a complete list. I've only scratched the surface. I'm sure there are plenty other ways to reuse/recycle that I'm not aware of. I'd love to hear about more ways to get involved in groups like this.

Becoming involved in these reuse/recycle organizations has helped me become aware of how we can reclaim many of the items we'd normally just place in the trash. It has inspired me to think twice before tossing anything in the big black can. In fact, I've found several things around my home that I will be donating shortly! It's going to be really cool to give back to the groups that have given me so much!

I think that working so hard to save money made this project more enjoyable for me. For one, I think it makes my garden itself even more environmentally responsible, since I'm not expanding my carbon footprint in acquiring these materials. Also, it's been fun searching for these items. I've been able to do it like this because I wasn't in a rush to get my project done in a specified amount of time. If I had a time constraint, I would have had to either sacrifice my principles of using organic materials or I'd have needed to spend money. Things worked out pretty well for me in my search. If I've figured this out as well as I think I have, the only things I'll need to purchase will be some 4x4 pieces of wood, screws, some more compost, and hoses. Oh, and the seeds and seedlings! I'll tally the cost of these and post here as I buy them.