Picked up a “sad veggies and fruits” bag at Lidl today for less than 3 €, and got a pack (more than 1 kg) of red meat (from another grocery store, but locally sourced meat) with a due date of tomorrow for less than 7 €. (And I had half of a sad pepper already)

This will be a wonderful stew that serves at least four, and there will probably be leftovers for lunch boxes that we can freeze in for when we start work after the holidays again.

In the “sad” bag from Lidl we also got organic bananas (which we sliced up and had frozen as prep for smoothies), limes, half a pack of grapes and then some spring onions.

Have a lovely weekend, lovely people!

If you like books and are in the US, I’ve had some success with paperbackswap.com. Can be good for getting rid of books you no longer want in exchange for ones you do. There’s a minor transaction fee charged to keep the site afloat, and of course shipping fees. But USPS has a media mail rate you can use that’s cheaper than first class postage.

Considering how much fruit, veg, meat and other products that Poland produces, I think there might be more more sites or apps, both for food and for other items.

Let me know if there’s more I could add to our list of resources.

I put goMkt into the list of US food resources pinned on top of the community, but another user pointed out that the app links no longer worked. I updated the pinned post due to that.

Does anyone know any more info regarding goMkt? I’m contemplating removing them and Food Heroes from the list if they’re not useful for individuals.

This is a well known recipe book series that focuses on frugal cooking, with meals that cost less than around 10 SEK ($1, 1 €) per portion.

But (for you Swedes out there), did you know that the author also has a web site where she shares recipes freely and suggests weekly menus?

• [Portionen under tian]

She's taken a hiatus for a while as she's staying at home with a small infant, but she'll probably return to updating the site and blog again. And there are a lot of good tips and recipes on the site in the meanwhile.

This list is compiled from different people's suggestions and tips, as well as some asking and searching around. It is updated every now and then to remain current, weed out errors or add information. If you have suggestions, updates, comments or additions to this list, you're welcome to comment here, post something in !thrifty or in !frugal, or DM me.

Worldwide (or available in several countries)

• Too good to go - App-based service that allows restaurants and stores to post unsold surplus food or produce. Very popular, even though the food or produce you get is often random and it can sometimes run out before you manage to pick it up. Currently available in: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, United Kingdom and parts of the United States
  [Apps for iOS, Android and Huawei are available from site]
• Phenix - App-based service similar to "Too good to go". Currently available in: France, Réunion island, Guadeloupe islands, Martinique island, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Italy and Hong-Kong
  [iOS apps are country specific, check the site] - [Android app]
• Olio - App-based service with freecycling only, both food and items from individuals and companies (like bakeries). The app is supported by third-party ads, there is a paid subscription to remove ads.
  [Apps vary depending on country, see site]

Canada

• Flashfood - App-based service that allows grocery stores to post unsold surplus that can be bought for a fraction of the original price. Also available in some US states.
  [iOS app] - [Android app]

Denmark

• yourLocal - App-based service that allows restaurants and stores to post unsold surplus food or produce. It also makes it possible for individuals to share surplus food with other people in their neigbourhood.
  [iOS app] - [Android app]

Germany

• Mundraub - An initiative to map out free-to-pick fruits, veg, herbs and nuts. Mainly in Germany.
  [Android app]

Poland

• Foodsi - App-based service that allows restaurants and stores to post unsold surplus food or produce. The food is supposed to be discounted at least 50 % of the original price.
  [iOS app] - [Android app]

Portugal

• Fruta feia - This ("ugly fruits") is a cooperative that collects fruits and vegetables that are too small/large or misshapen, and sells them in really affordable boxes.

Spain

• Gratix - A freecycling app that has karma-based self-moderation. According to some sources, people can also give away food freely(?)
  [iOS App] - [Android app]
• Panduru - This is a food waste reduction initiative, where they take surplus bread from bakeries and turn them into pastries that they sell. Currently available in Asturias. Unsure if it's relevant for thrifty/frugal, let me know.

Sweden

• Karma - App-based service that allows restaurants to offer unsold surplus meals at a discount. Currently only used in the major cities(?)
  [iOS app] - [Android app]
• Matsmart- Online grocery store that collects surplus or unsold food items and resells them cheaper.
  [iOS app] - [Android app]

United States

• Flashfood - App-based service that allows grocery stores to post unsold surplus that can be bought for a fraction of the original price. Also available in Canada.
  [iOS app] - [Android app]
• goMkt - App-based service that allows restaurants to offer unsold surplus meals at a discount. Is this site still active? The apps are not available in App store or Play store any longer.
• Hungry harvest - Collects surplus or unsold produce and resells them in affordable boxes, they also make preserved items from some produce. Currently available in: Maryland, Washington, DC, Greater Philadelphia, Southern New Jersey, Northern Delaware, and Raleigh, North Carolina
• Imperfect foods - Online grocery store that collects surplus or unsold food items and resells them cheaper. Also has cheaper produce with quirks or irregular shapes and sizes. Works together with Misfits Market.
• Misfits Market - Online grocery store that collects surplus or unsold food items and resells them cheaper. Currently available in 48 states, except for Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.
• Food rescue US - Connects volunteers, food donors, and social service agencies to ensure that surplus food reaches people who need it most. Unsure if it's relevant for thrifty/frugal, let me know.
• Food rescue hero - A network that connects donors who have fresh, highly perishable food that would otherwise be thrown out to the people who need it most. Seems REALLY similar to Food Rescue US, unsure if it's relevant for thrifty/frugal, let me know.

I am splitting the thrifting/freecycling list up a bit.
The other list now only has resources that allow for freecycling: https://lemmy.world/post/1208672

This is a list of resources, such as dedicated web sites or apps where you can post or find second hand items (vintage or thrifting). Some are country specific, some are available or have groups in several countries.

This list is open for suggestions and/or comments on the resources. Make a comment, say what country (and if necessary, state and/or region), and post links to the website or relevant app/play store according to the below formats.

Rules: *No suspicious links, NSFW links or scam/phishing/malware. The list will be curated, if need be.

Worldwide (common in several countries)

• Freecycle Network - Moderated, free, freecycling only, mainly(?) used in Germany, UK, US
• Craigslist - Unmoderated, paid ads for some categories, mainly used in the US and Canada(?)
  [iOS app] - [Android app]
• Trashnothing.com - Unmoderated, free, active groups in Australia, Canada, UK, US
  [iOS app] - [Android app] - [Open developer API]
• Facebook Marketplace - Moderation depends on group, free, in some countries/regions it works but in many others it's rife with scammers and stolen goods
  [You already know the link and address]

Canada

• Kijiji - Moderated, free
  [iOS app] - [Android app]

Germany

• Mundraub - Unmoderated, free, map of free-to-pick fruits, veg, herbs and nuts (mainly in Germany)
  [Android app]
• Kleinanzeigen - Moderated, free (with paid ad promotion)
  [iOS app] [Android app]
• [Markt.de - Selective/random moderation, free (with paid ad promotion)
  [Android app]

Sweden

• Bortskänkes.se - Unmoderated, free
  [iOS app] - [Android app]
• Blocket.se - Moderated, paid to advertise unless the product is free
  [iOS app] - [Android app]
• Tradera.se - Unmoderated (mainly second hand)auctions, costs a portion of the end bid
  [iOS app] - [Android app]

United Kingdom

• Freegle - Unmoderated, free
  [iOS app] - [Android app]

Others

Please add to the list by commenting.

Too good to go is a service that started in Denmark in 2015, and has since spread to more countries. Its concept is to reduce food waste from unsold surplus in the stores, and instead help the stores sell the produce to frugal/thrifty people at a heavy discount, pretty much in "surprise" bags.

According to Wikipedia it is available in mainly Europe and North America:

As of July 2023 the company Web site covered Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

I've seen this around in Sweden from the last year, but there are other similar services here as well, so I haven't used Too good to go yet (but I intend to do soon). I've used Matsmart a couple of times which allows me to pick the products I want, and sometimes bought Lidl's discounted fruit-and-veg bags ("Ta vara på") in the store.

I think the concept is really good on a consumer level, even though I can't say for sure just how much impact it has on reducing surplus or if it's just another green washing method for the affiliated companies.

I've been searching around for resources to add to my list of thrifting or freecycling resources online.

I've seen these two:

• https://www.kleinanzeigen.de/
• https://www.markt.de/

I have questions regarding each site:

• Is it frequently used for free items/freecycling?
• Is it moderated or unmoderated?
• It seem to be free to post ads for both, but is there a catch?

Are there more sites like this in Germany?

I know that https://de.freecycle.org/ is also available and somewhat active. I've also gotten tips about https://mundraub.org/ (thank you @00@kbin.social) that I've added to the list.

Thank you in advance.

I am trying to locate good online resources for thrifting and freecycling items, and have had some tips for good resources that I put into a list. I found out about Kijiji yesterday, but other than Wikipedia entries (and the sites branding-oriented info), I know little.

If anyone knows, I'd love to get some more information regarding Kijiji.

• Is it frequently used by Canadians for classified ads regarding second hand?
• Is there a more popular option?
• Is it fequently used for free items/freecycling?
• Is it moderated or unmoderated?
• It seem to be free to post ads, but they charge for increased visibility.

Thank you in advance.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/1030195

@PlaidBaron@lemmy.world wrote:

All material picked up off the side of the road, destined for the dump. I needed trellises for my peas and this fit the bill perfectly.

Its in german and mostly shows locations in germany, but places from all over the world are in it

I occasionally browse freecycling ads in my area for interesting porcelain, vases, flower pots and furniture that will fit into a small car. There are Billy bookcases and bookshelves aplenty, and since they're so common there are few who are interested.

I managed to get hold of an older variety of Billy with a width of 75 cm (around 29,5 inches). This fit perfectly within my coat closet, which has an exterior width of 80 cm (31,5 inches) and an interior width of 76 cm (29,9 inches). All I had to do was measure the free space between the bottom shelf and the bottom of the hanging coats, then mark the sides (from the top).

I cut the sides to the right height with the help of a crosscut saw (I didn't have a track saw at that time). Then I sanded the raw edge, fixed the middle shelf with screws so that the construction wasn't wobbly and "installed" it (merely put it in). In the span of ten minutes (not counting picking the bookshelf up, clearing out the closet or putting the shoes back) I had a basic shoe shelving unit that fit my needs without any bells and whistles.

If it gets too scuffed and I have the spare time, I'll just paint it.

What did I do with the rest? Was considering a doll house with gable roof, but my kids have outgrown that phase, so I saved the scraps for a future project.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/1252248

Very basic and simple, yet it might be handy for some people. We were thinking of making one for a teenager who wants to play games on the laptop in bed, albeit with a different look.

From the blog:

This scrap wood DIY Laptop Desk is a one-hour project to get that overheating laptop off your lap! Complete photo tutorial inside!

Want to know a semi-secret about me? I’m a gamer. When I tell people this, I always feel the need to clarify a bit- not one of those first person shooter gamers. Violence freaks me out. But simulation games (Sims, city builders,) and strategy games (Settlers of Catan on steroids,) I’m all for.

As you might expect, I have a pretty hefty laptop. It gets hot. Really hot; enough to burn my legs. And if my legs are burning, that’s probably a bad sign for the insides of the laptop.

So I wanted to create a laptop desk that not only holds the laptop off my lap, but also helps cool the laptop. What I mean by this: most laptops have fans on the bottom of the machine that blow hot air out of the machine.

On a normal desk, the hot air hits the desk, and then is pushed right back into the machine by the desk. But on the DIY laptop desk I built, there are spaces between the wood, allowing that hot air to escape.

Those spaces are a simple solution to help keep laptops cool and therefore extend their lifespans. Plus, this plan is super easy, coming together in under an hour of work!

This might be filler/fluff, but it's handy both to shop frozen (can in some places be cheaper) and to freeze in fresh produce, meal prep or leftovers.

From the article:

Imagine buying five bags of groceries, dropping two in the parking lot, and walking away. An unlikely scenario, but consider this: About 40 percent of all food produced in the United States does not get eaten. And collectively, consumers are responsible for more wasted food than farmers, grocery stores, or any other part of the food supply chain. The lettuce that went bad, the leftovers you never got around to eating, that science experiment in the back of the refrigerator you’re hoping will disappear—it all adds up. In fact, the average American household of four is throwing away $120 each month in the form of uneaten food.

Fortunately, you can fix the problem—and destress last-minute dinner quandaries in the process. Wasting less food is about keeping ingredients fresh, being creative with what you have, and getting to know your food, especially how it ages and how it is best stored. And despite its bad rap, frozen food—and freezing food—is one of the keys to cutting down on what you toss.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/1026054

I've been trying to find simpler reuse/reinvent projects without only posting Youtube links (and avoiding Pinterest or content aggregator sites). I know Facebook isn't ideal as well, but I wanted to share this simple creation by a Swedish woman (post is in Swedish as well): Link to Facebook and the post

It's a clever reuse and reinvention of the old trampoline frame.

The translated contents of her post: We have made a rose arch/trellis out of an old trampoline. Split the trampoline in two halves and welded them together with pieces of the legs.

Katie is a Canadian who fixes and freshens up furniture from trash pickups or from thrift stores. She used to be a furniture flipper, but seems to do quite well now, so the furniture that she shows on her channel of late is usually kept for her own home or gifted back to thrift stores or friends.

While I may not always agree with the aesthetics of every refinished piece, I like that she gives new life to furniture that might otherwise end up in a landfill or burn pile.

Her channel on Youtube: Salvaged by K. Scott

The specific video from the post pic: French Provincial Coffe Table Set

I hope you get inspired and enjoy!