What's the most frugal thing you do?

[LifeHappens]

Love this thread.

I recently started sprouting at home. I used to be part of CSA that often included a tiny packet of mixed sprouts. The farm sells individual packets for $5(!!!). I can grow twice as much from organic seeds for under $0.50.

I also make my own refried beans. They are better than canned, cheaper and only take a few minutes of active effort.

+1 on the sprouting. Personi, I'm a fan of lentil sprouts.

another +1 for sprouting. Currently I'm really into buckwheat sprouts.
We grew enough sprouts( & froze enough greens) so that we barely bought any greenery over the winter. We had green beans, kale, mesclun mixes/mustard greens & even frozen brocollini which is a real garden treat mid-winter.. I love knowing my food didn't have to travel very far to get onto my plate.

Lentil sprouts are great.

That is badass on freezing all those greens. I live in zone 9B so I can theoretically grow some type of green year round. I'm working on improving my gardening skills to try to make this a reality.

[mistymoney]

in a crisis situation, I made my own non-dairy coffee creamer.....never going back to silk!

[Josiecat22222]

@mistymoney- would you mind to share your recipe?

[mistymoney]

@mistymoney- would you mind to share your recipe?

sure! soak raw walnuts overnight and rinse in the am. put in blender with fresh water, medjul dates and just a scant bit of himalayan pink salt.

I do 2 handfuls of walnuts and 9-12 dates depending on how large the dates are. typically I target 10. water should just cover with some islands sticking out above water - it blends smoother if it is thick.

Do vitamix on lower settings until things are getting mixing, then a full minute on the turbo setting. comes out concentrated and I put about 2 heaping spoonfuls into a large mug of coffee. Can be dilluted for use as milk.

[Valley of Plenty]

I only ask my coolest friends to commit crimes with me ;) lol

Last year I found someone I decided needed to be my new best friend and we built a table together.

It's much gentler than dumping then straight into the ice cold water of asking if they want to be a body paint model at a rap concert, lol.

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE?!
I know that I could read your journal, but I kind of like the mental picture that I have of you. It's...eccentric.

I mean, who hasn't been half naked and painted on by a total stranger in front of a huge crowd of people at some point in their life??? Right....???

I've definitely done far stranger things in front of a crowd before. What you're describing sounds like perfectly normal recreational activity to me :D

[TomTX]

I need friends who are cool with doing unusual shit out of nowhere. I select for the kind of people I can call and say "hey, wanna come with me to Montreal and commit fairly significant crimes?"

Sure! Can it include shaking down the birth certificate office until they cough up my grandmother's? Also a cemetery tour, as long as that doesn't need to be included in the "significant crimes" segment...

I mean, who hasn't been half naked and painted on by a total stranger in front of a huge crowd of people at some point in their life??? Right....???

Closest I've got is "Nearly naked and painted by a friend in front of a small crowd, then danced for hours around the Beltane fire out in the woods along with 500+ other people..."

[Dicey]

I only ask my coolest friends to commit crimes with me ;) lol

Last year I found someone I decided needed to be my new best friend and we built a table together.

It's much gentler than dumping then straight into the ice cold water of asking if they want to be a body paint model at a rap concert, lol.

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE?!
I know that I could read your journal, but I kind of like the mental picture that I have of you. It's...eccentric.

I mean, who hasn't been half naked and painted on by a total stranger in front of a huge crowd of people at some point in their life??? Right....???

I've definitely done far stranger things in front of a crowd before. What you're describing sounds like perfectly normal recreational activity to me :D

Burning Man?

[BicycleB]

Walk with mom and her friends.

They've been getting together on Sundays since the 1970s. Back then, it was a running group of several dozen people. The host for the week would plan routes, leave water to drink at strategic points, and offer their home as post-run gathering spot. When the last person got back from their run, the first bite of potluck could be eaten. Now it's the same except the pace is a walk, because the members are 70ish to 80something years of age, and there's not quite as many people - maybe 20 at the potluck, and the potluck part only happens on weeks someone is ready to host. I ran with the group as a child, and later for a year or two after college, so now it's one of the best parts of "home".

It's not free, because the homes are spread out so we usually drive there, and you need to contribute to the potluck. But in return you get exercise, community, information, and a great meal.

[getsorted]

Walk with mom and her friends.

They've been getting together on Sundays since the 1970s. Back then, it was a running group of several dozen people. The host for the week would plan routes, leave water to drink at strategic points, and offer their home as post-run gathering spot. When the last person got back from their run, the first bite of potluck could be eaten. Now it's the same except the pace is a walk, because the members are 70ish to 80something years of age, and there's not quite as many people - maybe 20 at the potluck, and the potluck part only happens on weeks someone is ready to host. I ran with the group as a child, and later for a year or two after college, so now it's one of the best parts of "home".

It's not free, because the homes are spread out so we usually drive there, and you need to contribute to the potluck. But in return you get exercise, community, information, and a great meal.

That whole situation is about the sweetest thing I've ever heard. I love it.

[Metalcat]

I need friends who are cool with doing unusual shit out of nowhere. I select for the kind of people I can call and say "hey, wanna come with me to Montreal and commit fairly significant crimes?"

Sure! Can it include shaking down the birth certificate office until they cough up my grandmother's? Also a cemetery tour, as long as that doesn't need to be included in the "significant crimes" segment...[/b]

I mean, who hasn't been half naked and painted on by a total stranger in front of a huge crowd of people at some point in their life??? Right....???

Closest I've got is "Nearly naked and painted by a friend in front of a small crowd, then danced for hours around the Beltane fire out in the woods along with 500+ other people..."

Lol! This was DH and I trying to get his Irish passport worked out, which involved us traipsing through a Montreal cemetery at night in thigh deep snow to get birth and death dates, then charming the Irish embassy into agreeing that yes, the woman with the significantly different name in their registry was *definitely* hi grandmother. Lol.

So maybe a little bit of crime with that one, lol!

[Valley of Plenty]

I only ask my coolest friends to commit crimes with me ;) lol

Last year I found someone I decided needed to be my new best friend and we built a table together.

It's much gentler than dumping then straight into the ice cold water of asking if they want to be a body paint model at a rap concert, lol.

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE?!
I know that I could read your journal, but I kind of like the mental picture that I have of you. It's...eccentric.

I mean, who hasn't been half naked and painted on by a total stranger in front of a huge crowd of people at some point in their life??? Right....???

I've definitely done far stranger things in front of a crowd before. What you're describing sounds like perfectly normal recreational activity to me :D

Burning Man?

Never been to Burning Man, but I used to attend BDSM conventions on a semi-regular basis

Was never painted in front of a crowd, but I have been flogged in front of a crowd while mostly naked, which I would imagine ranks as at least slightly more bizarre to most people

[bryan995]

for me its probably a somewhat infrequent visit to this forum .. hah

[eyesonthehorizon]

...Closest I've got is "Nearly naked and painted by a friend in front of a small crowd, then danced for hours around the Beltane fire out in the woods along with 500+ other people..."

You ever wonder if the reason we have so many enthusiastic pagans is just the ambient theocracy? Curious what decade that was & if they're still going (...&, consequently to the first thought, if it will be revived given the present CFery.)

I haven't done any of it since I was too young to be part of that particular activity but it still beat the metaphorical pants off any of the other religious celebrations I attended.

[StarBright]

for me its probably a somewhat infrequent visit to this forum .. hah

Honestly, I think this is a great answer! If you aren't naturally inclined to frugality (It's me! Hi! I'm the problem, it's me) then just reading the forum/blog on a semi regular basis can help keep on the path/plant the seeds/give a little extra motivation.

Like having a glass of water to see if you are really hungry, reading the forum can help us evaluate wants and needs.

[Dancin'Dog]

Upon reflection, I think the most frugal thing I do might be just letting shit be broken.

I have so many things that need a fix. The car door locks don't work right and require a work-around. The paint is peeling off of some Bondo on the front grille. The kitchen floor has been missing a bit of flooring for over a year. The screen door doesn't latch. The patio window is clouded over and needs replacing. Only one of my three interior doors actually closes properly (thankfully, it's the bathroom!). My TV's backlight is out; everything looks a bit bluer than it should. The living room bookshelf is missing bits of veneer. The deck steps are broken. I can't type the number 8 or the exclamation point on my laptop keyboard. The shed has a big hole in the wall. Half my windows don't open. All my trousers need to be taken in, and I'm just safety pinning them along the seam every morning.

Don't get me wrong; over time, all this stuff needs to be tended to and the overall trend is that things are moving forward. But if I fixed everything that needed fixing today, I'd be broke and in debt. Letting the small things ride until I have the time, money, and energy to address them (or can source free materials, or learn what I need to know to address them) is a big part of why I have an emergency fund at all.

I have similar tendencies, but it is a slippery slope that can result in finding yourself in an insurmountable hole that is almost impossible to escape from.  I've watched it happen to friends & family to various degrees.  It's especially bad if they have hoarding issues too.  I mean being surrounded by piles of so-so stuff can become overwhelming and depressing.  It's not so bad for solo people, because they've put themselves there.  But it's really sad to watch innocent family members being affected by it. 


It's Spring, so I'm in overdrive trying to catch up with all the repairs that need to get done outdoors.  I used to enjoy Spring, but as I get older it seems that there are more things to fix.  I've been tackling the underground irrigation system around our yard.  It needed help when we moved here in 2019, and while on the "back burner" it's been damaged during other DIY projects.  I've had to repair 3 leaks in the line before I could even begin addressing the individual mal/non-functioning sprinkler heads.  It's been a bit of a learning getting started because I've never worked on sprinklers before.  (The damned things will soak you while you're trying to adjust them!)  I'm trying to enjoy the experience, and I realize that if I don't get it done the yard will be dried up & dead looking within a month or two. 


But, first I need to drag out a tall ladder and replace the battery in the smoke detector downstairs that's been chirping since Sunday!  (it's Thursday now...)


:~)


 

[getsorted]

I have similar tendencies, but it is a slippery slope that can result in finding yourself in an insurmountable hole that is almost impossible to escape from.  I've watched it happen to friends & family to various degrees.  It's especially bad if they have hoarding issues too.  I mean being surrounded by piles of so-so stuff can become overwhelming and depressing.  It's not so bad for solo people, because they've put themselves there.  But it's really sad to watch innocent family members being affected by it. 

Fortunately, I am not a hoarder. No piles, just a regular amount of so-so stuff.

[calimom]

A high school friend was recently in my area and we got together for a visit to catch up. As we were ooohing and ahhhing over how great the other looked and so forth. She told me the Wrangler shirt I had on reminded her of a shirt I wore to school. I informed her it was the same shirt - just broken in more. I don't keep everything forever but I have no problem hanging on to stuff I like with no need to replace things 'just because'.

*for context we graduated in 1994.

[Dicey]

A high school friend was recently in my area and we got together for a visit to catch up. As we were ooohing and ahhhing over how great the other looked and so forth. She told me the Wrangler shirt I had on reminded her of a shirt I wore to school. I informed her it was the same shirt - just broken in more. I don't keep everything forever but I have no problem hanging on to stuff I like with no need to replace things 'just because'.

*for context we graduated in 1994.

Badass!

[Omy]

I still have a handful of clothing items from the 80s and 90s, but I recently donated a bunch of that stuff that wasn't too worn or dated. The rest of my 80s and 90s attire has been turned into cleaning rags.

[Catbert]

A high school friend was recently in my area and we got together for a visit to catch up. As we were ooohing and ahhhing over how great the other looked and so forth. She told me the Wrangler shirt I had on reminded her of a shirt I wore to school. I informed her it was the same shirt - just broken in more. I don't keep everything forever but I have no problem hanging on to stuff I like with no need to replace things 'just because'.

*for context we graduated in 1994.

Possibly the most impressive thing is that you still fit in it.  Not many of us can fit into our garments from 30 years ago.

[getsorted]

I am cooking chicken in an electric pressure cooker on the deck so I don't heat up and humidity the house. Short of using a solar oven or just eating food that doesn't require heat, I think this is the frugal-est summer cooking I could do.

[stoaX]

My most frugal habits have already been mentioned:  use the library, drive an older car, don't eat out, 4 year old phone, no pets, live in a walkable community and Mrs. stoaX cuts my hair.  There's probably a few more frugal habits that I can't think of right now.

[Metalcat]

A high school friend was recently in my area and we got together for a visit to catch up. As we were ooohing and ahhhing over how great the other looked and so forth. She told me the Wrangler shirt I had on reminded her of a shirt I wore to school. I informed her it was the same shirt - just broken in more. I don't keep everything forever but I have no problem hanging on to stuff I like with no need to replace things 'just because'.

*for context we graduated in 1994.

I graduated a few years after you and still have dresses I bought in highschool that are still favourites.

[Serendip]

I love vintage clothing and was lucky enough to obtain some items from my mom (neither of my siblings like or can wear vintage style). My favourite spring coat is hers and there is another tailored jacket made from beautiful handwoven material--likely from the late 50's/early 60's.

 She is so country casual now so it's also a nice reminder to imagine her in younger city years being quite styled. I also have been given other peoples vintage clothing b/c they know I'll use and appreciate it more than they do.

[calimom]

I love vintage clothing and was lucky enough to obtain some items from my mom (neither of my siblings like or can wear vintage style). My favourite spring coat is hers and there is another tailored jacket made from beautiful handwoven material--likely from the late 50's/early 60's.

 She is so country casual now so it's also a nice reminder to imagine her in younger city years being quite styled. I also have been given other peoples vintage clothing b/c they know I'll use and appreciate it more than they do.

I love this and it's also a testament to how well-made clothing was in past decades. Today's fast fashion will not stand the test of time, sadly.

[TomTX]

I love this and it's also a testament to how well-made clothing was in past decades. Today's fast fashion will not stand the test of time, sadly.

I have a set of coveralls which belonged to my grandfather, who died in 1972 - no idea how old they really are. Still work fine. I also have a couple of wool army blankets from him, possibly from WWI when he served. I suppose there's somewhere an enthusiast group with details on how to determine the era of a wool army blanket....

[Herbert Derp]

The most frugal thing I’ve ever done is live in a tiny studio condo that I paid in full, while also walking to work and not owning a car. I did that for a period of about six years.

The most extreme frugal things I did were not paying for Internet, not having hot water, and buying bananas one at a time so that I could get free bananas with my $0.10 cash back per transaction debit card.

I need friends who are cool with doing unusual shit out of nowhere. I select for the kind of people I can call and say "hey, wanna come with me to Montreal and commit fairly significant crimes?"

Sure! Can it include shaking down the birth certificate office until they cough up my grandmother's? Also a cemetery tour, as long as that doesn't need to be included in the "significant crimes" segment...

I mean, who hasn't been half naked and painted on by a total stranger in front of a huge crowd of people at some point in their life??? Right....???

Closest I've got is "Nearly naked and painted by a friend in front of a small crowd, then danced for hours around the Beltane fire out in the woods along with 500+ other people..."

Never been to Burning Man, but I used to attend BDSM conventions on a semi-regular basis

Was never painted in front of a crowd, but I have been flogged in front of a crowd while mostly naked, which I would imagine ranks as at least slightly more bizarre to most people

Wow, you guys sound like my kind of people! I spent three months homeless and living in a hippie commune in the woods where they did all of that stuff, while also working remotely for my very serious big person job. How did we all end up on this forum together?

[fuzzy math]

Yesterday I was biking on a semi busy road.... turned around twice, stopped and picked up 2 pennies. I wasn't going to be able to enjoy my ride if I had kept thinking about them laying there all lonely

[Dicey]

Yesterday I was biking on a semi busy road.... turned around twice, stopped and picked up 2 pennies. I wasn't going to be able to enjoy my ride if I had kept thinking about them laying there all lonely

Thank you for saving the lonely pennies.

[sonofsven]

Yesterday I was biking on a semi busy road.... turned around twice, stopped and picked up 2 pennies. I wasn't going to be able to enjoy my ride if I had kept thinking about them laying there all lonely

Ha, I stop and pick up working 5 gallon buckets from the side of the road when I'm driving.
Free bucket!

[TomTX]

Wow, you guys sound like my kind of people! I spent three months homeless and living in a hippie commune in the woods where they did all of that stuff, while also working remotely for my very serious big person job. How did we all end up on this forum together?

Well, I guess it comes from a root cause of not being someone who just follows the default societal choices/emphases. I'm not gonna be a consumerist sukka. I will go ahead and dance nearly nekkid around a giant fire with thumpy drums and dozens of other dancers. I think I forgot to mention, but a different friend did my hair in "warrior braids"* in addition to the skin paint - had hair down to my beltline at that time.

*Kind of like these: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/408631366206351305/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/857513585314729874/

[Dicey]

Yesterday I was biking on a semi busy road.... turned around twice, stopped and picked up 2 pennies. I wasn't going to be able to enjoy my ride if I had kept thinking about them laying there all lonely

In keeping with this theme, DH picked up two pieces of sweeping 90 degree conduit fittings while on his walk yesterday.  He figures they fell off someone's truck. They're worth about $30.

[TomTX]

Hey we're twins! I wear my hair in weird braids all the time but never knew they were called anything. Obviously NOT getting my hair cut is another frugal thing I do ;-).

As much as I would enjoy being your twin, I went to short hair awhile ago.

Upon some further thought - I do have the cut-off ponytail in a box in the closet, so I suppose it would be possible to make extensions using my own hair....

[Villanelle]

Hey we're twins! I wear my hair in weird braids all the time but never knew they were called anything. Obviously NOT getting my hair cut is another frugal thing I do ;-).

As much as I would enjoy being your twin, I went to short hair awhile ago.

Upon some further thought - I do have the cut-off ponytail in a box in the closet, so I suppose it would be possible to make extensions using my own hair....

You might be able to sell that ponytail, depending on length and condition.

[mistymoney]

Hey we're twins! I wear my hair in weird braids all the time but never knew they were called anything. Obviously NOT getting my hair cut is another frugal thing I do ;-).

As much as I would enjoy being your twin, I went to short hair awhile ago.

Upon some further thought - I do have the cut-off ponytail in a box in the closet, so I suppose it would be possible to make extensions using my own hair....

You might be able to sell that ponytail, depending on length and condition.

True story! At one point, I had my hair below my butt, very thick, and I always kept it trimmed and blunt cut so that it was not thinner at the end. Both while it was on my head and especially after cutting it off for a partially shaved look, that braid was the only emergency fund we had. If we were ever going to go hungry, it was the only asset I had to sell. I did not want to sell it, of course! Thankfully - we never went hungry and I still have it.

The braid is about 3-4' thick and maybe up to 3' long. It was in very good condition, but lightly bleached - just enough so it could take some temp colors and hold them for a month or two. so a bleach application but put on for just like 3-4 minutes rather than 25.

Checking now - this braid is worth about 700 dollars right now....I know it was about 400 when I cut it off. Should I include in my NW calculations going forward? Will it work like gold for a comodities hedge?

[GuitarStv]

True story! At one point, I had my hair below my butt, very thick, and I always kept it trimmed

Thick or not, it's probably best for sanitary purposes to keep butt hair trimmed to shorter levels.  :P

[mistymoney]

True story! At one point, I had my hair below my butt, very thick, and I always kept it trimmed

Thick or not, it's probably best for sanitary purposes to keep butt hair trimmed to shorter levels.  :P

<insert lackluster rimshot here>

[CountToFI]

I'll bite, but its hard to choose just one.

I use traditional coffee filters instead of the appropriately sized #4's because they're a fraction of the cost (put this down in your list of life hacks, it should get you to FI in no time)

I also still have underwear from 15 years ago.

[chasingsnow]

A couple that come to mind:

-Dont pay for haircuts as DW cuts my hair
-Currently doing a massive house renovation and have completed all of the plumbing, electrical, etc ourselves
-We are a one car household and will hold our car for a decade or more
-Growing lots of our own food in our garden

[johndoe]

Thanks to all for ideas.  I was struck how many mentioned lack of alcohol, I wonder if a disproportionate number of us are non-drinkers.

I'm in the midst a low-buy year and my partner & I did a full no-buy year five years ago.

Sorry to be "THAT guy", but NO buy?  How does that work?

I bet the area where I'm most "above average" on frugality is cars (although I'm way behind those of you without cars!).  I haven't saved every receipt, but it looks like after 20 years of driving I've spent ~$44k (includes three cars purchased, insurance, registration, maintenance, gas).  So I'd be at $2.2k/yr - some stats online suggest the average American in that period (2003-2023) was ~$9k/yr.  ~$7k/yr "above average" doesn't feel that huge, but I guess it adds up!  Thinking another way, from the Social Security website my earnings over that period were ~$850k, so the cars ate up ~5% of income.  Not bad for a suburbanite!

[Serendip]

I'm in the midst a low-buy year and my partner & I did a full no-buy year five years ago.

Sorry to be "THAT guy", but NO buy?  How does that work?

 It sounds extreme doesn't it :)
It just meant no spending beyond food & household essentials (toilet paper, etc)

So even if things broke if they weren't essential to work/safety they weren't replaced. It was a VERY effective way to see all the ways money slips out of your life $20 at a time--all of a sudden it felt like I had so much money (a good indicator I'd been spending mindlessly which many on this forum do not do..)

[GuitarStv]

If you have a shower head in the room where your toilet lives, toilet paper is not a household essential.  It should be recognized as an extravagance.

[Dicey]

Just returned from a trip and realized one of my tricks might qualify for this thread. I buy vitamins at Costco. One day it occurred to me that the sturdy, airtight  containers might make very good travel ice. I wash the vitamin bottles on the top shelf of the dishwasher, fill and freeze them, then use them in the cooler. Bonus, as the ice melts, it can either be refrozen in the RV fridge or, if we get somewhere where the water quality is less than what we're used to, we drink the water from the unneeded vitamin bottles.

[scottnews]

Just returned from a trip and realized one of my tricks might qualify for this thread. I buy vitamins at Costco. One day it occurred to me that the sturdy, airtight  containers might make very good travel ice. I wash the vitamin bottles on the top shelf of the dishwasher, fill and freeze them, then use them in the cooler. Bonus, as the ice melts, it can either be refrozen in the RV fridge or, if we get somewhere where the water quality is less than what we're used to, we drink the water from the unneeded vitamin bottles.

This would keep the water mess from getting all over.   I'll have to try this, this summer.

[stoaX]

Just returned from a trip and realized one of my tricks might qualify for this thread. I buy vitamins at Costco. One day it occurred to me that the sturdy, airtight  containers might make very good travel ice. I wash the vitamin bottles on the top shelf of the dishwasher, fill and freeze them, then use them in the cooler. Bonus, as the ice melts, it can either be refrozen in the RV fridge or, if we get somewhere where the water quality is less than what we're used to, we drink the water from the unneeded vitamin bottles.

This would keep the water mess from getting all over.   I'll have to try this, this summer.

I have a small plastic storage bin full of ice in the freezer for use in a cooler, but if it gets turned over it leaks. I like this idea better.

[GuitarStv]

Just returned from a trip and realized one of my tricks might qualify for this thread. I buy vitamins at Costco. One day it occurred to me that the sturdy, airtight  containers might make very good travel ice. I wash the vitamin bottles on the top shelf of the dishwasher, fill and freeze them, then use them in the cooler. Bonus, as the ice melts, it can either be refrozen in the RV fridge or, if we get somewhere where the water quality is less than what we're used to, we drink the water from the unneeded vitamin bottles.

This would keep the water mess from getting all over.   I'll have to try this, this summer.

I have a small plastic storage bin full of ice in the freezer for use in a cooler, but if it gets turned over it leaks. I like this idea better.

The bottles don't expand/leak when the water freezes in them?  Or do you leave some space at the top of the bottle?

[Serendip]

If you have a shower head in the room where your toilet lives, toilet paper is not a household essential.  It should be recognized as an extravagance.

Everyone has their own definition of ‘luxuries’ ;)

A friend I visited had a roll of paper towel in their bathroom—they recently forgot to put toilet paper in the bathroom when someone was coming over (they use a bidet) and stranded an older guest who took 20min to figure out how to use the contraption.

[Frugal Lizard]

One of my frugal practices is using loose leaf tea instead of tea bags.

I make a whole pot of tea in the morning. I drink a cup with breakfast and save the rest of the pot in a really well insulated thermos jug. It lasts until my caffeine cut off time in the afternoon.

The tea is fairly expensive - 28CAN$ for a pound. I have a jar in the cupboard for daily use and freeze the rest. The bag lasts more than six months. It is the best tasting tea. Now I can't drink tea anywhere but at home because all the other tea doesn't compare. That saves me a lot of money in take away/dining in.

It is not probably the most frugal thing I do, but I do it every day and pausing for a really good cuppa is a simple pleasure.

[Metalcat]

After spending an entire evening with folks chain smoking cigarettes ($.80/cigarette out here) and drinking beer like it's water (~ $6/can), it feels pretty frugal to have gotten through the entire night on <$6 of dealcoholized beer, and that was just the pre-party. God knows what they spent at the concert.

[Dicey]

Just returned from a trip and realized one of my tricks might qualify for this thread. I buy vitamins at Costco. One day it occurred to me that the sturdy, airtight  containers might make very good travel ice. I wash the vitamin bottles on the top shelf of the dishwasher, fill and freeze them, then use them in the cooler. Bonus, as the ice melts, it can either be refrozen in the RV fridge or, if we get somewhere where the water quality is less than what we're used to, we drink the water from the unneeded vitamin bottles.

This would keep the water mess from getting all over.   I'll have to try this, this summer.

I have a small plastic storage bin full of ice in the freezer for use in a cooler, but if it gets turned over it leaks. I like this idea better.

The bottles don't expand/leak when the water freezes in them?  Or do you leave some space at the top of the bottle?

I leave about an inch of headroom. The bottles do sweat while defrosting, but generally don't leak.