Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Frugal ideas......

I just love it when I can come up with something that I need for cheap.
I would like to be able to say that I came up with the idea for this frugal hummingbird feeder on my own but I can't. I found this on youtube.
It is a 20 oz Dr Pepper bottle and a small Rubbermaid container.
I drilled 4 holes in the lid.
The one on youtube had a yellow flower painted around the holes.
I may have to do that too.
I have it hung by 2 other feeders that are starting to get a lot of action but I just hung this one yesterday afternoon.
Those hummingbirds are so darned cute and so darned fast that I can not get a picture of them yet. I did get a pic of one sitting on a tree branch but he is so small that you can barely see him!!
They are not afraid of me at all. I am sure as soon as the day warms that I should be able to sit on the glider on my front porch and get a picture of them. They sure like to fly right by my head!!!
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I also made another bird feeder out of a gallon plastic milk jug. I saw that idea in Birds-n-Blooms magazine. I cut a whole in the side of it and bent the plastic flap up as to make a rain shield to keep the seeds dry. The one shown did not have the protection from the rain. The rain shield has been put to the test for the past several days now and the seeds are dry!! woowooo
Now if I can just get the birds in it! I have it in a new place but I will move it near the other feeders today. I sure hope they like it. This is a great way to free cycle!!
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The third great idea that I have had this week is to make a nice watering jug out of a 2 quart Simply Orange Juice plastic bottle. It has a great handle that is easy to use and a very sturdy plastic lid on it. I drilled holes in the top and one small hole in the handle near the top of the jug for an air hole to allow the water to release from the jug. It sends out a very soft steady stream of water which is great for small and tender plants. Also it does not leak around the spout like my big watering can. I have needed to replace it for a couple years now but I just didn't. This free one works even better!!!!
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I have my 40 Buckeye chicken eggs in the incubator and they are ticking right along now!!
I was able to do some tweaking around in my chicken coop yesterday while it was raining most all day. I have some new plans for another frugal idea. A rain barrel that will collect the rain water from the chicken coop/barn and store it in a 55 gallon barrel. I then will be able to use a hose connected to the barrel to put water in the chickens waterer and the one in that goat field. I am sick of carrying water to these animals and losing all that water....free water!!
I will see how this one goes and if it does good I will then make one for all the different little goat lots too. We are very fortunate to have our big fish pond that we have an irrigation system hooked up for our garden. That is a luxury that I am being very spoiled by!! Of course it runs off electricity to pump the water uphill but my rain barrels will use gravity. I would get that project started today but all our tools are at the other place...................heard that story before????
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Better get off the butt and get to work..............my list just keeps getting longer and longer and longer....laundry made it's way to the top today, right beside finish transplanting flowers, putting out mulch, mowing the yard and and and and and and...........
Have a lovely day my friends!!

1 comment:

LynnS said...

You've already got hummers?? That is one fancy-schmancy feeder you made. I've not seen one using a Rubbermaid container before. Good job!

I'm still jealous of you and those goats. And you got another one before I've even built a goat shed?! Geez...Could I pahleeze borrow The Danny-Man?