Comments on: Monday Q&A | Compost Questions, Extravagant Gifts, and Photography

By: Bankruptcy Ben

Bankruptcy Ben — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 01:12:40 +0000

I used to use shredded newspaper on my potplants as mulch but it worked too well and would stop rain from getting through. I think you need to mix it with something courser like bark

By: danyel

danyel — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 14:50:44 +0000

Q&A
we are a household of two, one is vegetarian, one carnivore. I’ve see what you spend on groceries and it’s very inspiring. I’m going to attempt to plan some meals.
I def need to do some research, but starting from scratch intimidates me. Do you have any tips on getting started? Or any article/blog suggestions on the topic in general? Do you use coupons? I think I could save a lot with coupons but it’s all processed foods????
Thanks!

By: Battra92

Battra92 — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:49:14 +0000

Learning photography is the same as learning to paint or to compose music or write poetry. You can learn the basics of it but it’s something you really need to tune your artistic side for. I’m still working on that (99% of my art is rubbish) but I get a keeper every now and again.

Instant feedback is great. I learned when I would cry alone in the darkroom when I had 36 worthless shots that I had just spent a half hour developing myself (or crying over an envelope of bad slides back from the lab.) Experimentation helped a lot and with digital it is cheaper but you don’t get the full range of experimentation (i.e. which film’s color palate would look better in this shot) but it’s an alright trade off.

The ones I marvel at are the guys like Alexander Gardner who took shots when each frame required loading and unloading the camera and developing the glass plate immediately.

By: Elizabeth B

Elizabeth B — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 02:37:33 +0000

Actually, a more important reason not to recycle shredded paper is that the shreds get into the gears of the recycling machinery and jam them. So if you shred it, you’re stuck either composting it or throwing it in the trash.

By: Tiffany

Tiffany — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:06:42 +0000

Yay, thanks for the composting link as well.

By: Ruth

Ruth — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 21:37:34 +0000

There is a grace of giving, but there is also the grace of receiving. If someone wants to bless another with an extravagant gift of some sort, I think the proper response is gratitude. If you put the best construction on everything, you can rejoice that this person values you and wants to be gracious to you. Some things are worth more than money. Some experiences and time spent with another that also cost a lot of money, might be worth it in the long run. I think of my brother who extravagantly spent money to attend his son’s graduation from basic training and airborne school. In one sense he couldn’t afford it at the time, but now that his son has been killed in Iraq, he can’t think of a better way to have spent his money. All this to say, I agree with the Frugal Girl.

By: Jil

Jil — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:37:24 +0000

Thanks for the post. This is my first year composting and I’m needing lots of info.

By: Tammy Brackett

Tammy Brackett — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:20:01 +0000

I surely do miss my composting! The ground has been frozen and or too muddy to even walk to the garden to compost. The best I’ve been able to do is compost a little in my flowerbox at my backporch. Coffeegrounds, tea grounds and veggie scraps go into my flowerbed instead of the veggie garden out back. It’ll be interesting to see how the soil improves in my bed! Keep up the great work FG!

By: Michelle

Michelle — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:34:13 +0000

I missed your earlier composting post, so thanks for this one! I’ve been composting for about 20 years and have never heard of composting paper. I think it’s a great idea, especially because, like you, I always have way too many greens and not enough browns. Every couple of years we put a layer of (unshredded) newspaper down in the flower beds and cover it with barkdust and it decomposes (this is fabulous for keeping down the weeds!), so this is the same idea, just taken one step farther.

By: Bellen

Bellen — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 13:09:45 +0000

I’ve read recently that shredded paper should not be recycled as the fiber are too short to use to make more paper. I suppose shredded paper could be used to make insulation, but composting on a personal basis seems to be appropriate. I have used it as mulch topping it with grass for a prettier look.