MacGyvering Vs. buying the win.

[Scorpion Regent]

There is never enough money for everything you want and if you are living on the road space is at a premium.  Fools and their money are soon parted, so don't be that fool.  Let's save our money and use our brains.  Does anybody have any tips, hacks or advice on ways to get things done with what you have for little or no money.  I am particularly partial to alternative uses for house hold things.  

Here are some examples of what I'm talking about. 
For cleaning your windshield and glass use free local newspapers / grocery store fliers and vinegar.  
If you don't have a corkscrew. Drive a wood screw into the cork and pull it out with a hammer or Vise Grips (more on that later).
Instead of buying twine and zip ties cut PET plastic bottles into long ribbons and use it for lashing.  If you want to make it permanent, the plastic will contract just apply heat with lighter, candle, hair dryer, hot water or a heat gun.  If you have a glass jar without a lid you want to make convert into a sealed bottle a PET plastic bottle can fix that.   Find a PET plastic bottle that is wider than the jar cut of the top leaving enough length to fit over the jar by a inch and half.  Put the bottle top over the top of the jar and apply heat.  It should seal up nicely.
Rather than buy a reflective windshield screen make one from cardboard, aluminum foil and packing tape. If you have reflective tape that works even better. 
Bubble wrap envelopes and reflective tape can be used to make an insulated cover for your water bottle, using Reflectix isn't cheating if you all ready have it.  
Finding the most uses for a single tool means you can travel with less.  Sometimes you can't compromise, but it is always good to pick your battles. 
Heres an example of one tool that can do a lot.  Every nomad should have a pair of locking pliers aka Vise Grips.  No nut cracker, use vise grips.   Need a scratch awl, just lock a nail in your vise grips.  No box cutter? Vise grips and a razor blade, no razor blade how about the lid of a tin can.   No handle for a file, use vise grips.  Need too improvise a saw buy a Sawzall blade and lock it in you vise grips.  Same trick applies to saber saw blades.  Snap a hack saw blade in two, (always nice to have a spare) and lock one of the blades in the vice grips, voila! mini hack saw.   

A lot of this is as much Mad Max as Macgyver.  Please don't throw away everything and only use vise grips and plastic bottles. These  are examples of options, that can work, if even only temporarily.   

I am dying to hear what ideas have, so please share.

 

[mattvei]

great start! Appreciate the share. As I have bucks, I tend to throw money at problems. Your way si better

 

[1shemp]

I don't know.I think I would rather spend my time doing things I enjoy.

 

[Scorpion Regent]

As I have bucks, I tend to throw money at problems.

So how would you like to change that?  Change starts small, but it has to start.  Think about what you spend your money on and what you want, question your motives as much as your methods.  Are you willing to do things for yourself rather than pay others to do it for you?  Are there ways to achieve your goals on a lower budget?  What you do to save money might not seem "cool", but does that really matter?  Sometime spending decisions are counter intuitive.  A quality item such as a frying pan may cost twice the price of a cheaper one, but it lasts for years instead of less than nine months.  If a job calls for a professional, don't do it on the cheap, get it done right.  Having it done wrong for less is no bargain.  Do you really need special part to attach a lantern to our awning or can the same job be done with some spare wire or a coat hanger?

Try to find multiple uses for things.  Bandannas are a great example.  Dish washing liquid can be used as hand soap, and body wash, you can even use it for your hair, just not every day.  Super glue is a great household adhesive it is also fantastic for sealing up cuts, particularly on your hands.  I have even used it instead of stitches.  Baking soda helps with acid indigestion, cleans acid off your battery terminals, fixes superglue, and can be used to brush your teeth.  Dental floss can be used to stitch up tears and rips, I have even used it to hold together leather work.  Petroleum jelly is extremely versatile.  You don't need mouthwash.  Hydrogen peroxide not only sterilizes cuts, it can be diluted as a mouth wash. Table salt can be used to scour away food melted onto pots and pans.  
  
Don't waste your money on disinfecting wipes, just buy a bottle of bleach, a spray bottle to hold a water bleach solution and roll of paper towels.  Bottled water is a huge waste of money.  Get large container minimum 4 gallons and fill it from the coin machines outside of markets, get a dedicated personal water bottle and refill that from the tank.  If you have to drink tap or well water get a filtration device such as a pitcher.  


I can't carry this thread alone, somebody please pitch in.

 

[Scorpion Regent]

I don't know.I think I would rather spend my time doing things I enjoy.

Then that's what you should do.  Go knock yourself out.  Follow your bliss.

 

[maki2]

I do not consider buying tools and having supplies on hand, such as good quality zip ties, an awl, a proper knife, a razor blade holder, cork screw etc to be wasting money. I travel with all those items. They are not expensive to buy and take up very little space. Plus they are designed with the safe use for properly securing sharp objects in mind as well asgood ergonimic hand control to help prevent accidents, injury as well as getting better results fot the task at hand.

Encouraging people to use the wrong tool to hold sharp objects such as a razor blade is a very poor concept when you can go to a dollar store and purchase a blade holder to keep in a tool tote or a drawer. A blade holder that will present the edge of the blade at the proper angle to the surface to prevent damaging the surface and then covers the blade edge for storage so the user does not get cut on it when reaching into the tool bin. Safety comes first, never forget that tools are designed to help keep people safe while doing particular tasks..

 

[Scorpion Regent]

I do not consider buying tools and having supplies on hand, such good quality zip ties, an awl, a proper knife, a razor blade holder,  cork screw etc to be wasting money. I travel with all those items. They are not expensive to buy and take up very little space. Plus they are designed with the safe use for properly securing sharp objects in mind as well as ergonimic hand control.

Did you miss my disclaimer?  

"Please don't throw away everything and only use vise grips and plastic bottles. These are examples of options, that can work, if even only temporarily."

With that said I will concede.    You are absolutely right, quality tools are good value.  Thank you for making that point.  Is there anything else you would like to share?  I mean it sincerely.  I may have started this thread, but what you said was worthy, by all means don't stop now.

 

[TravelingZombies]

One of our little life hacks is rubbing alcohol. Obviously you can use it for wounds but did you know that you can also use it to kill insects on the spot for the most part. And being a nomad and in your vehicle all the time who doesn't get a heat rash well if you catch it early enough rubbing alcohol may sting but it'll clear that rash up by the next day. If you have no heat but have rubbing alcohol 70% or higher take a roll of toilet paper remove the cardboard from The Middle and place the toilet paper inside of a metal can that just fits the toilet paper for the alcohol into it make sure you have a lid for the can and then you can light it and it'll burn for hours providing you heat and a way to cook but make sure you put it in a pan with water so that it doesn't catch anything on fire with radiant heat such as your countertop and if you're done with it before it runs out of field simply put the lid on it and save it for later.
I have macgyvered a number of items with my vehicle in the past such as fixing a vacuum leak with a baby sock and everybody's favorite duct tape. A pair of nylons for a broken fan belt. We had what we thought was a leaking windshield and it turned out that the groove above the doors by the roof on the outside is known to rust and allow water to leak into there that works its way into the windshield and then leaks out we put silicone in the grooves no more leak so it may not be a bad sealer on your windshield it might actually be a bad seal on the ridge above your door.
Thank you Scorpion Regent for some of the ideas you previously posted some of which I knew some I never even thought of but all pretty good ideas but I do agree quality tools if you can afford them are the best way to go but in a fix you got to do what you got to do and it's best to have the knowledge to do it.

 

[Scorpion Regent]

One of our little life hacks is rubbing alcohol. A pair of nylons for a broken fan belt.

I prefer denatured alcohol which is the same thing, except it's 100%, no water.  It used to be available in the paint department of any hardware store.  Till Covid goes away it's no where to be found for any amount of money. Luckily I have about one and a half gallons still left, but I am loathe to use it till I know there is more to be had.  I used to make alcohol camp stoves out of aluminum cans they work great.  Nylons have so many uses.  
If you have water leaking through, fix it properly ASAP.  I blew off a leaking windshield and it turned into rust cancer.

When I recommended PET ribbon/string, it's because it can do things like this:



It is amazing what Russians accomplish with very little.

 

[MrNoodly]

...If you don't have a corkscrew...

Save even more — don't buy wine. 

 

[user 423]

^
Or buy it in a box. Save that way,too.

 

[jimindenver]

Sometimes it isn't a question of buying the item or not. Sometimes there is not a part available or obtainable. Growing up out in the country is not much different than being out in the middle of no where dwelling. There are no hardware stores to buy parts from and you can't order it online and get it in time to do you any good. You must fix it with what you have on hand and now.

Down on the farm we didn't call it MacGyvering, we just called it fixing things and sometimes for the better too. I can remember my pop asking a farmer when he was going to stop being so cheap and buy his tractor a real part for something he had rigged up. He answered that he would buy the part as soon as they would sell him one that lasted as long as his fix had.

In my installations I have had to come up with fixes instead of delaying for parts or invent something custom that doesn't exist. My favorite was on my first trip out with the trailer when it was in the 90's as soon as the sun came up. I could lower the awning down far enough to protect the side of the trailer but it was so low that you could not open the door. A respectable sunshade was a long drive, $80 and too small to do much good. I ran a bit of clothesline through the hem of a queen size sheet and then ran both through the slot on the awning. The bottom was anchored by two coiled dog ties. It worked great. The white sheet didn't heat up. It was big enough to make a comfortable sitting area and the coiled ties allowed it to move with the wind without stressing the awning.

After a while my neighbor came over saying he wanted to talk to me about the sheet. I apologize for looking so hick to which he replied that he thought is was brilliant and wanted to know if I had anymore clothesline.

Having the ability to buy what you need is great but the ability to fix with what you have is pretty good too.

 

[Scorpion Regent]

Sometimes it isn't a question of buying the item or not. Sometimes there is not a part available or obtainable. Growing up out in the country is not much different than being out in the middle of no where dwelling. There are no hardware stores to buy parts from and you can't order it online and get it in time to do you any good. You must fix it with what you have on hand and now.

Down on the farm we didn't call it MacGyvering, we just called it fixing things and sometimes for the better too.

Having the ability to buy what you need is great but the ability to fix with what you have is pretty good too.

I couldn't agree with you more.

 

[jimindenver]

A more recent example of MacGyvering it is over the winter a friends propane fridge went out. He had taken the burn tube out to clean it and found that a third of the area that was slotted to distribute the flame had burned through leaving a big hole instead of slots. I took a single strand out of a short piece of 10 gauge MC4 cable and wrapped it around the area that had burnt out. Leaving space between the coils mimicked the slots on the rest of the tube. He put it back in and the fridge fired back up.

Here is the kicker. The fridge is only 5 years old and yet the parts are not available. He has tried ordering the burn tube and even the whole burner assembly. The fridge is also very narrow making it hard to replace so he ordered a compressor cooling unit to replace the propane unit. Unfortunately he is not camping with me right now and I will not get the chance to help him install it.

 

[Scorpion Regent]

A more recent example of MacGyvering it is over the winter a friends propane fridge went out. He had taken the burn tube out to clean it and found that a third of the area that was slotted to distribute the flame had burned through leaving a big hole instead of slots. I took a single strand out of a short piece of 10 gauge MC4 cable and wrapped it around the area that had burnt out. Leaving space between the coils mimicked the slots on the rest of the tube. He put it back in and the fridge fired back up.

That's an inspirational fix.  Any chance of pictures?

 

[jimindenver]

I'll have to check with Joe to see if he took a picture.

 

[BinDerSmokDat]

I'd break the wine bottle trying to pull the screwed cork out with pliers and cut my hand necessitating a trip to the ER.
Or should I use the plastic bottle strips to stitch my hand back together?

Some of the tips above are great in a survival/emergency situation but fall under the law of diminishing returns in everyday life.
A decent zip tie assortment is $5 at any home store, hardware store, harbor freight or auto store.
Liquor stores sell the plastic corkscrews where the body hides the screw and slides into the "T" for under $2.

I do believe in improvising if a replacement part is not available or it's an emergency then by all means MacGyver a solution to save an expensive component or system.
The late great Granville King of Jeep and off-road fame use to talk about the "Hell Box." This was a box that contained spares, a coffee can (when coffee still came in cans) holding an assortment of screws, hose clamps, etc and duct tape wound up on a stick to save space, plus bailing wire, zip ties, etc.
When things "went to Hell" you reached for the Hell Box to affect a repair. All of my off-road vehicles and later the van, carry a version of a Hell Box.

But scrambling around constantly for a way to do something cheap, when the real thing costs pennies more per use is silly.

 

[BinDerSmokDat]

I prefer denatured alcohol which is the same thing, except it's 100%, no water.

Two things...

Denatured alcohol is ethanol that has had methanol and/or other chemicals added to it so people can't drink ethanol on the cheap and avoid the federal tax on alcohol (currently about $27 for a gallon of 200 proof or pure alcohol.) Denatured alcohol is NOT for topical use and can cause you some serious issues as methanol is nasty stuff, not to mention some of the other things used to denature aren't very good for you either. Don't put denatured alcohol on your body.

Second, 70% IPA (iso-propyl alcohol) has some water in it for a reason...it improves its disinfectant properties. Most microbes have cell walls or membranes through which alcohol doesn't pass or passes poorly. By using 70% IPA, the cell will allow in the water/alcohol mix making it a more effective disinfectant.

 

[DougH71]

How has noone mentioned garage sales and craigslist / fb marketplace? I was buying stuff for my campervan before I even bought the van! Sterilite drawer containers for five bucks. A small pressboard shelving unit for a dollar, which holds two cheap/free plastic milk crates with all my kitchen gear.

I also cruise the neighborhood on village wide clean up days (free pickup of large items). I’ve picked up lengths of dimensional lumber, partial sheets if plywood, even useable furniture I’ve either repurposed or sold for cash.

Supplies are out there. Keep your eyes open, be patient, think outside the box.

 

[Termite]

I also go to food handouts/churchs before I go on trips. I pay for USDA food in my federal taxes so I don't feel bad at all.im not the only one who does this.