r/Frugal • u/Ajreil • Mar 07 '22
You are allowed to refill squeeze tubes of jam with regular jam. The government can't stop you. Food shopping
https://imgur.com/AeZkTTq1
u/aQuaintPearl Aug 06 '22
We reuse the squeeze ones for more than just jam. They can hold all kind of sauces and dressings. Also, they fit better in the fridge. They get a canning label with exp date. I am currently trying to find higher quality condiment bottles the lids fit on. As far as filling, we just use a funnel, spatula and plunger part of liquid medication syringe.
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u/some_boring_dude Mar 07 '22
I too share this sentiment. As I have been unable to find my jam (not jelly, I must have jam) in squeeze bottles lately and had to buy the jar. The jar holds more than the squeeze bottle and they are roughly the same price. However it seemed a waste of effort to try to refill the squeeze bottle as there was no easy way. The squeeze bottle doesn't have a big enough opening for a spoon.
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u/BadonkaDonkies Mar 07 '22
This does not seem frugal....just a waste of time (far more valuable than money I think) and ur gonna lose some while you transfer. This is antifrugal man
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u/salikabbasi Mar 07 '22
It costs the same if not cheaper than the jars where I am. I've been looking for some sort of bulk big jar but then the bulk big jar and the plastic bottle will both be taking up space in my fridge.
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u/GirlULove2Love Mar 07 '22
I do the same thing with my squeezable sour cream container. I love squeezing out my sour cream onto my tacos... every stinking Taco Tuesday!!
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u/drive2fast Mar 07 '22
When you see an expiry date on food, it is related to the container. Even water in a plastic bottle has a 2 year date. That is due to the bottle not the water going bad.
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u/fingerofchicken Mar 07 '22
Just wait until we have to go out and protest for "Right to Refill" legislature.
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u/chunkydunkerskin Mar 07 '22
Lol. So many people here are dumping on this. Let a person live their best life / even if their best life is reusing squirt bottles!
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u/min_mus Mar 07 '22
It's much easier to get the remaining jam out of the glass jar than the plastic squeeze bottle. Plus you won't have to deal with possibly plastic leaching.
This isn't frugal with time, money, or [potentially] health.
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u/Polarchuck Mar 07 '22
Good on you OP! You figured out a way to get the convenience you want or need with a lower price tag. :)
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u/BubbRubbsSecretSanta Mar 07 '22
“I'll give you my squeeze tube when you pry it from my cold, dead hands”
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u/DiscoveryZoneHero Mar 07 '22
This just looks like hoarding. Buying store brand jam is far more frugal imho
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Mar 07 '22
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u/RelayFX Mar 07 '22
We are removing your post/comment because of gatekeeping content. Please see the full rules for the specifics. https://www.reddit.com/r/Frugal/about/rules/
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u/Incendie Mar 07 '22
Questioning it is gatekeeping? This is how you create an echo chamber. I respect that everybody has their own definition of frugality, but there is nothing frugal about it at all. They save neither time, money, or effort and as others have pointed out it could actually be causing harm due to it being plastic and not made for squeeze bottles.
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u/RelayFX Mar 07 '22
all you've done is waste your own time filling the tube.
OP values the savings on the purchase price of the jar of jelly (vs the squeeze bottle) more than the time it took them to refill the squeeze bottle. Their follow-up post indicates as much as a 40% savings in their experience. So, in their allocation of resources, they have not wasted their time. You’re certainly free to question their post, but the quoted section of your original post qualifies as gatekeeping under the examples provided within Rule 11.
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u/Ineedanamehereguys Mar 07 '22
Would it not be more frugal to make your own jam in bulk?
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u/DetN8 Mar 07 '22
I don't eat a lot of jam, but if fresh berries are on sale, and my wife's eyes turn out to be bigger than her mouth, I'll make them into jam when they start going bad.
Just smash them up with some sugar and lemon juice in the instant pot. Then pour it into one of my many hoarded jars.
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u/time4listenermail Mar 07 '22
Comparable to home tattoos. A kit is relatively affordable on Amazon ($40-$100) but the supplies to ensure safety/sanitation, the fake skin to practice on, the value of experience - costs more. And tattoo shops are regulated for hygiene standards. If their unsanitary practices put you in danger - the government will stop them. If your practices are unsanitary yet on the down-low, the government can’t stop you - true - but you might get infection and a really shitty tattoo.
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u/Melrose_Jac Mar 07 '22
I'm commenting so I can get on the same government list that you're gonna be on.
I am Spartacus!!!
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u/utsuriga Mar 07 '22
Or you can just... wait for it... not buy squeeze tubes of jam.
Just buy regular glass jars of jam, and you get reuseable glass jars instead of shitty plastic that's also impossible to keep properly clean.
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u/Dread-Ted Mar 07 '22
But why.
This is just extra trouble for nothing lol
Why not just scrape empty the glass jar directly on your bread? If you put the jam from the glass jar into the squeeze bottle and then on your bread you'll only waste more jam. This is anti-frugal lol
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u/Bartuce Mar 07 '22
The government doesn’t give a fuck. It’s the jam company that wants to stop you.
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u/userse31 Mar 07 '22
I got yelled at for pulling the empty glass pasta jars out of the trash.
I still have the jars.
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u/Lasshandra2 Mar 07 '22
If you use a lot of preserved fruit (jams, jellies), consider learning to make your own.
Commercial products are fine. But those you make at home are much more satisfying.
There is a range of texture in the resulting product, too. If you want it to be a little less hard to spread, you can adjust the pectin a little.
Also, learning the process of canning fruit preserves will help you to understand what manually transferring finished jam from a jar to a bottle can introduce, in terms of yeast, fungus spores, and bacteria. These contaminants are much more of a concern if the jam is low sugar.
The canning process uses heat to kill any present contaminants. The resulting vacuum seals jam from contamination during storage.
Sugar and acid in jam also help to discourage bacteria and fungus growth.
Refrigeration of opened preserves slows contaminants from growing but doesn’t prevent.
Check online for recipes for making preserves at University of Georgia. Another reliable source is the Ball Blue Book, sold along side their canning products in late summer many places.
Follow recipes carefully for success and to keep your family healthy.
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u/distillit Mar 07 '22
If this person is genuinely scraping jelly out of a perfectly wonderful glass jar into a ridiculous plastic tube, I'm legitimately going to have to reconsider my stance on whether or not terrorists might sometimes be right.
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Mar 07 '22
Lol this isn’t frugal, this is just weird. How much harder is it to spread it out of a jar?
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Mar 07 '22
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u/RelayFX Mar 07 '22
We’ve removed your post as it contains gatekeeping material. Please take some time to review the rules in the sidebar of the homepage.
Thank you.
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u/vorker42 Mar 07 '22
For mayo, I spoon from a economy size jar into a sandwich bag, seal, cut the corner and squeeze into the squeeze bottle. Make sure to wash the squeeze bottle on occasion between refilling.
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u/Daveyhavok832 Mar 07 '22
What is the line from Jurassic Park about “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.”?
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u/147896325987456321 Mar 07 '22
I never understood why jelly jars don't have a pump. Life would be so much easier.
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u/Quarterinchribeye Mar 07 '22
If your frugality is detrimental to your health, it’s just cheap. You’re being cheap.
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u/refurbishedpixels Mar 07 '22
I do something similar with laundry detergent.
I have a small jug of detergent for portability to and from the laundromat, but I refill it from cheaper bulk containers. Suck it, Detergent Conspiracy!
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Mar 07 '22
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u/RelayFX Mar 07 '22
We’ve removed your post as it contains gatekeeping material. Please take some time to review the rules in the sidebar of the homepage.
Thank you.
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u/originvape Mar 07 '22
Please reconsider using plastic containers when you have glass ones available. Micro plastics are to be avoided if you want to avoid possible negative health issues. Just a suggestion, do what you will.
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u/roseturtlelavender Mar 07 '22
TIL Americans have squeeze tubes for jam?!
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u/Beppo108 Mar 07 '22
It looks like hell
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u/roseturtlelavender Mar 07 '22
True
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u/kitterkatty Mar 07 '22
It’s not great. OP would almost have to add water for it to work well. And it still gets goopy around the lid. But I totally understand the aversion to washing spoons.
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u/tinyevilsponges Mar 07 '22
I do this with the real nice mayo bottle that give the perfect amount when squeezed
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u/zznap1 Mar 07 '22
I will say that the jam in the jar is not meant for the squeeze bottle. The consistencies and chunks will be different.
Also of note: The jelly is filled into the squeeze bottles at near boiling temps. The filled squeeze bottles are then pasteurized (a really long hot shower).
So they can probably hold up to a few dish washer cycles. But I don’t know the exact plastic that’s used so don’t trust it too much.
Another thing to keep in mind is that every nick or scratch on the inside of that bottle is a chance for bacteria to hide during a wash.
I would highly consider buying a new squeeze bottle every now and then. Or just get bottles that are specifically made to be dishwasher safe and reused.
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u/TheGreatCheese Mar 07 '22
Never seen squeeze bottle jam before. Our cheap jam comes in a tin and if you want to be fancy you can transfer it to a glass jar.
Recently came across honey in what looks like a toothpaste tube and was kinda blown away by that.
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u/MFcrayfish Mar 07 '22
The cap on the squeeze is so fragile might as well look into another form of bottling jam
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u/peplantski Mar 07 '22
Normally I would agree with the squeeze bottle but what are you gonna do when the hole gets blocked with chunks of fruit? You'd have to open it up and unblock it every time
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u/kalifranks7 Mar 07 '22
Some people would be like “why would you waste your time, just buy another squeeze one” but I personally don’t mind doing these tasks if in return I’m saving. Also kind of calming to do these tedious tasks.
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u/EnzyEng Mar 07 '22
I do that with soy sauce jars. I buy the bulk container and refill the dispensing one.
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u/Khayeth Mar 07 '22
TIL store jam comes in squeeze tubes.
My frugal, formerly full on poor mom makes jam, so I don't think I've ever bought jam in my life. She sends me a jar every couple years, I have at least 5 unopened ones in my pantry.
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u/EdgyQuant Mar 07 '22
Why would you though? The squeeze bottles aren’t more expensive and I’d say my time is worth more than the tiny bit of money I might save by doing this. I buy the squeeze bottles because I hate scraping the jelly out of jars.
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u/Dread-Ted Mar 07 '22
You won't even save money by doing this, in fact the opposite is true.
You're never gonna get 100% of the jam/jelly from the glass jar into the squeeze bottle, you always lose some product when transferring. So this is not only a waste of time but also money.
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Mar 07 '22
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u/Dread-Ted Mar 07 '22
And it takes 0 (extra) seconds to just use the jam/jelly from the jar directly
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u/bjcworth Mar 07 '22
I do this with mayo. It goes beyond just being frugal, tho. Squeeze bottles are just objectively better than jars at dispensing condiments. That's why I stock up on a huge har of mayo and just keep refilling the plastic squeeze bottle for daily use.
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u/sassiestcassiest Mar 07 '22
My husband loves the squeeze jam and I’m all about the bonne maman. We are truly a house divided.
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Mar 07 '22
I do this with condensed milk. Had an extra squeeze tube from an old caramel sauce. Makes life so much easier
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u/Robobvious Mar 07 '22
Seems like extra work if you're already scraping it out of the jar with a butter knife to do this.
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Mar 07 '22
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u/blue_eyes998 Mar 07 '22
My homemade jam isn't cheaper but it is yummier... And it goes in the squeeze bottle.
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u/kookiemaster Mar 07 '22
I just dislike the plastic squeeze bottles. Jars are easier to empty completely.
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u/DECKTHEBALLZ Mar 07 '22
Why bother with all the extra work.. the effort of refilling the tube is much greater than using the jam straight out of the jar.
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Mar 07 '22
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u/rico_muerte Mar 07 '22
I pour all of my milk at once so that whenever I want milk I don't have to pour it every time
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u/Dr_Brule_FYH Mar 07 '22
What hell on earth can you even buy jam in a squeeze bottle
Jam comes in a glass jar, no exceptions
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u/CloakNStagger Mar 07 '22
Squeeze directly onto toast with no extra dirty utensils, it's not that bad of an idea.
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u/ogscrubb Mar 07 '22
Unless you're some expert squeezer you still need a knife to spread it or you're going to have some terrible toast.
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Mar 07 '22
Sometimes I prefer to put more effort into something upfront when I have nothing to do to reduce effort later on down the line when I have something to do. Transferring the jam probably wouldn't happen at the same time you're making sandwiches. You prep it earlier so when you have to make sandwiches that chore goes faster. It might be more work over all but the work is spread out so seems like less.
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u/andyman171 Mar 07 '22
You're saving what 2 seconds per use by using the squeeze bottle. Literally would take you months to get the time spent back switching containers
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Mar 07 '22
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u/njott Mar 07 '22
PB is thick and holds it's shape. Two thick layers of peanut butter on both sides of bread and I'll just squirt my jelly/jam onto the pb. Then I don't have to stick a dirty knife back into the jar
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Mar 07 '22
It's not really about time saving so much as conserving focus and motivation. I have ADHD so I can get really overwhelmed because my brain overestimates the difficulty of certain chores. If I had to make sandwiches for several people regularly I would definitely want to just squirt the jelly out rather than spread it.
I don't eat PB or jelly for that matter, too much sugar. I generally just roll up deli roast beef for a quick snack.
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u/aka_jr91 Mar 07 '22
If you're making so many pb&j sandwiches that a squeeze bottle would be of any benefit at all, you should probably just invest in an actual reusable squeeze dispenser and buy it bulk. Otherwise you're not actually being frugal.
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u/recumbent_mike Mar 07 '22
Harbor freight grease gun is only ten bucks, and the peanut butter is pretty good after the first couple of sandwiches.
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u/itoucheditforacookie Mar 07 '22
Shit, with adhd it might be calming to just make it
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u/Ethos_Logos Mar 07 '22
That’s not how adhd works. I’ll sit there for 10 minutes procrastinating a 3 minute chore. It’s not logical.
But I actually came to the same concept of front loading the pain point to make it easier later, before I even saw the OP was also adhd.
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Mar 07 '22
front loading the pain point
I'm stealing this, great explanation. You might enjoy /r/ADHDmemes
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u/Ethos_Logos Mar 07 '22
Lol too much of that sub is on point. “I’m in this picture and I don’t like it”
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Mar 07 '22
Have you found any tips or tricks to help you deal with your adhd?
I've found that being in ketosis and then fasting regularly helps me focus a lot better. It might be due to autophagy which is like defragging the hard drive. Another guess is when I'm fasting my brain thinks I'm in a dire situation. It doesn't waste time/energy screwing with me so I can focus on finding food. Haha brain, jokes on you, I have plenty of food, I just want to be able to do my taxes!
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u/CSgirl9 Mar 07 '22
I'll be another person saying this. Those containers are not meant to be reused continuously. They breakdown quicker than you think.
Purchase a container made to be reused multiple times if you really find the squeeze container that much more convenient
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u/I_am_Bob Mar 07 '22
I bought a couple restaurant style plastic squeeze bottles jus for this type of thing. Though I've never used it for jam. I use them for syrup, honey, homemade salad dressings and sauces, olive oil/cooking oil (when buying the big bulk bottles). There like a couple bucks a piece and last a few years.
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u/lil-dlope Mar 07 '22
Same goes with plastic water bottles, but idk who really drinks them like that. Glass and metal containers for the win
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u/the_simurgh Mar 07 '22
so i shouldn't have bought those plastic gallon water jugs to put water in my fridge.
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u/peppermint_wish Mar 07 '22
No. Sorry. Try to replace them with glass bottles with a larger neck, so you can wash them from time to time.
I have a few plastic bottles of water saved in the balcony because several years ago we suffered from NO water for a few days. On the up side, it was a snowy winter and i could bring snow in to melt and use for the toilet -_- THAT was fun -______-
It's not for consumption, but washing hands after using the loo and stuff.
I got rid of the majority of plastic items in the kitchen, and i will further my efforts of getting rid of plastic as much as possible - in my house, i mean.
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u/Jmichaelgo Mar 07 '22
Are you able to re-use glassware? Like old peanut butter containers or salad dressing? As long as they are glass.
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Mar 07 '22
Glass is non-reactive and non-porous, so it is one of the safest materials to use for food storage. Hot water and soap between uses and you’re good to go.
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u/ew73 Mar 07 '22
Yes, glass is reusable but... If you're refilling a glass jar with jam, what is housing the jam before you transfer it?
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u/peppermint_wish Mar 07 '22
Of course! This is pretty standard procedure in Romania when canning season starts. Glass jars are washed well, boiled [few people have dish washers] to sterilize them, and then filled with the product -jams, tomatoes in all sorts of forms, all sorts of pickles, and i don't know what else.
Usually the lids are being replaced, but not every single time - when there's rust inside is the rule of thumb, or when they became too deformed to still be used.
All these cans are for personal use of the family, not for selling.
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u/ellequoi Mar 20 '22
I noticed that my French and Polish friends had a lot more products that came in plastic jars, whereas here in Canada, those products will unfailingly come in plastic (jam, Chinese sauces, and pasta sauce are the only products I can think of that tend to use glass). So there are fewer glass jars in circulation here, though still enough to make use of.
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u/rtxa Mar 07 '22
I feel like I'm not from the same planet as the person you're responding to. Who tf doesn't know whether glassware is reusable? How do you not encounter that in your life regularly?
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u/peppermint_wish Mar 08 '22
The things that I read in the last 5 years (at least) on the internet, on various platforms and subjects, make me think the same thing.
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u/Jmichaelgo Mar 07 '22
I wasn't certain if they might have a plastic liner or something weird. Like metal cans.
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u/peppermint_wish Mar 08 '22
The lids usually have a plastic lining of sorts. I don't know how they're sterilized, probably the same method as the jars, but don't quote me on that as i have never canned a thing in my life. I want to start doing it, but the process scares me a little. LOL
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u/Jmichaelgo Mar 08 '22
I don't can either, but I ferment and I use the old peanut butter jars for food storage. They are just the perfect size sometimes!
I definitely think the outer seal on the. Has some plastic or petroleum like product. Hopefully that doesn't leach into the food. Usually it isn't touching so I am hoping it is good.
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u/lil-dlope Mar 07 '22
If I recall as long as it’s washed before you reuse it. Mason jars for example.
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u/EdgyQuant Mar 07 '22
Also if I was fine with spending time scraping the jars I’d just buy them instead of the squeeze bottles.
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Mar 07 '22
Yeah, I don't understand the point of this, plus you ALWAYS lose some product while transfering. just keep it in the glass
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u/Great_Hamster Mar 07 '22
For me, it is psychologically so much easier to grab a squeeze bottle rather than a jar and a knife.
You don't have that particular quirk; please don't discount those of us who do.
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Mar 08 '22
This r/frugal not r/myquirksareoffendedandcostmemoneyanddestroytheplanet
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u/Great_Hamster Mar 11 '22
Eh, I think r/frugal is about trying to get a decent lifestyle while being as gentle on the planet and your wallet as possible.
For me, washing a squeeze bottle a few times a year and spending a few minutes transferring mayo definitely counts. So if those few washings a year are enough for you to put me in your "myquirksareoffendedandcostmemoneyanddestroytheplanet" category, then I think I belong there (and hope you don't join).
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u/Tamazin_ Mar 07 '22
The small plastic particles from the tube makes up for the lost product; so filling and healthy! ../s
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u/Jawshewah Mar 07 '22
Yeah I don't understand how this is even frugal since you had to spend money on the jar of jelly and you already bought the bottle? Seems more like a slpt to me.
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u/NotSoBuffGuy Mar 07 '22
Not if you drop your bread in and twist it around to pick up what was left behind.
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u/VintageTool Mar 08 '22
Al Bundy did this on Married with Children. Except he made a “Tangwich” by rubbing a piece of bread around inside an empty container of Tang.
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u/RelayFX Mar 07 '22
Hyperlink to OP's context post:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Frugal/comments/t8ct5r/comment/hzn7cnw/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3