Good stuff, BF. I'm definitely an advocate of making do with what ya got, particularly when it is out of necessity. Nice to have a backup plan, for times when you can't afford the best or don't want to risk exposure, etc.
Certainly nothing fancy here, but a few examples of "Cheapass John's", make it work for nuttin' mindset.
1.) Mop gives out. Don't throw it away! Cut the cotton string off with a razor knife, bleach the hell out of it & use it to hang buds, or as a tie-up during training. Gorilla tape the handle of the mop & you have a handy walking cane for a tall person!
2.) Cloning Gel prices got ya down? Go without! Be creative! I slap all my East facing windowsills full of cuttings in plain water, cheapass peat & styrofoam coffee cups I have collected. Just check them @ least twice a day & 85% or more will survive & be tough hombres!
3.) Cheapass Water. Run the chemical ridden tap water into 5 gallon buckets. Let sit for @ least 48 hours with no lid. You could add stuff if ya wanted, but y? The chems are gone & the plants think its expensiveass French Ganja aqua!
4.) Smells like a skunk's ass @ ur place? Not good! Go buy a $80 fancyass filter, or a $3 1/2 gallon container of Aquarium charcoal. Adapt a piece of tupperware or whatever fits the outtake end of your exhaust. Poke it full of holes, so air passes through easily, gorilla tape it into place & viola. The air coming out of the exhaust is charcoal filtered & no more polecat jokes to increase your paranoia!
5.) Bat guano is just bitchin' for veggin'! Any product with it in it costs like plutonium! Make ur own bat guano fertilizer! How, you ask? Check out ur local speluckers & cave haunters. They are online, etc. Or find where the bats sleep all day, urself. It's not as hard as it sounds, really. Right under where lotsa bats sleep, is lotsa bat guano. Fact! Get ur grubbies on some & mix it with humus, peat, cow manure, etc. Instant bat guano fertilizer. Brew up some as a tea & mix with ur cheapass water for a kickass liquid fertilizer additive. Use gloves when handling & don't breathe or eat the stuff. It almost killed Bob Dylan.