August was another decent month but it’s the last I have extra time to do scrounging on my errands since my semi vacation is now over. I did get lucky however and found a large plastic water bottle that normally goes on a water dispenser in a recycling bin behind an office building. These are worth $10 empty at the grocery store so it was a nice boost in addition to the cans I scavenged.
Found in a recycling dumpster behind an office building.
With that boon I managed to raise a total of $37.30 for August.
August 2025 Canning Earnings
The Tools
I’ve been doing work without proper safety equipment and I figured that although the risks have been minimal so far I had better smarten up before something bad happens. The first thing I bought this month was a set of 50 masks for $2.00 from the thrift store.
Now that nobody cares about COVID anymore PPE has come way down in price. I remember all the anti mask bullshit that was floating around during the pandemic. You can debate all the nuance about freedom wearing them and their effectiveness but it’s my first hand experience that they work. Don’t believe me then look at the scientific studies. Sure they aren’t N95 but they don’t need to be since I’m not spending all day in a COVID ward.
The second thing I bought was work gloves off of Amazon for $5.75. The gloves work extremely well and have great grip. I should have owned a pair long ago.
The extra cat hair clinging to them was free
The third thing I bought was some 3M safety glasses that go over my own prescription ones from Amazon for $3.01.
Safety Glasses
The fourth thing I bought was a magnetic pickup tool from Aliexpress for $3.79. Aluminum cans aren’t very magnetic but it’s the rest of the metal stuff that can often be found in the garbage that makes this tool come in useful.
The fifth thing I bought was a magnetic bowl from Walmart for $4.00. Do almost anything related to electronics and you’ll want one of these things when it comes to disassembly. I’ve found often it’s either this or a headache most of the time so I opted to just buy one.
The last thing I bought this month was a Picquic multi bit screwdriver from Amazon for $12.25. I needed a Schrader Valve bit to help someone and didn’t have one on my current screwdriver. It turned out that factoring in time there was only like a $2 difference between ordering a whole screwdriver on Amazon with the bit and just the bit itself at the hardware stores near me.
It’s blue transparent handle is so pretty.
I didn’t really need a whole other screwdriver but can you ever have too many? I’m conflicted whether I made the right choice but it’s done now.
Financial Summary for August 2025
Revenue
Amount Carried Over From Previous Month: $3.16
Cans/Bottles: $37.30
Total: $40.46
Expenses
50 Facemasks $2.00
Work Gloves $5.75
3M Safety Glasses $3.01
Magnetic Pick-Up Tool $3.79
Magnetic Bowl $4.00
Picquic Multi Bit Screwdriver $12.25
Total Expenses: $30.80
Summary
It wasn’t a flashy month but I bought a bunch of stuff that I needed.
My summer semi vacation is at an end. I didn’t accomplish most of what I had on my to do list but I managed to get a few things done. This summer was one of my best in fact as it was not marred by some sort of trauma and was pretty benign much to my relief.
I finally finished Mario & Luigi Brothership. The game while decent in the end badly needed an editor. The last 1/3 could have basically been cut and the last boss battle was likewise seemingly endless. It’s the weakest entry into the Mario RPG series that I’ve played so far and I would rate it a 5/10.
The month of August also brought a heat wave that crippled my motivation (and frankly ability) for about a week. I did manage to get 5 more books read during this time however but it was sword & sorcery fantasy instead of science fiction this time around. I read the five books in the “Cadderly Saga” by R.A. Salvatore in the D&D (Forgotten Realms) fantasy genre. I did so because I had finished the first 6 books in the Drizzt storyline a few years ago while in hospital and I read online that the “Cadderly Saga” was considered required reading for what came after in the series for Drizzt. I guess it introduces characters that will pop up in his upcoming books but I haven’t read them so it’s only speculation on my part.
The 5 books in the “Cadderly Saga” by R.A. Salvatore
They were not as engrossing as the previous 6 entries by R.A. Salvatore (The Crystal Shard, Streams of Silver, The Halfling’s Gem, Homeland, Exile, Sojourn) but I like the D&D world so enjoyed them immensely nonetheless. They are quite different than the Drizzt books and Cadderly as a character isn’t one of my favorites but the rest of his cast are solid.
While reading the books I had forgotten how much I enjoyed the novels in the D&D (Forgotten Realms) universe and decided to start collecting them after I finished the series. I need another collection like a hole in the head but the heart wants what it wants.
Other than that there’s not much been going in the world except it seemingly about to fall apart. It looks to me like we are in the decline phase of the American empire but I have become resigned to it all. Voltaire said that it’s dangerous to be right when when the government is wrong (or something to that effect). I think the quote is apt for this time. What else can I do as a Canadian that would change things? For that I have no answer.
July is not my favorite month but at least it’s good for canning. I would bet it’s going to be my best month earning money this way. I was out and about sweating a lot in July so I did a bunch of canning because of the opportunity and managed to raise $36.50.
July 2025 Canning Earnings
The Tools
I have to start with a review of the grabber I picked up on Aliexpress. It’s not great. I like that it’s foldable so I can conceal it in a reusable grocery bag but that’s where my appreciation ends. The way the jaws clench means it struggles to hold onto any can or bottle and it’s frustrating as hell to use because the cans slip out of the grip all the time. I’m going to have to modify it somehow so the jaws close tighter. They are plastic riveted in place so I can’t disassemble them. What I will have to do is put some combination of a foam weather stripping (usually used to seal air leaks in windows when installing air conditioners for example) and a grippy piece of material like rubber. I was thinking that one side of the jaws will have the weather stripping while the other will have the rubber giving me the ideal balance of grip and holding power. Either way it’s been filed away in my mind for a future project because I don’t plan on purchasing anything to make the modification anyway.
I’ve also put it on the back burner because I was discussing the grabber problem with my mom and unbeknownst to me she went out and purchased a grabber for me from a Dollarama.
The Grabber Tool My Mom Bought me
I was a bit annoyed with her for having done so (and secretly annoyed with myself for not having done so already and instead paying up the ass at Aliexpress). I tried to pay her back a few times but she was unwilling to accept any money from me on any of occasions I tried. I’m thankful she’s an understanding and kind person because even though I’m middle aged now my guess is that it’s rare for a parent to have to deal with their offspring digging around in the trash. She knows that I’m doing it because I want to pay my debt off first and using this separate money to buy tools so I don’t accumulate more debt. She’s always been a great mother to me and even if I lived a 1000 lives I wouldn’t choose to have anyone different. So I have another grabber now and suffice to say it works much better thank jebus.
The first thing I’ve come to realize is that the way I’ve been buying tools isn’t ideal. My preference is to save money and buy higher quality tools. The problem is that higher quality tools are more expensive and getting them at discounted prices will take time. In the interim I’m facing the issue of needing a tool but not having one. Instead of framing it in my mind as a high quality tool purchase vs a low quality tool purchase I should have been thinking of having no tool vs having the tool I needed regardless of quality. So I decided at least until I have the tools that I need I will try just to get SOMETHING whether or not it is cheap or high quality just so that I can just get the job done with it.
The second thing I’ve come to realize is that purchasing individual tools is more expensive than just buying a kit. I did not know that retailers like Home Depot, Canadian Tire or Wal-Mart sell “Project Kits” which are basically small toolkits with most common tools that someone might need and they are priced competitively. Which leads me to my one and only purchase for July:
The only thing I bought for July was a drill toolkit from Wal-mart for $33.34. I happened across it online when I was buying litter for my cats. I thought it was a fantastic deal. It had all the basic tools I was looking for in addition to a cordless drill which is something I thought I would acquire way down the line.
Financial Summary For July 2025
Revenue
Amount carried over from previous month: $0.02
Cans/Bottles: $36.50
Total: $36.52
Expenses
Cordless Drill kit $33.34
Total: $33.34
Summary
I know that the drill kit I purchased is considered by some to be cheap Chinese tools but to me being able to get a task finished no matter what I use is more important that not being able to at all.
Summer is about half over as far as I’m concerned. Every year from the end of June to the end of August I’m on a semi vacation with my family. This summer has been good compared to previous ones except for the weather that has been rainy and hot. I cannot tolerate the heat. I get cramps, headaches, and a litany of other ailments when the temperature hovers around 30C (or nearer to 40C with the humidex taken into account). It’s happened to me since I was a kid and my mom similarly has the same condition. The worst of these ailments however is something I call “scrambled egg brain” which is like a fog that falls over my mind making it difficult to do anything besides sitting, sweating and drinking lots of water in the A/C. The other part that sucks is that I cannot sleep at night because of the heat. I’m up at least 10 times and what sleep I do get is fractured. This combination of scrambled egg brain and lack of sleep leaves me like a zombie. The phrases “Do not operate heavy machinery” or “Do not make serious financial decisions” become especially important during this period of time.
It may seem dire but because of these issues I do get a lot of reading done during this time which is something I enjoy immensely and frankly don’t do enough of during the rest of the year. So far I’ve read 6 books this summer all by Dan Abnett. They are: The Founding – A Gaunt’s Ghosts omnibus (which collects the novels First and Only, Ghostmaker and Necropolis) and Eisenhorn – The Omnibus (which collects the novels Xenos, Malleus and Heretic.).
They are all science fiction novels set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. This is my first experience with the Warhammer 40K universe as far as books are concerned and they were entertaining and easy reads. The only downside is that the follow up books are out of print in physical editions so it may take me some time to obtain copies that are reasonably priced to continue the story lines. But, that’s actually fine because I’m kind of sick of the whole grim wartorn 40K universe after all that reading anyway. It’s an ugly place that is better enjoyed in small doses.
Besides that I did get to visit an out of the way thrift store that I only go to about once a year. I was helping my neighbor take junk to the Eco-Center (a recycling center run by the city) and we stopped on the way back. I enjoy this particular thrift store but the prices of everything had gone up (Quelle Surprise!). They did not have much I needed but as I was at the cash to checkout I happened to notice a cardboard box on the shelf behind the register that said “Arduno” $15. I’m quite sure the cashier had no idea what it was when I asked to see it and as I opened the plain brown otherwise unmarked cardboard box I immediately added it to my purchase. So what did I get for $15?
Inside the box was an Arduino Starter Kit that was used but had all the components (and additional pieces) after I checked it more thoroughly when I got home. What sold me on the purchase however was when I skimmed it at the thrift store on the top of the inside box nestled inside an anti-static envelope was a Raspberry Pi Zero W with a 32 GB SD card.
Look what was hiding inside the Arduino Box
The solder joints on the pin headers are a mess that I will have to reflow.
I have always been interested in tinkering around with an Arduino but I couldn’t afford the $110-90 price tag that it was sold for. The Raspberry Pi Zero W usually runs between $15-25 for the board itself but If you add shipping and the rest of the components that it needs to function the cost goes up to the $50 range. Yet another price tag that I was just not willing to pay. I don’t really have any use for a Raspberry Pi Zero W (as it’s just an underpowered computer) but the novelty is there and it might be fun to tinker around with. Even if I ended up selling the Raspberry Pi Zero W on Ebay I would get my $15 back pretty easily which makes the whole purchase essentially free. You can’t beat that price (or flawed logic).
I’ve also been renting Mario & Luigi Brothership from my library which I’ve been playing for a few weeks now on my Nintendo Switch. I enjoy the Mario & Luigi RPG’s but this is one of the weaker entries unfortunately. It’s still enjoyable but nowhere as good as say Superstar Saga or Bowser’s Inside Story. I’m only about 1/2 way through though so maybe my opinion will change by the time I finish it sometime during what’s left of the summer.
I’m still planning on learning about electronics and electronics repair but things have changed for me in the last few months. I found myself doing general handyman or repair work more than anything electronic related. Which is weird because I do not consider myself to be particularly handy or skilled in this regard. As fate would have it though I’ve been thrown into situations that required these type of skills and I’ve found that I enjoy doing this type of work. So instead of being too narrow in my project I’m going to be expanding it to include other areas. To reflect the change in scope I’m now calling my project Becoming A Jack Of All Trades.
June was busy. Summer was upon us and with it came the revelers. More drinking means more cans. Over the course of June I raised $20.30 picking up cans & bottles. In addition I found $0.55 laying on the ground.
The Tools
The reason for the uptick in can & bottle money (in addition to the nice weather) was that I purchased a grabber from Aliexpress for $8.89.
I’m not thrilled with the grabber tool to be honest. It does not work well and is cheaply made but it has made it possible to pick up more stuff. It’s already paid for itself so I can’t complain too much. I plan on modifying it by improving the claw part with a more firm grasp (maybe if I find some rubber or silicon in the garbage). I thought about just using a broom handle with attached nail but I have to weigh the opinion of the people who see me collecting as well. If what I’m carrying looks like a weapon you don’t want to give them a reason to phone the police or hassle me in some other way. There’s no mistaking what a grabber tool is for so usually I am unbothered. When people see you rooting around in a recycle bin or dumpster their first instinct is to pretend you just don’t exist which is fine by me.
The second thing I bought in June was a Stanley Toolbox on clearance at Walmart for $8.05. It was the only one in a liquidation section without any packaging and was dirty. One of the workers at the self checkout had to manually enter the information into the cash register so I could buy it. I didn’t own a tool box but one of my cats started chewing on the shoe box I was using so my hand was forced in the matter. Now Grizzly just “juices” the box to put his scent on it.
The third thing I bought in June was a hammer. To show you how handy I am I actually do not own any tools (besides what I previously posted about) so when I started fixing things I had to borrow a neighbors. A hammer is a necessity when you’re doing general work I quickly found out. When I was placing an order at a thrift store near me I also happened upon a nice hammer for $5 so I bought it.
As it turns out it’s an Estwing hammer which are supposed to be well made. It’s in good shape besides some surface rust. As soon as I happen across some steel wool I’ll take it off.
Financial Summery for June 2025
Revenue
Amount carried over from previous month: $1.11
Cans/Bottles: $20.30
Found Money $0.55
Total: $21.96
Expenses
Grabber Tool: $8.89
Stanley Toolbox $8.05
Estwing Hammer $5.00
Total: $21.94
Summary
June was a good month. I raised more money than usual and I feel that I’ve found the “right” groove to be in as far as the project is concerned. I was feeling uncomfortable at how tightly I was locked in to just learning electronics. Now I have freedom to diversify and I feel better.
May 2025 was a terrible month for me as far as this project goes. I got food poisoning at the beginning of May and then midway through it I also got a cold both of which very rarely happen to me. Suffice to say that I was just managing to power through my daily tasks and then going to bed early until I was better. Unfortunately by the time that actually happened the month was over.
I didn’t manage to do any actual electronics work or learning but I did collect $5.90 worth of cans while doing errands and found 2 dimes by the pharmacy after buying some much needed Imodium.
The Tools
I purchased a small silicon mat for $4.09 and some de-soldering braid for $1 both from Aliexpress. The mat was needed to protect whatever I’m working on since I have to move by soldering around the house. I was iffy on purchasing the de-soldering braid since I already had a de-soldering pump that I purchased last month but I wagered I would need it too for certain applications if the other didn’t work.
Financial Summary for May 2025
Revenue
Amount carried over from previous month $0.10
Cans $5.90
Found Money $0.20
Total: $6.20
Expenses
Solder Wick $1.00
Silicon Mat $4.09
Total $5.09
Summary
It was a nothing month basically. I also forgot to mention I found a pencil. Everyone needs a pencil so I got that going for me. On to June.
In 2025 one of my goals is to learn about electronics and specifically electronic repair. I have no formal or practical education in this area for better or worst but I’m also facing a big challenge in my life beside ignorance right now – poverty. I am currently the most broke I have ever been. Every cent I earn right now is earmarked for more important things so there is nothing left to put towards this goal. In addition to that I have no dedicated area devoted to working on electronics so whatever comes in the future will have to be mobile at least for the time being.
That being said, most of April was spent dipping my feet into the world of electronics and trying to narrow down one area to start with. I decided that soldering was a good enough beginning step because it was a practical skill I could develop while learning theory as I progressed.
I like learning through books so I started by checking the library system in my city. Unfortunately there was nothing in English about Electronics available except for one For Dummies (for kids) book that just turned out to be a shopping list of items for projects you could create. I have no money to buy books through a website like Amazon or Ebay or even know anyone that could teach me the basics either so that left one place to turn to- Youtube.
I watched a bunch of videos on Youtube but if I had to recommend the two best to anyone else wanting to start like me they would be:
The paceworldwide video is a concise and informative guide that explains basic soldering theory. I highly recommend it even if it’s from 1980 because it was simply superior at explaining what soldering actually is better that any other beginning video that I watched.
The bigclivedotcom video is more informal than the paceworldwide video but actually applicable to present day. It discusses what equipment you should acquire to solder and it does so with the aim of doing it cheaply. You would be surprised how many beginner videos on Youtube casually talk about starting soldering equipment but when you price out often their recommendations they end up costing upwards of $250+. One video I even came across listed off a range of equipment to start with that would cost $1000 but in the same video admitted that he did not know what flux was but to “use it because it helps the solder flow.” Terrible.
Now that I knew a bit about soldering the next step was putting together the tools I would need which is a rather difficult task when you have no money.
Raising Money for Tools
Since I have no money available right now, can’t get a second job and don’t want to take on any more debt it leaves me with scavenging. I took to the streets during errands to start collecting cans and/or trash that I could resell. It’s not glamorous but it’s the only option I have left.
Some of the cans I managed to collect during April
Have you ever had an experience say when you’re young and your parents get a new car and you start seeing the same model everywhere you go? This phenomena started happening to me but instead of cars I started seeing people collecting cans. Over the month of April I must have seen at least 20 different people at various times collecting cans in my area. Even one of my neighbors started collecting cans going through the garbage and recycle bins on our street. I honestly do not understand it. She has a car and she has a job so why would you bother with scavenging? Surely just having a car opens up tons of different ways to make money even if she lost her job. But no, there she is like a raccoon ripping open trash bags at the apartment next door. Maybe I’m just bitter that it’s more competition.
Anyway, I managed to collect $19.60 worth of cans during the month and I also found $0.75 laying on the street (which is extremely rare these days) and that left me with $20.35 raised for April to work with.
My cans! My precious antique cans!Street money
I also trash picked this decorative drink tray that’s listed on eBay but has not sold yet as of this writing. If it ever does I’ll include that amount too.
Trash picked drink tray
The Tools
The first thing I purchased was a soldering iron. Due not having a dedicated workspace nor having access to an electrical outlet all the time I decided to go with a battery powered soldering iron purchased from Aliexpress for $9.49.
The second thing I purchased was solder. I decided against using a cheap solder manufactured in the orient because I had heard that it could be extremely variable in quality and is often hard to work with. Plus there wasn’t much price difference between an oriental solder and one manufactured in Canada anyway. I chose a 18g 63/37 solder from MG chemicals which I purchased on Amazon for $5.76 after tax. It had good reviews and I figured I would have more success starting with this type of solder over one of unknown quality.
MG Chemicals eutectic solder
From there I purchased a solder sucker off of eBay for $1.00 shipped
I didn’t have much money after those purchases but I managed to find a few things that I thought would come in useful while at the YWCA thrift store. They usually have nothing “tool” related but I found a screwdriver set in the toys section for $2. The rubberized coating on the outside was suffering from reversion so it was tacky picking up every piece of dirt which is why I assume it was donated. It was surprisingly complete however, and in decent enough condition except for one bit that was missing a corner.
Mr. Sticky suffering from rubber reversion
I also found a mug full of miscellaneous “school” supplies that had several pairs of scissors and 3 magnifying loops in it for $1. The loops are old but will come in handy for PCB inspection. The scissors aren’t ideal but will be used instead of pliers to cut leads until I can afford something better. The people working there threw in the mug which I am not sure was originally meant to come as a package deal but I’m not complaining. It’s Corelle branded and I will be using it as a soldering stand to hide the hot iron in case one of my cats interrupts me while I’m working.
The last thing I found was an OLFA box cutter and an X-Acto knife both with replacement blades in a plastic baggy in the craft section for $1.00. I thought briefly of passing them up because they don’t have a direct use to me right now but they are both good quality brands and I probably will not come across a deal like that again when I eventually find a need for them.
An actual branded X-Acto knife and a OLFA box cutters with replacement blades
Lastly while scavenging I found storage – a shoe box for my tools, some empty pill containers and mason jars for components. I’ll use this stuff until I can afford something better.
Financial Summary for April 2025
Revenue
Cans $19.60
Found Money: $0.75
Total: $20.35
Expenses
Soldering Iron $9.49
MG Solder $5.76
Solder Sucker $1.00
Scissors/Magnifiers/Cup $1.00
Screwdriver Set $2.00
Blades $1.00
Total: $20.25
Summary
So there you have it. In the end I didn’t manage to do any actual soldering in April (mainly because it took awhile for the soldering iron to arrive from China). I did manage to put together what I think is a decent starting kit. I doubt I will be able to raise as much money in May as April with all this ridiculous competition but will do my best to keep adding to my tools as I go. In the end as long as I’m learning that’s what really matters.
Things in my life have become clearer this year and I would say really since the beginning of April I have taken a new direction. Some of my goals will remain personal as I don’t feel comfortable sharing them on a public space. Privacy is one of those things that you don’t really think about until it’s gone so I try to live by that rule.
What I can share however is that I would like to learn a new skill this year. That new skill will be electronics and electronics repair. I have always been interested in computers and electronics but never took that direction when studying or in my life for various reasons. With that in mind I will post more in depth about it soon but I thought I would share the general changes in my life here as a reference point to myself if I ever read back some of the things I’ve written.
In December I wrote about fixing an Electric Razor I had purchased from a thrift store for $1. My electric razor had died that summer and blade shaving in the interim was both expensive and annoying.
Since then the Remington Titanium R450 has worked like a charm. I still get a great shave from it every other day and the blades are as sharp as after I cleaned them initially. All it requires is that I empty the shave compartment and clean out the blades with a little brush every time I use it.
I was still curious however as to whether or not a dull electric razor blade can be sharpened with toothpaste (with a link to the original article HERE.)
I could have waited until the Remington Titanium R450 I’m using becomes dull but instead I happened across another electric rotary razor at a thrift store this March for $10. It’s more than I wanted to pay but I splurged out of curiosity and necessity (as having a backup electric razor would come in very handy).
The Philips Philishave 6000 Easyshave cost me $10 at the thrift store.
$10 got me the Philips Philishave 6000 Easyshave. I couldn’t test it at the thrift store but it was in excellent cosmetic condition and still had its protective cap and instruction manual with it.
I tested it the next day and despite powering up and appearing to spin it would not cut my stubble at all. Wonderful! I thought, as I can finally test to see if toothpaste really can make a rotary razor blade sharp again.
The first step was once again cleaning the blade heads and despite my experience with the previous razor and regretting putting it against my face I did it again with this one. And wouldn’t you know it when I disassembled the razor this is what I found:
It appears as though someone had been shaving their pubic area and clogged the blades. Fool me twice shame on me. If you can believe it despite the hair it was actually less dirty than the Remington so cleaning only took about 15 minutes. I reassembled it after cleaning and it worked great. I got a similar close shave to my current razor.
So in the end I still do not know if toothpaste can sharpen a rotary razor but at least I now have a backup electric shaver. Maybe I’ll find another electric rotary razor at the thrift store in the future and repeat my experience again but this time it’s definitely not going against my face unless it’s spotless inside when I crack it open.
My mental health has not been good the last few months but has gotten worst since January when the Trump administration took office. I normally do not like to follow politics and have lived through various administrations both in the USA and Canada without great consequence but the first time he was elected in 2016 it was a shock as a Canadian. It shook my faith in the American people that they could elect someone so incompetent and hurtful. I was slightly less shocked when he reelected in 2024 but what replaced it was a sense of dread and despair.
My feelings of dread and despair were in fact justified as Trump started his annexation threats to my country along with his ham-fisted economic policy of tariffs against it soon thereafter. The only sliver of hope I have left in regard to these annexation threats is that military force will not happen but even there I’m not hopeful for I’ve lost all faith in the American people and it’s crumbling democracy. The USA has a tyrant in charge of it and it’s only going to get worst in my opinion as he continues to undermine, gut and demolish its institutions.
In history classes in school I always wondered how during the lead up to WW2 there wasn’t more of a rebellion against the rise to power of Hitler and his Nazi party. I understand now that people take the path of least resistance. Keep your head down, do your work and this will all pass over. There’s nothing you can do about it anyway so why bother worrying about it? Things might be getting worst but you still have it pretty good. Don’t rock the boat. The simple fact is it boils down to the old saying. “All it takes for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing.”.
So for the last few months I’ve been in a sort of mental stupor unable to do anything but basically functioning. I see now that this makes me part of the problem and how the world has gotten into this mess. I’ve decided that I will be apathetic no longer and will enjoy my life even if it means I have to fight for it.
CatsGamesWhatever 