I've been pondering thrift in wargaming of late and have these notions to offer:
For smoke stacks and piping, consider black drinking straws. They come in three basic sizes — sipping, standard, and jumbo. The precise diameter of the latter depends largely on the manufacturer.
Sipping:
http://shop.newyorkbarstore.com/Items/pty-01-stir-black-2000?
2000 for $6.95.
Standard:
http://shop.newyorkbarstore.com/Items/PTY-04-STRAW-BLACK-700?
700 for $6.95 US.
Super, Jumbo, Mega...
http://www.westernplastics.net/index.php
And, while on the subject of "drinking accessories," prehistoric terrain can be supplemented with palm tree stirrers.
http://www.kegworks.com/product.php?productid=20830&cat=314&page=1
Pillars in temples and government buildings can be represented by wedding cake decorations. The resin bits that some companies offer are more or less the same design but usually quite a bit more expensive.
http://www.bakedeco.com/dept.asp?id=242
I have long thought that land mines can easily be simulated by spent hearing aid batteries. Of course, unless you have a device that uses them, collecting a good number of them may require a bit of resourceful thinking.
Simiarly, the flint wheel in disposable lighters is — in essence — a gear. Both the battery and gear can also be used to add detail to vehicles and robots.
And this last idea isn't mine (and, to be honest, I forget to whom it belongs) — but I have heard of someone using dried fruit and beans to add "nodules" and mounts to spacecraft models.
Ogrefencer has used his wiley skills to convince his local gaming group to indulge in a little 28mm landironclad battle royale - excellent! Good work matey!
