Getting even more frugal
If you are having trouble paying your bills or buying food read further
These are my Great Grandparents, Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles and they lived through the great depression. They grew up in times when there was no electricity or running water but what they did have was the ability to grow food, share, barter or do whatever it took. They hauled their water, cooked on wood stoves and did not waste, they did not live off the grid because there was no grid.
My husband and I do not live on a farm or even a large piece of land. We live in the city on a small lot. We are trying to raise as much food as we can with what we have and respect our environment. We are trying to keep a stocked pantry and preserve what we do manage to grow. We are trying to conserve water, electricity and reduce waste.
We now have modern appliances and we do not have the same equipment that our generations from the past used to provide for their needs. Today many do not have the cows, chickens, land or crops to be self sustainable. We have to be more creative and use similar but different methods to get through difficult economic times than our generations from the past. We have to learn how to become more sustainable where we are at this time. If you only have a balcony then grow vegetables in containers on your balcony. If you have a back yard then get to work and start digging in a sunny place to plant vegetables that you enjoy eating.
I am shocked that today some communities actually ban clotheslines. How can that be? How can anyone on this earth say that you cannot hang your clothes on a clothesline? A clothesline is solar power. I do not live in a neighborhood that bans clotheslines and if I did I would either fight to change that or move because there is something very wrong with this.
Gas prices may be going up and down and causing many financial hardships but even worse is that food prices, stamps, and everything else that goes up never comes back down. If you are having less money even after cutting back on what seems everything then step back and re-assess.
It will help if:
We disconnect from TV cable and use that money to spend on food or utilities. We will find other things to replace that time we were spending sitting in front of the tube. We may be surprised that we actually feel more calm. Have you ever thought about how much time is spent on watching those annoying commercials? We can watch movies without cable and radio covers the news very well these days.
It will help if:
We turn off some of the breakers in the house to not be tempted to use more than we really need. We may find out that less feels better. Some people just think they are deprived if they have to cut back. Make it an adventure to see how much you can cut back. It may be that you will actually feel a bit lighter and less mentally burdened by knowing that each month the bills will be less. If you have children at home include them in finding ways to cut back on expenses. Have the family help to find ways to be more frugal.
It will help if:
We hang our clothes that we wore today on a hanger and wear them again tomorrow or the next day. We wash our clothing more than necessary causing it to wear out before it should. My neighbor Naomi that is age 82 (at this time), told me that she wore the same dress to school each day during the same week. She would come home after school and hang her dress and change into her after school clothes that she also wore all week. I know that I had a small closet growing up and we did not have near as many clothes as most do now.
Older houses usually have small closets because generations from our past did not have even a fraction of the amount of clothing most of us have today. Now most new homes have walk in closets and some houses have closets the size of a bedroom. My husband and I have small closets in our house. Clothing can be a burden and we have so many clothes that it can make our life overwhelming just to keep the laundry washed and put away. The cost of laundry soap, fabic softener and electricity cut be reduced with the reduction of clothes.
If we knew that we would have to wear the same outfit for several days per week we would choose wisely what we purchased. We would try it on, look at the fabric, the pattern and make sure that it met all the feel good qualities that we personally liked. We would make sure that it would be compatible with our other clothing, shoes, purse, tie or accessories. With any purchase we should make sure we are satisfied and comfortable with that item so we do not waste our money on clothing that we may buy then arrive home to find that it does not go with anything else we own or feel comfortable wearing then throw it aside or in the back of the closet. Do not buy it unless you need it and absolutely do not buy it if it is not comfortable or just a fad. Clothing is expensive and it is wasteful to buy clothing that does not meet all the above.
Each person should be responsible to hang up an outfit to be worn again unless it is very soiled.
Jeans can be worn many times before washing and will last much longer. Under garments can be hand washed in the sink and dried on a hanger overnight.
Jeans can be worn many times before washing and will last much longer. Under garments can be hand washed in the sink and dried on a hanger overnight.
TIP: After a bath/shower, squeeze out your wash cloth and use it to blot off all of your skin. Do this in sections and keep squeezing out your cloth. If you have washed your hair, do the same thing to get as much water out of your hair with your wash cloth. After doing this, towel dry your body(if you are not already dry). Your towel should be only slightly damp and can be hung up and re-used several times before washing.
Get a grip on your laundry….
It will help if:
We shop at Goodwill or a rescue mission and the money they make at these stores helps others. I found a Liz Claiborne blouse for $2.50 one day at a local rescue mission and it is the most comfortable blouse I have ever worn. I found a sport jacket for my husband that fit perfect for $5.00. Sent it to the cleaners for $6.50 and it was like new. It is sad to me that some people feel too embarrassed to shop in a second hand store, never let your pride get in your way of finding more ways to save.
Don’t pay attention to television shows that try to make us think we need to dress a certain way or make ourselves up to "Fit in” to whatever they have decided was the way we are suppose to look.
No matter what they say, It is ok to put on that old pair of jeans or tattered pair of pants and t-shirt. If it is comfortable then wear it.
Please! Do not let anyone tell you how to dress, wear your hair, or steer you to some kind of body image that they think you should have.
My Grandmother lived a very long life, she never had a makeover, plastic surgery, lipo, botox and her wrinkles only added to her overall beauty. She had the most gentle and logical manner that anyone would ever find.
Her voice and words will always be in my mind, heart and memory
It will help if:
If we cut back on eating out and entertainment. Many people are in financial trouble due to spending freely eating out or on entertainment. Cook at home and get out in your yard and get re-acquainted with nature. Sit on your balcony or back porch. Get out the old board games or deck of cards. Clear out your head with all of the noise that is ruining your life.
Recapp;
Once again a big savings could be as simple as hanging your clothes on a clothesline.
Hang your clothes up after wearing them
Stop eating out
Unplug anything you are not using
Entertainment is expensive, bring back board games, cards and reading
Hope this helps
