If you want to live a frugal life style you have to work a little harder than most people on certain things. I know I have written about this is in the past, but it hit me again this week when I was cleaning out the fridge and trying to figure out how to use up all the extra food I removed. Also the garden is going great guns and I have to pick everyday and then either prepare to eat or to freeze. This takes time. It is work.
It would be much easier to buy fresh green beans at $2.99 a pound and buy fresh zucchinis and bell peppers. As I chopped all the eggplants, yellow and green zucchini, onions, peppers, tomatoes from our garden on Sunday and put together the Ratatouille I thought about the work that is entailed. I could have just gone to the store and bought all the veggies, I could even have bought some of them cut up. But I choose to grow, harvest clean and cook these things myself. This is work and then there is the clean up.
Once the tomatoes are really producing I will be canning about 4-6 quarts a day. I do this outside to keep the house from getting too hot. Home canned tomatoes are so much better and I use alot of tomatoes over the year.
It took time to hull and clean and freeze the strawberries I used in the cakes I made. Although they were mixes, I could have purchased cakes at the bakery instead of mixing up my own. Making food from scratch takes longer. I also think it tastes better. It is work.
If you want to save money or you are trying to get out of debt you will have to work harder. You may have to add extra hours to your work schedule. You may have to not go places and find ways to entertain yourself for free. It is so much easier to spend money. You may have to choose to walk more rather than using the car. You may have to give up things that make your life more convenient. Like the housekeeper, or calling for a pizza when you are short of time.
I know that I nursed all of my babies until they were a little over a year old so I did not have to buy formula. It would have been much easier to bottle feed them at times. You can save money by cloth diapering, but I did not do this. I think if I had to do it all over again I would cloth diaper. At least when we were not out and about.
We always had to live on a very tight budget, so I learned to do with less. Now my money savings is not because things are so tight but because I choose to utilize my money in a different way. I want to be debt free. I want my house and then the car paid off. I want the freedom that this will bring.
Sometimes we are frugal because we have to be, and then sometimes we are frugal because we want to be. I have had to learn to want to be frugal. I have had to learn to tell myself I don't need that even if I want it. I have had to learn not to be a conspicuous consumer. It is so easy to fall into that trap. All it brought was debt and unhappiness, worry and depression. You think it is going to make you happy but it doesn't.
I have learned to do most things myself and yes it does take more time, but the savings is incredible. Saving money can also be a satisfying game one plays. Seeing how much money I can save has become a form of entertainment.
Do any of you enjoy money savings? Do you like to see how much you saved by doing things yourself Is this entertainment for you? Am I just crazy?
Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.
Kim
Cloth diapers here for 4 children. It saved a FORTUNE. People always poo-poo this today. "But you have the washing machine costs." That's a bunch of hooey. I also line dried them since we lived in central Texas at the time, so it was hot and sunny most of the time. My babies thrived and never had diaper rashes.
ReplyDeleteThat is such a smart way to go. I can understand disposable for travel or say church but these items do add up.
DeleteI used cloth diapers for three, two in diapers at one time. For the lastone, I put my foot down and used disposable for when we went out. I hung diapers on the line when I did not have a dryer for the first one. I agree with anon. Govt programs pay for diapers for low income. But no one pushes for using a washing machine and washing diapers. Some people do not even have a permanent home. So, how could they have a washing machine? Some don't have a way to get to laundry. It is a complicated problem. However, convenience is the main reason for disposable diapers.
ReplyDeleteWhen I have mentioned using cloth diapers to people who have the means and opportunity to have washer and dryer and plenty of money, the say to me."I could not/cannot stand to wash that out of cloth diapers, I point out that I did not wash cloth diapers because I enjoyed the smell of baby poop. People are lazy.
I don't buy lots of things because I choose not to waste my money.
You are right when you say people are lazy.
DeleteLove it. You hit the nail on the head with this post. Being frugal and mindful is work - but good work.
ReplyDeleteLike you it started out a need - then became habit. Then it became a want. I like being mindful of what I have and seeing what I can use for this or that.
You have done so well. You should be proud.
Although I was always frugal, I sure did spend money on the kids in really dumb ways. I look back and wish I could do things over. I would be so much smarter. But then I say don't look back look froward and don't be stupid again.
DeleteI am crazy with you. I love to see how much I can save. I love going food shopping and comparing regular prices with what I end up paying. I love making a meal and telling the whole family how little it cost and how much it would have cost us if we had gone out. I am a money nerd and proud!
ReplyDeleteYou and I could be best friends. If I can find a way to make something cheaper it is done.
DeleteI agree! I have come to enjoy the small stuff. That's not to say that we don't splurge - we absolutely do. But, I like to make sure our money is going towards our priorities (travel, time with family, experiences). I don't prioritize having what everyone else has (a cleaning person, yard person, pool person, all meals out, expensive grocery delivery, designer clothes, etc). I really like the hunt of a good deal, and knowing that I'm taking good care of our resources.
ReplyDeleteThis new thing called Hello Fresh, drives me nuts. $6.99 a serving and you still have to make it? that would be over 25.00 for a family of four for a meal. My girls call hello fresh mom's house and my garden.
DeleteI saved like a fiend when my boys were growing up, to pay off the house we built, 30 acres, cars and trucks, and have a college fund for both kids. I also squirreled away money each week to save for taxes at the end of the year, Christmas, insurance, and a fund in case something went wrong with the vehicles, furnace, etc. I shopped at Aldi's and Save A Lot. We wore Walmart clothes. It wasn't too hard. I had my routine. I'm much more relaxed about it now, with the house/land paid off for years, one son graduated and working, the other in his senior year of college. Our biggest expense right now is health insurance premiums.
ReplyDeleteI have found that (since I control the bill-paying and checkbook) it's easier to have money in the account, yet not show it all in the register. If my husband looks in there and sees a big balance, he thinks the extra is available for spending on a tractor (already has two) or garage (already has two, plus a barn).
My husband is not a spender . But when he does spend it is on large ticket items.
DeleteI do think it is all about the little stuff. I used cloth diapers and yes I probably saved money, but the experience is grossly overrated. If I had it to do over again I might use disposable.
ReplyDeleteWe had years when money was severely tight and the priority was kids and food first, basic needs 2nd with little left for extras. I feel kind of sorry for some of the young people now who start their adult life with so much that they don't know the difference between needs, wants and delayed gratification.
How did your Mom handle those years when you were struggling? My mother hated my husband because we were poor. She blamed him ( actually it was him) Either unemployed or underemployed by choice. He could have been a serial killer if he had money my mother would have loved him.
DeleteRatatouille is a great way to use up those garden vegetables. Gazpacho is another good recipe to use them up. This is a great blog post with great advice!
ReplyDeleteWell I have written the book on how to get yourself into debt and stay there for 40 years at least twice:)
ReplyDeleteYes you ARE crazy but so am I so that's why we get along so well....now go have a DC and relax for a bit.....
ReplyDeleteI miss you so much can't wait until I see you.
DeleteI think we could have a fine conversation about ways to save money :-) I was a stay at home mom when my three children were little, and only went back to work (part time) when the youngest was going into third grade. AND we chose to send them to parochial school. Money was very tight, but I learned how to squeeze pennies like no one's business.
ReplyDeleteNow those habits are ingrained. I like to see how little money I can spend to eat well and clothe myself.
I wonder sometimes if I will ever be able to really spend money again.
DeleteI used both for my kids, cloth for home and family, throw away for other. I nursed and used formula as I didn't produce enough. I have one child that can still remember me counting pennies for lunch money.No free lunches at that time for anyone. Hubby is a spender. I had him set up his own checking and savings and his "extra" money goes in it. Regular paycheck and now retirement fund goes in joint acct (he only uses it for medical). I handle the bills and savings.
ReplyDeleteI grew up poor, even the money I would get finding pop bottles would go to help pay the bills. We ate from the garden and what Mother and I put up. Daddy hunted and fished or we went without meat.
If at Great Depression hit now this generation would not make it. They just don't know how.