I am going to start this by saying that I believe I was born in the wrong era or else I was given up for adoption by an Amish family! I truly believe that being frugal helps simplify my life. Go figure, when some of the things I do to save a dime are more time consuming!
For instance, I could throw my clothes in my dryer to get them dry, instead I choose to put them in the basket, take them outside and hang them piece by piece, for free! It gives me such satisfaction to do such a simple task and see those clothes blowing on the line and smell their "cleanness" when I bring them in. I truly feel that with all of the technology that is available to us today, we have lost being joyful in doing the simplest of tasks and feel like something as simple as hanging laundry is too much work.
I chose to become frugal by choice. This is the one thing as a stay at home Mom that I can do to save money. We live in Pennsylvania, so we live near the Amish and Mennonites. They do without modern technology so they don't become "worldly". Do we really need all of that "stuff" to help us get everything done? Do we really need to run to the store the minute we run out of something? Can we find a substitute or do without it until we are in town next time? What did pioneer women do when they ran out of something?
Being frugal makes my choices easy. I WON'T make special trips to the store for things, I WON'T buy a cake mix, I WON'T use my dryer, I WON'T pay full price for toilet paper, and the list goes on and on! All of these "WON'T's" help me to live a more frugal and simple life. My last name may not be Ingalls, Stoltzfus or Walton, but I have a similar life as theirs in this modern, crazy world!
Amy from Pennsylvania
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High Five to you Amy!
Too many times I hear that both parents have to work to get by. More times than not the only "need" is more stuff. Do we really need a boat, vacation home, numerous cars, a five bedroom home for a family of 3, ect.
Well done, Amy! And I'm glad you're at home with the kids (the most important job in the world, I think). Others, racing off - and holding two jobs, exactly as Ole Lulu says - neglect the development of good human beings for the sake of "the stuff."
I'm glad to know you hold to this important philosophy, and any time I can help with ideas which work for me (also frugal by choice), let me know (wordswork AT telusplanet.net).
Cheers,
Rose Anne
I am so glad to know I am not the only one that saves money, energy and the earth! I must note there are sometimes buying the extras are worth it, cake mix is always on sale here in Vermont for under a dollar(and muffins too, just add water). I will say: homemade ALWAYS tastes better! but for me, stinginess above taste! I agree there are so many families spending much more than they should/need and wonder why they both need to work. Some stores(price chopper) double up to $1.00 coupons($2.00 off) and I have gotten hundreds of items for free or less than a dollar each for that reason.
GREAT:
The line between wants and needs is very thin. You definately have that figured out. I'm not quite as frugal as you, but I work at it,
I have been known to buy candy at after holiday sales and save it in the freezer till the holiday comes around again. Thaw it in the fridge and it will not bloom or get white on it.
One thing to be careful about is line drying. If someone in your household has allergies don't dry bed linens, towels or that person's clothing! the fabric acts as a pollen catcher/net. My cousin was rushed to the hospital every night for days until they figured out her sheets were giving her severe reactions from allergies.
Aside from the fact that our HOA would have a cow if we put up a clothesline, my husband woud have a hard time with his allergies if I hung clothes, sheets, or towels outside to dry. Where I live is notorious for pollen levels. We didn't have a clothes dryer while I was growing up, and I don't miss having to hang out clothes.
This is a quote from a little Amish cookbook by Sallie Lapp
To get his wealth He spends his health
And then with might and vain
He turns around and spends his wealth
To get his health
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