frugal living/saving money

Sorry for the cheesy title.

Real quick gift idea on a budget that I gave to my sister for her birthday last week.

Homemade bread loaf (made at Kathy’s bread class–we get to do these classes all the time!)–.50 (?)

Jar of fruit spread (purchased at the bent and dent store)–$1

Stabucks Hot Chocolate Mix (valued at $8,)–$1.99

Greenery and pincones for decorating–$0

Basket (thrift store)–.50

Total: $3.99 (Valued at approximately 18.00)

If you’re thinkng “cheap skate”, we don’t view it like that 😉 We see frugality being based on the value of something (and the presentation and heart with which it is given), rather than actual cost.

By the way…stay tuned for a free “easy gift” project post from my newest ebook “Easy Homemade Gifts”!

It may be very obvious, and then again, maybe not, but to me, the best theory about saving money (and what few take time to understand), is not under-estimating the small savings. I talked a lot about this in Finding Financial Freedom.

When you read a book like The Tightwad Gazette, it is tempting to think “re-washing ziplock bags doesn’t save very much money”. But the trick is that the mentality of “using less and re-using everything” multiplied across thousands of daily practices becomes a big savings–IF it is a mentality.

How far can you stretch it? How little can you use? There are so many areas to apply this! (Shucks…we’re still making a game out of how many little people we can stuff in the bathtub together 😉

My hairdresser was talking about how many people over-wash their hair–that washing it every day is not healthy for it. So how could washing your hair every other day save that much money? Hot water, shampoo/conditioner, electricity for hair dryer….Now, multiply that across the whole family. That’s just one small area.

Apply the same concept to food, washing detergent, peanut butter, toothpaste–anything consumable. It will add up!

Just an extra bit of inspiration!

Well, it looks quite inevitable that we are about to embark on hard times economically. And for this petted, spoiled country of ours (generalizations, gals, not talking about you!), not given to self-sacrifice, it will be interesting at best.

I am not given easily to discouragement…there’s a little part of me, underneath the uncertainty, that is kind of “giddy” over the positive change that will likely accompany our “downturn”. (How’s that for a calm kind of word?)

I see all sorts of opportunities–not only for survival, but for the church to step up and shine. I see people returning to what’s really important in life once they’ve had their superficial props knocked out from under them….once they are forced to step off their super-speed merry-go-rounds and depend on each other for companionship.

I am hopeful for these reasons and more. Concerned, yes. And I keep quoting my life verse–“Be anxious for nothing…” And I believe that God holds His own in the palm of His hand.

And gives them time for preparing. I thought I’d list some basic preparedness strategies and ask you all to list any you have.

Of course since no one can predict how mild or severe our economy will turn, it’s difficult to know how much to prepare. But, I’d rather err on too many buckets of oats and find creative ways to use them later 😉

I assume that many of you already practice resourcefulness. I’m guessing I have quite a few frugal readers! I would encourage you to scrutinize your “consumable usage” even more closely. Being frugal involves a state of mind–stretching things as far as they’ll go, reusing and repairing before you buy, and generally being mindful of using as little of everything as you can.

These are the things that will naturally happen in an economic crisis…it’s a little easier if you’re already accustomed to it!

1. Begin stocking your pantry with bulk essentials that are well-stored. We are stocking up on things like: wheat berries, oats, dried beans, salt, etc.

2. Think through items that might be difficult to get and stock those (for me, this includes prescription meds for thyroid.)

3. Try to get into a position to produce as much of your own food as possible. I’ve heard of substantial gardens being grown in tiny plots in the city. Buying laying hens, a milk cow, goats–any farm items will be valuable commodities, both for your family and as bartering chips.

4. Invest in items like a wood stove, generator, water purifier, etc.

5. Study natural remedies and get familiar with herbs and their uses.

6. Be sure you have guns and plenty of ammunition.

7. Try to develop a “community” within your neighborhood. You’ve all heard the community soup story told of the Great Depression?

8. If you owe on your home, don’t panic. I’m no expert, but I’ve read that usually if you are forced to foreclose, a buyer will turn around and rent your home back to you for half the price you were paying. Chances are you’ll be able to buy it back when the recession is over. I could be totally wrong about this…anybody have insight?

9. Try to save up some cash. This should probably be at the top of the list, I’m just writing as I think 😉

10. “Luxury items” such as chocolate (I would consider this a necessity), coffee and such make nice trading items in a depression.

Your suggestions?

Remember, “my God shall supply all your needs according to your riches in glory.”

• Many of the hardest hit during the Depression ate “Hoover soup”. Hoover soup was going into a restaurant and placing an order. While the waitress was gone, the patron would dump everything on the table into his water (ketchup was usually the main ingredient, as well as salt and pepper). He gulped it down and then “changed his mind” about ordering. (I guess this was while everyone was still honest enough to not steal the food. Nowadays, I suppose most would eat and run.)
• Only about 1/3 of the population suffered hard. Another 1/3 maintained a comparable standard of living, and the other 1/3 thrived with money to invest in all the cheap deals.