For me a frugal mindset eventually spreads to other areas in my life, too. Saving time or using it more wisely has become an important aspect of growing as a Christian and responsible homemaker.
Often I will lay my head down on my pillow after a long, busy day and wonder did I do all I could have? And more often than not I will answer myself that I let too much time slip into nothingness.
I am always asking myself am I doing more for the things that will outlast this life than for those things which are temporary and like a vapor. This is rather philosophical and for me I have to “reset” all the time.
Example: How much time should I spend finding out how to care for my family’s health? I am a health nut of sorts and I find it entertaining to read all I can about preventing illness. But it can be a time waster, too.
When a new mother asks me how do I feel about this or that health concern I feel myself getting rather reflective. I used to think I knew everything, at least about certain subjects. In reality the more I read about, say, vaccinations, the more confusing it got. Ultimately I knew what I would do (not to vaccinate) but that meant I needed to take other measures (ie. Build my family’s health so that when the “bug” came along our immune systems would be strong enough to maintain health). But all this takes time.
Time is precious. Never let yourself get bogged down in anything – even bible study – if it means that someone, some soul, will be neglected. That spouse or child who needs your loving touch. Your friend that needs your smile and listening ear.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Monday, September 3, 2007
I Started to Save Money the Day I Stopped Shopping At Wal-Mart
Here’s the scenario…I needed a pair of walking shoes, an egg timer and some school supplies. My old habit was to head to the local Wal-Mart to pick up these items. They are notoriously less expensive there.
But lately I have taken to buying my variety items at local specialty stores, smaller department stores, or my favorite, catalogs. I find these same items on sale or even paying a bit more for the item. But it’s worth it.
Why?
There are several reasons which come to mind. One being price for the value. I have had to throw away cheaply made items bought from Wal-Mart days or weeks after buying them. I then have to go out to get another to replace it. I might as well have bought them at the specialty store paying a bit more in the first place! I would have saved in gas and time spent shopping. Oh, and that hidden cost - filling our landfills or wherever they stash all our tons of “unwanteds” and garbage. But that is a whole different story.
The other point being impulse buying. I don’t know about you but the atmosphere in Wal-Mart is “Buy me - I cost less!” Cheapness hangs in the air. The items have a whitewashed appearance that I now know will “wash off” after the first few uses. But it’s so tempting to buy that brand-name look-a-like that will make me feel prosperous.
When was the last time you left Wal-Mart with just what you came for? You always find some other things that you knew you would have put on your list if you had only thought of them.
I know I am not the only one. A Wal-Mart associate friend of mine who does the customer carry-outs related to me that many times he sees the following phenomena. A customer displays the characteristic shaking their heads on the way out of the store and muttering to themselves that they only intended to come in there for just one item yet they are leaving with 8 or more items.
What is sad and hilarious is many times this same guy has had to try to fit a large 32” or larger TV into a Geo Metro (?) or Ford Taurus because the person didn’t intend to buy the TV when they came to the store but saw the clearance price and couldn’t resist the deal while it is on sale.
This is how ridiculous it can get. As the customer is being helped out to their car they are saying that they are not sure it will fit in their car as they weren’t intending to buy it but they are sure it will fit (rather apologetically). Most of the time the TV must be taken out of the box to squeeze it in.
But back to my point, when I bought those shoes, I saw sandals on sale and got them, too (even though I didn’t need them).
They didn’t have the egg timer I really needed.
Since I didn’t get the timer, I head over to school supplies and console myself by getting those cheap school supplies, stationary, notebooks, post-it notes, pens, bubble envelopes, oh, and a mechanical coin sorting bank (I have always wanted one of those!!) Never mind that the coin bank will last a week, if that. Who cares if you have bubble envelopes! Yes, I grant you the 25 cent crayons are a great buy so that’s why I bought out the tray.
Let’s see…how much you could have saved by NOT nabbing all those “great” deals. The shoes may last a season. So much for paying a reduced price tag. Then I consoled myself about the egg timer and bought a dozen 24 packs of crayons and a coin bank that will break or jam; $13. $20 for the shoes and sandals, $3 for the crayons, $10 for the bank. $33 - $7 for the shorts = $26 (over what I needed to spend!!)
Change of scene: I headed to the kitchen shop for the timer. They had the very one I needed. And, yes, I drooled over all the neat, useful (and, yes, more expensive) kitchen items. But shopping there was fun and even entertaining. I left dreaming and mentally adding to my wish list. I left with the egg timer for $3.79.
Then I went to Penney’s just for fun. They had a better selection of quality walking shoes and, well, you guessed it, they were on sale. $25! And I know these would last two rather long seasons.
Sure I saw things at the specialty kitchen shop I would have “remembered I needed”, but somehow I knew not to get them. Somehow there was something about spending more that kept me from justifying the expense.
Maybe that is it. We justify the expense when we know we are getting a good deal with a low, low price. Somehow it is easier to let go of money when something is reduced or on sale. The problem comes in when we buy a LOT of “somethings” just because of the discount prices.
Now to be fair, that psychology works anywhere, not just Wal-Mart. Our Mama’s taught us well to be thrifty shoppers. But the part they didn’t emphasize was thrifty doesn’t mean cheap. Thrifty doesn’t mean trading away solid value. Paying $25 or $30 for a pair of walking shoes is a thrifty decision.
“What? I can get some walking shoe look-a-likes at Wal-Mart for $15!!”, I hear you scream!!
Next time your back begins to ache, not to mention your feet, in those $15 el cheapo shoes, remember $15 doesn’t buy good support much less quality. Several trips to the chiropractor -- $120, hmmm? Those $15 shoes just got very expensive and you got “free” advice from your chiropractor to get those $80 walking shoes at the local specialty shoe shop (bought on clearance for $30).
So, yes, I began to really save money the day I stopped shopping at Wal-Mart. Just think about it next time you are getting such a good deal at Wal-Mart. Leave that coin bank, by the way. It isn’t worth it.
But lately I have taken to buying my variety items at local specialty stores, smaller department stores, or my favorite, catalogs. I find these same items on sale or even paying a bit more for the item. But it’s worth it.
Why?
There are several reasons which come to mind. One being price for the value. I have had to throw away cheaply made items bought from Wal-Mart days or weeks after buying them. I then have to go out to get another to replace it. I might as well have bought them at the specialty store paying a bit more in the first place! I would have saved in gas and time spent shopping. Oh, and that hidden cost - filling our landfills or wherever they stash all our tons of “unwanteds” and garbage. But that is a whole different story.
The other point being impulse buying. I don’t know about you but the atmosphere in Wal-Mart is “Buy me - I cost less!” Cheapness hangs in the air. The items have a whitewashed appearance that I now know will “wash off” after the first few uses. But it’s so tempting to buy that brand-name look-a-like that will make me feel prosperous.
When was the last time you left Wal-Mart with just what you came for? You always find some other things that you knew you would have put on your list if you had only thought of them.
I know I am not the only one. A Wal-Mart associate friend of mine who does the customer carry-outs related to me that many times he sees the following phenomena. A customer displays the characteristic shaking their heads on the way out of the store and muttering to themselves that they only intended to come in there for just one item yet they are leaving with 8 or more items.
What is sad and hilarious is many times this same guy has had to try to fit a large 32” or larger TV into a Geo Metro (?) or Ford Taurus because the person didn’t intend to buy the TV when they came to the store but saw the clearance price and couldn’t resist the deal while it is on sale.
This is how ridiculous it can get. As the customer is being helped out to their car they are saying that they are not sure it will fit in their car as they weren’t intending to buy it but they are sure it will fit (rather apologetically). Most of the time the TV must be taken out of the box to squeeze it in.
But back to my point, when I bought those shoes, I saw sandals on sale and got them, too (even though I didn’t need them).
They didn’t have the egg timer I really needed.
Since I didn’t get the timer, I head over to school supplies and console myself by getting those cheap school supplies, stationary, notebooks, post-it notes, pens, bubble envelopes, oh, and a mechanical coin sorting bank (I have always wanted one of those!!) Never mind that the coin bank will last a week, if that. Who cares if you have bubble envelopes! Yes, I grant you the 25 cent crayons are a great buy so that’s why I bought out the tray.
Let’s see…how much you could have saved by NOT nabbing all those “great” deals. The shoes may last a season. So much for paying a reduced price tag. Then I consoled myself about the egg timer and bought a dozen 24 packs of crayons and a coin bank that will break or jam; $13. $20 for the shoes and sandals, $3 for the crayons, $10 for the bank. $33 - $7 for the shorts = $26 (over what I needed to spend!!)
Change of scene: I headed to the kitchen shop for the timer. They had the very one I needed. And, yes, I drooled over all the neat, useful (and, yes, more expensive) kitchen items. But shopping there was fun and even entertaining. I left dreaming and mentally adding to my wish list. I left with the egg timer for $3.79.
Then I went to Penney’s just for fun. They had a better selection of quality walking shoes and, well, you guessed it, they were on sale. $25! And I know these would last two rather long seasons.
Sure I saw things at the specialty kitchen shop I would have “remembered I needed”, but somehow I knew not to get them. Somehow there was something about spending more that kept me from justifying the expense.
Maybe that is it. We justify the expense when we know we are getting a good deal with a low, low price. Somehow it is easier to let go of money when something is reduced or on sale. The problem comes in when we buy a LOT of “somethings” just because of the discount prices.
Now to be fair, that psychology works anywhere, not just Wal-Mart. Our Mama’s taught us well to be thrifty shoppers. But the part they didn’t emphasize was thrifty doesn’t mean cheap. Thrifty doesn’t mean trading away solid value. Paying $25 or $30 for a pair of walking shoes is a thrifty decision.
“What? I can get some walking shoe look-a-likes at Wal-Mart for $15!!”, I hear you scream!!
Next time your back begins to ache, not to mention your feet, in those $15 el cheapo shoes, remember $15 doesn’t buy good support much less quality. Several trips to the chiropractor -- $120, hmmm? Those $15 shoes just got very expensive and you got “free” advice from your chiropractor to get those $80 walking shoes at the local specialty shoe shop (bought on clearance for $30).
So, yes, I began to really save money the day I stopped shopping at Wal-Mart. Just think about it next time you are getting such a good deal at Wal-Mart. Leave that coin bank, by the way. It isn’t worth it.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Dr. Mom - Intro & Garlic
[Please note: Decide for yourself whether using herbs can aid the body. Never, ever let your loved ones get too ill before you see a doctor you trust. In time you may decide how much you are willing to treat at home.).
I admit I love doing anything myself - a kin to frugality and thriftiness. Anything and everything that I figure I can do short of brain surgery or shooting a rocket into space, I will do it myself.
I love to read about and find ways to heal sickness. Let me rephrase that. I love to help the body heal itself of sickness. I am a firm believer in special creation by a loving God who didn’t make mistakes when He designed us. He designed this miraculous “machine” to live, well, forever. And had not sin entered into this world, we could have lived forever. (thank you, Jesus, we still can live forever!)
Anyway, this wonderful body just needs pure water, real fresh food and lots of exercise and really we will live like we could live forever, or at least to a ripe old age in good health to the last breath.
I said “could” because frankly I didn’t start on this do-it-yourself kick till I was already 20 something and had 3 or 4 kids. We had a lot of back tracking to do to get to square one. I am glad my husband was willing to humor me as I “experimented” on him and his (our) children trying weird cures instead of running to the doctor for everything.
I learned to trust my instincts (God given, thank you). Even my doctor told me a mother knows her children better than he, a doctor, would. So, I took my natural interest in health and dug into herbs and found an amazing array of plants right in my own back yard or easily available at the store could help the body heal itself of illness.
I found garlic right off the bat. My kids squodged up their faces when I came at them with “the cure” but in time we saw ear infections, bronchitis, even pneumonia cured (Again, and I say this with confidence, but you will want to take care for your own family’s health. Decide for yourself whether using herbs can aid the body. Never, ever let your loved ones get too ill before you see a doctor you trust. In time you may decide how much you are willing to treat at home.).
I use the garlic in various ways. Raw is best. We have done everything from mincing it and spreading it thick with butter on bread, mincing it into salsa and munching it down with chips, eating raw (munch, munch – too brave for me!), or lately I peel a cup of cloves into a Vitamix and cover it plus an inch with 100 proof Vodka and blend it till it resembles apple sauce. This I put in a quart jar and cover. I set it in a dark place out of the way and everyday I shake it up. After at least two weeks I press the juice through a fine sieve (you can leave it sloppy if you want) and use ½ to 1 teaspoon every 3 - 4 hours during acute illness.
Another way is to mix equal amounts of garlic, onion, ginger root, hot pepper (at least a jalapeno – habanero is for the BRAVE ones) and horseradish in a Vitamix and cover with Apple Cider Vinegar and blend till sloppy. Put in a jar and shake daily. We have called this Szechwan sauce due to its spicy gingery flavor. You can use it right away, a teaspoon at a time. This is delicious as a marinade or salad dressing. Just add oil and herbs and voila!
Blend garlic in olive oil to make an ear oil suitable for healing ear infections. Rub garlic oil on the neck and throat of a sick one to get the goodness of garlic in through the skin.
During flu season or when someone else in the family is coming down with something, the rest of us take a dose once or twice a day to fend off the ickies.
I like garlic simply because it is easy to find at the grocery store and grow right in my backyard, too. Lots better for you and your body never builds immunity to garlic like it does with antibiotics.
One of my favorite user friendly herb books is called 10 Essential Herbs by Lalitha Thomas. I like her philosophy - use herbs you can find in your neighborhood or at the grocery. Simple, easy to understand. Garlic is one of her favorites, too.
It’s fun to help your family stay well. With God’s help we have managed to get well and stay well in the midst of flu and other nasty bugs. But remember to see your personal health care professional. It took me many years of watching my family go through illness and learning to trust my gut with when to see the doctor. Most doctors will humor your attempt to help your family get well with herbs IF you use your wits and don’t wait too long before you see your family Physician if your sickness should get out of hand.
I admit I love doing anything myself - a kin to frugality and thriftiness. Anything and everything that I figure I can do short of brain surgery or shooting a rocket into space, I will do it myself.
I love to read about and find ways to heal sickness. Let me rephrase that. I love to help the body heal itself of sickness. I am a firm believer in special creation by a loving God who didn’t make mistakes when He designed us. He designed this miraculous “machine” to live, well, forever. And had not sin entered into this world, we could have lived forever. (thank you, Jesus, we still can live forever!)
Anyway, this wonderful body just needs pure water, real fresh food and lots of exercise and really we will live like we could live forever, or at least to a ripe old age in good health to the last breath.
I said “could” because frankly I didn’t start on this do-it-yourself kick till I was already 20 something and had 3 or 4 kids. We had a lot of back tracking to do to get to square one. I am glad my husband was willing to humor me as I “experimented” on him and his (our) children trying weird cures instead of running to the doctor for everything.
I learned to trust my instincts (God given, thank you). Even my doctor told me a mother knows her children better than he, a doctor, would. So, I took my natural interest in health and dug into herbs and found an amazing array of plants right in my own back yard or easily available at the store could help the body heal itself of illness.
I found garlic right off the bat. My kids squodged up their faces when I came at them with “the cure” but in time we saw ear infections, bronchitis, even pneumonia cured (Again, and I say this with confidence, but you will want to take care for your own family’s health. Decide for yourself whether using herbs can aid the body. Never, ever let your loved ones get too ill before you see a doctor you trust. In time you may decide how much you are willing to treat at home.).
I use the garlic in various ways. Raw is best. We have done everything from mincing it and spreading it thick with butter on bread, mincing it into salsa and munching it down with chips, eating raw (munch, munch – too brave for me!), or lately I peel a cup of cloves into a Vitamix and cover it plus an inch with 100 proof Vodka and blend it till it resembles apple sauce. This I put in a quart jar and cover. I set it in a dark place out of the way and everyday I shake it up. After at least two weeks I press the juice through a fine sieve (you can leave it sloppy if you want) and use ½ to 1 teaspoon every 3 - 4 hours during acute illness.
Another way is to mix equal amounts of garlic, onion, ginger root, hot pepper (at least a jalapeno – habanero is for the BRAVE ones) and horseradish in a Vitamix and cover with Apple Cider Vinegar and blend till sloppy. Put in a jar and shake daily. We have called this Szechwan sauce due to its spicy gingery flavor. You can use it right away, a teaspoon at a time. This is delicious as a marinade or salad dressing. Just add oil and herbs and voila!
Blend garlic in olive oil to make an ear oil suitable for healing ear infections. Rub garlic oil on the neck and throat of a sick one to get the goodness of garlic in through the skin.
During flu season or when someone else in the family is coming down with something, the rest of us take a dose once or twice a day to fend off the ickies.
I like garlic simply because it is easy to find at the grocery store and grow right in my backyard, too. Lots better for you and your body never builds immunity to garlic like it does with antibiotics.
One of my favorite user friendly herb books is called 10 Essential Herbs by Lalitha Thomas. I like her philosophy - use herbs you can find in your neighborhood or at the grocery. Simple, easy to understand. Garlic is one of her favorites, too.
It’s fun to help your family stay well. With God’s help we have managed to get well and stay well in the midst of flu and other nasty bugs. But remember to see your personal health care professional. It took me many years of watching my family go through illness and learning to trust my gut with when to see the doctor. Most doctors will humor your attempt to help your family get well with herbs IF you use your wits and don’t wait too long before you see your family Physician if your sickness should get out of hand.
Did I tell you that I love to save money?
I know that is what this blog is all about and really I do love to save money! But I love even more to SPEND it! Just ask my dear husband. Like a chronic dieter saving calories on a diet Pepsi to justify that chocolate cheesecake, I would save money buying used (good quality, mind you) clothes and furniture and then go out for a great Mexican dinner.
So, now that the cat is out of the bag and we’re being honest, it seems to me that the reason to be frugal is to save all you can, when you can to have money for when you need it.
Hey, I love Mexican food and needed a night out. Look at it this way, it was cheaper (uh hmmm, more frugal) for my husband to take me out once a month than to send me to psychological counseling. I have nine kids, you know. ; )
So, now you know the truth!
So, now that the cat is out of the bag and we’re being honest, it seems to me that the reason to be frugal is to save all you can, when you can to have money for when you need it.
Hey, I love Mexican food and needed a night out. Look at it this way, it was cheaper (uh hmmm, more frugal) for my husband to take me out once a month than to send me to psychological counseling. I have nine kids, you know. ; )
So, now you know the truth!
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