Frugality at it's Finest

So, my most recent reading material I have borrowed from the Library is "The Complete Tightwad Gazette" by Amy Dacyczyn. I have read many frugal living books in my time, "Frugal Living for Dummies" (purchased at 30% off :) ) , "Living on One Income", "Ditch the Debt and the Diet", to name a few. But the "Tightwad Gazette" is by FAR my favorite one.

In today's world we are constantly thinking "How can I make more money?" When we are in highschool exploring future careers, we are informed as to which ones will make us the most money. When we go into the workforce we are encouraged to climb the "corporate ladder" to have more power, to make more money. But I've been thinking about something lately. What if, instead of striving so hard to make more money to get more things, we strived to find ways to save more money on things so we had enough to live off right now? Because, truth be told, we will always be longing for more money. It doesn't seem to matter how much you make, you can always use more.

In this book, some of the ideas to me are extreme. Some of them I probably would never do (like dumpster diving, for example!!!!) but some of the ideas, as ridiculous as they seem, really help!

Here are some things I have been doing in my life to learn to be frugal. Laugh if you will... ;)

-Rinsing out milk bags to use as sandwich bags
-Using cloth diapers
-Hanging up clothes half the time instead of using the dryer
-Bringing snacks whereever we go
-When eating out, bringing our own drinks instead of paying 5 dollars for two drinks.
-Shopping at thrift stores, Liquidation World, kijiji.ca, and Dollarama
-Making a meal plan, and try to grocery shop carefully
-Walking when I can rather than driving everywhere

Some of the things I am wanting to do to improve my frugality is....

-Make my own laundry soap
-Use cloth diapers exclusively
-Cut back on eating out to once a month
-Stick closer to the grocery budget
-Walking even more
-Learning to sew
-Purchasing a reasonably priced yogurt maker

I have also learned, being frugal isn't just about saving money. It's good for the environment, usually good for your health (cooking from scratch, walking more...etc.) and it's using the resources God gave us wisely.

Although some of the things like, for example, saving milk bags, seems minor, the book I am reading points out that if you pay attention to the little things, you are more likely to pay attention to the big things. And there must be some truth to it, as the writer of the book dreamed of owning a large farm house, as well as having a large family, with only her husband working while she stayed at home. Their income was not very much at that time. And they managed to get everything they desired, as well as living debt free.

I pray I can learn how to get to that point!

Frugal Living...What a Rush.

I get a rush from living frugally. No joke, I actually enjoy it. I get excited when I have managed to cut our grocery bill down and still make delicious meals, or when I find a really good bargain while shopping, or better yet, I've managed to get something for free.

When I was in college, I took an accounting class that made me absolutely giddy. When I sat down with that huge spreadsheet, a bunch of numbers, and a calculator, I knew what my challenge was. I needed to make everything balance. Maybe it was a feeling of control when those numbers worked out, but the end result gave me such satisfaction.

I get that way when I pull out my calculator, my budget, my grocery list, and my meal plan. There's a sense of power when it all works out, AND we aren't living on mr. noodles and kraft dinner to make it work.

I have collected many books, and many websites to learn different tips along the way to save money. I want to share with you some of the deals I've gotten, and some of the tips I've learned along the way.

-I found a perfectly 'retro' treadmill for $40 on kijiji.ca. I was initially suspicious of the ad, wondering how a treadmill could be so cheap, but after the sellers let me try it out at their house, I was sold. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles you would find on a newer one, but it gets the job done, ie: makes me run and burn calories.

-I don't remember the last time I paid full price for clothing. And I actually rarely buy second-hand. I actually have found the sale-racks and end of season clothing to often be cheaper than what you would pay at value village.

-We buy diapers in bulk at Costco and are able to save that way. (of course we all know cloth diapers would be cheaper, but I questioned my ability to keep up with cloth!). We pay a fee for our Costco membership, but we have saved much more in return. The only thing I would say is, do your research. Some things in bulk are not cheaper than buying them at the grocery store.

-A lot of cities have a freecycle yahoo group. This is a site where we people post stuff they are getting rid of for no price at all, all you have to do is pick it up. I got a really great cookbook I was looking for this way.

-Just wait sometimes. About a month ago I went searching for a cookbook I really, really wanted. After seeing the 30 dollar price tag, I felt I couldn't justify buying it "just because" so I left the store disappointed. However, the other day I stopped in to check if the price had gone down, and it was $13.95!!! Less than half the price i would have paid for if I just HAD to have it at that moment a month ago.

-Filler foods. There are foods that are healthy that you can add to a meal to stretch it farther. We use a lot of rice noodles in this house. Pasta works too. I also add dried beans. Most of us don't eat enough beans in our diet, and they are super healthy for you!

-We have purchased few baby items brand new. Actually, we have purchased few baby items. Alyssa is spoiled beyond belief with clothes and toys everywhere! We have bought a handful of these. Most people around you like to buy your baby things, so before you run out to get what you need for that baby, if you can wait, wait until you pass a birthday, baby shower, or Christmas, than take inventory! Of course, there are a few exceptions that I think you should buy new for baby, for example, car seats to make sure they are up to safety standards.

So, these are a few things that have saved us big bucks in the long run. And I often look around my house telling myself we need to get rid of some stuff because we just have too much. We don't suffer in any way. Like I said in my last post, we are very blessed.

In a Blink of an Eye

It's amazing how you can spend weeks, months, and even years with a certain mindset, and then with a blink of an eye everything you thought you felt can change.

For the past 3 or so years, I have struggled with trying to "keep up with the Joneses", so to speak. I watched all my friends focus on their careers, I watched all my friends buy houses and nice cars, and I felt I would only qualify as a "somebody" when I had accumulated what they had.

The truth is, it was always a battle because deep down I knew this wasn't what I wanted. I knew I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, and I knew I wanted to be truly satisfied with what I had. But I started to feel like I had less and less in common with the people around me, and began to feel like I needed to have the same things to be worth something.

Like I said, I had been feeling this way for about three years. This year was particularly hard on us financially, and I spent months and months deciding a way I could work. I found a job and was ready to start my first shift. But as I got ready to go to work, I felt sick to my stomach. I knew I was doing this for all the wrong reasons. I knew I could cut costs in other ways, and I knew that I wanted to be at home, raising my daughter, and cooking meals for my family. Sam had never wanted me to go to this job, but I insisted I "had" to do it. However, on that day, I couldn't argue or ignore God anymore.

I never started that job. And for the first time in 3 years, I went home and everything changed. I didn't feel pressure. I didn't feel stress. I finally knew what I felt God was calling me to do. But since I felt it wasn't my calling to work outside the home, I knew I had to help our situation in some way. I pulled out my books on "thrifty living", pulled out my monthly meal plan, my budget, and my calculator, and I got down to business. I decided if I wasn't going to make money, I was going to save money.

It's been about 3 months since that day, and not a day has gone by where I am trying to "keep up" anymore. True, we don't have a house, and we aren't going to buy one anytime soon, but that doesn't mean we aren't good enough. Just because I am not working now doesn't mean I will never work again. Everyday I get to see my beautiful daughter growing, and I get to be the one to serve my husband delicious meals (with the exception of the past month due to morning sickness....yeah, he can't wait until that's over!) Instead of thinking things like, "how can I make more money?" I am thinking "how am I going to teach my daughter about Jesus, and discipline, and love, ...etc." I have even toyed with the idea of homeschooling, which I would have never considered before. (Read: just an idea, I have definitely not resigned myself to it as I do not know if I could do it! :) )

I think about baby#2 on the way. As much as I enjoy having so much fun with my daughter, I know it's my job as a parent to not only think about having fun with them, but to teach them to be respectful, caring, loving, disciplined individuals. It's a good thing I have God teaching me how to do that, because the task can look scary and intimidating! But I know God will be with Sam and I every step of the way, and I know that even though I have a super LONG way to go, I want to be the wife and mother God has called me to be. The Proverbs 31 woman seems impossible to live up to, but I believe that God has set that as a standard for our role as wives and mothers.

And I want to end this post with a story about the way God works. Like I said previously, Sam and I had a very difficult year financially. I just couldn't understand why God was allowing us to struggle for so long. But I learned he was waiting for me to learn a lesson. As soon as I had changed my way of thinking, Sam got a new job and opportunities were thrown at us from all directions. Because God waited until I had changed, we were able to be responsible with this change, and still focus on what our priorities are. We are still NOT buying a house any time soon, but we are able to see how God is blessing us in every way. And we are learning to trust God to carry us through the tough times. He never left us during that year, he was doing what was best for us. I am so blessed.