Good day to all. Hope you are all well and safe on this fine day. We started the day in the 60's - much warmer than it has been for a while in the mornings. We are to get back into 80's for a few days - sounds like maybe it will be AC time for a couple days. Right now, the windows and doors are open. It is lovely out. Still a bit hazy.
Yesterday was a nice 'neighbor' kind of day!
Being thrifty can mean so much. BUT it IS about money - maybe skipping the fancy lattes and growing a tomato plant or shopping your closet instead of going to the store, it is awareness - it is about taking care of what you have and saving something for a day in need! It isn't about being afraid - fear is not a good thing for organizing your life. It is about being prepared.
I think in being thrifty - many people forget to be kind to others. You can sow blessings and kindness freely, and I am a firm believer that you will reap blessings and kindness two-fold. A win-win in my book.
Break the bonds of consumerism - it isn't always a good thing. Learn to make things yourself and to make things do. Reduce your footprint! Take control over life - and you will be less vulnerable to any crisis that arises and more prepared for emergencies. If you stay organized and thrifty and simplified, you reduce stress and emotional problems in life. Your life will remain calm, and you will feel secure and happy, while others are all a fluster with "what shall we do".
Think about the things you can do with what you have. Especially in the kitchen, as to avoid waste. It surely can be fun and being creative is always a challenge and it brings a lot of good things into our lives.
Examples - you have just a couple apples left in the crisper - core them and add a bit of butter and brown sugar to the center, maybe some nuts or oats - them bake. What an easy dessert and it uses up things without them going to waste.
Peeled potatoes for mashed - place those washed peels into a pan with seasoning and some cheese and bake (or fry) and make potato skins. I remember years ago paying good money for those at a restaurant! They are yummy too.
A piece of fruit - add to oatmeal or to top cereal. Top yogurt. Cut up and add to muffins or sweet bread. Throw into a smoothie.
Leftover soup or casserole (or anything) - use for lunch. OR freeze to add to another pot of something in the future. Keep a container going for those bits to use in soup.
A couple broken cookies or crumbs - great on ice cream or pudding or yogurt
Crumbs from chips - topping to a baked potato or a casserole
There is no limit to what you can do.
I know these things sound little and simple - but you start small, and it grows!
Make your own snacks. Shop the clearance that are in the produce dept. That stuff can be frozen or canned for later use. Check the clearance of all depts. at the store. Stock up when you find super good sales. Maybe grow something - anything. Use basic ingredients to make home cooked meals. Eat with the seasons. NEVER feel food insecurity!!!!!!
There is just an endless way to save a little here and there and to be thrifty. Nothing 2nd class about it - I see it as first-class, worry-free living!!!!
Make your own GATORADE
1 pack unsweetened Kool-Aid
1/2 C sugar or sweetener equivalent
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 C orange juice
2 quarts water
Mix together and chill. You can use any flavor you have or want.
Good thing to have during the summer and it costs pennies. I like it better than store bought - I always have ingredients on hand.
Remember that a journey of a thousand miles, starts with a single step!
Make a little progress each week or month and you will be on your way to being thrifty and living well!
Have a wonderful day and enjoy it to the fullest!
Not every wealthy person lives like King Midas. Warren Buffet has lived in the same house since 1958 (according to information found on the internet). So many people, athletes in particular, spend like no tomorrow, and then an injury sidelines them, and boom, lifestyle change. It can be a fun game to see how you can use odds and ends from the refrigerator or freezer.
ReplyDeleteIt is a beautiful day. The rain will be welcomed when it arrives.
I was up at 4:30 a.m. to let the dogs out and could heard the rooster that lives four houses north of us. He was certainly telling everyone that it was time to get up and get busy.
Enjoy this beautiful day!
Yep, Sam W. did the same thing - same house, old truck, no new suits - just normal. Money sure doesn't guarantee happiness.
DeleteI think it is a challenge and a game of sorts. I really have fun with it. Yes, rain will be welcome again.
LOL - the rooster knows! I have one somewhere around here that thinks afternoons is the time to crow. I guess he is a sleepyhead!
Been outside all morning!
Good reminders Cheryl. Have a great week.
ReplyDeleteThanks! You too!
DeleteThank you for the recipe for MYO Gatorade. You always have the best tips!
ReplyDeleteYou are so welcome. No limit to the flavors either.
DeleteThank you!!
I once read about the late Queen Elizabeth sending a young Prince Charles out on a cold, wet day to look for a dog lead he had lost on a walk. She expected him to look after his belongings and not to expect new ones to magically appear if he didn't - a good lesson for all of us. I don't think anyone would accuse either of them being 2nd class, except when their heads appear on a postage stamp!
ReplyDeleteYes, even the Monarchy can be thrifty. I have heard many stories about the Queen and her thrifty ways. I love it.
DeleteCampbell's Soup company recently released a study showing a sharp increase in people cooking at home across all income levels. They attributed it to the rising cost of eating out.
ReplyDeleteGoing out to eat when I was growing up was a treat. Then eating out got cheaper and easier to justify. Then I remember restaurants started upsizing their food items which then seemed to make eating out a good value (whether it was or not). Plus eating out came to be more than just eating it became entertainment. Frankly to me, it's none of that now. I eat out maybe a handful of times each year and that's for the company of my companions not the food.
Lately, I've been putting together wraps. The bits and bobs in the fridge become wonderful wraps. Wraps around here are usually $12-15.
It was a treat for me as well - sure didn't happen often. I used to eat out a lot in my earlier days - not anymore. Like you, I eat out a few times a year and it is for the company. Generally the food is a disappointment.
DeleteI love wraps - they are light and thrifty and just taste so good. I do those a lot in the summer. I grill them now and then too.
They only cost pennies at home.
You are so much like me when it comes to leftovers.
ReplyDeleteInteresting tidbit from Margaret about Campbells soups. I was given two free tomato plants today. Also, some zucchini, yellow squash, Patty pan squash, and a pineapple. We will definitely be using all of it. No waste is the name of our thrifty game. 😂
ReplyDeleteGreat reminders, Cheryl.
Wonderful post, Cheryl. Wholeheartedly agree that we are to be good stewards of what we have. Although not in the food area, I sent you some pictures (via email) of some things that were around my home that I repurposed for gifts. I hope you received it. Have a blessed week. Cookie
ReplyDeleteThanks. Oh, cool. I will go look for that. That is nice of you to do.
DeleteYes, we need to be good stewards of all things. I just can't reiterate that enough!
COOKIE - did you send to gmail or yahoo account? Gmail isn't letting me in for some reason. Yahoo it hasn't shown up.
Deletefrugalcheryl7354@yahoo (dot) com
I sent it to gmail but will resend to yahooCookie
DeleteJust forwarded it to your yahoo account. Hope it comes through. Cookie
DeleteGot it!!!!!
DeleteBusy days here. Between working, messing around in the garden, and visiting people, I don't have enough hours in my days, nor do I have enough energy for the hours I *do* have! Thank heaven the sunset is later than in winter, I'd go nuts if dark came at 5 PM!
ReplyDeleteGoing out to eat is a treat for me. Even fast-food is a treat. The best food is from Dinner on the Grounds (potluck) at singings, OMGoodness! :)
I love that bit about "the most valuable math". Something most of us don't consider until later in the day. ;)
MaryB
Busy gal. Sounds like life is fun and busy, busy. I am so glad it stays light longer.
DeleteI haven't done fast food in years - I do go out to nicer restaurants every couple months.
It is amazing - we just don't think about things until after they have been done sometimes.
We used to love when Mom made baked apples for dessert. It was a wonderful treat for us kids. My fav after school snack was cinnamon toast. I still have that for breakfast or a snack now.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Baked apples are so good. I haven't had one in ages. I still do cinnamon toast too - always a favorite. Such a simple thing - yet so good.
DeleteSo true! People tell me I can afford to spend more, and I tell them I couldn't afford to spend more if I always spent more!
ReplyDeleteYES! Thank you for saying that - so true. I hear that a lot from my younger family, then I would be in debt like they are. No thank you.
DeleteHi Cheryl,
ReplyDeleteThis post is sort of on topic ;). Over the past few years, I have lost 25 pounds and didn’t want to spend a lot of money on new jeans/pants, so have found a local thrift store that has a good selection. I was on the lookout for a red blouse to wear to church this weekend, so stopped in. Found a red blouse and three pairs of jeans, all in like new condition! Total $15. Yeah! I am a size 2 and short (5’2”) so almost no jeans ever fit, at least not without hemming. So I was thrilled these three pairs were all the right length. Anyway, just a recommendation for those who might not yet have found a good thrift store, it is worth your time to check them out and find one that carries the right stuff! Hilogene in Az.
What great finds. You tiny girl!!!
DeleteI have only made a couple purchases in years at regular stores, then on great discount. You can often find brand new items at thrift stores. Let someone else spend the big bucks, then I will buy if from them for cheaper!
It is tough for very small sizes, and often much larger sizes - so if you find a good outlet, go for it.
Good job!