Thursday, May 12, 2011

Frugal Joys

We, my husband and I, are trying to be as frugal as possible. It is recent for me but not for my hubby I used to always think he was a tight ass! He used to always say "their are no rainbows in our pantry" meaning the home (cheap) brand is plain and the brand names (expensive) were colourful.
When I was a girl going to school, if I had a snack that was from the cheaper brands, I would be embarrassed and I would unwrap it in my bag. This was so my peers didn't see that my snack was the uncool inexpensive brand. I always wanted to keep up with the Joneses ( even though I was a Jones).
Now, I realise my parents hard earned money didn't need to be waisted on fancy packaging.
Today (now that I'm old) I call this brains.

Being frugal isn't all about saving $$$$ but it is a great benefit. Just before I was thinking (which led to this post) how nice it would be just to have a little extra cash to buy some mulch for the garden.
I would be frugal if I used our compost or sourced some mulch for free or as a swap from somewhere BUT since I have been unable to use my own compost and I have not been able to source any I need to buy some. If I had been a little bit more frugal through the week I would have been able to benefit our soil with the mulch that it needs.
We have been bad this last few weeks and we know it. We have had some long trips into the city and have bought drinks and food. One pat on the back was using public transport instead of our car. Anyway, we really could have made our lunches and packed a drink in a backpack and saved a lot of money. I can't even justify how much money is spent on food that is gobbled in seconds and not really thoroughly enjoyed.
Well, we would have had enough for mulch anyway.

People who live frugally are an intelligent species ( shhhh don't tell my Mr tight ass).
Looking for ways to have fun without spending so much cash makes one so much more creative. It might be a challenge but often more rewarding. Often a school holiday's activity would include a trip to the movies which costs us the earth. It is the activities that cost less that gives us more joy. For example, the times we spent in the forests were organised. Lunch was packed, lots of drink and snacks. The only cost was petrol but we got to walk and talk and enjoy the scenery and wildlife. So much benefit in this free activity, such as the exercise, sharing and learning.
Being frugal might take a bit of time and a bit of organising but it brings a lot of joy.
There is joy in growing your own veggies and herbs, the pleasure of getting some fresh air and nurturing something that in the ends gives a reward of produce.
There is joy in eating your own food and nothing tastes better.
There is even joy in cleaning since things are not getting bought without thought (usually if we think about it we don't actually NEED it). Therefore there is less clutter.
There is joy in buying something that is really needed and appreciating the item more for it serves a purpose.
There is joy with having money in your pocket for emergencies.
There is joy in learning new skills such as growing your own food.
There is joy in having less impact environmentally (decreasing consumption, etc)
There is joy in being yourself rather than being materialistic and trying to keep up with the Joneses
There is joy in teaching our children to be more resourceful.

I could go on about why I think being frugal is intelligent but I won't, I will just try and remember that putting a bit of thought and time in pays off. Joy!

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