I admit it - I'm cheap. In some higher class circles folks call that "frugal". But I'm just a country bumpkin so I'm not really concerned about euphemisms. And I'm not embarrassed about being cheap either. "Waste not, want not" is the saying that comes to mind. Just how cheap am I? Here's an example:
A friend of mine took out her dishwasher (because it was broken), leaving a hole where it had been removed that made the kitchen look like someone's smile with a front tooth missing. She installed a cabinet in that hole. I know what you're thinking, because it's the same thing I'm thinking - why didn't she just buy a new dishwasher? I asked her that same question. She told me she never used it anyway. OK, 2 things here - How did she know it was broken if she never used it? And not use a dishwasher? A dishwasher is almost as essential as a cook stove, or indoor plumbing, or a washing a machine, or - but I digress.
So now I've told you how cheap I am, let me know some of the ways you're cheap, uh-mmmm frugal, by telling all in the comments section. (You don't have to have a blog to leave a comment, anyone can do it. Try it, it's fun!)
Please leave a comment below. I love hearing from you.
7 comments:
Well, I make my own laundry detergent because to is to stinking expensive. I can make roughly 3 gallons of liquid laundry detergent for about $.80 (80 cents). I make my own bath soap too and use a bar of it to make the laundry soap.
A couple of weeks ago, I found out that I was out of both laundry detergent and bath soap. Akk! I had a mountain of laundry to do and no detergent! I actually had to buy soap! I was shocked at how expensive it was. It had been over 2 years since I had bought any. Needless to say, I went home and made a new batch of soap.
That is how cheap I am.
Well, I haven't started doing this, but mainly out of laziness, but I plan to. We accidentally left a bag of fertilizer out in the rain and it got soaked. With the recent heat, I'm sure it is now dried up. but I think it is still good, so I plan to crumble it up and use it on my lawn. My neighbor does this too, and uses rubber gloves to do it by hand. I just can't see throwing it away after paying so much for it!
T - how do you make laundry detergent for that little? Please share the recipe.
how cheap I am
let me know some of the ways you're cheap, uh-mmmm frugal, by telling all
I am so cheap that I am saving my dental floss and tying it back together then spooling it on a empty toilet paper roll.
I then use it to make a garden net for my climbing plants to use and also use it to tie up some plants (tomatoes) using a figure 8 loop and 2 knots to hold them up. One on the support tight and the one on the plant loose not to cut it.
I also save the plastic containers pastry come in too start my seeds in.
Coffee cups I get on the road and work to start plants in.
Some people see a empty container, I see what I can use it for.
Madd Russian in CT
I don't think I can beat the dental floss, but here are my frugal ideas.
We keep a cooler in the trunk of our car. In this cooler is ice, bottles of water (that we refill), we throw in a few snacks this way we don't spend money while on the road.
When the soap despenser runs out we add water and use the residue to make more soap.
I make all our own mixes and instead of buying vanilla creamer for coffee I make a mix.
On that rare occation that we buy food out, we order one value meal and add 3 $1 burgers to it and share.
When the girls ask for something at the store they know how "frugal" mom is that instead of asking "Can I have this?" they ask "Can you make this?"
Crystal G.
http://homemakingwithgod.blogspot.com/
I rarely buy new zippers from the fabric store. I have a large jar (that was once filled with pork rinds)filled with zippers I ripped off old winter jackets and pants. Of course I also have jars of buttons, lace, ribbon, elastic too! Now at times the colors don't quite match but that can make it fun too.
I had an Aunt who saved all the bits of bar soap until she had enough to make a whole new bar.
I do re-use bread bags but hate to wash and re-use aluminum foil.
Frugal? Recently infected with poison oak, I used apple cider vinegar to control the itching. $1.67 a bottle as opposed to the $13 of fancy poison oak anti-itch stuff sounds like a bargain and I haven't itched in 3 days!
Once the blisters ruptured and weeped, I cut the toes off of an old sock and put it over the infected arm so the ooze wouldn't get everywhere. After it started seeping through, I thought "what's absorbant and won't stick to my rash?" Yup, you got it. Feminine pads. 16 for $3 as opposed to 99 cents for one non-stick medical gauze.
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