Monday, August 15, 2016

Passive Frugal Doings and a Huge Thank You!

   


   
Crockpot lasagna
One of the things that I have found the m
ost enjoyable and life enriching about starting my blog is the interactions with others and the sharing of ideas and encouragement we can give to one another.  I look forward to reading comments left on my blog and to visiting the blogs of those of you who have them.  I feel like I have made all these wonderful friends across the world and I do want you to know how very much I appreciate all of you!  As a stay at home wife and grammie in a very small rural farming community, you help open up my world and allow me to learn new things , armchair travel and grow. :)  So thank you all for that!

   One of the comments that I get over and over again is that I do so much to save, even with my limited energy.  I went back and read over a few of my Frugal Friday Wrap Up posts and realized that yes, I do a lot but a many of those things are what I refer to as "passive frugal doings".  They take little and sometimes no energy at all.  Let me give you some examples:

1. We dropped our satellite TV subscription and now watch the one local station we get and a few PBS channels on the TV in our bedroom.  That TV is hooked up to a big old fashioned TV antenna that was here on the house when we bought it.  The other shows that we want to watch are watched online via my computer.  This costs us nothing but the electricity to run the TV and my computer and takes absolutely no effort on my part.

2.  Watering the gardens.  The main gardens are set up with soaker hoses and sprinklers.  All I have to do is turn them on, along with my timer so that I know when to switch the splitter so that I can then water another garden.  I do hand water one small garden area along with the potted plants and some flower beds by hand, and a few fruit trees, but that goes quickly and for the most part I use water that I have collected in buckets while the other gardens are being watered, the run off from our swamp cooler or water from our rain barrel.  I save time, energy and water this way.  It also makes it really easy for when we go somewhere and have someone come in and stay with the fur babies to keep the gardens watered too.

3.  Making bread is easy For years now I have used my breadmaker to make most of our bread.  It takes me about 5 minutes to get everything in it and make sure that the dough is the right texture.  The machine does the rest of the work.  When I do make Cuban bread, I use my Kitchenaid mixer, which also does most of the work.  I just have to punch it down after the first rising, put it in bread pans, let that rise again and then bake it.  The recipe does 2 loaves at a time so I do not have to make bread every other day like I do with the sourdough bread that I make in the breadmaker.  I will be making some more Cuban bread today.

4.  Hanging our laundry to dry on the clothesline is another huge savings but one that takes very little time and is actually something that I really enjoy doing.  My clothesline is in my backyard maybe 30 steps from my back porch.  It has 5 lines on it so I can hang up quite a bit at once.  There is something very calming to me about standing out there hanging the laundry out while listening to the birds chirping and the squirrels chattering back and forth with one another.  I also enjoy taking the laundry off the line while it is warm from the sun, folding it and putting it in the basket.  It is then ready for me to put away.

5.  I use my crockpots to make lots of different dishes.  I love the convenience of being able to throw the ingredients for a meal into the crockpot and just let it go for the day.  I make soups, stews, lasagna, kalua pig, pork chops, roasts and many other meals in my crockpots.  I also make applesauce in them.  And yes, I do have multiple crockpots.  I currently have 5 of them.

6.  Cooking and freezing future meals is a huge time and energy saver.  For the most part, I cook in large quantities because I don't know any other way. ;) I was raised to help run my childhood home because my mother worked full time and also ran us kids around to many different activities.  She was a teacher so her work day did not end when she left the school.  There were still hours of correcting papers and lesson plans to do every night.  My father started out as the assistant manager and then became the manager of a exclusive resort in Hawaii.  He had to be onsite both day and night on his work days because there had to be a manger present 24/7.  He spent an average of 4 nights a week there, after having worked all day long and help entertain during the evenings.  My mother joined him in entertaining guests for dinner there quite often also.  On my father's nights off, he was usually gone at meetings or officiating football games.  We actually saw him more at work, when we would go down for the day on weekends, than we did at home.  This left my mother with very little energy to get everything that needed to be done at home so she divided up the work at home between us kids and herself.  Since I was the oldest, a lot of that fell onto my shoulders.  I quickly learned from my mother to cook and bake in large quantities so that there would be leftovers for another meal or to make large stockpots of soup and freeze some for future meals.  She is an amazing cook and also taught me how to find the best bargains and stretch our budget and food.  That is why I will still cook in large quantities and freeze part of what I make or even freeze leftovers for future meals.  It saves me time, money and energy and gives us a great variety of things to just pull out on those days when we are busy or I am not feeling well.  Cook once, eat 3 or 4 times in our case. ;)

   So there you go.  Those are just a few things that I do to save money that take little effort, time or energy on my part and that I consider "passive frugal doings".    We have tried to set up our lives to do these things to make our lives easier and more enjoyable while saving money.  I find that as we get older, I am trying to find even more ways to make our lives easier while still living on a strict budget.  Speaking of doing things to save money, the sheets and towels just got done in the washing machine and I need to get them hung out to dry.  Be blessed and have a great day!



   




   

17 comments:

  1. Good list. I never have very much to write for my thrifty accomplishments for the week, because so much of it are things that are just second nature; like hanging the laundry outside, not having cable TV, not dining out. My idea of passive savings is saving money by not doing something, like taking vacations, dining out, going to movies, etc. Hope you have a wonderful week!

    Hugs
    Jane

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    1. Thanks Jane...there really are many ways to passively save aren't there. :) I hope you have a wonderful week as well. :)

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  2. I do those too. Now we do have cable - but G being disabled it is his vice! Bless his heart. We have contemplated doing just Netflix - but we have one more year left on our contract phone/cable/internet combo bill.

    Good list - and it is amazing how much those things can save. I love my rain barrels for garden water.

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    1. Cheryl, we had to wait until we were done with our contract too before we dropped it. Everyone has their vices though and honestly, there are worse and way more expensive things than cable. :)

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  3. Hi Debbie,

    I'm taking a break from my blogging break just because I miss so many of my favorite blogs, including yours. Like you, I too enjoy all the folks I "meet" through blogging. I enjoy learning about their hobbies and passions, viewing photos from vacations all over the world, and my most favorite, reading about their wonderful families.
    I hope you are continuing to recover from your most recent viral illness. I know the CFS probably makes recovery from any illness that much more difficult. I will continue to pray for your health.
    Thanks for sharing your canning tips for limited time and energy. Although I am currently very healthy, I am excessively busy this time of year. Trying to squeeze a full day of canning into any one day is not currently practical. Thus, I will surely find myself incorporating your suggestions and examples into my canning season this year.

    Blessings to you and yours,
    Mrs.B

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    1. Hi Mrs. B! I have missed reading your posts but I do understand...you have your hands full. :) I feel honored though and am so glad you popped on here. And yes, CFS does make my recovery take more time and is more difficult, but I am just thankful that I do recover...albeit slowly. :) Take care!

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  4. I agree with you that cooking once and making it go for more than one meal, two, or maybe even three is an excellent tip. It saves me so much time and energy (mine) doing this.

    I admire how much canning you are able to get done. I don't really do any real canning, but I did briefly put into boiling water, peel, slice and freeze some peaches last week. It would be nice to do more. The peaches here in Missouri were super sweet and flavorful this summer.

    I find your writing to be very inspiring. I have arthritis in my knees, and several other areas. It is frustrating how much it slows me down with the things I want to do. In my mind I have such enthusiasm for so many projects, but my body has other ideas, and most days I get nowhere near the end of my to-do list. I just put the things I didn't get done at the top of the next to-do list. Most stuff manages to get done, and what doesn't, always waits for me.

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    1. Awww...thank you! I can relate to you as my hubby and I both have arthritis also. There are says when not a whole lot gets done between the CFS and arthritis but boy, I really want to take on more projects than my body will allow. ;) I have heard that the peaches in your area are so good! I'm glad you were able to preserve some for future treats!

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  5. I have meet some wonderful people by blogging. I feel like I have been able to connect with like minded ladies that I don't seem to find in my every day life. I find that the more I do a frugal task the more it becomes second nature. I no longer think of it as a frugal task as it becomes part of my everyday.

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    1. Wendi, I find the same thing too. :) I'm so glad that I have met people like you who inspire me and make me feel like I am not alone in trying to live a frugal and simple life and who value family as I do. Be blessed!

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  6. I've been blessed by finding your blog. To find someone who truly gets CFS has lifted me up. And to follow your path about frugality has also been a real lift. Thanks so much.

    I don't have a lot of gas in the tank left to write much but wanted to say something on this post. Had to take my dog to the vet and that was quite the day.He's ok but needed to get some tests run.
    SJ in Vancouver BC

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    1. Awww SJ, you always make me smile. :) I know what you mean about finding others with CFS that you can relate to. It's nice and there seems to be this instant bond because we "get it" since we live it. I'm glad you dog is going to be ok...I hate when our fur babies are not feeling well. Be blessed!

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  7. Today is going pretty well. Went to the garden to harvest for a food program/giveaway at a local church. Our community garden has 6 garden beds and three of us gardeners for this project. It's always a big payoff for me to put in time and energy for this.
    I wanted to weigh in on your post. I, too, believe it is a lot of things that I don't do that keep me on this frugal path. I rarely eat out at a restaurant or fast food. I rarely buy anything full price at a retail store. Or go to a movie theater. I don't drink a lot of soda, don't drink any alcohol or smoke. I don't pay full price for groceries but watch the sales and stock up when I see a good price.

    I do work at eating healthy. Part of that comes from what I buy at the grocery store and part from growing a garden. I cook from scratch as much as possible given my health limitations. I'm not opposed to buying something from the grocery store deli or the freezer section if that's what I need to do. I do spend money to go swimming, my exercise of choice. I do spend money by having a dog but he's definitely very cheap mental health support (smile).
    Thanks for this exercise. It shows me that the little things have really added up to a quality life. Cheers, SJ in Vancouver BC

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    1. That is so sweet of you to harvest the food for the food giveaway. What a blessing you are to so many! You do lead a frugal but full life my friend. :)

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  8. I enjoyed reading about your passive frugal doings and all the ways you save money! I, too, hang my laundry to air dry (although, mostly because my dryer is broken!) and often cook enough for several meals at a time. I guess most frugal minds think alike.

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    1. Hi Bless. :) I guess we all do. :) I remember years ago, when my children were very young, that people were amazed at how frugally we lived and could not understand how we did it, that is except for the older generation that had lived through the Great Depression. The older ladies in our church just cheered me on and taught me all kinds of wonderful skills. They shared their knowledge on canning, tying quilts, and life in general. They also shared plants and fruit from their gardens with me and one year, one of them actually had us come and cut a Christmas tree for our family off their property. :)

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    2. Hi Bless. :) I guess we all do. :) I remember years ago, when my children were very young, that people were amazed at how frugally we lived and could not understand how we did it, that is except for the older generation that had lived through the Great Depression. The older ladies in our church just cheered me on and taught me all kinds of wonderful skills. They shared their knowledge on canning, tying quilts, and life in general. They also shared plants and fruit from their gardens with me and one year, one of them actually had us come and cut a Christmas tree for our family off their property. :)

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Thank you for taking time to comment on my blog posts. I really appreciate it and being able to get to know you through your comments. I hope you have a wonderful day!