Every man deserves to come home to a well organized, clean, and happy home. In large part this is the responsibility of the house wife. Despite the tone of the day, or events that may lead up to that joyous hour when the bread-winner returns from work, the house should be prepared for his welcome.
At least one half hour prior to the anticipated homecoming hour (longer if more substantial messes have occured throughout the house) a woman ought to walk briskly about the house filling her arms with misplaced items on her journey from room to room. To not pass by any item that is misplaced without picking it up if you still have space in your arms. You will therefore maximize the time that you are moving about and the travel from one area of the house to the next. If the size of the home requires more carrying capacity, carry a larger basket on one arm so that you are able to pick up more items with your free hand.
Having your home previously organized into small yet tidy compartments will aid in a speedy clean up. Every nook should have a purpose. There ought not to be a 'junk drawer' which spawns lazy clean up by shoving items that have a real place into an unseen yet messy hiding place. If an item does not have a place, nor a purpose, it ought to be thrown out or re-purposed.
If you have small children, do not neglect their need to be near you while being entertained. Create several small nooks with a few toys and books perhaps in a basket or empty cupboard that can be accessed by the children in whatever room you fequently occupy througout the day. The small areas are quickly cleaned up since there are not many toys in any one place and you can clear the area before moving on to the next space. Do not move to the next area if you are done with a task in one place without cleaning the area up completely, both the children's toys and your workspace.
Dishes are easily done in the moment they are created. Piling dishes in the sink only encourages more piling. The food will only solidify on the dinnerware and your job to clean them increase. In cases of pans or baking dishes it is often wise to leave them to soak with warm water and a bit of soap for aproximately an hour to soften the hard deposits and thus making it easier to clean.
Plan the meal that you intend to cook for the day first thing in the day (if not previous to that day) so that you may prepare items that may need thawing or rising. Make sure that you plan your days activities to allow your the preparation time needed for your planned meal so that they end of the preparation and cleanup will coiencide with the arrival of the man of the house.
If it occasions that your children need to eat before your husband arrives home, if he works late, feed them tidily, spending the precious time you have with them in training them good eating habits. Sit with them while they eat if possible so they are accustomed to eating as a family at a dinner setting instead of being served. Each child should be taught to clear their own place after permission is granted to leave the table. Providing permission creates a structure that will help to avoid touch-and-go dinners in the future. Save your appitite in large measure to eat with your husband when he returns. If you need some food to sustain you until arrival, do not gorge yourself but only eat what will tide you until his arrival.
An attentive housewife should prepare her day in order to enable a meal time with her husband at the end (or beginning if that is the only occasion) of each day. When husband and wife eat together, sitting at a dinner table (no couch dinner, and certainly no TV platters!), they may review their feelings and create the connected atmosphere of the home once again as both father and mother are to interact with the children for the rest of the evening.
The combined family meal will be cleaned up quickly and cooperatively as each member of the family contributes in some way. Even small children may be given an broom and encouraged to sweep the crumbs from under the chairs. Older children can clear plats to the sink and beverages to the fridge. Parents should direct and contribute to the meal clean up as well. Both man and wife should do dishes, wash down tables and properly store left over food. As the job is completed together the whole family can then retire to an evening activity.
Primarily the atomosphere that is set with a clean and calm home prior to the arrival of the husband will contribute greatly to the course of the evening. It is less likely for a husband to carry workplace frustrations into the home if he has nothing there to remind him of frustration (a clean floor does not likely make one curse whereas a misplaced toy may bring about a tyraid).
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
Using Resources
Small thought for the day:
Think of all the thinks you CAN do with the things that you do HAVE and stop worrying about all the stuff you don't.
You might be surprised how much of the stuff you already have around you would work for the purpose of the thing you are pining after. Likewise, if no other thought comes from looking around and seeing what is there, find a way to make what you have pay for the new thing you want; barter, free-trade, garage sale to get money for new, second-hand stores. Try asking people if they want to give you something or trade for something you might have that they want. It could be fun and save you a lot of money.
Think of all the thinks you CAN do with the things that you do HAVE and stop worrying about all the stuff you don't.
You might be surprised how much of the stuff you already have around you would work for the purpose of the thing you are pining after. Likewise, if no other thought comes from looking around and seeing what is there, find a way to make what you have pay for the new thing you want; barter, free-trade, garage sale to get money for new, second-hand stores. Try asking people if they want to give you something or trade for something you might have that they want. It could be fun and save you a lot of money.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Household Cleaning Solutions
For cleaning floors it is best practice to actually scrub them manually. Most mops and sweeping materials are good for surface cleaning but will rarely clean the floor completely. Ammonia is the cheapest solution to use for tile, Formica, vinyl and other textured floor coverings. Wood or other natural fibers that need special attention will usually only require water or very simple solvents that are dried quickly. Old hand towels are sufficiently large and absorbent to do the preliminary slosh across the floor. Once the surface dust is wiped away, it is easier to see and feel the sticky substances that are left behind to be scrubbed out. Use a scrub-brush while on hands and knees for best results. The positioning of leverage over the brush allows you to apply enough pressure on the spot needing scrubbed without straining your muscles or your back. Likewise, a 'cat-like' position is good for overall core strengthening and relaxing normally tensed lower back muscles. After scrubbing stubborn areas, wipe with the towel once again to sweep away the suds and filth just released from its grasps on your floor. Move systematically in square areas of about three feet, or the length of your arm, backwards across your floor so that you exit the room when the floor is completed (rather than cornering yourself opposite the exit which requires you to walk across the floor that might not yet be dry).
One scrubbing of the floor a week for high traffic areas will keep them 'inspection clean' whereas other low traffic areas or under unmoved furniture need only be scrubbed monthly. I would recommend rotating areas on a weekly basis in the house for their monthly cleaning so as to not rearrange your house one day a month and to divide out the work over 4 weeks rather than one day. Other fancy cleaning solutions meet their purpose, but are generally based in ammonia so you are paying for the fancy smell and packaging. If you feel you need to apply wax do so only once a month.
Bleach is the easiest catch all solution for cleaning bathrooms. All surfaces can be cleaned and adequately disinfected with diluted bleach including tubs, toilets, and sinks. Again, other solutions for mildew or stains are viable, although they can be replaced (or are based) in bleach which is the most economical alternative. Use only rags that are colorless to clean with bleach. A sponge with a rough scrubbing side as well as a softer absorbent side is most useful in sinks. To get the grime around the faucet handles and on the nozzle of the sink use an old toothbrush to scrub them and then douse them with water to wash away the loosened scum.
Toilet water should be pushed down before you scrub the interior basin of the toilet; doing so exposes the normal area where water rings are most likely to be. You can push the water down with your toilet bowl brush or poor a large amount of water down all at once which will lower the water level (this is a fast way to empty a basin of water used to mop floors and serves a dual purpose, be careful however if the solution you have used for the floor mopping may react chemically with the solution you are using to clean the toilet). A toilet bowl brush or scrub brush should be sufficient to work away stains unless you choose to use a pumice stone for water rings. Pumice stone will leave slight scratching rings where they are used. Do not be afraid to touch toilet water. If you have flushed the toilet before you start cleaning it the water will be fresh, as fresh as the water you get from the faucet. Cleaning water from the toilet with bleach solution can be used to wipe down the exterior of the toilet bowl as well as the floor around it.
Showers are easiest cleaned if they are lightly scrubbed weekly with a sponge and soft cleanser or other spray on shower mildew solutions (including bleach which is cheapest and simplest) and then scrubbed deeply monthly. Concentrate your cleaning on the areas of the shower where water cascades and is left to dry. You can feel the difference between an area that has soap scrub and not by passing your hand over the surface when the area is damp. Although you may not be able to see the build up until a month later, there is weekly buildup that is easiest swept away regularly. Do not forget to scrub glass surfaces, faucets, drains and areas where you place shampoos or soaps. Cleaning the shower can be quick and effective it is saved as your last cleaning item for the day before you shower, you then are not concerned if your clothing or hair is dampened and can even get in prepared for showering in the final rinse of the shower.
Refrigerators should be cleaned out monthly. This serves two purposes; you are sure to throw out at that time any food that has been hiding in the dark corners going bad and you can eliminate stubborn spills that could permanently stain your fridge. Use the recommended solution that is directed with your refrigerator; most indicate ammonia like for the interior and shelves but using soft soap (dish soap) only for the drawers. It is wise to regulate things in the freezer also monthly although it may not be necessary to defrost and clean the freezer more than twice a year. At least once a quarter move your refrigerator forward and mop behind and under the fridge, you will find there is great dust build up from the motor of the fridge.
To be continued: windows, stoves, cupboards, closets, baseboards, blinds, light fixtures, walls, doors
One scrubbing of the floor a week for high traffic areas will keep them 'inspection clean' whereas other low traffic areas or under unmoved furniture need only be scrubbed monthly. I would recommend rotating areas on a weekly basis in the house for their monthly cleaning so as to not rearrange your house one day a month and to divide out the work over 4 weeks rather than one day. Other fancy cleaning solutions meet their purpose, but are generally based in ammonia so you are paying for the fancy smell and packaging. If you feel you need to apply wax do so only once a month.
Bleach is the easiest catch all solution for cleaning bathrooms. All surfaces can be cleaned and adequately disinfected with diluted bleach including tubs, toilets, and sinks. Again, other solutions for mildew or stains are viable, although they can be replaced (or are based) in bleach which is the most economical alternative. Use only rags that are colorless to clean with bleach. A sponge with a rough scrubbing side as well as a softer absorbent side is most useful in sinks. To get the grime around the faucet handles and on the nozzle of the sink use an old toothbrush to scrub them and then douse them with water to wash away the loosened scum.
Toilet water should be pushed down before you scrub the interior basin of the toilet; doing so exposes the normal area where water rings are most likely to be. You can push the water down with your toilet bowl brush or poor a large amount of water down all at once which will lower the water level (this is a fast way to empty a basin of water used to mop floors and serves a dual purpose, be careful however if the solution you have used for the floor mopping may react chemically with the solution you are using to clean the toilet). A toilet bowl brush or scrub brush should be sufficient to work away stains unless you choose to use a pumice stone for water rings. Pumice stone will leave slight scratching rings where they are used. Do not be afraid to touch toilet water. If you have flushed the toilet before you start cleaning it the water will be fresh, as fresh as the water you get from the faucet. Cleaning water from the toilet with bleach solution can be used to wipe down the exterior of the toilet bowl as well as the floor around it.
Showers are easiest cleaned if they are lightly scrubbed weekly with a sponge and soft cleanser or other spray on shower mildew solutions (including bleach which is cheapest and simplest) and then scrubbed deeply monthly. Concentrate your cleaning on the areas of the shower where water cascades and is left to dry. You can feel the difference between an area that has soap scrub and not by passing your hand over the surface when the area is damp. Although you may not be able to see the build up until a month later, there is weekly buildup that is easiest swept away regularly. Do not forget to scrub glass surfaces, faucets, drains and areas where you place shampoos or soaps. Cleaning the shower can be quick and effective it is saved as your last cleaning item for the day before you shower, you then are not concerned if your clothing or hair is dampened and can even get in prepared for showering in the final rinse of the shower.
Refrigerators should be cleaned out monthly. This serves two purposes; you are sure to throw out at that time any food that has been hiding in the dark corners going bad and you can eliminate stubborn spills that could permanently stain your fridge. Use the recommended solution that is directed with your refrigerator; most indicate ammonia like for the interior and shelves but using soft soap (dish soap) only for the drawers. It is wise to regulate things in the freezer also monthly although it may not be necessary to defrost and clean the freezer more than twice a year. At least once a quarter move your refrigerator forward and mop behind and under the fridge, you will find there is great dust build up from the motor of the fridge.
To be continued: windows, stoves, cupboards, closets, baseboards, blinds, light fixtures, walls, doors
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Against the Fashionable Use of Credit Cards
In the introductory chapter of Mrs. Child's book, she lays forth some principles that are underlying the whole creation of her novel. One such regards the careful and watchful use of finances. As a homemaker we are not only responsible for the governence of our home and its surroundings, but the funding of it. Whether given an allowance by the breadwinner to spend yourself or otherwise alloted, you are responsible fore the expenditures made in your family budget for your home. Your wise influence and frugal conduct can deeply influence your husbands perspective of your home be it in taste, style, costliness or homeliness.
"It is wise to keep an exact account of all you expend - even of a paper of pins. This answers two purposes; it makes you more careful in spending your money, and it enables your husband to judge precicely whether his family live within his income."
Do keep and EXACT account. No fudging, smudging or shifting should occur in your ledger. Now that a substantial amount of money changing is done by online banking and use of debit cards, credit cards, and checks, it is both easier and more difficult to be as careful with our money. Because electronic transfers or money are automatically recorded by the bank, you are saved the time of entering them into a ledger. However, without your conscious notation of monies spent they can be recognized by only the bank and you will forever spend beyond your means. It is wise practice to review finances on a very regular basis, at the very least weekly. In times when you are writing several bills, buying several new purchases, or taking trips it is necissary to be watchful of our accounts daily.
"No false pride, or foolish ambition to appear as well as others, should ever induce a person to live one cent beyond the income of which he is certain." Such pride or foolish ambition rears its pretty head in amazing deals, weekend sales, pressured on the spot door to door sales, or even in government stimulus packages. Regardless of the amount you portend to "save" by buying now, if you haven't the money to spend on the remaining price of the item at hand, you would be spending more than you have. Unfortunately, the fashionable way to save money is to "buy now, pay later." I ask, in what way are you saving? By accruing interest rates on credit cards? By binding yourself to a payment on something you may very soon find you do not need? By garunteeing yourself more return in the future to pay off the continual debt you will be plummetting yourself into by complying to the ridiculous sales pitches of the now?
Do not be decieved by the idea of "certain income." You may very will intend to receive your contracted salary or collect your project hourly wage, but until the money is in your possession, it is not certain. The money is particularly uncertain if you have already several fixed expenses that sustain your existence. A projected salary or income is useful only in the calculation of what savings can be made in order for future necessary purchases or in the obtaining of a modest home that will likewise sustain your family. For no other reason should you trick yourself into believing that an upcoming paycheck will supply the demands you are placing upon it in the moment. Save all that you have and do not spend what you don't.
"It is wise to keep an exact account of all you expend - even of a paper of pins. This answers two purposes; it makes you more careful in spending your money, and it enables your husband to judge precicely whether his family live within his income."
Do keep and EXACT account. No fudging, smudging or shifting should occur in your ledger. Now that a substantial amount of money changing is done by online banking and use of debit cards, credit cards, and checks, it is both easier and more difficult to be as careful with our money. Because electronic transfers or money are automatically recorded by the bank, you are saved the time of entering them into a ledger. However, without your conscious notation of monies spent they can be recognized by only the bank and you will forever spend beyond your means. It is wise practice to review finances on a very regular basis, at the very least weekly. In times when you are writing several bills, buying several new purchases, or taking trips it is necissary to be watchful of our accounts daily.
"No false pride, or foolish ambition to appear as well as others, should ever induce a person to live one cent beyond the income of which he is certain." Such pride or foolish ambition rears its pretty head in amazing deals, weekend sales, pressured on the spot door to door sales, or even in government stimulus packages. Regardless of the amount you portend to "save" by buying now, if you haven't the money to spend on the remaining price of the item at hand, you would be spending more than you have. Unfortunately, the fashionable way to save money is to "buy now, pay later." I ask, in what way are you saving? By accruing interest rates on credit cards? By binding yourself to a payment on something you may very soon find you do not need? By garunteeing yourself more return in the future to pay off the continual debt you will be plummetting yourself into by complying to the ridiculous sales pitches of the now?
Do not be decieved by the idea of "certain income." You may very will intend to receive your contracted salary or collect your project hourly wage, but until the money is in your possession, it is not certain. The money is particularly uncertain if you have already several fixed expenses that sustain your existence. A projected salary or income is useful only in the calculation of what savings can be made in order for future necessary purchases or in the obtaining of a modest home that will likewise sustain your family. For no other reason should you trick yourself into believing that an upcoming paycheck will supply the demands you are placing upon it in the moment. Save all that you have and do not spend what you don't.
The Usefulness of Electric Mixers and Cake Mixes
An electric hand mixer can be a useful thing when mixing together recipes. However, they are only beneficial if the thing needing mixed requires more than thirty seconds of mixing time, which generally means the ingredients need to be 'whipped' not just mixed. This is likewise of note when making recipes that call for "creaming" the beginning ingredients. Because you must spend more than thirty seconds doing the above actions, it is most worth your time to buy an electric mixer that can operate without you holding it in the bowl (such as like the Kitchenaid types).
Note that when creaming or whipping the principle intent is to get the contents smooth and frothy (which is generally because of the presence of egg whites). To cream or whip you should use a whisk or whisk like attachment. Spades, spatulas, or spoon type implements will not give the desired result without an increased effort and more time.
Boxed cake mixes also have their useful properties. If your intent is speed, a boxed mix is handy. Often it is convenient when one already has the oven heated for other baking purposes to quickly prepare a box cake to follow the main dish and therefore use the energy already expended to raise the temperature of the oven. However, it is good practice in using long-term food storage items to create cake mixes from scratch. When possible, create ready-made mixes of your own to use in the tight pinch. Practice using correct portions and substitutes so that you are prepared to make due with whatever presents itself. Applesauce can be used as a substitute for butter or crisco in many recipes. Oil can be omitted and water used in its place. Several alternatives for sugar are available, including natural blended fruit substitutes.
If you do not suceed in your first baking attempts, do not get discouraged. Of all things, a dessert is the least valuable in your meal so an occasional flub will not destroy the eating habits of the family. Yet, if you do succeed in creating more healthy and quick ways to supply the end of meal sweets, your family will rejoice with you in your creativity.
Note that when creaming or whipping the principle intent is to get the contents smooth and frothy (which is generally because of the presence of egg whites). To cream or whip you should use a whisk or whisk like attachment. Spades, spatulas, or spoon type implements will not give the desired result without an increased effort and more time.
Boxed cake mixes also have their useful properties. If your intent is speed, a boxed mix is handy. Often it is convenient when one already has the oven heated for other baking purposes to quickly prepare a box cake to follow the main dish and therefore use the energy already expended to raise the temperature of the oven. However, it is good practice in using long-term food storage items to create cake mixes from scratch. When possible, create ready-made mixes of your own to use in the tight pinch. Practice using correct portions and substitutes so that you are prepared to make due with whatever presents itself. Applesauce can be used as a substitute for butter or crisco in many recipes. Oil can be omitted and water used in its place. Several alternatives for sugar are available, including natural blended fruit substitutes.
If you do not suceed in your first baking attempts, do not get discouraged. Of all things, a dessert is the least valuable in your meal so an occasional flub will not destroy the eating habits of the family. Yet, if you do succeed in creating more healthy and quick ways to supply the end of meal sweets, your family will rejoice with you in your creativity.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Adding research
One of the most important catalysts to this whole project has been the General Conference talk by Elder Robert D. Hales in April of 2009. As he spoke of Becoming Provident Providers both Temporally and Spiritually.
Elder Hales spoke with the experience of years and tenderness of a loving parent. He outlined basic principles of providence in a frugal lifestyle, and how such will be sanctioned and blessed by the spirit of the Lord. As I listened to him, I realized that is what I wanted to become.
Following the admonition of Paul, I sought after good things that would lead me in a pattern of a provident, self-sufficient, and frugal lifestyle. I began truly searching and understanding how I could be able to keep a one year supply of food for my family; starting first with a 3 month supply of food and water and building the staples. I also found great security in preparing 72 hour emergency kits and First Aid Kits for all of our vehicles and our home. I documented all that I learned and created in a binder for my family. I then began gardening with the appropriate season.
In following the counsel of prophets, I have found a more joyous way of living. Adding to the many good things to be found, including books written over a century ago, I am continuously building a more frugal and self-sustaining life.
Recently, I read an article in the newspaper about leaving no 'Eco-Footprint." I was intrigued by the experiments of others to live without harming the environment, but in more specific terms, in ways that allowed them to provide for themselves all needful things. In doing so, many people came to the realization of what is really needful. I am now adopting more research along the common and popular 'green' ideas of our times. What they may not notice in their campaign to 'save the planet' is that they are saving themselves from a lifestyle that will make them so dependent on modern conviniences that they will be handicapped if ever they are put in a situation where they are not available.
Elder Hales spoke with the experience of years and tenderness of a loving parent. He outlined basic principles of providence in a frugal lifestyle, and how such will be sanctioned and blessed by the spirit of the Lord. As I listened to him, I realized that is what I wanted to become.
Following the admonition of Paul, I sought after good things that would lead me in a pattern of a provident, self-sufficient, and frugal lifestyle. I began truly searching and understanding how I could be able to keep a one year supply of food for my family; starting first with a 3 month supply of food and water and building the staples. I also found great security in preparing 72 hour emergency kits and First Aid Kits for all of our vehicles and our home. I documented all that I learned and created in a binder for my family. I then began gardening with the appropriate season.
In following the counsel of prophets, I have found a more joyous way of living. Adding to the many good things to be found, including books written over a century ago, I am continuously building a more frugal and self-sustaining life.
Recently, I read an article in the newspaper about leaving no 'Eco-Footprint." I was intrigued by the experiments of others to live without harming the environment, but in more specific terms, in ways that allowed them to provide for themselves all needful things. In doing so, many people came to the realization of what is really needful. I am now adopting more research along the common and popular 'green' ideas of our times. What they may not notice in their campaign to 'save the planet' is that they are saving themselves from a lifestyle that will make them so dependent on modern conviniences that they will be handicapped if ever they are put in a situation where they are not available.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Freedom
We never shall be free from embarrassment until we cease to be ashamed of industry and economy.
Today I made a new friend. As I sat in her home I felt comfortable and at ease in conversation. Our kids happily walked around enjoying toys of many sorts. My daughter quickly found an old laundry soap box filled with homemade blocks. She was delighted to dump them out and stack them, admiring the colorful hand made designs on the neatly varnished blocks. My friend passed an slight hand over her brow, cast her eyes down a bit with a half smile. "I am sorry for our ghetto blocks, kind of embarrassing to use a laundry box." I stopped. Was she really embarrassed? Could she possibly be making excuses for the fine use of a box and the great craftmanship of children's toys?
I protested, and proceeded to praise her for their wonderful frugality! We must remember that when it comes the day for our children to pick their favorite toys to pass down to the next generation, they won't be picking from something made in Hong Kong or Indonesia. Most likely they will tenderly pick up those items that were crafted by their parents; a cherished doll with a dress her mother stitched, the blocks that daddy cut and painted. Not only is there sentimentality be passed on, there is a legacy of industry.
What better way to express our feelings for someone than in the devotion of our time, our creativity, and our own hard work. If we do not devote the actual time itself with the person, how precious is the time spent creating something for that person. If we feel we lack that creativity, than we might employ ourselves in doing a good charge or taking charge of a task that is laid for the one we love.
There is no shame producing something useful. There is, in fact, great use for it! The humble work of hands swells the heart in pride. We become self sufficient. We have invested something of our being in the things around us. And what is to be shamed in that? That you cannot afford to buy something that someone else has labeled as valuable just by putting tag on it?
It has become a fashionable form of contemporary art to recycle things that otherwise seem valueless into great art. Your own genius may not end up in a gallery, but it will be famed in your family. So be industrious in your own hive. Work hard at expending your energies in creating that of what is of real worth. Don't waste your time working for money to buy someone elses' art, make your own! In the end, you will be embarrassed if you have not left anything meaningful behind for your posterity.
Today I made a new friend. As I sat in her home I felt comfortable and at ease in conversation. Our kids happily walked around enjoying toys of many sorts. My daughter quickly found an old laundry soap box filled with homemade blocks. She was delighted to dump them out and stack them, admiring the colorful hand made designs on the neatly varnished blocks. My friend passed an slight hand over her brow, cast her eyes down a bit with a half smile. "I am sorry for our ghetto blocks, kind of embarrassing to use a laundry box." I stopped. Was she really embarrassed? Could she possibly be making excuses for the fine use of a box and the great craftmanship of children's toys?
I protested, and proceeded to praise her for their wonderful frugality! We must remember that when it comes the day for our children to pick their favorite toys to pass down to the next generation, they won't be picking from something made in Hong Kong or Indonesia. Most likely they will tenderly pick up those items that were crafted by their parents; a cherished doll with a dress her mother stitched, the blocks that daddy cut and painted. Not only is there sentimentality be passed on, there is a legacy of industry.
What better way to express our feelings for someone than in the devotion of our time, our creativity, and our own hard work. If we do not devote the actual time itself with the person, how precious is the time spent creating something for that person. If we feel we lack that creativity, than we might employ ourselves in doing a good charge or taking charge of a task that is laid for the one we love.
There is no shame producing something useful. There is, in fact, great use for it! The humble work of hands swells the heart in pride. We become self sufficient. We have invested something of our being in the things around us. And what is to be shamed in that? That you cannot afford to buy something that someone else has labeled as valuable just by putting tag on it?
It has become a fashionable form of contemporary art to recycle things that otherwise seem valueless into great art. Your own genius may not end up in a gallery, but it will be famed in your family. So be industrious in your own hive. Work hard at expending your energies in creating that of what is of real worth. Don't waste your time working for money to buy someone elses' art, make your own! In the end, you will be embarrassed if you have not left anything meaningful behind for your posterity.
Friday, September 25, 2009
'Time is Money.'
For this reason, cheap as stockings are, it is good economy to knit them.
Two lessons here; cheaper is not always better AND economy is making the best use of both your money and your time.
First - beware of the cheap sucker deals. This means, getting certain items that are of lesser price and obvious lesser quality. This is a lesson I have learned after many years of having poor washers and dryers. If you cannot afford a nice appliance to wash your clothes in, I reccomend that you do your best to find quality clothing that will last. If you have nice washers, I reccommend that you buy clothing that you know will weather the styles. Don't always shop for clothing at the bargain stores, particularly for infants and toddlers. Items that will wash frequently will show signs of wear incredibly fast if bought cheap to begin with. You can find high quality, department store clothing at equal prices if you are wise in your shopping. For example: most department stores have at least twice a year a sale that puts everything that is already on clearance an additional 40% off. At that price you are paying less than Walmart prices for Dillards clothing. Likewise for children's clothing you can find them at outlet stores when they are having their seasonal sales or find them at consignment stores. Clothing at consignment stores is better and better as the fashion is to have less kids and dress them to the nines the whole time. For those shopping for the bargain, you get the spoils of the spoiled!
The next principle is that time is as easily mis-spent as money in today's society. Because of the many conveniences of our times we are left with more 'disposable' time. If we have learned nothing else from Mrs. Child it is that nothing is actually disposable, especially not your time! If you make the wisest use of your time, you are actually saving money. There are two ways of thinking of this:
1- if Time = Money and I am paid $18 and hour, an $18 pair of shoes is worth one hour of my time. Is it worth the time I worked for it? If you don't spend the $18 you have not only saved that money, but you have saved up one more hour of your valuable time to do more wise things! Putting a price tag on your time can also work the other way around if you are contemplating "wasting time." Think, if I were to sit down and watch this TV program for one hour, will it be more useful to me than the money I could be earning doing something more productive? In reality (and I mean your reality, not some reality TV show that mimics the real thing) very few 'leisure' activities will enhance the person you are as much as an 'active' use of our time.
2- During our poorest student years, my husband and I came up with the 'time/money continuum.' we started balancing things on a line with money on one end and time on the other, much like you see a pH scale in a chemistry book. As you get farther away from one, you are closer to the other. The farther we got away from large amounts of money, the closer we came to realizing that we had more time than we did money. If we really did not have the time at all to accomplish a task, than the little money we had was used to purchase that item. The 'time/money continuum' created all sorts of homemade projects, in home dates, home made gourmet meals, and even drying our clothes on the line.
When I discovered that our clothes dryer was so inefficient it was taking over 2 hours to get a load of wash dry, I figured it would be faster to dry them outside. Yes, that took more of my personal time to hang them and retrieve them, but I didn't have the money to run a dryer for 10+ hours every week. I had definately more time to do the task than the money to fix the problem, i.e. get a newer more efficient dryer, and we already had the simple resources - rope, trees, air. No, you don't even really need the clothes pins if you don't have them or can't afford them, you just put the clothes over the rope. Because of this little discovery, I felt as though each time I was hanging the clothes I was earning $30 a month, which was really how much we saved on our electric bill every month that we did not use the dryer. Now was I not only using my time more wisely, I was saving money!
Time and money are absolutely connected. There is not a wasted minute that cannot be calculated in overall dollars and cents wasted. Moreover, how much more enriching it can be to learn new skills, test your creativity, and enjoy the work of your own hands as opposed to being wasteful with both your time and your money.
Two lessons here; cheaper is not always better AND economy is making the best use of both your money and your time.
First - beware of the cheap sucker deals. This means, getting certain items that are of lesser price and obvious lesser quality. This is a lesson I have learned after many years of having poor washers and dryers. If you cannot afford a nice appliance to wash your clothes in, I reccomend that you do your best to find quality clothing that will last. If you have nice washers, I reccommend that you buy clothing that you know will weather the styles. Don't always shop for clothing at the bargain stores, particularly for infants and toddlers. Items that will wash frequently will show signs of wear incredibly fast if bought cheap to begin with. You can find high quality, department store clothing at equal prices if you are wise in your shopping. For example: most department stores have at least twice a year a sale that puts everything that is already on clearance an additional 40% off. At that price you are paying less than Walmart prices for Dillards clothing. Likewise for children's clothing you can find them at outlet stores when they are having their seasonal sales or find them at consignment stores. Clothing at consignment stores is better and better as the fashion is to have less kids and dress them to the nines the whole time. For those shopping for the bargain, you get the spoils of the spoiled!
The next principle is that time is as easily mis-spent as money in today's society. Because of the many conveniences of our times we are left with more 'disposable' time. If we have learned nothing else from Mrs. Child it is that nothing is actually disposable, especially not your time! If you make the wisest use of your time, you are actually saving money. There are two ways of thinking of this:
1- if Time = Money and I am paid $18 and hour, an $18 pair of shoes is worth one hour of my time. Is it worth the time I worked for it? If you don't spend the $18 you have not only saved that money, but you have saved up one more hour of your valuable time to do more wise things! Putting a price tag on your time can also work the other way around if you are contemplating "wasting time." Think, if I were to sit down and watch this TV program for one hour, will it be more useful to me than the money I could be earning doing something more productive? In reality (and I mean your reality, not some reality TV show that mimics the real thing) very few 'leisure' activities will enhance the person you are as much as an 'active' use of our time.
2- During our poorest student years, my husband and I came up with the 'time/money continuum.' we started balancing things on a line with money on one end and time on the other, much like you see a pH scale in a chemistry book. As you get farther away from one, you are closer to the other. The farther we got away from large amounts of money, the closer we came to realizing that we had more time than we did money. If we really did not have the time at all to accomplish a task, than the little money we had was used to purchase that item. The 'time/money continuum' created all sorts of homemade projects, in home dates, home made gourmet meals, and even drying our clothes on the line.
When I discovered that our clothes dryer was so inefficient it was taking over 2 hours to get a load of wash dry, I figured it would be faster to dry them outside. Yes, that took more of my personal time to hang them and retrieve them, but I didn't have the money to run a dryer for 10+ hours every week. I had definately more time to do the task than the money to fix the problem, i.e. get a newer more efficient dryer, and we already had the simple resources - rope, trees, air. No, you don't even really need the clothes pins if you don't have them or can't afford them, you just put the clothes over the rope. Because of this little discovery, I felt as though each time I was hanging the clothes I was earning $30 a month, which was really how much we saved on our electric bill every month that we did not use the dryer. Now was I not only using my time more wisely, I was saving money!
Time and money are absolutely connected. There is not a wasted minute that cannot be calculated in overall dollars and cents wasted. Moreover, how much more enriching it can be to learn new skills, test your creativity, and enjoy the work of your own hands as opposed to being wasteful with both your time and your money.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
A penny saved is a penny earned
Now to treat the second half of the well put idea by Mrs. Child:
..and whatever be the size of a family, every member should be employed either in earning or saving money.
My father was a the prototype for the miserly father always spouting of some little catch phrase about saving money. Whenever he passed a room he would shut off the light, wheter the room was occupied or not, and say "Saves electricity." If we ever protested from the dark he would casually remark, "A penny saved is a penny earned." This well saved penny was also kept as a reward for hard, or tedious, work. After harvesting the crusted chili bean plants from the garden, Dad would offer us two pennies for every red bean that was picked out of the dirt. The stakes were higher for stacking wood, one penny for each log neatly put on the stack. If ever we dared to protest our wages Dad would say "A penny earned is a penny saved."
I am certain today children would smirk at the thought of sitting in the garden and picking one bean after the next out of the dirt. But I grew up in the golden age of penny candy. You knew just exactly the great reward you would receive as each penny would trade shape for a swedish fish, a sweet and sour gum drop, or those sugar filled raspberry treats. Buckets full of candy were at your figertips as long as you had the penny to back it up! You can certainly say that money has been inflated when no longer can children salivate while piling log after log onto their skinny little arms hoping to make the most of their trip from the back of the truck to the log pile. The dollar has dipped below working value now that little fingers cannot enjoy the simple joy of counting out, one dirty handful by the next, each penny earned.
It wasn't enough that we were offered opportunities to earn money (some might jeeringly think we were forced into early child labor working so brutally hard for just pennies on the log), but we were all expected to maintain a financial standard: one-tenth of our earnings were to be donated as tithing to the Church, another fifteen percent of the total earnings was deposited directly into our proud checking account at First Security Bank. I still have that maroon colored plastic statement holder with the meager balance from my early days calculated out in small deposits and then large withdrawls. We were not allowed to take money out of the bank for just anything. It had to be a calculated, worthwhile, well thought through purchase before we were permitted to take out a large balance of our earnings. I could track each purchase in that book of my past with the anticipation of what I was working for: summer camps, a mountain bike with shocks, that favorite prom dress. There was no overdraft protection then to laze you into overspending what you didn't have, you knew exactly what went in and what went out.
Two principles were taught in Dad's "a penny saved is a penny earned' and "a penny earned is a penny saved." First - it would always be a lot easier to save the money you had than it would be to earn more (seeing how his standard for payment was not going to inflate with the economy, even at 15 years old the payment was still a penny a log). Second - it is worth earning any penny you could, any work is good work. What went unsaid many times was if we were to protest too much the work ahead, it would just become mandated and the prize of a penny taken away. Better to work for pennies than peanuts, and better to work for peanuts than for nothing.
This is really seeming to run circularly through my reminscent days of childhood pay, I must drive to the point. Everyone should work. Yes, that means children too. It is not slave labor and your home is defenately not a sweat shop. If you don't teach them to work, who will? They will learn to feel entitled, falsely believing that they deserve anything they want just by virtue of who they are. It is a sin to get something for nothing that breeds gluttony and selfishness. That is a trait you can garauntee society won't miss teaching your children with the barrage of 'no payment down' and limitless credit cards. A child who is not taught as when young to work for his money and save it well is not only a burden to the family, but will be to society later on. i could rampage against our societal woes brought on by this failing parental responsibility to teach their children the value of saving well and spending wisely. That is not today's point. The point is - everyone should be employed in the family either saving or earning money for themselves of for the good of the family.
..and whatever be the size of a family, every member should be employed either in earning or saving money.
My father was a the prototype for the miserly father always spouting of some little catch phrase about saving money. Whenever he passed a room he would shut off the light, wheter the room was occupied or not, and say "Saves electricity." If we ever protested from the dark he would casually remark, "A penny saved is a penny earned." This well saved penny was also kept as a reward for hard, or tedious, work. After harvesting the crusted chili bean plants from the garden, Dad would offer us two pennies for every red bean that was picked out of the dirt. The stakes were higher for stacking wood, one penny for each log neatly put on the stack. If ever we dared to protest our wages Dad would say "A penny earned is a penny saved."
I am certain today children would smirk at the thought of sitting in the garden and picking one bean after the next out of the dirt. But I grew up in the golden age of penny candy. You knew just exactly the great reward you would receive as each penny would trade shape for a swedish fish, a sweet and sour gum drop, or those sugar filled raspberry treats. Buckets full of candy were at your figertips as long as you had the penny to back it up! You can certainly say that money has been inflated when no longer can children salivate while piling log after log onto their skinny little arms hoping to make the most of their trip from the back of the truck to the log pile. The dollar has dipped below working value now that little fingers cannot enjoy the simple joy of counting out, one dirty handful by the next, each penny earned.
It wasn't enough that we were offered opportunities to earn money (some might jeeringly think we were forced into early child labor working so brutally hard for just pennies on the log), but we were all expected to maintain a financial standard: one-tenth of our earnings were to be donated as tithing to the Church, another fifteen percent of the total earnings was deposited directly into our proud checking account at First Security Bank. I still have that maroon colored plastic statement holder with the meager balance from my early days calculated out in small deposits and then large withdrawls. We were not allowed to take money out of the bank for just anything. It had to be a calculated, worthwhile, well thought through purchase before we were permitted to take out a large balance of our earnings. I could track each purchase in that book of my past with the anticipation of what I was working for: summer camps, a mountain bike with shocks, that favorite prom dress. There was no overdraft protection then to laze you into overspending what you didn't have, you knew exactly what went in and what went out.
Two principles were taught in Dad's "a penny saved is a penny earned' and "a penny earned is a penny saved." First - it would always be a lot easier to save the money you had than it would be to earn more (seeing how his standard for payment was not going to inflate with the economy, even at 15 years old the payment was still a penny a log). Second - it is worth earning any penny you could, any work is good work. What went unsaid many times was if we were to protest too much the work ahead, it would just become mandated and the prize of a penny taken away. Better to work for pennies than peanuts, and better to work for peanuts than for nothing.
This is really seeming to run circularly through my reminscent days of childhood pay, I must drive to the point. Everyone should work. Yes, that means children too. It is not slave labor and your home is defenately not a sweat shop. If you don't teach them to work, who will? They will learn to feel entitled, falsely believing that they deserve anything they want just by virtue of who they are. It is a sin to get something for nothing that breeds gluttony and selfishness. That is a trait you can garauntee society won't miss teaching your children with the barrage of 'no payment down' and limitless credit cards. A child who is not taught as when young to work for his money and save it well is not only a burden to the family, but will be to society later on. i could rampage against our societal woes brought on by this failing parental responsibility to teach their children the value of saving well and spending wisely. That is not today's point. The point is - everyone should be employed in the family either saving or earning money for themselves of for the good of the family.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Nothing Wasted: Trash the trash
To continue along Mrs. Child's introduction:
"Nothing should be thrown away so long as it is possible to make some use of it, however trifling that use may be; and whatever be the size of the family, every member should be employed in either earning or saving money."
Here there are actually two thoughts, of which I may only treat one today. The first is that you ought not to trash useful things. She uses the phrase "however trifling that use may be." We have slipped into an encompassing society of waste. We don't want to be bothered by the trifling things, we want to be alerted to the convenient way. Thus in the mindset of ease, we have veritably trashed the useful. Something that could easily be used, if not saved for a time in which we could use it, is thrown away.
Most households these days have two trash bins, one for the unrecyblables and the other for recyclable material. That may be just the mere beginnings of the sorting. Think of it this way - if someone else can recycle your trash and make it in to something useful, why shouldn't you get in on the bit? It used to be (and still actually exsists in rural areas wether you want to believe it or not) that there was no trash disposal! No collection day to put anything smelly or unwanted to the curbside and forget about it until after the roaring monster of devouring trash rolled by. People actually had to find a way, and most often a very environmentally friendly way, of taking care of their own trash. Sure, they had pigs for slop and large fields for compost, a burn barrel in the big backyard and a junk heap behind the barn. Yet, they items that actually went to such sundry places were few because their own economy prevented excessive waste.
You and I do not live in the restful rural lifestyle in which people recycle out of necessity. We chose to live in the bustling neighborhoods of planned communities and city garbage pick-up. But don't our minds work as creatively and practically as our country neighbors? Isn't there a way in which we could also have so little to trash that we wouldn't have to pay the extra fees for another large garbage bin (for really, the rake you over the coals nowadays to take away what, trash). May I illustrate.
This last spring as we were starting to plan for our garden, we decided to use as much economy as possible and start all plants from seed. We thus started our own plants indoors using the cheapest planter trays we could find. Only after we planted our first crop did I look at the planter trays and remember something I had done in kindergarten. Do you remember the times that you teacher skillfully cut apart the old egg cartons she had asked you to bring from home, then she gave each of you a bit of dirt and a seed. Then Walla! you had a mini-nursery in your windowsill right there in you kindergarten class! Having the vivid picture of a prideful 5 year old in my mind, I looked again at my grown person windowsill. Now that was no fun. I had spent $3 for someone else to fabricate what I already had at hand. I had to pay the dumb $1.50 for the eggs, which we can assume is at least 50% priced for the packaging. Why then had I not used what was useful and in my own trash can/recycle bin. It was a that very moment that I was thinking how I would like to start some more seeds that I remembered a simple principle, oddly enough, that had already been taught to me yet, like so many useful thoughts or things, I had thrown it out of my convenient head.
Just a bit further down the road, when those indoor seedlets had grown a bit, it was time to transplant them outside. I was a bit wary of letting the pretty little things out of my protective egg carton care in the destructive wild. They still needed a bit of tenderness to surround them. Luckily this time I thought of a genius (and altogether unoriginal) way to keep the protected; milk cartons! haven't you seen them in the old-timer gardens around small towns? It looks so cute to see the mini-greenhouses lined up in the dirt. So I lopped off the bottom of my hearty half gallons and filling full gallons and careful put them into their resting beds. Ha Ha recycle bin! We fooled you again! I found a much better use for them than just some 50% recyled materials water bottle. Not say they wouldn't get there soon enough, but they first would live out a long and dirty life through the nasty spring sheltering my starts. Once they had done a duty there, I did put them in the recycle bin, although now I wonder if I could have used them for more?...
So there is a bit on the recyclables. Anything in the recycle bin has a at least 9 lives to give you before it actually hits the curbside for its own reincarnation. The list is endless, and if you can't think of something, just remember your elementary days. Elementary teachers are on a tight budget, thus they have been handing down the art projects made of trash for years! If you don't have kids, find people near you who do and borrow them for an art project one afternoon. Really folks, you can even weave strips of plastic milk cartons or the like into new baskets. In Brazil, I saw a fence, and a very sturdy fence, made of 2 liter pop cans filled with water laying one on top of the other the noses held in place with chicken wire. It was a sturdy wall, kept the neighbors out, looked better than cinder blocks, and they had their water storage at their disposal if there were a drought! I knocked at the door just to meet the people who had come up with the idea and pick their brains a bit more.
Now to attack the big black bin. The rest of the trash that is filling up vast spaces of our great land. I recently heard that some states actually have to ship their waste to other states to hold it. I haven't verified that at all, it was just an interesting thought to me. If you have every heard the old camp fire sing with the round chorus "Don't throw your junk in my backyard, my backyard's full" you'll understand my side-punted jab at that one.
Anything you put in your regular trash can be thought of in country terms: compost, burn, heap.
First, Compost. Yes, even in the city, you should compost. Heck, where ever you are you should compost. Why? Because you should have a garden as well. When you have a garden, you need to replenish the nutrients. How you compost it is your buisness, based on your space. There is the classic chickenwire and 2x4 approach, or there are turnable barrels you can get. I'm no expert on them, I just know you should have a place in which to put bio-degradable items. What are those? Basically anything you would have thrown out the car window on a long car ride across the unihabitable stretched from one destination and when your mom gave you the stink-eye in the rear-view mirror as she heard the sucking of the air past your window with a high pitched rush as you thrust your hand out, you replied in full confidence "it's biodegradable mom!" Let's not get technical people, just practical.
Second, Burn. Now I know that there are city ordinances in most communities against open flames. That really is a shame, for a good bonfire is the best entertainment for teenagers on a dull weekend. But, we are instructed to keep on the good side of the law, so let's re-think the burn issue. What are the things you can burn? Anything that is non-toxic and non-recyclable. You have already sorted out the compost items, so mostly what you are going to be left with are household items that have been broken, worn out, or spilled on. Such things that are wooden or fabric, maybe the occasional metal or glass. All fabric should go to a rag bin. No kidding, I did use the absolute ALL. There are countless things you can do with scraps. Think of pioneers. Quilts, rugs, drapes, children toys, etc, etc, ecetera! If you think it is icky, throw it through the wash and hang it out to dry. A kid won't care if the stuffing for their doll has a stain on it as long as it smells 'spring fresh.' Wooden items have a thousand lives in a little boys' world. How many inventions have come to life with a little scrap of wood? Science projects in grade school are masses of the burnable trash type. Just use it and save New Mexico the hassle of shipping in your burnable trash, it is hot enough down there as it is.
The last type of black can trash, heap. This stuff is generally toxic or otherwise would be a hazard to allow anyone to touch again. Perhaps that is why they have made the big garbage trucks these days equipped with large metal arms that just grab you can from the curb without the friendly guys in coveralls. Trash it. It is obviously less than one-third of your regular garbage at this point anyway.
Before you start believing that your home will soon become that be-gnomed shack of the trash collector, set with faded plastic flowers from old memorial days, seasonal flags that are tattered on the end and a bird bath that tips to one side, remember, the trash in your can you once used anyways. You should be proud to use what you spent your hard earned money on in the first place. If it is still useful and you just don't want it (wants and needs are a whole other subject) than give it to someone else who does want it, you can even make a buck off it at a grage sale, on ebay, or craigslist. It may feel trifling at first to categorize everything you automatically deposited under the sink in days past, but it will not stay that way for long. You will find a purpose in your 'throw-outs.' In the end, your purposeful frugality will be a joy for you will know that nothing was wasted, not to mention you saved the planet. Go Green! ;)
"Nothing should be thrown away so long as it is possible to make some use of it, however trifling that use may be; and whatever be the size of the family, every member should be employed in either earning or saving money."
Here there are actually two thoughts, of which I may only treat one today. The first is that you ought not to trash useful things. She uses the phrase "however trifling that use may be." We have slipped into an encompassing society of waste. We don't want to be bothered by the trifling things, we want to be alerted to the convenient way. Thus in the mindset of ease, we have veritably trashed the useful. Something that could easily be used, if not saved for a time in which we could use it, is thrown away.
Most households these days have two trash bins, one for the unrecyblables and the other for recyclable material. That may be just the mere beginnings of the sorting. Think of it this way - if someone else can recycle your trash and make it in to something useful, why shouldn't you get in on the bit? It used to be (and still actually exsists in rural areas wether you want to believe it or not) that there was no trash disposal! No collection day to put anything smelly or unwanted to the curbside and forget about it until after the roaring monster of devouring trash rolled by. People actually had to find a way, and most often a very environmentally friendly way, of taking care of their own trash. Sure, they had pigs for slop and large fields for compost, a burn barrel in the big backyard and a junk heap behind the barn. Yet, they items that actually went to such sundry places were few because their own economy prevented excessive waste.
You and I do not live in the restful rural lifestyle in which people recycle out of necessity. We chose to live in the bustling neighborhoods of planned communities and city garbage pick-up. But don't our minds work as creatively and practically as our country neighbors? Isn't there a way in which we could also have so little to trash that we wouldn't have to pay the extra fees for another large garbage bin (for really, the rake you over the coals nowadays to take away what, trash). May I illustrate.
This last spring as we were starting to plan for our garden, we decided to use as much economy as possible and start all plants from seed. We thus started our own plants indoors using the cheapest planter trays we could find. Only after we planted our first crop did I look at the planter trays and remember something I had done in kindergarten. Do you remember the times that you teacher skillfully cut apart the old egg cartons she had asked you to bring from home, then she gave each of you a bit of dirt and a seed. Then Walla! you had a mini-nursery in your windowsill right there in you kindergarten class! Having the vivid picture of a prideful 5 year old in my mind, I looked again at my grown person windowsill. Now that was no fun. I had spent $3 for someone else to fabricate what I already had at hand. I had to pay the dumb $1.50 for the eggs, which we can assume is at least 50% priced for the packaging. Why then had I not used what was useful and in my own trash can/recycle bin. It was a that very moment that I was thinking how I would like to start some more seeds that I remembered a simple principle, oddly enough, that had already been taught to me yet, like so many useful thoughts or things, I had thrown it out of my convenient head.
Just a bit further down the road, when those indoor seedlets had grown a bit, it was time to transplant them outside. I was a bit wary of letting the pretty little things out of my protective egg carton care in the destructive wild. They still needed a bit of tenderness to surround them. Luckily this time I thought of a genius (and altogether unoriginal) way to keep the protected; milk cartons! haven't you seen them in the old-timer gardens around small towns? It looks so cute to see the mini-greenhouses lined up in the dirt. So I lopped off the bottom of my hearty half gallons and filling full gallons and careful put them into their resting beds. Ha Ha recycle bin! We fooled you again! I found a much better use for them than just some 50% recyled materials water bottle. Not say they wouldn't get there soon enough, but they first would live out a long and dirty life through the nasty spring sheltering my starts. Once they had done a duty there, I did put them in the recycle bin, although now I wonder if I could have used them for more?...
So there is a bit on the recyclables. Anything in the recycle bin has a at least 9 lives to give you before it actually hits the curbside for its own reincarnation. The list is endless, and if you can't think of something, just remember your elementary days. Elementary teachers are on a tight budget, thus they have been handing down the art projects made of trash for years! If you don't have kids, find people near you who do and borrow them for an art project one afternoon. Really folks, you can even weave strips of plastic milk cartons or the like into new baskets. In Brazil, I saw a fence, and a very sturdy fence, made of 2 liter pop cans filled with water laying one on top of the other the noses held in place with chicken wire. It was a sturdy wall, kept the neighbors out, looked better than cinder blocks, and they had their water storage at their disposal if there were a drought! I knocked at the door just to meet the people who had come up with the idea and pick their brains a bit more.
Now to attack the big black bin. The rest of the trash that is filling up vast spaces of our great land. I recently heard that some states actually have to ship their waste to other states to hold it. I haven't verified that at all, it was just an interesting thought to me. If you have every heard the old camp fire sing with the round chorus "Don't throw your junk in my backyard, my backyard's full" you'll understand my side-punted jab at that one.
Anything you put in your regular trash can be thought of in country terms: compost, burn, heap.
First, Compost. Yes, even in the city, you should compost. Heck, where ever you are you should compost. Why? Because you should have a garden as well. When you have a garden, you need to replenish the nutrients. How you compost it is your buisness, based on your space. There is the classic chickenwire and 2x4 approach, or there are turnable barrels you can get. I'm no expert on them, I just know you should have a place in which to put bio-degradable items. What are those? Basically anything you would have thrown out the car window on a long car ride across the unihabitable stretched from one destination and when your mom gave you the stink-eye in the rear-view mirror as she heard the sucking of the air past your window with a high pitched rush as you thrust your hand out, you replied in full confidence "it's biodegradable mom!" Let's not get technical people, just practical.
Second, Burn. Now I know that there are city ordinances in most communities against open flames. That really is a shame, for a good bonfire is the best entertainment for teenagers on a dull weekend. But, we are instructed to keep on the good side of the law, so let's re-think the burn issue. What are the things you can burn? Anything that is non-toxic and non-recyclable. You have already sorted out the compost items, so mostly what you are going to be left with are household items that have been broken, worn out, or spilled on. Such things that are wooden or fabric, maybe the occasional metal or glass. All fabric should go to a rag bin. No kidding, I did use the absolute ALL. There are countless things you can do with scraps. Think of pioneers. Quilts, rugs, drapes, children toys, etc, etc, ecetera! If you think it is icky, throw it through the wash and hang it out to dry. A kid won't care if the stuffing for their doll has a stain on it as long as it smells 'spring fresh.' Wooden items have a thousand lives in a little boys' world. How many inventions have come to life with a little scrap of wood? Science projects in grade school are masses of the burnable trash type. Just use it and save New Mexico the hassle of shipping in your burnable trash, it is hot enough down there as it is.
The last type of black can trash, heap. This stuff is generally toxic or otherwise would be a hazard to allow anyone to touch again. Perhaps that is why they have made the big garbage trucks these days equipped with large metal arms that just grab you can from the curb without the friendly guys in coveralls. Trash it. It is obviously less than one-third of your regular garbage at this point anyway.
Before you start believing that your home will soon become that be-gnomed shack of the trash collector, set with faded plastic flowers from old memorial days, seasonal flags that are tattered on the end and a bird bath that tips to one side, remember, the trash in your can you once used anyways. You should be proud to use what you spent your hard earned money on in the first place. If it is still useful and you just don't want it (wants and needs are a whole other subject) than give it to someone else who does want it, you can even make a buck off it at a grage sale, on ebay, or craigslist. It may feel trifling at first to categorize everything you automatically deposited under the sink in days past, but it will not stay that way for long. You will find a purpose in your 'throw-outs.' In the end, your purposeful frugality will be a joy for you will know that nothing was wasted, not to mention you saved the planet. Go Green! ;)
Friday, September 11, 2009
Introductory Chapter: First paragraph
Yes, how tedious, I might just comment on every paragraph as they come. The truth is that Mrs. Child has so many gems that you can't get away without skipping them.
"The true economy of housekeeping is simply the art of gathering up all the fragments, so that nothing be lost."
Unfortunately, in the 21st century we only think of 'economy' in terms of bad or good, and most generally in relation to the President. As if it were his fault that the American 'economy' is failing! Let me say this, although no man is an island, he darn well better be able to support whoever is visiting his little paradise. You are in charge of your own micro-economy.
Lest we be confused, here is Mr Webster's definition of economy that Mrs. Child is refering to: careful management of available resources. This, in many ways, is one of the first commandments given to man in the Bible when the Lord commands Adam to 'subdue' the earth. This does not mean to exert power of it, but to use the earth and its resources to create good things. So if by definition, and commandment, we are to carefully make good use of the resources around us, we will be truly upholding our own micro-economy. We will be able to provide for, and sustain the needs of our own island, and whoever may be on it, since it would be a bit too "Lord of the Flies" if we believed that we only had to provide for ourselves.
So where has the 21st century gone wrong? Why have we thrown true personal economy to the wind? Because it is easy. It is the whole premise upon which convinient stores were built, giant shopping malls were designed, and even the Goodwill. It is easier to just go to the store and get the things you need rather than do your best to have them on hand, or even produce them yourself. It is easier to walk from shop to shop in a large air conditioned mall than to look around to find the little shops that are off the beaten path that are willing to give you any deal if you just find them. It is easier to feel good about dropping off your old stuff at the Goodwill instead of reusing it in your own home, patching it up, or even, when it comes to its worst, using things as a rag. Who even has a 'rag bag' anymore? Most would not even know what to do with spare rags, bits and pieces of things.
I was recently impressed while visiting a children's museum in a large city. It was one of the wonderful old refurbished buildings that was still under construction, but they were doing all they could to open the doors to the areas they had prepared for the kids. As I looked at each area I noticed how simply everything was made. I kept thinking, "I could make that!" or "I have that at home, why didn't I think of that?" Yes, the museum was one of those wonderful not for profit establisments, which meant that unselfishly the were trying to make every penny stretch for the benefit of the kids. The truly creative people that put together wonder filled play rooms for your kids had not strayed far from their own home for materials. The artsy folks who decorated the dilapidated walls used scraps of fabric and end-cuts of wood. Even the bathrooms bespoke economy as my 2 year old daughter noticed, there were 'mirrors in the floor,' little bits of broken glass pieced in with the tile.
"The true economy of housekeeping is simply the art of gathering up all the fragments, so that nothing be lost."
Is it possible that if we once gain become gatherers, simple artist, and mostly, good housekeepers, that our national economy will reflect the natural economy of each household. Yes. Absolutely. And it will never again be contingent upon which person you put in office, rather what is happening in your own.
"The true economy of housekeeping is simply the art of gathering up all the fragments, so that nothing be lost."
Unfortunately, in the 21st century we only think of 'economy' in terms of bad or good, and most generally in relation to the President. As if it were his fault that the American 'economy' is failing! Let me say this, although no man is an island, he darn well better be able to support whoever is visiting his little paradise. You are in charge of your own micro-economy.
Lest we be confused, here is Mr Webster's definition of economy that Mrs. Child is refering to: careful management of available resources. This, in many ways, is one of the first commandments given to man in the Bible when the Lord commands Adam to 'subdue' the earth. This does not mean to exert power of it, but to use the earth and its resources to create good things. So if by definition, and commandment, we are to carefully make good use of the resources around us, we will be truly upholding our own micro-economy. We will be able to provide for, and sustain the needs of our own island, and whoever may be on it, since it would be a bit too "Lord of the Flies" if we believed that we only had to provide for ourselves.
So where has the 21st century gone wrong? Why have we thrown true personal economy to the wind? Because it is easy. It is the whole premise upon which convinient stores were built, giant shopping malls were designed, and even the Goodwill. It is easier to just go to the store and get the things you need rather than do your best to have them on hand, or even produce them yourself. It is easier to walk from shop to shop in a large air conditioned mall than to look around to find the little shops that are off the beaten path that are willing to give you any deal if you just find them. It is easier to feel good about dropping off your old stuff at the Goodwill instead of reusing it in your own home, patching it up, or even, when it comes to its worst, using things as a rag. Who even has a 'rag bag' anymore? Most would not even know what to do with spare rags, bits and pieces of things.
I was recently impressed while visiting a children's museum in a large city. It was one of the wonderful old refurbished buildings that was still under construction, but they were doing all they could to open the doors to the areas they had prepared for the kids. As I looked at each area I noticed how simply everything was made. I kept thinking, "I could make that!" or "I have that at home, why didn't I think of that?" Yes, the museum was one of those wonderful not for profit establisments, which meant that unselfishly the were trying to make every penny stretch for the benefit of the kids. The truly creative people that put together wonder filled play rooms for your kids had not strayed far from their own home for materials. The artsy folks who decorated the dilapidated walls used scraps of fabric and end-cuts of wood. Even the bathrooms bespoke economy as my 2 year old daughter noticed, there were 'mirrors in the floor,' little bits of broken glass pieced in with the tile.
"The true economy of housekeeping is simply the art of gathering up all the fragments, so that nothing be lost."
Is it possible that if we once gain become gatherers, simple artist, and mostly, good housekeepers, that our national economy will reflect the natural economy of each household. Yes. Absolutely. And it will never again be contingent upon which person you put in office, rather what is happening in your own.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Nancy's Beginning List of Do's and Don'ts
My intent is to unravel each of these in order to create more succint (paradoxically) reasons for the virtue of each. As it is, I best just write them down now before my mind wanders on again:
-Never pay full price for anything. NEVER!
-When considering how much something is worth, also consider how much it could be worth.
- It is not always correct to buy cheap things because they are a better deal, you can quite often find good deals on better quality.
- Reconsider the way you do things on a regular basis.
-Ask questions of everyone, although you may be set in your ways, you might try adding a bit of flair from others' suggestions.
-Learn to process your own food.
-Make your children eat a bit of everthing and cook a bit of everything yourself.
-Use coupons. If you don't have any in hand, ask the casheir if they have any available discounts, they usually will, and most the time they are so shocked you asked, they will find something.
- Shop around. Pres. Hinkley said that the advancements in technology can be used for our good or our destruction. Make shopping around online a common procedure before you buy anything, and never check out online without searching for promotion codes first.
-Do make lists. All kinds of lists. Of goals, of purchases, of daily tasks, of children's activities. Then take pride in making that list shorter, and longer at the same time as you are continually adding to and cycling through the list.
-Libraries are phenomenal! Use them. They have free written all over them.
-Always pick up free reading material, and read it. You may learn something valuable.
-Never pay full price for anything. NEVER!
-When considering how much something is worth, also consider how much it could be worth.
- It is not always correct to buy cheap things because they are a better deal, you can quite often find good deals on better quality.
- Reconsider the way you do things on a regular basis.
-Ask questions of everyone, although you may be set in your ways, you might try adding a bit of flair from others' suggestions.
-Learn to process your own food.
-Make your children eat a bit of everthing and cook a bit of everything yourself.
-Use coupons. If you don't have any in hand, ask the casheir if they have any available discounts, they usually will, and most the time they are so shocked you asked, they will find something.
- Shop around. Pres. Hinkley said that the advancements in technology can be used for our good or our destruction. Make shopping around online a common procedure before you buy anything, and never check out online without searching for promotion codes first.
-Do make lists. All kinds of lists. Of goals, of purchases, of daily tasks, of children's activities. Then take pride in making that list shorter, and longer at the same time as you are continually adding to and cycling through the list.
-Libraries are phenomenal! Use them. They have free written all over them.
-Always pick up free reading material, and read it. You may learn something valuable.
Brain Child
It has been my thought since I picked up this handy little book that was sitting very prudently among a stack of never looked at picture books, old National Geographics, and samples of the Readers Digest that are seasonally piled in the corner of the fire hearth at the cabin. I had already started a feeble quest at being frugal in my own right and was intrigued by a voice from nearly 200 years in the past. As I started the twelfth edition of Mrs. Child's book, I was hooked. I kept thinking, "this is entirely applicable to the 21st century! Of course there are a few tweaks to our present condition, but the principles are exactly the same!" And so a tribute began in my head.
Now finally, I will begin piecing it down as the thoughts come from references to Mrs. Child, and to my own daily pearls of wisdom. The pearls are of my own making, though not original at all. Just as the oyster takes a piece of sand from the ocean to great something special inside of itself, so too have principles of economy and frugality become beautiful inside of me, albeit it is someone else's grain of sand.
(this is really my attempt to get a start at all the peices I will need to edit and later form a book. here goes nothing!)
Now finally, I will begin piecing it down as the thoughts come from references to Mrs. Child, and to my own daily pearls of wisdom. The pearls are of my own making, though not original at all. Just as the oyster takes a piece of sand from the ocean to great something special inside of itself, so too have principles of economy and frugality become beautiful inside of me, albeit it is someone else's grain of sand.
(this is really my attempt to get a start at all the peices I will need to edit and later form a book. here goes nothing!)
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