Choosing Voluntary Simplicity » Frugality

How Much Does It Cost to Feed YOUR Family?

Shirley — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:57:19 +0000

Have you seen the most recent government estimates (released October 2011) for how much it costs to feed a family these days? The figures in these charts represent the government's idea of the cost of a nutritious diet, with all meals and snacks prepared at home. I wonder how much of that "nutritious diet" involves processed food.

What True Frugality Is… and What It Is Not

Shirley — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:20:18 +0000

Have you ever noticed how many of the same people who are trying to promote a simple lifestyle make frugality into a negative concept... or how they routinely equate frugality with being cheap or miserly? Somehow frugality has become almost synonymous with deprivation and denial, and understandably, this kind of negative frugality turns most people off. It turns me off too...

Cooking & Baking with a Wood Stove

Shirley — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 11:48:42 +0000

Reader question... "I loved your post about your wood burning cook stove because I have a stove that's kind of like yours. I thought I could learn to cook and bake with it but everything is coming out either undercooked or burned. I know there is a way to do this. Do you have any hints or suggestions that would help me?" --Corrinne L.

I have found that it's really a continual learning process, because cooking or baking with wood requires a different rhythm and a different timing than cooking with gas or electricity. Most importantly, it requires learning how to adjust to the peculiarities of each individual stove... and that can be quite a challenge.

Some Thoughts About Grocery Shopping & Sensible Frugality

Shirley — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:23:51 +0000

Grocery shopping is one area where big savings are possible, but I don't think that frugality should ever be the only consideration. I definitely try to keep our grocery bill as low as possible, but I also want the foods I serve my family to be nutritious and healthy, and I want our meals to be appealing and taste good... with portions large enough to satisfy everyone's hunger. That's not as easy as it used to be, but here are a few ideas I use that help keep our grocery bills under control.

Does Frugality Mean You Shouldn’t Have Nice Things?

Shirley — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 13:14:37 +0000

It's important to save for retirement.

It's sensible to have an emergency fund.

It's essential to live within your income and not go into debt.

But where did the idea come from that people who are frugal and live simply... can't... or shouldn't... have nice things? Or that they should feel guilty if they buy something new?

Yes You CAN Learn To Do It Yourself

Shirley — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:15:38 +0000

Anyone can learn new skills. It's easier if you have someone to serve as an instructor, but "how to" books and videos work great too. An elderly uncle showed my husband how to do electrical wiring, but he learned how to do plumbing completely from instruction manuals. Both skills were learned out of necessity when we had an empty shell of a brand new house to finish and no money to spend on hiring professionals. The carpentry skills my husband learned grew out of the same necessity, with trial and error being his best teacher. My husband has shingled the roof, installed doors and windows, and learned how to make a perfectly smooth wall or ceiling. I have refinished furniture, painted, upholstered, made soap, cheese, slipcovers, curtains, and baskets. Together we have built porches and sheds, framed rooms, installed drywall, carpet, well pumps, bathtubs, toilets and sinks... first learning how, and working slowly and carefully until we could see we had it right. One of our proudest accomplishments is the way that we took a wild, wooded landscape and rock-filled soil and turned it into a lovely yard with a series of gardens and paths.

Energy Efficient Countertop Ovens

Shirley — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 17:55:10 +0000

We recently purchased a countertop oven. It has turned out to be one of the best decisions we have ever made. A countertop oven is NOT a toaster oven. They might look somewhat similar, but a countertop oven is more powerful and has a much larger cooking capacity. The countertop oven we chose is a commercial grade oven, and it is large enough to roast a turkey. It is also large enough to accommodate multiple racks of regular sized bakeware.

Why I Don’t Play the Coupon Game

Shirley — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 12:03:05 +0000

I really like finding a good coupon! On our last shopping trip a coupon saved us one dollar off a pound of organic butter. The parsnips we bought were less expensive with a coupon, and so was the milk... and it was Tuesday, when the store doubles some coupon values, so that was nice too. If there is a coupon for an item I want to buy, I certainly will use the coupon to take advantage of the savings. I don't, however, play the coupon game. The reason... I don't buy processed foods.

Don’t Confuse Playing at Frugality With Living Frugally

Shirley — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 13:30:59 +0000

I have serious objections to much of the frugal advice that is being offered these days, especially the focus on quick-fix extreme measures. Extreme frugality is like a crash diet... it's unhealthy and almost impossible to live with long-term... AND it will set up feelings of deprivation that will almost certainly end in a bout of spending. The money that hurt so much to save gets spent impulsively when you can't stand feeling deprived any longer... and suddenly you're back to square one. This yo-yo cycle of deprivation/splurging, deprivation/splurging is not LIVING frugally... it's PLAYING at frugality... and it's not a good way to live.

What Will Ten Dollars Buy Where You Live?

Shirley — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 15:33:22 +0000

CNN wanted to know what people could buy with ten dollars in the current economy, so they issued a challenge to their website visitors.