More Non-Frugal Reasons to be Frugal (plus the Amazon winners!)
The first order of business
The Amazon gift card giveaway is now official over. Congrats to Corrie and Tracy, winners of the two $50 Amazon gift cards. You've been emailed!
(Emailing people to tell them they've won is one of my favorite things to do. I feel so Oprah-ey.)
The buy three, get one free Suave deal is still available, though, so if you need to restock your Suave supply, head over to Dollar General.
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And the second
Remember when I wrote about Non-Frugal Reason to be Frugal?
It was all about how there are lots of great benefits to frugal practices aside from the money-saving aspect, and about how thinking of it that way can make frugality feel a bit more like a choice than a have-to.
I listed a few of the ways this works in my own life, and then a reader, Millicent, sent me an email with some ways that she applies this in her own life. I asked if I could share them with you, and she said yes.
Thank you, Millicent!
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Hey, Kristen!
I loved your post about non-frugal reason to be frugal. Here are a few items I came up with to add to your list.
1) Inexpensive activities can be more interactive and educational than "expensive" ones. Like, for example, going to the park or going to a museum on free day or going to a poetry reading-- all of these typically offer more interaction and engagement than a $200 monthly cable bill.
2) Making or re-purposing items also provides more family time and interaction as well. Kids can learn new skills and there is a sense of accomplishment at doing a project together.
3) Throwing money at a situation is sometimes a way to avoid involvement. For example, for a birthday, it takes little emotional investment to order a $1,000 piece of jewelry online but it does take an emotional and physical investment to make a cake or grow flowers or paint an art object for someone.
Also, it's easy if someone is ill to send a get well card or expensive gift. But visiting them in person or taking over soup, or offering to clean their house while they are convalescing, requires active human involvement.
4) Being frugal builds creativity. Instead of spending $500 on a costume rental, if you have to make a Halloween costume from what you have on hand, you have to be a lot more creative.
5) Expensive things often are abandoned since no personal investment went into buying them.
(Like the $600 video game console that was played for a weekend versus the homemade checker set that was built by father and son in the garage.)
6) Bringing homemade items to parties and bake sales saves money, but you can also feel pride in what you're bringing. Most people buy things and never think twice about it, so when something like home made jam or a pie shows up, it's a big deal.
Sometimes, frugal practices can make you feel embarrassed, but the opposite happens when you make good homemade food.
7) Memories. I still have skirts from childhood that my grandmother sewed for me. I have a living memory of stitches her hands placed.
8) Individuality. If you refinish or build, you have something no one else has. It's an original.
9) Charity. For instance, a handmade blanket donated to the neonatal ward at a local hospital comes from the heart and allows you to give something of great value even if you can't afford a large monetary donation.
10) Self reflection. Making from scratch is a way to give of yourself; giving your time instead of money. For me, it is a meditative process.
-Millicent
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Joshua's 365 post: Kaleidoscope
I like Millicent! It was instilled in me from a very young age that giving of yourself is a sure way to achieve true happiness. Thank you for all the great ideas Millicent.
Thanks so much for your kind words!
Awesome stuff! It is all true… the most inexpensive things can mean the most to someone. I have started doing a lot of these this year, including actually "calling" a special person each week instead of "texting." It is a whole different feeling. Thanks for a great post!
I like all the tips and very true!
I appreciate homemade gifts from someone (like cards, crocheted blanket) because I do the same,it takes a lot of effort to do stuffs like that and I think they are priceless because I don't see the tag price, what I see is the value!
What a good guest post!
Being frugal means not automatically throwing money at things, but rather thinking about how to better meet a need or solve a problem. I find that this attitude begins to carry over to the rest of my life - I become more contemplative about how I spend my time, how I can more efficiently do things, what my priorities are, and how to best deploy my resources.
What a beautiful post! I'm going to print Millicent's ideas out so I have a constant reminder. Thank you for sharing!
This is a great post, and so.very.true. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for this post. It seems like common sense, but I needed to read this. It has inspired and encouraged me with some of my goals this year.
It was fun last night building our own Noah's Ark! We bought 12 plaster figurines from Wal-Mart (for under $8.00) and we boughtt acrylic paint for another 3 bucks and we made some pretty NICE memories PLUS it will look like my daughter's art project (for school) will be something she will be playing with and saving for years to come, (even my son participated in painting a few animals (he is 14!). We had a blast! My daughter (nine) also learned to use the hot glue gun! So we had fun and learned a few things!
Wow. Millicent nailed it.
Millicent you are so right about the homemade food being a big deal. I cook and bake from scratch and always have. It seems that you get a reputation when you do this. Although this is NOT my motivation for doing it, it's true. I simply enjoy it for a handful of reasons, frugality, creativity, deliciousness, health benefits. I am unsure WHY it's such a big deal, because I am as busy as the next person, but you make time for the things that are important to you, I guess. Great list, by the way!
The power of homemade never ceases to amaze me. Like you said, you get a reputation for being the baker!!! My cherry Christmas cookies were a huge hit at my husband's workplace this year-- and they were so reasonable to make.
I liked this post overall but as someone who works more than full time, one thing I also have to be frugal about is time. For me, I try to balance and consider time-saved vs money-saved and prioritize. So the majority of my meals are home-cooked for money and health reasons, but half of the time, when I am invited to an event, I will bring a bottle of wine. Sometimes, I buy and send cards. Sometimes, I simply send a hand-written letter by mail, and save on the card. Time saved on one activity can mean time gained for an activity that is important to me, such as reading or watching a good movie. Anyway, it's all about balance!
That's something I thought about as I was preparing to publish this post, actually! This post is intended for people who tend to have a little more time than money. As I've written before, each person has to keep evaluating which frugal things to do and which to skip as the time/money balance shifts, as it always seems to through life.
I agree about balance! I think time IS a precious gift. Often, what happens for me is that time-heavy "frugal" tasks end up doing double duty. Like, when my husband was in the hospital, I brought my knitting. I was able to make a scarf and the knitting helped calm ME down. 🙂
Don't feel bad - the best parties are the ones where the people are happy just to have YOU there, not whatever it is you can bring. I agree; time is a very precious gift, indeed!
I understand why you appreciated this list, Kristen. It is a wonderful reflection of the author's priorities. It speaks of a life that is intentional and well paced. I pray my choices are creating this same type of environment for my family.
So true! I'll add another reason--you were born like that. I have actual anxiety when I feel like our spending is getting out of hand or if we have to dip into savings. I think it is just how I am, and I'd be like that even if I were rich. You have to be true to yourself!
Lovely, just lovely. Thank you Millicent.
nice! enjoyed reading this! and so true...