Are salads necessary year-round? (a Tightwad Gazette post!)
We're starting on page 520 of the Complete Tightwad Gazette today, and here we find an article with a, "Salads aren't necessary year-round" thesis.
Save Money, Toss the Salad
Her main point is that it's possible to get your nutritional needs met without purchasing salad ingredients; more wintery vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, squash, and sweet potatoes can provide lots of nutrition, and so can frozen vegetables (which obviously make for very poor salads.)
Amy points out (rightfully so) that in times past, people ate more seasonally out of necessity. Salads happened in the summer, but in the winter, people ate carrots, squash, potatoes, and cabbage.
I will say: I'm always a little hesitant about arguments based on past human diets/behavior; just because people did it in the past doesn't mean it was ideal. I mean, people survived on salt pork and beans in the winter, but I personally would never choose to do that kind of seasonal eating!
Still, I do agree that if winter salad ingredients don't fit in your budget, it is still very feasible to feed yourself nutritiously by buying hardier winter veggies + frozen veggies.
Dry-Cleaning Costs
Is it just me, or was dry-cleaning more of a "thing" back in the days of The Tightwad Gazette? I feel like putting, "Pick up the dry-cleaning" was a more common item on housewives' to-do lists in the past! 😉
Amy shared some tips for saving on actual dry-cleaning, but the two main ones I use are these:
1. Don't buy things that need to be dry-cleaned
If I look at an item and discover it does actually require dry-cleaning, I generally won't buy it. The only exceptions: things like outerwear. I don't mind dry-cleaning a coat once a season; coats don't sit on your skin so usually they don't get funky in a hurry.
2. Ignore dry-clean-only instructions
Honestly, I think sometimes manufacturers put "dry clean only" instructions on tags just to avoid liability. I have bought multiple items over the years that said "dry clean only" but I looked at the fabric and thought, "Nah, this is gonna be just fine on a delicate cycle with line-drying."
And so far, I have ruined nothing by my judicious flaunting of cleaning labels (key word being judicious; you can't just throw a pair of leather pants in the washer!)
I am particularly prone to taking a "try it and see" approach if I've gotten the item for free or cheap. I figure there's so little to lose!
DIY hair perms
A reader wrote in to say she'd mastered the art of giving herself a perm at home, which I imagine was a significant savings.
But I am grateful that perms are largely out of style now; leaving my hair texture as-is requires zero time and zero money.
My girls have definitely saved themselves money on hair-color this way, though; they've given themselves lots of at-home coloring jobs for way less than the salon charges.
Wedding Roses
Ok, I really love this idea! A reader took her sister's wedding bouquet home, rooted the roses, and gifted the 12 rose bushes to her sister on her anniversary.
Would I ever sucessfully pull something like this off, given my black thumb? No.
But I think it is such a beautiful and unique idea!
One of you needs to go do this, ok??
"Whoopee, we can spend again!"
I know I've mentioned this article on my blog before, but a search turned up nothing.
Amy says people tend to scrimp when money is tight and spend when they come into some money; it's essentially a feast or famine method of money management.
But those times when you have more money are perfect times to continue living frugally! That's when you can make some real progress.
As you all know, I spent the years of my separation living pretty close to broke, especially as the legal fees mounted. I maintained my frugal ways, and amazingly, I survived without going into debt. Whew!
Now I have much more financial margin; I don't have a lawyer anymore (yay!), and I got my payout from the equity in the house.
I suppose I could take this as permission to go into a, "Whoopee, I can spend again!" mode, but I am still living the frugal life. I want to use that money to buy a house down the road; I don't want to spend it.
I see this time in my life as an opportunity to get ahead and build some margin. A divorce is a big financial hit no matter how you slice it; I'm gonna work hard to build back my financial life now.
Also, it's not like I feel deprived; living frugally feels as natural as breathing to me and I know how to live a good life while spending very little.
And that's why I pack my lunches for work and school even though I don't have to. 😉
I have successfully avoided dry cleaning costs (other than my wedding dress) by purchasing a box of dry cleaning packets, which is a damp sheet of something you stick in the dryer with the dry clean only item and those have worked well for outerwear and things that don't really get dirty. Also, avoiding buying anything that requires me to dry clean or iron is a huge win!
@Jen, our household also uses dryer packets to dry-clean the coat or dressy dress that occasionally needs attention.
I agree that what people used to do, is a terrible standard if you don't consider it carefully. Do you really want to do the things that lead to 25% mortality by age 5, life expectancy of 45, and constant pain?
Even so, there are any number of ways to get a variety of produce in the winter, leafy greens don't have to be one of them. You know what else is centuries old? Hothouses.
This is what I'd do if I'd been close to broke, then suddenly weren't. Spoiler alert: it's the same things as if I got a bonus or a raise.
1) Pay off debt.
2) Set aside a chunk as splurge money.
3) Increase daily spending by a percentage of the increase. How much depends on how close to broke I'd been living.
4) Save or invest the rest.
And I think these, "Well, in the olden days...." arguments tend to not consider that a fair number of people were quite malnourished.
I'm not saying our current American diet is flawless by any stretch of the imagination. But I also don't wanna look at the past American diet with rose-colored glasses.
@Kristen, It also doesn't take into account the different groups of people. Some people had a more varied diet because they had wealth, some had more vegetables because they had access to a garden, and on the flipside some had little access to either. And when we talk about 'the past' what period are we referring to, and what part of the country/countries?
I agree with your point and William's point as well - I would say it's a good rule of thumb not to use 'the past' as some improved version of the present.
@Sophie in Denmark, yes, an orange a day is enough to keep you healthy. Also the views of salads as being very healthy is not necessarily true. Eating with the season is cheaper and functional ( outside of wars and famine). I think removing unhealthy foods from your diet is probably the cheapest and smartest move for individuals in this time.
@Bella, I'm with you on all counts. And I'd like to remind the water-heavy salad aficionados that the prices of these veggies are likely to take a big jump in the US at least, given recent developments here. Nothing wrong with carrots, potatoes, beets, parsnips, etc., if those are what you can grow yourself locally.
@Kristen,
Agreed about this. Malnutrition is not a big public health problem here in the US, but it does still exist. Depending on what you read, the rate of malnutrition in hospitalized patients runs from 20-50% for a long list of reasons (lack of appetite due to illness, medications causing decreased appetite or taste changes, food insecurity, issues with nutrient absorption (chronic GI issues, for example), etc etc.) Even obese people can be malnourished (getting lots of calories but not much nutrition from the non-nutritious foods they eat, for example.)
I remember watching a show on PBS (?the Victorian House, not sure if that's correct), with them saying people spent a much larger percentage of their income on rent/housing, so a lot of (non-wealthy) people were undernourished and likely malnourished.
@Bella, sigh, an orange a day is fine unless you are fighting sugars. Heavy heavy sigh of regret here. . .
The term “healthy” means so many different things. I find myself currently in a state of perpetual culinary chaos and confusion.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, another T-shirt I want.
in a state of perpetual culinary chaos and confusion
Do we order these on Etsy?
@Tiana, I want one, too!
@Liz B., in the US till after WW2, people spent much more than we do now in food, about 30-35% compared to the under-10% now (IIRC), and much less on housing.
Limited access to sources right now, can provide sources later upon request.
@Kathleen in Kansas, Me too!!
@Tiana, So alliterative!
@JDinNM, maybe instead of “perpetual”, it should read “Continual culinary chaos and confusion”.
@WilliamB, Yes, this is pretty much what I'd do, and I wholeheartedly agree with 1 line item being something fun to splurge on. Enjoyment now is important, but only as part of an overall budget and never out of proportion with future goals and covering essentials / emergencies.
I started avoiding dry cleaning over 30+ years ago when I learned that the chemicals used in dry cleaning at that time were regulated by the government. I didn't want exposure to those chemicals and certainly didn't want to spend money to be exposed.
I try to make sure none of the clothing items I purchase require dry cleaning, and even if they do, I will disregard the label and launder on delicate and air day.
I think it's great that Kristen is saving the equity from her martial home to purchase a home in the future. It can be easy to go into "spend mode" when you've been close to broke for a while and come into money.
Agreed about the chemicals in dry-cleaning; one of multiple reasons to keep that to a minimum.
I'm not very good at motivating myself about the 'now I can spend!' thing. And I don't have anywhere to go with it, other than it being a good reminder!
I don't think I've ever dry cleaned anything and I'm too lazy to do anything fancy with my hair, so I guess that's two areas of savings 😉
@Sophie in Denmark, same here! Well, I have dry cleaned one or two things in my life, but it feels like an unnecessary hassle and expense. And who knows what those chemicals do. . . yikes.
I eat very seasonally and don't eat salads in the winter. I find it very difficult. This winter, I think I made only one or two. Lettuce w/ squash, beets, nuts/seeds, and cheese. My whole life salads consisted of lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and then whatever else. It's tough for me to get out of that thinking so salads only really happen during cucumber and tomato season.
As for dry cleaning, I have a couple items worn not often that get dry cleaned once in a while. I feel like people dry cleaned more when they went into the office and then a lot of people stopped and dry cleaning declined.
@Jaime, I hear you on “what is a salad”!
My mom’s mind was kinda blown the first time I served her a salad that contained exactly zero lettuce or tomatoes (it was kale, goat cheese, warm roasted butternut squash, and pecans with a balsamic vinaigrette).
I think it helped her realize that a “salad” is just a bunch of veggies tossed in a dressing, usually with some kind of protein & fat added. Can be warm or cold.
Then again if you are in the midwest, a salad doesn't even have to have vegetables (my parents are from the midwest and I did eat a lot of jello "salads" growing up. lol)
@Jaime, I have an indoor hydroponic garden that does really well in terms of salad. I don't know it's a frugal option as the unit itself was initially expensive, but I really enjoy having it and find it's a fun and tasty hobby for me. Also - lettuces actually do not do well in the summer which is the time when tomatoes/cucumbers thrive, they are more of a cooler weather crop.
@Ally,
In my area (SW Ohio in the US), lettuces are grown in people's spring gardens, and maybe in the fall, for that very reason. Summer is way too hot.
@Liz B., ditto in Central Calif. Shoot, my broccoli bolted in February! So annoying.
@Liz B., I grew up in Salinas, California (Central Coast) where a lot of this country's lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts are grown in summer because it's foggy and cool there in the summer. In the winter, these crops are grown in the deep southern regions of California's imperial valley, near the borders of Arizona and Mexico.
I eat closer to seasonally than most people, and don't worry too much about maximum vegetable consumption when I don't have lots of garden produce on hand, but it is really nice to have the option for fresh vegetables in winter. Root vegetables and canned vegetables will keep you nourished, but not in a very interesting way. 🙂
And yes, dry cleaning used to be a MUCH bigger thing. I remember people even having those Dryel at-home dry cleaning kits. I think now many fabrics are synthetic and don't require it much, whereas something like a big wool coat did sometimes.
I have always liked that article on the "feast or famine" cycle. Having lived, briefly, with a family like that, I understand the psychology behind it. There's a desire to treat oneself, particularly after a time when treats are few and far between.
As for salads, I think it's possible to make delicious raw-vegetable salads in the fall and winter; like slaws that don't require lettuce, which is mostly a warm-weather crop. My salad-loving kids will devour coleslaw in the winter. But I have to confess that I really like how I feel when I have a dressed salad with my dinner. Roasted veggies are great, too. I would never want to live on cornbread and salt pork all winter! That's a good way to get scurvy.
My expensive winter jacket. Last year it cost $25 to dry clean because it has a (fake) belt at the back to define the waist. It's too late to "un-buy" it!
Also lived in Ankara, Turkey for a couple of years with access to the American Air Force commissary for groceries. Inside the commissary you could find strawberries and avocado. Outside, at the farmer's market in the winter, at least four varieties of beautiful carrots and tons of potatoes and squash. And in the spring I had a guy who knocked on my door every morning to ask if I wanted to buy fresh strawberries. In season is always better, we just had to change our eating habits.
@Jean, We lived for a year on a sheep farm in a very remote part of Scotland. The mail man would always have eggs, bread and some sort of seasonal fruit or vegetable that you could buy from him. I have no idea if that was his little side gig or a normal practice in that are, but we loved it. We didn't particularly appreciate that he would comment on the mail when he saw you, as in "I see you got a letter from the hospital. You are not sick are you?" or "Looks like your family wrote you this week." This was in the 80s so snail mail was how you did everything...the start of the email age must have been a disappointment to him. If anyone is a fan of Miss Read's village chronicles, life really was a lot like that back then.
@Lindsey, I love Miss Read!
@Lindsey, I read those Village Chronicles when I feel a fit of Anglophilia coming on...and I remember that Miss Read wasn't afraid of showing the dark side of village life (the poverty of the Coggs family, for example, is always so sad to read about), but she was a realist in many ways. And yes, Miss Read, the teacher, is often exasperated at how much the village knows about her private affairs!
@Lindsey, I love Miss Read too.
I think spending money takes a lot of effort and dry cleaning STINKS. I love the smell of fresh washed cotton, just soap and water.
Cabbage carrots and onions have always been easy no matter the season and slaw is a salad. I remember talking with someone who was a girl during the Great she said they ate a lot of beans and cabbage and cornbread.
As for in the old days I think not being hooked to electronic devices 24/7 is a delightful thought. I’m sick of phones, computers, tv, radios, everything. If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? If something happens in the world and I don’t know about it I think it might be a good thing. My cat ignores everything and she seems to do ok.
@Tiana, I agree we were all happier when we didn't know every little thing happening all over the world.
@Tiana, Honestly, I stopped reading the news for the most part a while back and I'm much happier. My husband keeps up with the federal news because he's a federal employee, so anything I do need to know I get from him. But I don't need to read the headlines and learn that so-and-so committed a murder, or somebody embezzled money. Humans are wired with a negative bias as it is, the news just feeds it.
@Tiana:
Re: dry cleaning: I agree. The older I get the less I like dry-clean-only clothing anyway, and I currently own nothing that can't be washed by machine or hand.
Re: slaw: I'm all for seasonal veggies that can be grown where you live, but I have to draw the line at slaw. On the rare occasions when my mother used to make it (and, as I have noted in earlier comments, she was an unenthusiastic cook), my siblings and I used to fold our hands and intone, "Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to eat this slaw" (a riff on "Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law" from the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer). Frankly, we should all have been spanked for that.
And re: electronic devices: Preach it, sister. I currently have only internet (on one laptop and one desktop) and one dumb flip phone, and I'm doing fine. Betty the cat is also doing fine with just bird feeder action for stimulation.
@Karen A., and Marlena yes,yes,yes. I got home very late last night and dutifully?habitually? Turned on the news to learn the White House is a car lot and the president a used car salesman and Texas is a food desert? They grow an awful lot of food.
It’s much more interesting learning the name and pronunciation of my 1 dollar Goodwill shirt’s print. Toile de Jouy….and how to say it.Toile de Jouy
Toile de Jouy Toile de Jouy
@Tiana, have you ever read “Amusing Ourselves to Death” by Neil Postman? It is an excellent explanation of how we are bombarding ourselves with too much information about which we can do nothing except feel sad, afraid, or overwhelmed. He wrote it in the ‘80s, pre-internet!!
Imagine what he'd say now!
@A. Marie, my only retort? A pox on yourn, I love slaw in all its forms dressed or undressed be it blessed
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, I have not read it but he sounds like a good man. I would love to Jeremiah Johnson myself but my cat loves ice cubes.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, ps…I want that T-shirt
Sad, afraid, and overwhelmed.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, an excellent book. It also discusses what the entertainment media addiction does to our attention spans. Nothing good!
@A. Marie,
"We beseech thee....."
@Karen A., my hubby is a news junkie. he knows not to tell me really awful things. i loved newspapers but they are too expensive now. when i was a kid the daily news in NY was 5 cents. hubby was recently an in patient at lenox hill hospital in nyc. they gave out free usa today. i devoured it but it was only 3 tiny sections.
@Marlena,
Given the state of the world, it is understandable to tune out if you can.
For some of us, our work dictates that we must stay on top of the news. It can be overwhelming and that's when we learn to limit the time we spend online. But I am glad we have the options for digital access to information, educational and entertainment content. It's up to us to monitor our usage (I have some app or other that gives me the total time I spent online each week.)
My concern is that so many people neglect to educate themselves on what is going on in the world via legit media (yes, it still exists and if you claim bias, EVERYTHING that offers up info/news is biased because of what it covers and doesn't but some folks are not into facts at all) whether online, print or TV.
Too many people today hold views based on poor education as a child/teen and no attempt to educate themselves as adults. I have no time for folks who espouse misinformation, either accidentally or intentionally. In this country, too many people have no idea of our history or our laws. And it has resulted in a lot of unnecessary problems.
So limit but don't stop trying to get information on relevant things (healthcare, for example, and work opportunities and areas of growth and decline).
Today, too many people cannot write or read. It's hard to believe that we really have a lot of truly illiterate folks of all ages in this country. It's shameful. But wow, even a three year old can use a smartphone or a tablet. Some people can barely talk because their lives are text based.
Even today, the person who speaks well, writes well and can read, holds a huge advantage in getting a good job/career. And in enjoying the full depth of relationships.
I dream of a world where everyone has access to affordable, healthy food and decent places to live and training to help get a job that pays at the least, for the basics of life. Even if one is fairly secure in one's own life, it's not OK that so many are doing without. That there are people in this country who can't afford a decent place to live, healthcare and good food is shameful and should not be that way. We were raised to share and that we had a responsibility to others to ensure that they, too, had access to the basics of life in a supposedly democratic country. It's not about handouts but help and access to resources to help folks be independent and healthy, physically, mentally and emotionally.
@Tiana, I balance the news I want to watch and have to watch (professionally) with my daily bout of Jeopardy (in which I always learn a lot and have fun "competing" against the contestants for the right answer!) and maybe 10 minutes watching animal videos that have me laughing out loud and just relaxing.
It's about balance. There's a place for online streaming for many people for many reasons. But when it becomes your default self soother, you have to ask if that's a good thing. Nature remains one of the best antidotes to stress. I used to walk daily in a nearby park (I can no longer do that physically) and oh, my, it helped my stress levels. Exercise is another stress reliever, if you can manage it (some of us have very limited abilities).
It doesn't have to be either/or. I watch the first half hour of a morning news show and the local evening news and national news. For work, I have a news feed and I actually can save time by skimming it.
Do I like what's in the news? (An American president literally hawking a product on the White House lawn? If you didn't get what kind of character this man has, this shows you. It's all about transactions, sales, $$$$$$$ for himself and the billionaire pals. DISGRACEFUL
There must be some law about this all as a conflict of interest, not that the law means anything to him.
We are not just citizens of a state, a country, but of the world. It is important to understand what goes on elsewhere to understand that the world does NOT revolve around us as Americans.
@Irena, and some are looking for someone else to blame for why their lives are not what they think they should be. They are easy targets for snippets with no factual evidence.
@Irena, et al, I studied Neil Postman for my master's course. And agreed about the balance; I read the news daily but only during certain parts of the day and from actual news sites.
I have nothing good to say about the current president but I will say that a lot of misinformation got him here. And blaming minorities for economic problems is a tale as old as time - it's easier to scapegoat rather than look at systematic injustice and billionaires who hoard wealth.
Since we shop at Aldi, getting greens is pretty cheap. In order for my husband and I to get our vegetables in and to avoid takeout for lunches, I make 8-10 salads on Sunday for our lunches during the week. As this can get pretty ho hum boring, I try add things like avocado, legumes, sunflower seeds, dried fruit. I am thinking, though, of making some cabbage-based ones since reading a comment on here.
I dry clean nothing. I use Patric Richardson's laundry methods (see his book "Laundry Love" or his YouTube Channel "The Laundry Evangelist")
Patric taught me how to wash down and wool coats, cashmere sweaters and all "dry clean only" clothing in my washer. (He also helped my get chili and red lipstick out of my white blouse so I 100% trust his methods.)
@Rebekah in SoCal, how do you press pants and gentleman’s coats. I spot clean, hang out in the wind at night, but after a week the suit need dry cleaning.
@Bella, The office my husband works in does not require suits so I don't have a lot of experience with this. My husband is pretty handy with an iron and seems satisfied with his ability to get that crease in the front of his trousers.
I love a salad year round. Sometimes I do something more seasonal like cabbage salad, but I love romaine lettuce. I feel too limited with only seasonal veggies in winter. Fruit is another story. Out of season fruit often doesn’t ever seem to ripen correctly and the taste and texture are always off.
Dry cleaning is a hard NO. I don’t buy dry clean clothes, ever. And I WILL try to wash just about anything and line dry.
Plants/roses: My husband has a green thumb,I do not.You’re not going to get a row of rosebushes or even a houseplant from me.But I might buy you some tulips from trader Joe.. my favorite joyful thing!
Salads: At Winco I can get a big box of organic mixed greens for 4.99 and that feeds me and husband all week..we eat a lot of greens all year round but some nights when I don’t want a cold salad I will serve a side of roasted vegetables instead. I also always have home made applesauce around . Variety is healthy! ANy leftover greens at end of week get thrown into a lentil or bean soup.
Hair color: I used Loreal for years and finally when Covid hit,had the nerve to grow out my hairstyle and color to natural pure white..my husband adores it, and truthfully,so do I !! I DO NOT MISS the mess, expense and all that.Love the natural look now.I do pay for a decent haircut every 8 weeks, it’s part of my self esteem and “me”. splurge. A few things in life are non negotiable. I MAY let it grow all out, long and pull it up like Ali McGraw does now.. but am not ready yet. I like my swingy “do” for now.
Frugality in general: I had to be frugal as a young married woman then a child at age 20.. by choice! I loved being a wife and mom,still do! And frugality was a “hobby” as well as a necissity.I still find the “thrill of the hunt” at a consignment store much more fun than a rtail store for clothes or many other itmes.I love findin just the right seerving dish at the Lutheran Thrift store for $2. Frugal habits have taken us into our retirement yers and we’re grateful. And I continue with my frugal ways.
We’ve worked hard, and have a margin, for sure now, but spend mindfully. Just seems like the right thing to do! I still love my own home cooked meals better than any restaurant!!!
I know how to spell! Just can’t type and hit send way too quickly all the time!!
@Madeline, I think spelling and punctuation programs correct things that they shouldn’t. I find it very frustrating. I try to proof my comments, but sometimes things are just wrong!
Ohhh, this for sure happens! I experience it when I type blog posts; sometimes I hit "publish" and then look back and see a wrong word that I KNOW I didn't type. The system screws me over sometimes. Ha.
I've just read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. She agrees with the no-salads-in-winter because those salad greens had to travel a looooong way for most of us to eat them. And that has an environmental cost. The book is about eating locally and it has definitely made me take a harder look at where my food comes from.
I won't change to all-local food, but I want to lean more that way.
My mother priced having my 100% silk wedding dress dry cleaned and after hearing the price, she filled up the bathtub and threw the dress in. It turned out fine and my sister wore it the year after. I just lucked out getting my daughter's wedding dress cleaned, I was charged $40. I'm in the north bay area of California, many of you won't know what an incredible steal this was, but I sure do!
No hair coloring here, but my son started coloring his wife's hair during covid and has continued that. He also cuts her hair. They're in their 20's. The men who work for him ask him ask him about his frugal ways and he has noticed several of them taking up some of his habits. Which is a lovely compliment, especially since the majority of the men are older than him.
@Kara, do you set a mileage limit to how far away you want your food to come from? I read Kingsolver’s book (have read and thoroughly enjoyed almost all of them except “Lacuna”) but don’t remember her guideline for this.
Wow, your mom was adventuresome, and what a great outcome.
You must have really raised your son right—impressive young man!
Exactly who is this "one of you" who's supposed to spend a year (attempting) to grow those rose bushes, Kemosabe? [Just for those of you who will admit to remembering the Lone Ranger.]
The person can self-identify after successfully completing the project. 😉
@JDinNM, I grow frangipani from cuttings. Roses would not survive on my island. We were always firm believers of planting mainly fruits trees, mango, Suriname cherries, tamarind and I grew passion fruits on every climbing possibility. Lots of bananas getting the water from my washing machine. And chicken to eat all my kitchen leftovers ( we have no leftovers between the dogs and the chickens)
@JDinNM, I'll try it the next time someone gifts me with a dozen roses. (Don't hold your breath!)
@JDinNM, I nominate Chrissy, the Master Gardener!
@JDinNM,
Oh, I remember the Lone Ranger!
@JDinNM, I am in my 30s and my mind was blown when I read the Lone Ranger for the first time. Admittedly, I have not seen the movie, but that doesn't say much as I haven't seen most movies.
@JD, Saturday mornings! The Lone Ranger. Sky King. Lassie. My Friend Flicka. Rin Tin Tin.
I have ruined dry clean only items by washing them, but it hasn't happened often. I tend to buy clothes at the thrift store so it's very low risk. In some cases it might cost more to dry clean the item than the item actually cost me. If in doubt, I'll hand wash over washing in the washing machine. I got a beautiful wool throw a few years back; a little soak in the tub and it was nice and clean and has been a pleasure to use.
Dry cleaning was more of a thing years ago, by necessity. When I was first married 31 years ago, my now-ex had to wear a suit, tie, and starched collared shirt to work 5 days a week. That all needed dry cleaning, and the shirts professionally done (I tried at home, and home irons/starch just couldn't do the job right).
As far as seasonal eating goes----it is definitely less expensive, and back when people were out more in the weather and/or doing more physical jobs, it probably did work to keep appetites satiated and provided more of the nutrients necessary for that. You don't need water-heavy salad veggies when you are working outdoors in sub-freezing temperatures, you need the heavier, starchy veggies. Nowadays, the only time some people spend outdoors is walking to their cars from their home or office, and back again.
Okay, where I live, the best time to grow carrots and lettuce is in the winter, but the tomatoes and cucumbers grow in the summer! My salads are likely to be lettuce-free for much of the year, which is why I grow longevity spinach. I can slice it thinly and use it as the greens in a salad. I don't eat a lot of salads, as that can be bad for me, but when I do, I put seasonal and cheaper things in them.
Eating seasonally is usually frugal, as their "season" is usually when foods are cheapest. Part of it depends on your local climate. My daughter says she gets served a lot of root vegetables in Norway. A man we know here successfully grows bananas in his yard, and I'm trying to do that, too.
I avoid "dry clean only" stuff, too, but like Kristen, have a dry-clean-only heavy wool jacket that I clean once every 2 or 3 years, because it may go a year or two without ever getting worn. My quilted, most-often worn winter jacket is always washable. I have used the dry-clean at home kits on some of my clothes when I'm not sure about even hand-washing. Men used to wear suits to church and their suits had to be cleaned. My former boss used a cleaner to wash, starch and iron his office shirts, and I remember other men doing that as well. I always did DH's shirts, though. For my own stuff, washing a dry-clean item mostly depends on how much I paid for the item and how much I love it. But the biggest tip is absolutely to not buy dry cleanable only clothes.
The home permanents - I have memories of women doing that. There was a not insignificant chance of messing it up, though. A lot of people I knew with perms used a hairdresser. My own frugal grandmother went to a shop to get regular perms for her stick-straight hair. At some point, she adopted the style of combed back finger waves, with the long ends of her hair being rolled up in a neat roll at the nape of her neck, and she kept that style for the rest of her life.
I remember that article about "Whee, we can spend again!" That's a real temptation! One of the hard things I had to figure out when DH finally started making enough money that we could spend more freely, was how much do I want to spend just because I now have more money, and how much am I needing to spend to "catch up" from days when I couldn't? Like, getting new glasses instead of wearing the old ones too long, building a well house to protect the well pump and keep the fire ants out, replacing some dead furniture, that sort of thing. We made some decisions on what needed done and paying off debt vs. what we just wanted to blow money on. We did the needed things first, then looked for ways to treat ourselves a bit without spending too much. But I also socked money away, and I'm glad I did. And, we continued to live frugally, just with more leeway.
@JD, do tell about “longevity spinach”! I’ve never grown spinach (or much of any vegetables) successfully but refuse to quit trying.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana,
It's actually Gynura procumbens, a warm weather perennial. It is not as tender as our usual spinach, which is why I slice it fine or cook it. It also has smaller leaves and a sort of vining habit, although mine never gets over 2 feet long. It's said to be a nutritional powerhouse. It grows well in the warm and hot weather here in North Florida, dying back in the winter. I have returning sprouts about 2 inches tall in the big pot it grows in, now. My sister grew Malabar spinach in Central Florida, but the one time I tried here, it never took off. Probably it was my fault, because other people here grow it. I got the longevity spinach from Baker Creek Rare Seeds, but I'm sure other places sell it. It's called longevity, so I understand, because it is so healthy, it makes you live longer. Or that's the story, anyway.
@JD, Totally agree on the spending money again. I think thinking about it in terms of necessity/what is potentially detrimental to your health is a great way to approach it. I definitely buy running shoes more often now than I used to, but I'm avoiding injuries so it's probably a net gain if you weigh the health care fees that I would have spent.
Up until about 5 years ago we had a $1.78 cleaners near our home. I routinely had DH's suits dry cleaned as needed or dresses, I bought items from thrift shops that had to be dry cleaned because I could drop them off on the way home for $1.78. But, those days are gone. Dry cleaning now isn't cheap at all. Last time I bought something at a thrift store that had to be dry cleaned, I paid more for the dry cleaning than the item. I haven't dry cleaned but a couple of items the past few years. Some of that is lifestyle changes...DH and I worked mostly from home once Covid started, there weren't as many office parties or dressy things to attend. Where I live now and not working...I haven't found a dry cleaner since I moved here almost 2 years ago.
Eating seasonally feels so much better to me - I don’t like eating cold salads when it’s already cold outside!
That said, I *do* have “warm” salads, especially with cold-hearty produce like kale and spinach (which can actually be grown through the winter in milder climates like the Pacific Northwest, or in a cold frame in all but the coldest Midwest states) mixed with roasted root veggies.
But mostly, I eat warm things (roasted or simmered) when it’s cold, and cold or grilled things when it’s hot.
I eat salad no matter the season. Almost any vegetable can be made into or used in salad. Perhaps the definition of a salad has changed over the last 30 years.
I have found that most things can be hand-washed. I always hand-wash and hang-dry my sweaters. I do have my wool coats dry-cleaned at an environmental safe dry cleaners.
Did Amy D. beginning writing the TWG when big hair was the in thing? Over the years, I tried to do my own hair with disastrous results. Sometimes it’s best to know one’s limitations. It was not good when I turned my hair orange.
Lastly, I have tried rooting roses and some woody stemmed plants. I have never been successful at this. If someone has hints, I would love to hear these.
I think perms might have been making their way off the stage during the TG years. But obviously not for everyone since a reader wrote in with that tip!
And yes, I think when I was a kid I thought a veggie salad meant a green salad and only a green salad.
@Bee, I think perms were already going out when Amy started TTG. But I did have one of those g*dawful big hair perms during the early 1980s. When I look back at photos of me taken then, I sometimes think folks must have thought I'd just stuck a finger into an electrical socket.
@A. Marie, Me too! Nearly ever style-conscious woman who was in her 20s or 30s in the 1980s looked like she stuck her finger in an electrical socket! Thank goodness things have changed! Now on hot, humid days my hair looks that way naturally.
@A. Marie, I remember thinking that my tall blond sister looked like a Q-tip after one of her perms.
My father is allergic to lettuce, so I never had salads when I was growing up, so it’s not easy for me to incorporate salads into my meal plans. If I buy lettuce, I need to have a plan. Otherwise, I might forget about it and let it go to waste. That said, I just bought a pack of lettuce seeds, because, if I grow the lettuce, then maybe I’ll change!
I tend to avoid buying “dry clean only” clothing, unless it’s cheap, and then I try to wash it in a conventional way. I did manage to ruin a blouse that was made out of a weird fabric. Rayon? Otherwise, all is well. I can’t imagine dry cleaning is very good for the environment.
I don’t think I’ll grow roses from scraps anytime soon. 😉
My frugal nature must be hardwired, because it doesn’t matter how much money I have. My frugality persists. My husband is the same. Thank goodness. I’m so happy that I’m financially prepared to ride out the upcoming recession or depression. I look at how other people manage their money, and it makes me anxious. Also, people have been critical about my frugal ways. They don’t get it. That’s why I’m happy I found this blog. I can let my frugal flag fly!
Salads in winter. I live in the caraibes, I don’t have a winter problem. But I imagine soups are a great replacement and I know you can grow salads in window cover type of hot house with horse manure( produce heat) sand and then the dirt. I do ever 2 weeks a bunch of seeds In diverse pots, this way I have constant fresh greens.
Dry cleaning, we pay for it . My husband suits and his black robes are really expensive and are part of the cost of working .
@Bella, “black robes”? Sounds intriguing. . . a judge, perhaps?
Fi remember reading her piece on "Whoopee we can spend again" in the 90s.
It made a big impact on me.
When sh*t hit the fan in 2008, we had lost a lot of our frugal muscles but we jumped back in! Today my salary is 2x what I earned then but spending patterns are the same.
I am confident we can rather most storms.
As do winter salads, I often mix sliced celery, red onion, and thawed frozen peas with salad dressing. No lettuce needed
I was in the middle of eating my salad when I clicked on your post to read, so that's how I feel about winter salads. 😉
I do a lot of seasonal produce eating. In the winter my salads look more like spinach with dried cranberries, red onion. I grow spinach in my backyard most of winter. This year was tough. So although I agree, I disagree to.
No Dry clean only. Maybe winter coats but those not really anymore.
I garden but have not gotten the hang off propagating roses. Rosemary yes, roses no.
We dont eat out. If we do it is for food that I can't/don't make at home.
I don't vary my spending. use good time to catch up and bad to survive.
I think it's good to be informed by what people did in the past and learn from it without feeling like you're constricted to make the same choices. I'm sure my grandmother would have loved an occasional avocado toast or green salad in the winter 🙂
I make a root veggie salad for Christmas that tastes delicious, but I associate it so strongly with Christmas that I can't make it at any other time. It made sense when my mother told me that her mother used to make it quite often as their normal salad, since back in her days there were no imported or refrigerated vegetables.
I do love putting things like roasted beets or carrots into a winter salad, often on a bed of arugula which is hardier than the summer salads.
For dry cleaning, I recently bought a wool blazer from an estate sale that I washed in a very delicate laundry cycle with wool laundry soap, and it turned out fine. It was thinner than normal blazers which helped in drying more quickly. Some delicate items can be freshened up by a steam only, and wool can be aired.
If we still had to go into an office daily with pressed shirts, at this point in my life I would definitely outsource the ironing rather than doing it at home like I used to.
For the feast or famine question, the thing I find hard is not so much to refrain from feasting, but feeling okay to spend on the needs that were piling up during a famine. Home repairs, appliances, new furniture come to mind.
Sometimes we get stuck in the feeling of always doing without or settling on something that still kind of works, when it's okay to spend wisely. For instance, we just bought new mattresses and beds for our kids. Their old beds had broken drawers and they had definitely outgrown their mattresses which were not that great to begin with. Still, I always feel a little nagging judgment on spending money. Pretty silly.
@Kristina M., Would you mind sharing the recipe for the root vegetable salad?
@Karen A., thank you for asking that question. I’d like to see what’s in the salad too.
@Karen A., oh yes! Here is a basic recipe, googling you will find more.
"Finnish rosolli"
4 pickled beetroots, or peeled, boiled and cut into cubes. Reserve some liquid.
4-5 carrots, peeled, boiled and cut into cubes
2-3 firm potatoes, peeled, boiled and cut into cubes
1 red onion, finely diced
1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled and cut into cubes
3-4 roughly chopped pickles
3/4 cups heavy whipping cream whipped up stiff
2-3 tablespoons beetroot pickle juice
Salt and pepper to season, a dash of sugar can be added also, even horseradish
Peel and boil the potatoes and carrots whole, until barely tender but not mushy (if I boil in the same pot I take out the carrots before the potatoes as they need different times to cook). Run under cold water and let cool completely. You can do this the day before and let them sit in the fridge overnight.
Cube all root vegetables and pickles, cut up the red onion fairly small, and lay them in rows on an oblong platter. Some people like to mix them up but the beet will make everything red instantly, so I prefer to present them in a rainbow, similar to this presentation: https://medium.com/@chuckharrill/from-finland-part-5-6688c10b2f76
For the dressing, whip up some cream (around 3/4 cups). Once whipped, mix in beetroot pickle juice a tablespoon at a time until the cream is nicely pink but still fluffy. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sour cream or creme fraiche can be substituted for the cream. Serve the cream next to the salad, adding a dollop on top when eating.
On Christmas we enjoy it as a side salad with ham and smoked or baked salmon, often with a hearty rye bread as well.
If you have leftovers, you can make a nice hash of it, adding some cubed ham to the hash browns.
@Kristina M., dill or sweet pickles?
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, dill pickles.
I think some clothes manufacturers are over-cautious when they put "dry-clean only" labels on garments. Maybe they're afraid we'll boil-wash them! I recently bought a white cotton shirt in a charity (thrift) shop, it only cost a few euro so I ignored the dry-clean instructions, and of course it was fine. Who could afford to dry clean a white shirt that can only be worn once before it becomes grubby!
Yes, exactly. I think some people are pretty not-careful with their laundry (like throwing lacy things in without a garment bag, or mixing darks and lights or not zipping zippers up, etc.) so manufacturers are being unnecessarily cautious.
@Kristen,
Being single, I often mix the colors in my laundry. Otherwise, I would be running three small loads instead of one regular one -- wasting my time, laundry products, and water. But I always wash on cold, turn clothes inside out (cuts down on fading), and use those color guard sheets. They're the greatest thing since sliced bread -- you just throw 'em in the wash and they absorb any dye that starts floating around in the water. People might think buying this extra laundry product is not frugal, but I consider it "clothing insurance."
Oh, I can imagine that they are a godsend for you! And they really do pick up an amazing amount of free-floating dye.
The girl who caught my wedding bouquet planted the ivy from it in a handmade pot and gave it to me on our first anniversary. I managed to keep it alive several years until taking care of my newborn became more important than caring for the plant.
@Linda Sand,
Ha, ha, I'd say the baby was a far better reminder of your wedding than the ivy was, anyway.
I do salads in the winter, but living in Texas those kinds of produce are in season year round.
Frugal by necessity for years, now by choice. My husband and I had a discussion just last week that we could loosen the purse strings and start enjoying our savings while we're still young, but I'm perfectly happy with the life we have. Travel is my splurge, but even then I do everything on a budget, those frugal habits are ingrained!
@Michelle H,
Forgot to add - my good friend colors my hair for me. We make an evening of it, have snacks and a few adult beverages, and hang out and gossip.
@Michelle H, Your point about enjoying savings while young is poignant to me. My husband and I are often hyper-focused on retirement and forget the possibility that we might not be able to do everything we want once we get there (though we are both quite healthy now). Yesterday a less healthy friend (in part because of long COVID) made a comment about traveling while young because you might not be able to do it later and I felt so torn. Not that we don't enjoy ourselves, but sometimes I just don't feel like I can come up with anything more "fun" to do with the energy levels I have after very full days of work. And the idea of packing in a bunch of activities into a vacation exhausts me. Sigh. I suppose it will always be a source of tension until retirement actually happens, but at least I think it's fun to save money and I do get fulfillment from everyday life and my work.
@Marissa, I hear you! When we were working full time a vacation was more hassle than it was worth, and if I had time off I'd rather stay home and relax, too.
When we early retired we bought a used travel trailer and for the last 9 summers our vacations have been hauling the kids all over the US, lots of free activities like hiking and swimming, cooking our own meals to keep costs low, and making memories (or as we joke, giving the kids something to tell their therapist in a few years).
The funny thing is, the big things I thought would be memorable for them are nothing compared to the small stuff they talk and laugh about. They still haven't let me live down running into a dinosaur statue in the rain outside the science museum in Sioux Falls, and my then 11 year old looking at Mt Rushmore and saying "huh, I thought it would be bigger" is something we ALL still laugh about, and has become the family catchphrase for anything underwhelming.
We have lost several friends to health issues the past few years, and that made us reevaluate our plans for my husband and I to travel after the kids were grown, and to start doing some of it now. (We were late bloomers, so my husband will be eligible for social security before the last kid is out of the house).
The Alaska cruise we took in September was only the second kid-free trip we had taken in 19 years, so an interior cabin and someone cooking my meals was a luxury! (And all the people with balcony rooms that cost 3x as much were out on deck to get a better view of the scenery anyway.)
Dry cleaning used to be a huge thing. My dad had a blue collar job and rarely had anything dry cleaned, but my uncles who worked in offices had a weekly pick-up and delivery of cleaning and professionally starched shirts. People used to put up a special hook by the door so the delivery guy could hang up the drop-off of cleaned and pressed clothes. My aunt was very crafty and used to make Christmas wreathes out of the excess dry cleaning bags.
Salad: My palate is ever changing. When it was not economical to buy salad fixins' d/t shipping and often not being very tasty, I didn't buy any. Since I buy Misfits, I have access to good tasting produce, moderately priced and "saving"/utilizing items that may just be composted. Therefore I am apt to buy and eat more salad type meals and use heartier ingredients regardless of the season.
Dry cleaning: I rarely purchase items that require dry cleaning. Just this week, I bought a top at Marshall's and d/t the print and texture "assumed" it was a cotton blend. Silly me. I looked at the care label this morning so I could wash it and found it is linen. Requires hand washing (and I know that to be best to maintain the shape) and line drying. Had I recognized that before purchasing, I'm not sure I would have bought it.
Perms. My hair quality is thin and fine. I started getting perms at a very young age, 9 y/o, I think. I went through a period of just having it "straight and stringy" as my Mom said. Or setting it with brush rollers and teasing it. I could roll my hair in the dark. Once out of college, I went to short curly bobs. About two years ago, I found a shampoo and conditioner that really helped the quality and let it grow again for a while. But all during this time, I have also kept up with a perm. I feel like when it is straight, it is too severe and does not suit my personality. The thyroid issues I have, effect it a lot.
Roses: the last roses I got had two that started to send out new leaves but I did not retrieve them from the bouquet before they wilted. Had hopes of more life .
Feast or Famine: I currently have more money than I ever had. The biggest change has been in generosity. It IS truly more blessed to give than receive. The funnest thing I have done recently (and this is not patting myself on the back, but to make you smile) was putting a $50 dollar bill in the dryer of a sweet little family at the laundromat. Fortuitously, they stepped out so I could put it in just before I left. This was the day after Christmas. If I were pinching pennies, I probably would not buy from Misfits or Grove Collaborative. But I gladly pay for the convenience and knowing I'm doing good for the planet.
@Chrissy,
awww -that was very sweet!
People are omnivores--healthy people eat a variety of foods all year. I love summer salads but winter salads are satisfying, too--cabbage and kale make excellent bases. I try to cook seasonally for several reasons--price, quality, availability, shipping savings; and canned and frozen fruits and vegetables can be delicious additions with nuts and croutons. I love one-dish dinners in our dinner bowls or soup bowls, easy to make, to serve, and to clean up. We also love Chinese stir fry dishes, easy ways to use vegetables and small amounts of meat all year for healthy eating. Frozen veggies work great, and all kinds of meat and fish. Soup is a one-dish dinner too.
As for dry cleaning, we live in a small town where the one local dry cleaner mostly does sheriff's department uniforms. They don't have the expertise for the delicate Asian silks or fine wools I make clothes from, fabrics inherited from my mother. I wash the silks gently by hand with shampoo, air dry, and they come out fine. Manufacturers specify dry clean only often because they don't clean them before cutting out a garment, so the woven fibers relax in the wrong places. I prewash silks and steam wools to relax them in advance of cutting, and prepare linings, zippers, etc., the same way so the finished garment does not stretch or shrink. The chemicals are another story, but I do use the dry cleaner occasionally to keep my husband's older tailored suits in good condition. I store them in cloth covers so the plastic doesn't trap toxic gases.
Dry cleaners used to be experts in stain removal and textile care, and some still are. They also used to have alteration services and good care advice, but I think most people are not dressing as well as we used to, or attending dressy events. I have come to enjoy sewing and recommend it for durable, cleanable, well fitted clothes. It isn't all complicated, and can save a lot of shopping time and aggravation. I have to drive a minimum of an hour just to reach a mall of any kind, and got tired of shopping for hours and finding nothing I needed or could justify buying. I found that by working to get better at sewing it actually takes less time and money to sew, under more pleasant conditions and with better fabrics, than to shop endlessly and still end up with awful clothes. I wear a plus size that apparently is never fitted in a cotton, rayon, or silk, so the options are polyester blends with ugly factory finishes. Uncomfortable in Ohio summers and looking awful always!
Sorry about the rant. It was so frustrating. But it is also more frugal to plan a seasonal wardrobe and sew ahead a little, so I have fewer clothes than my sister (size 4), but mine are more distinctive. And they last longer. And they are comfortable and cheaper in the long run!
@Kristina, I feel the exact same way on the clothing! It's so exhausting to go shopping, and even when I shop online it's a whole process because I don't like the fit of most things. Hopefully viable sources of good fabric will continue. I was somewhat surprised by the closing of JoAnn's, though most of my fabric has come from thrift store reworks as of late.
I cannot imagine not eating salads, of any kind, all year long. I eat a lot of both fresh and some frozen veggies all year long. I follow the sales and freezer space permitting, I opt for sale priced frozen veggies over some seriously over-priced veggies in winter. You have to be flexible if you want to save money.
Someone mentioned canned veggies. NOOOOO with the exception of Le Suer small peas. Most canned veggies are too salt heavy to be healthy. Fortunately there are some low-or no-sodium options but often as expensive or more so than fresh!
You really are limited to what is offered in local stores. If you have year-round farmers markets that helps get healthy options, albeit not always cheap. But I would rather spend on really good quality and variety of veggies and seafood than cheaper, but less healthy protein options (meat, poultry, etc.)
We don't eat a lot of fruits because of the sugar but we're big on healthy options such as blackberries, blueberries, apples and kiwi.
Today, being spending conscious (I am not a fan of the term "frugality", to me it has negative connotations as in having to deny yourself certain things.) is a must no matter where you fall on the economic scale for income and savings. It's prudent to never spend more than you have to and look for bargains and maximum savings.
Even in the tough times, Kristen was/is living in a lovely home with some lovely thrifted furniture pieces. She's lucky she lives in an area where there were affordable options for housing. Many people stay married simply because they literally cannot afford to move out, let alone pay for lawyers' fees. It's a sad state of affairs particularly as some people are being physically and emotionally abused daily.
In terms of what we eat, science has shown that many of the formerly considered healthy options are NOT healthy at all. And today, eating really healthy IS expensive no matter what people say, especially if feeding multiple people in the home. What's going on with eggs now typifies what goes on with other things and has been for years.
Folks who thought going vegan or vegetarian would be cheaper have been surprised at how expensive it can be. If I could grow veggies, I would do it in a heartbeat, but you can't do that in a NYC apartment. No balcony, no light, no space for planters.
Eating for one is often more expensive, proportionately, than feeding multiples where you can take advantage of bulk food purchases. (I wish there was a way to split such purchases with someone else, as some folks are able to do.)
I can't remember the last time I had anything dry cleaned other than a coat or outerwear jacket. Chemical smells always turned me off.
It's somewhat amusing to read bits from the Tightwad Gazette to see how much has changed. Some things for the better, others not so much. Thanks for the look back, Kristen.
I agree about the canned veggies, with the exception of canned tomato products. I happily buy diced tomatoes, whole tomatoes, and tomato paste.
I am not part of the "loves salads" group. I will eat tomatoes and cukes with a homemade ranch dressing, but the rest of our vegetables are hot. I do make slaw for the husband when our cabbages are maturing like crazy. I actually dread going to people's homes and being served a fancy salad with fruits and nuts mixed in with the vegetables (yuck to cold squash or cold beets), topped by some fruity vinaigrette. I will force it down and recognize the time and expense that went into it, but I don't like it.
I also don't dry clean. I remember my father having to wear suits and starched shirts and weekly pick ups and drop offs at the dry cleaner. Glad things are more casual now...although I was pretty astonished when I went to a concert last week and one guy came in sweaty gross shorts and those sleeveless t-shirts they used to call wife beater undershirts. And it was 2 degrees...
Howwww was he not freezing to death????
I was just about at the "whoopee" stage -- I've even just put in new flooring, bought some LED ceiling light fixtures to install, and was hoping to redo the kitchen a bit -- when the news came about DOGE and Elon Musk possibly suspending/delaying/reducing/killing Social Security. Uh, I was depending on that SS check. Then I called the mutual fund people and found out my 401K lost $1000 or so overnight. So it's back to the old drawing board for this frugal gal. Not that I was planning to do anything reckless, but I had hoped to cut back on my work hours at both piddly little jobs I hold, and get with it and pay off my car in a year's time (doubling up on payments). Guess I will be working long hours for another few years, and just adding to the car payment as I can.
Funny you should mention perms. I haven't had one in ages. I remember Mom used to sit Grandma in the backyard (in warm weather) and give her a haircut/home perm to save money; she'd just sit her in the grass so she didn't have to put down newspapers or mop the floor, LOL! They'd use the same set of rollers each time and just buy new papers and perm solution. And, boy, did those chemicals stink!
Today I went to the discount hair salon and they used the hair clippers along with scissors to give me a super short 'do. I'm not coloring it, just shampooing; most of the time, I don't even need conditioner or hairspray because my hair is so short and I go casual. I don't use Paul Mitchell, Redkin, Kendra or other expensive brands; my products are store brands, Suave, White Rain and/or Tresseme', whatever was cheapest. And I usually go to Ollie's Outlet, at that, and get a great big, cheap bottle of [whatever].
I think this "business casual" trend has pretty much killed off most of the need to dry clean. Which is great! Rarely do I see men or women in business suits or dressy clothes, not even at church or the bank. Funeral home employees and lawyers are just about the only ones to still adhere to the old-style dress code.
As for salads, I often am deficit on vegetable eating, so I make sure that every few days, I get a tossed salad to make up for it. The best, and cheapest, salads we ever had was when my dad put in a Square Foot Garden. He always had a square for fresh spinach, and we used that as our salad greens. We'd pick the spinach, come in and wash it off, and into the salad bowl it went along with fresh homegrown tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers and onions Dad had grown. We'd toss in other ingredients such as hard-boiled eggs, leftover green beans, cheese and bacon bits. I went to give blood that summer, and my iron level was not as expected. They took a sample into the lab to "spin" it in a machine, and the phlebotomist came back to me and said "you need to avoid all magnets." She laughed and explained my iron level was higher than most women's, but they could certainly still use my healthy blood. No doubt it was all the spinach I was eating!
We simply don`t crave that much cool, crunchy greens in winter, but I think we`re covered by veggie sticks with bean/joghurt dip for evening snacks. And soups/stews too.
You can spend an incredible amount of money on hair, that is true. I used to color my hair plantbased (powdered henna+), which is a very timeconsuming messy process.
Going to a salon, that would cost a fortune.
Congrats on Lisey for trying all the colors she wanted before she couldn`t any more!
I did that too and may try a little ultraviolett in the summer,because, good news, no ban lasts forever.
My active duty Army son always finds a good cleaner as soon as he changes duty stations, it’s not an option. Me, I no longer buy items requiring dry cleaning, however, I do have two vintage wool coats that are so well made and comfortable that I take them to the cleaner every year or so. Ouch! Before casual attire hit the professional workplace, I always had suits that needed dry cleaning. Good riddance!
Growing up in a rural town, I remember winter produce was apples (and the basic three- Red Delicious, Golden Delicious and Granny Smith), oranges and bananas. Pears for a brief spell. Veggies were just as simple.
Living in a sunburn for several decades as an adult, I was able to get most out-of-season produce for a relatively inexpensive price. I think it was due to the proximity to California and Mexico.
Now I'm in the east side of the country and supply and quality are way down and cost is way up (although that could be the economy). I don't like summer salads much anyway, so it works out. My salads are usually grated green cabbage (or brussel sprouts), carrots, and nuts/seeds anyway, so pretty easy to eat year round if I want.
I do remember that my grandparents and friends' grandparents all had some type of food tree, even in tiny city yards or at least an herb garden in a windowsill. The fig trees were always my favorite to climb- maybe the way they are pruned.
Well, if you really love salads they are essential. But nutrition and foods have such wonderful variety. Lovely that this is an area you can do what you love, seasonally.
Regarding salads, lately I have been making them with winter vegetables:cabbage, carrots, a little onion and some finely chopped kale. Do still use a tomato because DH did not like the version with chopped apple. With some shelled sunflower seeds and a sprinkle of grated hard cheese, it tastes very nice.
I'm with you about putting things back on the rack if they say "Dry Clean Only". However, I find that fabrics like Rayon and Linen--often marked for dry cleaning--wash really well. You may need to iron them.
I have short hair and spent most of my adult life dissatisfied with my haircuts. I had someone who did a pretty good job and her prices were OK, but she died. I ended up at a "Chop Shop" (chain haircut place) where I sometimes got an OK cut and sometimes got a bad cut, but one person did a GREAT job on my hair. When she quit the chop shop and went to an upscale salon (in a nearby town, no less--about a 20 minute drive) I followed her, but the prices were astronomical. I stuck with it, figuring that for many years I'd not spent very much on my hair at all. Recently she got sick and is out for a while. The upscale salon offered to have someone else cut my hair, but I refuse to pay that much for a Russian Roulette of a haircut--it's really hard to get my hair right. I'm back to the chop shop for now.
I've never dyed or permed my hair. When I first started to go grey I called it "highlights", now my hair is mostly snowy white and I really like the color. I don't have the desire to spend a lot to color my hair, I don't have the patience to sit in a salon for hours, and I don't like all the chemicals.
If the tariffs take hold, getting fresh fruits and vegetables next winter is going to be a lot more expensive for many Americans. There are people who will have to go without. I work with many low income families who have relied fast food, but those prices have gone through the roof, too.
We live in an area of Northern California with a moderate climate, so our CSA can provide fresh vegetables year 'round, if you like a LOT of cabbage and root veggies in the winter. Some leafy greens are beginning to appear this month.
I have a black thumb, so growing my own veggies isn't a viable option, but I do plan to try my hand at canning and preserving this summer with produce from our farmer's markets.
Amy!!! Don’t you dare come for my salads!!!
We already knew your answer to this question!!
I helped my daughter save money last week by helping her put highlights in her hair from a kit from the drugstore rather than go to a beauty salon. We figured that saves maybe $180. It was fun and a memorable time together.
PS
I am remembering my thrifty and practical mother-in-law saying, “One can soon spend the cost of a jacket” (by having it dry cleaned).
I worked in a hospital at one point. Many people did not take their flowers home. I grew many rose bushes from the discards.
Also one time I had a hard day at work and my husband brought home a single rose to cheer me up. I grew a bush from it.
I planted them outside with a jar over them until they sprouted or spring arrived. I lived in Pennsylvania both times.
Did I miss where you said why Lisey can't have colorful hair anymore? What are the regulations?
Her airline company has a policy against it!
I don’t use the “ feast or famine”method of budgeting EXCEPT I find myself with a new tube of toothpaste or skin cream using a bit more than I need….But somehow when the tube gets down to almost nothing, I make do with much less.
Salads are delicious any time of year, but I see what her point was. Luckily we live in the 21st century, where we are at choice about what we eat and when. Let's hope it stays that way.
I LOVE propagating plants, and hate throwing out flowers. I've composted them in the past, but the stems stay really hard. I'm definitely going to try this. We don't have a lot of store bought flowers, but DH buys them for me on special days. I never ever would have thought of this.
That said, I'm not sure my region is a good place to grow those kind of roses but its worth a try. 🙂
We eat salads yr round mainly because my husband is a type 1 diabetic. Salads are just so much easier to have variety in his diet without all the carbs, starch & sugar in root/winter vegetables. We do eat soups in winter but I make them myself because I just can't buy them with a low enough carb count for him. Is it more expensive? Maybe?
I've found that the more fresh foods we eat, the less we spend on junk food which is the most expensive foods.
Your #1 eating vegetables in season reminded me of a wonderful book written by Barbara Kingsolver, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. It is the story of how her family lived a rural life and only ate what they, their community, their neighbors grew or raised. It is a really great and has some good recipes in it as well.
The Tightwad Gazette has been a "repeat read" on my shelf for several decades, but the "don't eat salad in the winter" advice is something I've (sort of) ignored. I start to feel awful if I don't get some fresh greens. Canned or frozen just doesn't cut it. Luckily I've learned to plant hardy greens under a row-cover in my garden late-August that carries us through until mid-February (arugula, kale, earliana cabbage, mustard greens, collard greens, mache salad, kohlrabi greens) so we have a steady, inexpensive supply of greens. You can also sprout greens on a windowsill or plant pea-greens. I've got plans to build a second row-tunnel for next winter to see if I can get past that Feb to April hump (the "hungry gap") since the problem is running out of things in the garden. Plants don't really "grow" in the winter, especially when it doesn't get above 20 degrees. You are essentially keeping them in suspended animation, but with all the fresh nutrients, until it starts to warm up again in the spring.