Small Moments in a Frugal Life

I worked the morning shift a few days ago and after I came home I decided to tidy up the kitchen. I did the dishes, cleaned the cabinets and counter tops, emptied a bookcase I was planning on giving to my son, and swept and mopped the floor. Each task accomplished led to another item to clean. I usually run the coffee pot with vinegar to get it clean. I also use baking soda and vinegar to unclog the sink in the bathroom. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get it cleaned out. This time I decided to re-use the hot vinegar from the coffee pot to clean the drain. I tossed a handful of baking soda in the sink and chased it with the hot vinegar and it worked in seconds.

As evening drew on it became chilly in the house, so I put on warm fuzzy socks and a sweater. I wanted something to eat but didn't feel like preparing anything time consuming so I decided some warm oatmeal would work. I don't buy the more expensive packets you add boiling water to. I like the old fashioned oatmeal you cook on the stove, but it isn't any more difficult to prepare. I have what I call the secret formula to oatmeal, but I'll share it with you. I place one cup of oatmeal and one half cup of milk and two cups of water in a pot. I stir it, put the lid on it, and then place it one the stove on medium heat. I leave it there for about fifteen to twenty minutes and then stir and serve. It is creamy enough so you don't have to add milk. You can add blueberries and cream, or brown sugar and cinnamon, or a swirl of maple syrup. This makes two servings to share or one large portion for a ravenous fiend.

So there you have it. I did my own cleaning, although it would be really cool to have servants. I cleaned with low cost, and green products. I discovered an even niftier way to avoid a plumbers fee, and I kept from turning the heat on by bundling up just a bit. I also avoided the sneaky cash stealing act of ordering dinner out by making a satisfying meal at home instead. It takes just a small bit of effort to find a frugal way to accomplish the tasks in life. If you take the time to be careful with money, you'll be happy at the end of the week or month when you are paying more towards your debt, or adding a bigger amount into savings.

Rainy Days and Impatience

Today it is raining and my area is under a tornado watch. At one point it was if a solid wall of rain was coming down. It sounded like hale but when I went outside I didn't see any on the ground. On days like these, with the steady rain and cloud cover, I only want to stay in bed with the dog and relax and nap. It is difficult to drag myself to work any day but rainy days are particularly difficult.

With extra hours here lately there is so much to do at home. I feel as if I can never catch up on everything. It seems as if I get really far into a project and then get called in to work and then several days later I am right back where I started. I cleared out half a bookcase and have a large stack to donate. The other half is staring at me but I have to get to work. I have a basket of clothes from yesterday! I forgot to put them away. Tucked into a corner on a chair, they will just have to wait until tonight.

One thing my husband and I committed to the other night was clearing out more of our possessions. It was something we were already working on. We've already made a few hundred off of yard sales and donated several carloads but we want to go further. We have moving goals and travel goals and want to significantly lighten our load. This is a long messy process. There are closets to empty and boxes to go through and it just takes so much time. Add in jobs and regular household chores and dog care. I'm further exhausted just thinking about it. My problem is impatience and wanting everything to happen instantly.

We were at the laundromat yesterday and there were two ads on the bulletin board from house cleaners and I so wished I had a little more income to afford this. With my freed up time I could pursue more education, or better this site, or get ready to move and do a job search in a new area. I am so impatient but my time and energy are not infinite.

Off to the Races

Days off are almost always spent on errands. Make a long list and run here and there checking items off as you go. That's how it always ends up for me. I love being productive and having several accomplishments for the day, just not every day! It's definitely time to free up a day in the schedule for a beach or a state park trip, some small leisure to break the monotony. I've moaned enough, I'm off to the laundromat and the bank and the grocery store....

I'll leave you with one of my favorite work stories. I waited on a young woman in a grocery store. She paid for her eggs, milk, and cheese with a WIC voucher. She could have also received cereal and dried beans. I asked her if she wanted me to get them for her and she said, "Nah, that's alright. It's no big deal." She then bought a small amount of groceries which she paid for with food stamps. Then she bought cigarettes and diapers and she paid cash. I went to hand her thirty eight cents in change and she said, "You give those thirty eight cents to someone who needs them."

It was all I could do not to laugh. That night when I dropped my thirty eight cents in the change jar and told my family we were rolling with laughter.

Little Things Revisited

I have a lot of tasks to accomplish each day as millions of others do. Work takes a big portion of my time. Keeping up with a household, caring for my family, and surviving financially can weigh on me too. Days off are often spent running errands, cleaning, or organizing. My point is all this monotony can weigh you down.

In an earlier post I wrote about my dryer breaking. I was dealing with it just fine, hanging everything out to dry and keeping up with things. Now my washer broke.

Years ago in a fit of frugality and independence I purchased appliance repair books. I was sure I could figure it out when a future problem happened. I looked through them. They had a trouble shooting guide and diagrams and step by step instructions. Only one problem, now that I need them, my brain turns to butter when when I try to even glance at these books. My husband tried to look at them too. Then he asked me to fix it. I realize now that we must be incapable of this.

Our routine has now changed and we have another day off task to accomplish. We have to go to the laundromat. Trudging into the crowded place with basket after basket of uniforms, regular clothing, smelly towels, and dog bandannas. We could resent this new intrusion on our time. However, I am determined to find the bright side. I will make the most of this.

My husband was dragging baskets to the car today and muttering about wanting more free time and how awful it was we had to go to the laundromat and couldn't we have another go with the repair manual. We loaded up the washers, and sat. I pulled a deck of cards out of my purse and soon our grumpiness was gone. We were able to get all of our laundry done at once and spend quality time together. Matter of fact we got a few jealous looks from grumpy people who didn't want to spend time doing their laundry where they had to wait for a dryer.

My point? Find small moments, little wisps of happiness everyday, in the most unusual of circumstances, or in the most common of chores. Seek out the joy in everything you do.

As we loaded the last basket in the car, my husband laughed and said,"You know, I had the most wonderful time doing laundry with you."

Of course maybe that was because he beat me at rummy 335 to my 225.