Use it up and wear it out, make it do or do without

I grew up hearing the equivalent of this maxim. I couldn't buy new shoes until my old ones were unwearable. I had to eat my leftovers before I could cook something new. This led to a somewhat unhealthy attitude, namely, that I was not worthy of nice things at all, ever. This was not my mother's intention. This is not what any one expects you to think when they tell you to be frugal. But I think a lot of us end up this way anyway. We feel guilty when we buy expensive things, and vow to make up for it in other ways, as though splurging on anything is a sin. This must stop!

You are worth that expensive dress that makes you feel like a princess and flatters your every curve! You are worth a gourmet meal when you can't face another night of Hamburger Helper! You don't need to feel guilty about buying things that make you feel good. The only problem comes when this happens as a matter of course, instead of on occasion. Eating out every night or buying a hundred dresses is not what I'm talking about. And I think you realize that.

This attitude of "I'm worth it!" applies to everything. In my current situation, I have to watch my money very carefully. (This probably describes the situation most of us find ourselves in.) I have to decide what is worth spending money on, what I can skimp on, and what I can do without. For me, the ten cents or so I save by buying garbage bags without drawstrings is not worth the aggravation of having to wrestle a garbage bag into submission, which invariably involves me touching the contents of the bag in some way. (Ick!) For you, however, that ten cents might give you more peace of mind than the bags give you aggravation, and so it would make sense to skimp in that area. The point is, don't be afraid to spend money on things you think are important, even if others might think they are frivolous. I know people who are horrified by the amount of money I spend on bras, but considering how much time I spend in them, and how much they affect my posture, which in turns affects my total well-being, I consider the quality such money buys to be not only worth it, but essential. I've worn cheap bras. They make me unhappy. And I see no reason why being poor should mean I have to be unhappy.

Covers

"Don't cover things up unless it's absolutely necessary. It just means you'll have two things to take care of and keep clean instead of one."
-Peg Bracken, The I Hate to Housekeep Book, page 15

I hate to say it, but this is one of the few things I actually disagree with Saint Peg about. The principle behind it is sound, but I’ve found that some covers are easier to wash than what they cover. For me, it is so much easier to throw the rug in front of the kitchen sink in the wash than to wipe up the linoleum, but this is probably because most of what gets spilled on my floor is water, which is a cinch to just swipe the rug over with my foot. I don’t even have to bend over. But for some of you, it might be a lot more bearable to sop up a spill than to wash a rug. Whatever works for you is great. But make sure it’s easier than the alternative. Even though Saint Peg advises against them, I prefer covers in a lot of cases, such as tablecloths, placemats, etc., since doing the laundry once a week seems like a better use of my time than scrubbing at stains on tables or counters. I sometimes wish I had some sort of cover for the stove, since it invariably gets covered in grease stains, which are my least favorite thing in the whole world to clean. The point is, if covering it makes it easier to clean, do so.

(But she was right about the toaster cover. I've never made a piece of dusty toast either.)

How to Do a Lot of Things at Once

"Let us say you feel it's important, for some reason, that tomorrow you must make five-dozen cookies, wash and iron the bedroom curtains, write a long, chatty letter to the family, and shorten a skirt, which is a frolicsome Monday for you, but there it is.

"Now here's where the efficiency experts say, Make a list! Then, with a high-hearted feeling of accomplishment, you cross off each job, one by one, as you get it done.

"Of course, that's one way. But for the random housekeep, it seldom works too well. Often you get such a feeling of virtue from merely making the list that you don't feel compelled to do any of the things on it.

"No, you need a bigger burr under your bustle.

"So. The night before, as you're going to sleep, you visualize the results you aim to achieve: the family letter written, the cookies made and packed, and so on.

"Then, next morning, you forget whatever your fourth grade teacher told you about finishing one job before starting another, and you start all four projects at once.

"You stamp and address the envelope, and write a paragraph or so of the letter.

"You sift the dry ingredients for the cookies.

"You slide the curtains off the rods, onto a sullen heap on the floor.

"You set up the sewing machine, and wind the right thread into the bobbin, and you set up the iron and the ironing board.

"And now you're royally stuck. You've brought yourself to the point of no return. You'd feel a little foolish about rehanging the curtains without washing them. You certainly can't unsift the dry ingredients. You're definitely not about to waste all that good bobbin work. And there is the desk, with the letter well started, addressed, stamped-

"You must forge ahead, that's all, and, often as not, you do."

The I Hate to Housekeep Book, by Peg Bracken, page 106

Freezers and Refrigerators, Part IV

"If you live in a stormy neck of the woods, with the power going on and off like fireflies, you'd better keep your freezer good and full. Then, if the power goes off, the food will stay frozen for forty-eight hours, which gives even the most sluggish repair crew the chance to get moving. If your freezer is only half full, things will thaw in twenty-four hours."

The I Hate to Housekeep Book, by Peg Bracken, page 94

Freezers and Refrigerators, Part III

"If you're still awash with Christmas cookies, come mid-January, you can stack them in waxed cardboard milk cartons, seal the tops, and freeze them. They'll probably taste better in March.

"But don't ever feel too guilty because you haven't many goodies in your freezer or your refrigerator. Remember, when you keep specialties around all the time they cease to be special and become staples. And remember way back when little children though an ice cream cone was a treat?" The I Hate to Housekeep Book, by Peg Bracken, page 93-94

Freezers and Refrigerators, Part II

"If the members of your family have strongly individual tastes, or, to put it another way, are absolutely loathesome to feed, a freezer can simplify things.

"For instance, if someone likes salt-risen bread or pumpernickel and the others won't touch it, you can keep several sorts of bread frozen, if there's room left around the clothes. Frozen bread thaws so fast it's no bother. (And it's one of the few things you can refreeze without hurting it.) Just drop the frozen slices into the toaster and toast. Or, if you want to serve it untoasted, and you're hysterically anxious to thaw it out, you may hold a hot steam iron over each piece." The I Hate to Housekeep Book, by Peg Bracken, page 93

Regarding a Previous Post

Regarding this post: I really only shared that quote for humor purposes only. I am not in favor criminal activities (unless they don't hurt anyone). I never intended to try it, or anyone else to try it. But then I got an email from my mother, informing me that one of the wedding thank-yous I had sent out a week before had been returned to her- I put her address as the return one because it's a permanent one, whereas I don't intend to stay at this address for very long- because it lacked an address, or even a stamp. I thought nothing of this, until my husband pointed out that the letter had essentially been delivered from one state to another, with no postage.

It works!

Though, you probably shouldn't try it at home. You may not get driven away in a paddy-wagon, but it's probably still illegal.