I happen to like FlyLady. She's very down-to-earth in her advice and doesn't try the "let's get everything clean now" approach I see far too often in books on cleaning. She'd rather get at the root of the problem. The very first thing she asks her "FlyBabies" to do is shine their sink (you can even get directions on how to do it from her website).
Because each sink is different (and each woman's means of cleaning her sink is different), I'm not going to go into the "how" of this simple, yet foundational project, here. I'm going to briefly discuss the "why" and how it relates to frugality.
FlyLady says it was her goal to keep her sink clean for one whole month. Others I've read have done the same thing, though with different items in their house (like this woman who started with her medicine cabinet). The House That Cleans Itself calls it your Home Base Zone... the one area in your house that must stay clean or you go crazy.
I could never find my Home Base Zone. I wanted everything to be clean, and with so many kids I've found that the only way to keep my sanity is to make sure key points of the whole house need to stay clean. I've learned that every room -- or zone of the house... more on that later -- has its own "shiny sink" (for me in the master bedroom it's the bed, office is the computer desk, bathroom is the toilet, laundry room is the top of the dryer, etc.) Making sure each one of these gets taken care of is vital to your sanity and frugality, but the most important I've found is your sink.
Now, here's where I tie this in. :)
Cleaning your sink means taking out the dishes. But once you've taken out the dishes, you no longer have any counter space (or oven space if things have gotten really bad). So, you do the dishes. You may spend an hour or so getting them all done -- some of you more. But once they're done, they're ready to use: no paper plates, no excuse for not making breakfast, and so on.
And if you set up a routine for doing the dishes (after every meal, run the dishwasher once a day, etc.) then you will probably find you're more able to cook at home, thus cutting down on eating out, a huge expense. There are plenty of cookbooks out there that cater to the idea of making your own freezer meals or meals inside of 30 min. It doesn't take long to find them, though I'll have some links at the end of this post for those who are interested. The point is that as you get better at keeping your sink clear, you will, at the same time, more than likely keep up with the dishes and that will allow your kitchen to become what it needs to be, what it was built to be: the place where you prepare food.
And, once again, making food at home is the best thing you can do when trimming your food budget. Not to mention the health benefits. I mean, have you heard about the 12 year old burger? I'm tempted to try that experiment myself but I don't want to spend the money. :)
Next time, I'll discuss the importance of having an after-meal routine and on routines in general.
***************************
The couple of links I promised:
Saving Dinner's Freezer Meals - I've personally tried these and think it's worth the money if you must have something fast and easy but don't want to spend the time and money eating out. And the recipes are much healthier than anything out there for a similar price. It's a .pdf you buy that contains the recipes for assembling and cooking the meal (after you take it out of the freezer), as well as a grocery list for all the items you'll need for the freezer meals. I'm not sure if she's incorporated this into the mega menu mailers, but I know that ours came with an addition that broke the dinners into various kinds of meats, so you didn't have to buy everything at once if you couldn't.
We enjoyed ours. The beauty of it is that the food often isn't cooked before freezing, so when you thaw the meal out and cook it, it you've retained many of the nutrients that would have been lost by cooking the food twice.
I haven't tried this particular cookbook of hers, but I have really enjoyed the recipes we've used from her other cookbooks: Sue Gregg's Meals in Minutes. Unlike Saving Dinner's recipes, these are not cooked fresh... they are reheated. I've taken extra and frozen it before, so I know that sometimes reheating a food doesn't taste bad at all. I'm including it for those families who would rather simply make double of whatever food they're having and freeze it. I also like her focus on whole foods as opposed to processed (Saving Dinner is more focused on that as well but Sue Gregg is more instructional than Saving Dinner).
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
The Frugality of Cleanliness: Aprons
You may wonder what cleanliness has to do with frugality. I know I used to think the two weren't at all related. I've since found otherwise. When your house is clean and organized, it's easier to find what you need (or find it in the first place). So much money and time get wasted in a disorganized house. I know because it's how I used to live and what I'm currently trying to avoid. I'm not perfect, but I've found several things that work and will share them with all of you.
First thing: get your hands on an apron or something similar and get dressed in something functional and nice each and every day.
Why: I know aprons are considered archaic nowadays. Or something you wear on special occasions. Or something you buy for your husband to wear while he burns meat on the grill. But I've been learning that aprons are much more than that and serve many needs within a home.
First, I've learned they're a necessity if I want to get dressed up (somewhat) for the day and want to keep my clothes looking halfway decent. And getting dressed up really is a necessity if you want to take your position as a stay at home wife/mother seriously. I began thinking about this when we had a neighbor come over to welcome us into the neighborhood... wearing what she called a "housedress". It was a simple t-shirt knit jumper over a white t-shirt in a lovely shade of light green with two pockets on the front. It was simple and beautiful at the same time.
Now, I have always loved jeans. No one can tell me they can't be feminine because I absolutely love pairing up soft feminine fabrics with them and sometimes even wearing pretty jewelry. I love the contrast.
However, I had noticed that I'd stopped wearing pretty tops and had begun to go with t-shirts. Why? Because kids are hard on pretty clothes, whether or not the kids are the ones wearing them. I didn't even tuck the t-shirts in because lately I'm either pregnant or still trying to recover my stomach.
That's why that housedress made such a big impression on me. So, for this pregnancy, I made myself a housedress that I thought would work for the next several months. It's pretty and functional and not so nice that I would cringe if one of the kids got his/her PB covered hands on it. And it has pockets! Glorious pockets! However, even though it's not too nice, it's nice enough that I would rather not wipe my hands on it or stand by a hot stove making bacon in it. So, I made myself an apron, again with pockets (I'm finding I need about four if I truly want my hands free).
The apron isn't pretty. It kinds of is, but it's made out of a very durable kind of fabric and that means it's a bit stiff. But it's perfect for protecting clothes. And because I chose a pattern that has gathers, it looks surprisingly feminine.
So, now if anyone comes to visit, I don't look frazzled or frumpy. In fact, I feel incredibly comfortable because the skirt of the dress lets my pregnant tummy do whatever it wants, and the apron can be hung up until it's time to go to work again.
Another reason for wearing an apron goes beyond the practicality of it and touches on the need for a uniform. In the book Sidetracked Home Executives the authors make the point that staying at home is an important job. Dressing as if you weren't going to work tells your body and mind that it's not. By dressing in a "uniform" of sorts, you're telling yourself that you're going to work and that's where your focus will naturally be until you change clothes -- or take off your apron.
Finally, there's no better feeling in the world than to have one of your children bury his face in your apron when he gives you a hug. There's a sweetness to it that goes beyond words.
In spite of what I've said, you don't have to wear an apron... something that serves the same purpose will work. FlyLady has vests that work well or you can make/buy your own. If you want to make your own apron (better and cheaper than buying one pre-made) you can go here for free patterns. Personally, I like the freedom an apron gives; vests make me feel almost claustrophobic. But the point is to have something that helps you feel what you already know: you are doing a very important work in your home.
This is the foundation. Next time, I'll discuss why maintaining a shiny sink (and all that goes with it) is so important to living a frugal life.
(P.S. Don't forget your hair. Even if all you do is comb it and pull it back in a ponytail, it's better than leaving it alone because "no one else will see it". Your kids and husband are not "no one" and your kids will remember if you never looked put together while they were growing up.)
First thing: get your hands on an apron or something similar and get dressed in something functional and nice each and every day.
Why: I know aprons are considered archaic nowadays. Or something you wear on special occasions. Or something you buy for your husband to wear while he burns meat on the grill. But I've been learning that aprons are much more than that and serve many needs within a home.
First, I've learned they're a necessity if I want to get dressed up (somewhat) for the day and want to keep my clothes looking halfway decent. And getting dressed up really is a necessity if you want to take your position as a stay at home wife/mother seriously. I began thinking about this when we had a neighbor come over to welcome us into the neighborhood... wearing what she called a "housedress". It was a simple t-shirt knit jumper over a white t-shirt in a lovely shade of light green with two pockets on the front. It was simple and beautiful at the same time.
Now, I have always loved jeans. No one can tell me they can't be feminine because I absolutely love pairing up soft feminine fabrics with them and sometimes even wearing pretty jewelry. I love the contrast.
However, I had noticed that I'd stopped wearing pretty tops and had begun to go with t-shirts. Why? Because kids are hard on pretty clothes, whether or not the kids are the ones wearing them. I didn't even tuck the t-shirts in because lately I'm either pregnant or still trying to recover my stomach.
That's why that housedress made such a big impression on me. So, for this pregnancy, I made myself a housedress that I thought would work for the next several months. It's pretty and functional and not so nice that I would cringe if one of the kids got his/her PB covered hands on it. And it has pockets! Glorious pockets! However, even though it's not too nice, it's nice enough that I would rather not wipe my hands on it or stand by a hot stove making bacon in it. So, I made myself an apron, again with pockets (I'm finding I need about four if I truly want my hands free).
The apron isn't pretty. It kinds of is, but it's made out of a very durable kind of fabric and that means it's a bit stiff. But it's perfect for protecting clothes. And because I chose a pattern that has gathers, it looks surprisingly feminine.
So, now if anyone comes to visit, I don't look frazzled or frumpy. In fact, I feel incredibly comfortable because the skirt of the dress lets my pregnant tummy do whatever it wants, and the apron can be hung up until it's time to go to work again.
Another reason for wearing an apron goes beyond the practicality of it and touches on the need for a uniform. In the book Sidetracked Home Executives the authors make the point that staying at home is an important job. Dressing as if you weren't going to work tells your body and mind that it's not. By dressing in a "uniform" of sorts, you're telling yourself that you're going to work and that's where your focus will naturally be until you change clothes -- or take off your apron.
Finally, there's no better feeling in the world than to have one of your children bury his face in your apron when he gives you a hug. There's a sweetness to it that goes beyond words.
In spite of what I've said, you don't have to wear an apron... something that serves the same purpose will work. FlyLady has vests that work well or you can make/buy your own. If you want to make your own apron (better and cheaper than buying one pre-made) you can go here for free patterns. Personally, I like the freedom an apron gives; vests make me feel almost claustrophobic. But the point is to have something that helps you feel what you already know: you are doing a very important work in your home.
This is the foundation. Next time, I'll discuss why maintaining a shiny sink (and all that goes with it) is so important to living a frugal life.
(P.S. Don't forget your hair. Even if all you do is comb it and pull it back in a ponytail, it's better than leaving it alone because "no one else will see it". Your kids and husband are not "no one" and your kids will remember if you never looked put together while they were growing up.)
Monday, September 22, 2008
30 Days of Nothing, week one
Ugh. The kids were sick this weekend, so "nothing" turned out to be fairly expensive. Still, I feel proud of myself that I only got things we needed. I didn't buy anything with the idea of "oh maybe we'll need it someday" or get extra of anything. It's fascinating seeing what we truly need in our house. Finding that bottom line has been a revelation in many ways.
If you haven't started this challenge yet, I highly recommend it.
If you haven't started this challenge yet, I highly recommend it.
The Art of Thrift Store Shopping, Part Two
Last week I talked about the pre-shopping part of thrift store shopping. Now, I'm going to take you through one of my more successful trips so that you can get a sense of how I do it. The key part of this by the way is speed. If you try to find "good deals" you'll end up spending an hour or two. Focus only on what you need and things go a lot faster.
And now, one of my trips.
Finding what you want
We were given a set of mattresses through a friend of a friend and I was thrilled. It was high time for my youngest to move into a bigger bed. Now, I just needed sheets for it: two sets if I could manage it.
First tips: try to go to a store near a place you'll be going anyway (this helps cut down on the frustration if there's nothing there), go when you have more than one item you're looking for, and set limits.
So, I went to a thrift store that's near a place where I do part of my grocery shopping. I set both a time limit and a budget limit. Because I wasn't just going there for sheets -- I knew we needed coffee cups, some Christmas toys because I like to spread out the cost, and maternity clothes -- I budgeted for those plus a little extra just in case I found some small item that wasn't on my list but would help our family (there are some things that aren't high priority but are difficult to find at thrift stores).
Because I was doing this as part of my weekly grocery shopping, I set my time limit at 30 min. I could do it in less than that, but I wanted to give myself some room just in case I found several options and wanted some time to think about it.
Next tip: be open to possibilities... within reason.
When I walked into the store, I went straight for the back where the dishes are kept because those are very easy to look through. On my way there I passed the book section and got the feeling I should stop and look for a book. So, knowing that when I do I often find something I didn't even know we needed, I followed that prompting and before long I've narrowed it down to one particular hardback book. It's a decent price, though a bit pricey considering my budget, and it fits in with some of the stuff my husband and I have talked about. I get the feeling the book isn't for me though... it's for him. I put it back on the shelf and get the feeling once again I should buy it. So, in spite of my doubt (do books really need to cost that much and why can't I go to the library for this one?), I put it in the cart. Just below it I see a book on cake decorating that I feel I should get. That also goes in the cart (I'm ambivalent about this book for the rest of my trip because it's about a subject I'm not interested in at all).
I eventually find out that one of my friends is far more artistic than I thought, so the book gets marked for her. Also, I later find out that the book I bought for my husband has helped him in more areas than I thought.
Back to the trip: throughout this, I'm still keeping things within my budget. That's the key. As long as I spend the overall amount I've previously decided on, I'm still okay with these extra purchases.
Next tips: try to only go to the areas you feel you need to visit, and don't spend a lot of time in those areas. If you must go to a different area of the store, visit it as part of your route through... don't make a special trip for it.
Then, on to the dishes. I'm in luck today... there's a set of three coffee cups in a shade of blue that will match the blue in our plates. And they're not only in a solid color but I really like the way they're shaped. I was kind of hoping for a larger set, or something bigger, sturdier but these are very nice and I get the feeling they'll grow on me (they did and have become my favorites).
Next, come the maternity clothes. I "scan" the rack or, in other words, I very quickly flip through the clothes hanging up... very, very quickly. Because I already have an idea of what colors I'm looking for, and I'm really trying to keep a coordinated wardrobe to maximize efficiency, I'm able to dismiss any clothes that don't fit within that color scheme. Today I can't find anything, no pants or shirts or even a decent dress, so I begin to glance at the tops of the racks where the toys are kept as I make my way to the area where the sheets are kept.
And there, in among the toys is a cleaning caddy. And it's a good one, made of decent plastic, unlike many I've been seeing in the retail stores. And it's one tenth the price of the ones in the stores.
This was a lower priority item since I'd found substitutes that kind of worked, but I have never seen one of these in any store I've visited. I've especially never seen one at this price. It's a hideous shade of brown but who cares! It's a good cleaning caddy! So, it also goes into the cart as part of the extra in my budget that I talked about earlier.
Since then, it has been more than useful to me, making cleaning up after all our kids much, much easier.
Don't see any toys that might work for Christmas, so it's on to the next item: the sheets. The only good set I can find for a twin size bed is $10 for the whole set. And that isn't bad at all, especially considering how nice the fabric is, but I was hoping to find two sets or at least one more fitted sheet. And I was also hoping to find something more suited for a little kid; these sheets look a little too grown up in their classic-ness.
Sheets are the one thing I don't like buying at this thrift store because I can never be entirely sure from the way they're folded on the hanger if they're fitted or flat and that's one thing that isn't written on the tag. So, I have to carefully unfold part of it and search for the elastic. Impatient as I am, this drives me nuts. Thankfully, I've found one set (even if it's not exactly what I wanted) and it's made of good fabric in a classic design that won't clash too bad with my baby's room, so I'm not disappointed.
I still have some money left in my budget and decide to look in two more areas: towels and men's clothes.
I find several towels in good condition for a couple of dollars each. I really don't care about color but I do care about fluffiness: these are nice and fluffy. I get a few so that everyone can finally have their own towel. (This was my fault. I just hadn't kept track of how many towels were getting worn out.) I almost get some hand towels that match the colors of the master bathroom and decide against it. If I find what I'm looking for in the men's section, I'll be over budget.
Next tip: when looking for clothes, triple check for stains, tears, poor construction, etc. You may think you've looked but you may not have looked hard enough. Think, "Why on earth would someone give this away?"
Finally, I take a look for some shirts for Mr. Vinca. "Scanning" the racks, I find a couple of shirts he can wear to work (one rayon and one a lovely cotton/linen blend in a wonderful color for him) and a more casual shirt that he can lounge around the house in. And it's a baseball type shirt at that. He'll love it.
After checking all over very carefully for any rips, tears, stains, or any other reason I could possibly think of for someone to get rid of such nice shirts, I find a very small stain on the upper corner of the baseball shirt. It doesn't look too bad... I think I might be able to get it out with some stain lifter I have at home (I find later that I was right). The other two shirts don't seem to have anything wrong with them, so I check them again just to be sure. The one time I didn't triple check a garment, it turned out to have an unmendable hole under the arm. Well, I could have mended it but it would have looked really bad. I'm not going through that again.
I still don't see anything and each shirt is between $2-3. So, in the cart they go.
And that ends my trip. This was a very, very good trip. I don't usually find such great deals or sometimes even something I can use until I find what I want. There have been times I've gone and haven't found anything we need.
I take the things to my car and do my grocery shopping, still inside the 30 minute limit.
What to do what you can't find what you need
I look at Stuff like wind currents. Stuff is created by someone and passed along to someone else, who passes it along to someone else or else more stuff is created. And eventually you will get the things you need if you're looking and you're willing to make do with what you have in the meantime.
Movie spoilers follow... just so you know.
To use an example from a movie (can you tell I'm a movie buff?) in Cast Away, Tom Hanks' character spends years on a deserted island. He learns to make do with what the island can give him, which is really very little. It's a hard life and yet he manages to adapt and not go too crazy in the process (Wilson the Volleyball aside).
And then, one day, part of a port-a-potty washes up on the beach. Now, up to this point, his character has resigned himself to living on the island because he doesn't have the strength to make it over this one part of the waves that rush to the island. So when he sees that ripped up piece, he doesn't see trash... he sees a sail.
I feel many things in our life are like that. I feel sometimes we look at our lives and say we have nothing when in fact we have quite a bit; we just need to expand our definitions a bit. Okay, maybe a lot. But eventually, whatever you truly need in life will wash up on the shore, and hopefully, by that point in your life, you'll be able to see it for what it is and have the strength and creativity to use it. It's just the nature of Stuff.
And now, one of my trips.
Finding what you want
We were given a set of mattresses through a friend of a friend and I was thrilled. It was high time for my youngest to move into a bigger bed. Now, I just needed sheets for it: two sets if I could manage it.
First tips: try to go to a store near a place you'll be going anyway (this helps cut down on the frustration if there's nothing there), go when you have more than one item you're looking for, and set limits.
So, I went to a thrift store that's near a place where I do part of my grocery shopping. I set both a time limit and a budget limit. Because I wasn't just going there for sheets -- I knew we needed coffee cups, some Christmas toys because I like to spread out the cost, and maternity clothes -- I budgeted for those plus a little extra just in case I found some small item that wasn't on my list but would help our family (there are some things that aren't high priority but are difficult to find at thrift stores).
Because I was doing this as part of my weekly grocery shopping, I set my time limit at 30 min. I could do it in less than that, but I wanted to give myself some room just in case I found several options and wanted some time to think about it.
Next tip: be open to possibilities... within reason.
When I walked into the store, I went straight for the back where the dishes are kept because those are very easy to look through. On my way there I passed the book section and got the feeling I should stop and look for a book. So, knowing that when I do I often find something I didn't even know we needed, I followed that prompting and before long I've narrowed it down to one particular hardback book. It's a decent price, though a bit pricey considering my budget, and it fits in with some of the stuff my husband and I have talked about. I get the feeling the book isn't for me though... it's for him. I put it back on the shelf and get the feeling once again I should buy it. So, in spite of my doubt (do books really need to cost that much and why can't I go to the library for this one?), I put it in the cart. Just below it I see a book on cake decorating that I feel I should get. That also goes in the cart (I'm ambivalent about this book for the rest of my trip because it's about a subject I'm not interested in at all).
I eventually find out that one of my friends is far more artistic than I thought, so the book gets marked for her. Also, I later find out that the book I bought for my husband has helped him in more areas than I thought.
Back to the trip: throughout this, I'm still keeping things within my budget. That's the key. As long as I spend the overall amount I've previously decided on, I'm still okay with these extra purchases.
Next tips: try to only go to the areas you feel you need to visit, and don't spend a lot of time in those areas. If you must go to a different area of the store, visit it as part of your route through... don't make a special trip for it.
Then, on to the dishes. I'm in luck today... there's a set of three coffee cups in a shade of blue that will match the blue in our plates. And they're not only in a solid color but I really like the way they're shaped. I was kind of hoping for a larger set, or something bigger, sturdier but these are very nice and I get the feeling they'll grow on me (they did and have become my favorites).
Next, come the maternity clothes. I "scan" the rack or, in other words, I very quickly flip through the clothes hanging up... very, very quickly. Because I already have an idea of what colors I'm looking for, and I'm really trying to keep a coordinated wardrobe to maximize efficiency, I'm able to dismiss any clothes that don't fit within that color scheme. Today I can't find anything, no pants or shirts or even a decent dress, so I begin to glance at the tops of the racks where the toys are kept as I make my way to the area where the sheets are kept.
And there, in among the toys is a cleaning caddy. And it's a good one, made of decent plastic, unlike many I've been seeing in the retail stores. And it's one tenth the price of the ones in the stores.
This was a lower priority item since I'd found substitutes that kind of worked, but I have never seen one of these in any store I've visited. I've especially never seen one at this price. It's a hideous shade of brown but who cares! It's a good cleaning caddy! So, it also goes into the cart as part of the extra in my budget that I talked about earlier.
Since then, it has been more than useful to me, making cleaning up after all our kids much, much easier.
Don't see any toys that might work for Christmas, so it's on to the next item: the sheets. The only good set I can find for a twin size bed is $10 for the whole set. And that isn't bad at all, especially considering how nice the fabric is, but I was hoping to find two sets or at least one more fitted sheet. And I was also hoping to find something more suited for a little kid; these sheets look a little too grown up in their classic-ness.
Sheets are the one thing I don't like buying at this thrift store because I can never be entirely sure from the way they're folded on the hanger if they're fitted or flat and that's one thing that isn't written on the tag. So, I have to carefully unfold part of it and search for the elastic. Impatient as I am, this drives me nuts. Thankfully, I've found one set (even if it's not exactly what I wanted) and it's made of good fabric in a classic design that won't clash too bad with my baby's room, so I'm not disappointed.
I still have some money left in my budget and decide to look in two more areas: towels and men's clothes.
I find several towels in good condition for a couple of dollars each. I really don't care about color but I do care about fluffiness: these are nice and fluffy. I get a few so that everyone can finally have their own towel. (This was my fault. I just hadn't kept track of how many towels were getting worn out.) I almost get some hand towels that match the colors of the master bathroom and decide against it. If I find what I'm looking for in the men's section, I'll be over budget.
Next tip: when looking for clothes, triple check for stains, tears, poor construction, etc. You may think you've looked but you may not have looked hard enough. Think, "Why on earth would someone give this away?"
Finally, I take a look for some shirts for Mr. Vinca. "Scanning" the racks, I find a couple of shirts he can wear to work (one rayon and one a lovely cotton/linen blend in a wonderful color for him) and a more casual shirt that he can lounge around the house in. And it's a baseball type shirt at that. He'll love it.
After checking all over very carefully for any rips, tears, stains, or any other reason I could possibly think of for someone to get rid of such nice shirts, I find a very small stain on the upper corner of the baseball shirt. It doesn't look too bad... I think I might be able to get it out with some stain lifter I have at home (I find later that I was right). The other two shirts don't seem to have anything wrong with them, so I check them again just to be sure. The one time I didn't triple check a garment, it turned out to have an unmendable hole under the arm. Well, I could have mended it but it would have looked really bad. I'm not going through that again.
I still don't see anything and each shirt is between $2-3. So, in the cart they go.
And that ends my trip. This was a very, very good trip. I don't usually find such great deals or sometimes even something I can use until I find what I want. There have been times I've gone and haven't found anything we need.
I take the things to my car and do my grocery shopping, still inside the 30 minute limit.
What to do what you can't find what you need
I look at Stuff like wind currents. Stuff is created by someone and passed along to someone else, who passes it along to someone else or else more stuff is created. And eventually you will get the things you need if you're looking and you're willing to make do with what you have in the meantime.
Movie spoilers follow... just so you know.
To use an example from a movie (can you tell I'm a movie buff?) in Cast Away, Tom Hanks' character spends years on a deserted island. He learns to make do with what the island can give him, which is really very little. It's a hard life and yet he manages to adapt and not go too crazy in the process (Wilson the Volleyball aside).
And then, one day, part of a port-a-potty washes up on the beach. Now, up to this point, his character has resigned himself to living on the island because he doesn't have the strength to make it over this one part of the waves that rush to the island. So when he sees that ripped up piece, he doesn't see trash... he sees a sail.
I feel many things in our life are like that. I feel sometimes we look at our lives and say we have nothing when in fact we have quite a bit; we just need to expand our definitions a bit. Okay, maybe a lot. But eventually, whatever you truly need in life will wash up on the shore, and hopefully, by that point in your life, you'll be able to see it for what it is and have the strength and creativity to use it. It's just the nature of Stuff.
Friday, September 19, 2008
The Art of Thrift Store Shopping, Part One
Inspired by a post on HeavenlyHomemakers.com, I've decided to write today about how I've found good deals at my local thrift stores.
For those with little time, I'll summarize:
* Start with a plan (limit time and money)
* Where you live matters (some areas just don't have good deals... in those cases it might be better to find other sources... also, try to go to thrift stores that are near a place you usually go anyway)
* Make sure of the layout (know your store before you shop)
* Thrift stores don't have very little instant gratification so anticipate needs
Now, for the details. I discuss the four items above in this post. Next week I'll post part 2 where I'll take y'all through one of my thrift store excursions while I discuss the rest of the main points, such as how I quickly find what I want and the importance of planning a little extra in your budget.
Start with a plan
I know this sounds obvious, but I've known too many women who drift through thrift stores with no idea what they should buy... they're just looking for A Good Deal. Sometimes this is all right. When I have extra money, I sometimes like to wander through one of the larger thrift stores in our area just to see what they have. But even then, I try to do it when I have a clear idea of what our family needs. And this doesn't just end at clothes.
When it comes to shopping, I have two lists. One is for food, and the other is "non-perishables"... or, in other words, anything that isn't food. :) I used to try to keep it all in my head, and now I just have a special section in my weekly shopping list where I can write all these things down. Some non-perishables can take a long time to find at a decent price: sheets, some clothes, dishes, etc. Then again, this depends on your definition of decent. I refuse to spend more than $2 on a set of coffee mugs. And I absolutely refuse to spend $20 on 300 count twin size sheets when I've been able to find them at the thrift store for less than $10 for a complete set.
At this point in my planning, I try to have a general idea of color scheme because I like it when things match. It makes the house much more hospitable if I have a general theme going, if only in color. I'm not quite as picky about things like sheets and towels as long as the kids and my husband like them and they kind of, sort of go with the rest of the house.
Now, at this stage, it's very likely that you'll discover something that you didn't think was a big priority that actually was. My husband's clothes, for example. At 6'3" he's pretty tall and it's difficult to find clothes for him. He also tends not to complain about not having enough work shirts or pants. Because of this, I've had times when he's been down to one or two shirts and I didn't know it (and I'm the one who should be keeping track of this anyway since I'm the one who actually washes them... one of the side-effects of having a large family). At this point (and I'll explain more later) a thrift store is often not the best option. It's at this point that I feel no guilt in spending $20 to get my husband a couple of decent work shirts that fit him (on clearance of course... if I can manage it). If you go through the house, or even just take note as you take care of the house during the day, you'll catch a lot of needs and everyone in your house will thank you for it.
So, you've looked through your house, discovered what you need to get for your family, and now you've either written it down or at least have a clear idea in your head.
But is a thrift store the best option for those items?
Where you live matters
My family would joke that the best place to get candy at Halloween was never our neighborhood. The best place to go trick-or-treating was a higher-class subdivision 30 min away where homeowners gave out so much candy you could fill a king-size pillowcase with it within an hour or two.
I am not kidding about the candy. They really gave out that much.
Of course, this was back in the late nineties, but the point still remains: nicer neighborhoods tend to get rid of nicer stuff. The nicer neighborhoods will often have the best deals at thrift stores. I've found beautiful dresses and gorgeous sweaters, not to mention very nice, durable jeans back in the days when I wore them every... single... day and all of them were in the nicer neighborhoods. Garage sales in those neighborhoods also tend to have nicer items, though unfortunately the people who hold them haven't usually gone to enough garage sales to know how to price them, but that's another essay. :) The not-so-nice neighborhoods sometimes have very good finds, but it takes longer to find them.
I've only spent a couple of years at a college town, but I'm finding it's also a decent place for thrift stores.
I mention this because some people get frustrated with thrift store shopping and rightfully so. It will rarely have the instant gratification that a typical retail store has. But knowing location has a part to play in the quality of a thrift store might keep one from missing out on a great deal and that's the point of going to the thrift store in the first place.
Which brings me to my next point: the best way to find out about the quality of a thrift store is to actually step inside.
Know your store
Every time I visit a thrift store for the first time, I rarely shop. If I do, it won't be until the end of my visit. At first, I try to get a feel for where everything is located, as well as quality, so that in the future my trips (if I come back) will be much shorter.
First, I'll try to get an idea of how they organize their clothes and where the different kinds of clothes are since that's the main selling point in the store. Maternity clothes and specialty clothes, as well as sheets and bedding are one of the things that take priority in my search since some stores have a special rack for those items and some mix it in with other things or shove them off to a corner. At the same time, I take a look at the quality of the items themselves. I won't expect high-quality but I will keep an eye out for the amount of times I come across something I wouldn't expect to find in a thrift store.
Then, I'll look at the items around the perimeter of the store, the hardware, dishes, appliances, furniture, etc. That way, if I see a lot of good items in a particular department I'll know which store will likely have what I need for that particular kind of item. For example, there's a store to the south of me, run by a church organization, that gets furniture from a big name furniture store. Although I haven't purchased anything from there yet, I know the quality is excellent and I'll get a lot for my money if I ever need to get new furniture. Even the not-so-nice furniture in the back of the store is beautiful and often a fantastic deal.
If I make this overview part of my thift store shopping, I'll wait until I've looked at all the sections (some of these thrift stores can be pretty big) and then I'll do my actual shopping.
How thrift stores are different
There is one thing that needs to be understood from the start: thrift stores may try to mimic retail stores but they operate in a very different way.
Because retail stores get several of the same item, in several sizes, and hold them there for a few months, chances are good that the dress you saw that looked so gorgeous will still be there when you decide to pick it up a couple of weeks later. In fact, it might even be on sale by then if they're getting rid of their inventory. The gratification is often instant unless you're very picky or very frugal (me and me).
Thrift stores depend on donations and that usually means one item of its kind on the rack. So, if you see something you need, you will need to get it right then. More often, you'll spend time looking through racks and shelves and come up empty-handed because they didn't have it and there's no guarantee that they will at any point in the near future. If the need is bad, you may have to settle for a deeply discounted item that will do until you can get what you really want. If it's not and this is just part of a larger excursion, it's easier to let it go and wait for next time.
The art of thrift store shopping is contained within the balance between getting what you need and settling for what's there. And every situation is different.
This often means it's a good idea to go on a regular basis. Some go once a month; one woman I know goes every week. My time is limited, so I go every other month if I can unless we really need something. Then I'll try to go more often.
Also, it's a very good idea to try to anticipate the needs of your family. If you can see some of the towels are starting to look ratty, or you've had a baby and realize that you are now short one dining chair if the baby used a dining chair, then it would be a good idea to start looking now for what you need.
The best option, of course, is to use several means to get what you need. I look in the thrift stores, but I also check out Craigslist, eBay, the local papers, Freecycle, not to mention putting the word out among friends and garage sales. By trying several different approaches, we've always been able to get the things we truly need and sometimes a little extra.
In part 2, I'll take you through a particularly good thrift store shopping trip I had not too long ago in our little town. And it wasn't even an upscale one. I just got lucky. :)
For those with little time, I'll summarize:
* Start with a plan (limit time and money)
* Where you live matters (some areas just don't have good deals... in those cases it might be better to find other sources... also, try to go to thrift stores that are near a place you usually go anyway)
* Make sure of the layout (know your store before you shop)
* Thrift stores don't have very little instant gratification so anticipate needs
Now, for the details. I discuss the four items above in this post. Next week I'll post part 2 where I'll take y'all through one of my thrift store excursions while I discuss the rest of the main points, such as how I quickly find what I want and the importance of planning a little extra in your budget.
Start with a plan
I know this sounds obvious, but I've known too many women who drift through thrift stores with no idea what they should buy... they're just looking for A Good Deal. Sometimes this is all right. When I have extra money, I sometimes like to wander through one of the larger thrift stores in our area just to see what they have. But even then, I try to do it when I have a clear idea of what our family needs. And this doesn't just end at clothes.
When it comes to shopping, I have two lists. One is for food, and the other is "non-perishables"... or, in other words, anything that isn't food. :) I used to try to keep it all in my head, and now I just have a special section in my weekly shopping list where I can write all these things down. Some non-perishables can take a long time to find at a decent price: sheets, some clothes, dishes, etc. Then again, this depends on your definition of decent. I refuse to spend more than $2 on a set of coffee mugs. And I absolutely refuse to spend $20 on 300 count twin size sheets when I've been able to find them at the thrift store for less than $10 for a complete set.
At this point in my planning, I try to have a general idea of color scheme because I like it when things match. It makes the house much more hospitable if I have a general theme going, if only in color. I'm not quite as picky about things like sheets and towels as long as the kids and my husband like them and they kind of, sort of go with the rest of the house.
Now, at this stage, it's very likely that you'll discover something that you didn't think was a big priority that actually was. My husband's clothes, for example. At 6'3" he's pretty tall and it's difficult to find clothes for him. He also tends not to complain about not having enough work shirts or pants. Because of this, I've had times when he's been down to one or two shirts and I didn't know it (and I'm the one who should be keeping track of this anyway since I'm the one who actually washes them... one of the side-effects of having a large family). At this point (and I'll explain more later) a thrift store is often not the best option. It's at this point that I feel no guilt in spending $20 to get my husband a couple of decent work shirts that fit him (on clearance of course... if I can manage it). If you go through the house, or even just take note as you take care of the house during the day, you'll catch a lot of needs and everyone in your house will thank you for it.
So, you've looked through your house, discovered what you need to get for your family, and now you've either written it down or at least have a clear idea in your head.
But is a thrift store the best option for those items?
Where you live matters
My family would joke that the best place to get candy at Halloween was never our neighborhood. The best place to go trick-or-treating was a higher-class subdivision 30 min away where homeowners gave out so much candy you could fill a king-size pillowcase with it within an hour or two.
I am not kidding about the candy. They really gave out that much.
Of course, this was back in the late nineties, but the point still remains: nicer neighborhoods tend to get rid of nicer stuff. The nicer neighborhoods will often have the best deals at thrift stores. I've found beautiful dresses and gorgeous sweaters, not to mention very nice, durable jeans back in the days when I wore them every... single... day and all of them were in the nicer neighborhoods. Garage sales in those neighborhoods also tend to have nicer items, though unfortunately the people who hold them haven't usually gone to enough garage sales to know how to price them, but that's another essay. :) The not-so-nice neighborhoods sometimes have very good finds, but it takes longer to find them.
I've only spent a couple of years at a college town, but I'm finding it's also a decent place for thrift stores.
I mention this because some people get frustrated with thrift store shopping and rightfully so. It will rarely have the instant gratification that a typical retail store has. But knowing location has a part to play in the quality of a thrift store might keep one from missing out on a great deal and that's the point of going to the thrift store in the first place.
Which brings me to my next point: the best way to find out about the quality of a thrift store is to actually step inside.
Know your store
Every time I visit a thrift store for the first time, I rarely shop. If I do, it won't be until the end of my visit. At first, I try to get a feel for where everything is located, as well as quality, so that in the future my trips (if I come back) will be much shorter.
First, I'll try to get an idea of how they organize their clothes and where the different kinds of clothes are since that's the main selling point in the store. Maternity clothes and specialty clothes, as well as sheets and bedding are one of the things that take priority in my search since some stores have a special rack for those items and some mix it in with other things or shove them off to a corner. At the same time, I take a look at the quality of the items themselves. I won't expect high-quality but I will keep an eye out for the amount of times I come across something I wouldn't expect to find in a thrift store.
Then, I'll look at the items around the perimeter of the store, the hardware, dishes, appliances, furniture, etc. That way, if I see a lot of good items in a particular department I'll know which store will likely have what I need for that particular kind of item. For example, there's a store to the south of me, run by a church organization, that gets furniture from a big name furniture store. Although I haven't purchased anything from there yet, I know the quality is excellent and I'll get a lot for my money if I ever need to get new furniture. Even the not-so-nice furniture in the back of the store is beautiful and often a fantastic deal.
If I make this overview part of my thift store shopping, I'll wait until I've looked at all the sections (some of these thrift stores can be pretty big) and then I'll do my actual shopping.
How thrift stores are different
There is one thing that needs to be understood from the start: thrift stores may try to mimic retail stores but they operate in a very different way.
Because retail stores get several of the same item, in several sizes, and hold them there for a few months, chances are good that the dress you saw that looked so gorgeous will still be there when you decide to pick it up a couple of weeks later. In fact, it might even be on sale by then if they're getting rid of their inventory. The gratification is often instant unless you're very picky or very frugal (me and me).
Thrift stores depend on donations and that usually means one item of its kind on the rack. So, if you see something you need, you will need to get it right then. More often, you'll spend time looking through racks and shelves and come up empty-handed because they didn't have it and there's no guarantee that they will at any point in the near future. If the need is bad, you may have to settle for a deeply discounted item that will do until you can get what you really want. If it's not and this is just part of a larger excursion, it's easier to let it go and wait for next time.
The art of thrift store shopping is contained within the balance between getting what you need and settling for what's there. And every situation is different.
This often means it's a good idea to go on a regular basis. Some go once a month; one woman I know goes every week. My time is limited, so I go every other month if I can unless we really need something. Then I'll try to go more often.
Also, it's a very good idea to try to anticipate the needs of your family. If you can see some of the towels are starting to look ratty, or you've had a baby and realize that you are now short one dining chair if the baby used a dining chair, then it would be a good idea to start looking now for what you need.
The best option, of course, is to use several means to get what you need. I look in the thrift stores, but I also check out Craigslist, eBay, the local papers, Freecycle, not to mention putting the word out among friends and garage sales. By trying several different approaches, we've always been able to get the things we truly need and sometimes a little extra.
In part 2, I'll take you through a particularly good thrift store shopping trip I had not too long ago in our little town. And it wasn't even an upscale one. I just got lucky. :)
Thursday, September 18, 2008
My sense of entitlement
There's an excellent post by Owlhaven on her blog about the 30 days of nothing challenge and our sense of entitlement. We've discovered things are tighter with our finances than we realized and this challenge really appeals to me. Could we really make it through a whole month buying nothing? Well, we'd have to buy fruits and vegetables, and there would most certainly be a couple of staple items like flour and rice... but what about the rest?
I completely understood where she was coming from about the sense of entitlement. Heck, I bought a package of name brand graham cracker cookies from a store with high prices on that particular item just because I felt I deserved it. And I made a special late-night trip to the store as well to get it. It had been a hard week.
Do I really deserve it? No. I could give myself a much better treat with a cup of red raspberry tea or a walk in the cool fall air.
But that sense of entitlement ends up clouding my thinking and before I know it, I'm making a special trip to the store just so that I can have something that I'm going to regret eating before I've finished the package. I'm wasting time, money, and energy, not to mention valuable time with my husband before we go to sleep, all so I can get something I "deserve".
And what's really funny is that all the things I use to justify it, are things that really aren't that much at all. Other people go through much worse than I've currently been going through. What makes me think my trials make me special?
So, this month, I'm only getting what our family really and truly needs. I don't think I'm up to the absolute nothing the challenge requires, but to only get what we absolutely need... I think I can do that.
I completely understood where she was coming from about the sense of entitlement. Heck, I bought a package of name brand graham cracker cookies from a store with high prices on that particular item just because I felt I deserved it. And I made a special late-night trip to the store as well to get it. It had been a hard week.
Do I really deserve it? No. I could give myself a much better treat with a cup of red raspberry tea or a walk in the cool fall air.
But that sense of entitlement ends up clouding my thinking and before I know it, I'm making a special trip to the store just so that I can have something that I'm going to regret eating before I've finished the package. I'm wasting time, money, and energy, not to mention valuable time with my husband before we go to sleep, all so I can get something I "deserve".
And what's really funny is that all the things I use to justify it, are things that really aren't that much at all. Other people go through much worse than I've currently been going through. What makes me think my trials make me special?
So, this month, I'm only getting what our family really and truly needs. I don't think I'm up to the absolute nothing the challenge requires, but to only get what we absolutely need... I think I can do that.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
The Edge of Frugality
Before I describe my current efforts, I feel I need to give a little background. I mean, I could just start writing about sewing, cooking, cleaning and somehow managing to feed eight people on about $100 a week but the places we draw the line are different from some other families. So, I'll explain.
Everyone has their line in the sand. Everyone. I can't think of one person who doesn't have a financial line that says, "You are now leaving Frugal and entering Cheap." However, each person draws it in a different place, either because of circumstances or values. For me and my family, we care very much about quality on some things. Food, for example. We try our best to eat as healthy as we can and we do surprisingly well. So, even though I could save quite a bit by buying white bread and white rice, I choose to buy brown rice (preferably through an Asian market in bulk) and other whole grains, some of which sound a bit exotic. We aren't able to grow a garden (horrible soil here and we don't have the money to buy anything extra for gardening at the moment) so we buy loss leader vegetables and fruits. Soon, I'll have a different blog up for our efforts to heal ourselves naturally on a limited budget but that's another topic.
The point is, there's a lot of people who would think we were crazy for trying to live on so little, especially when we put such a high amount in the food we eat.
Our view is that better food keeps us healthier and out the hospital: medical bills are a big reason people go into debt.
So, what do I mean when I talk about the "edge" if it's that malleable? I'm talking about the point where you sacrifice true quality of life. There are many things people can live without. My experiences as a child taught me there are some things that a person must have: food, water, clothing/warmth, and joy. The first three are pretty obvious. The last one isn't but if you look at people who are truly happy, who have found joy in their lives, you'll also find that they often only have what they need and a little extra. The surplus they create tends to circulate through the community benefiting everyone.
Take George Bailey for example.
George Bailey, from It's a Wonderful Life, hated his town. He hated the life he felt had been pushed on him by circumstance. He hated Potter, who only cared about himself and what he could extract from others and probably hated him as one of those circumstances keeping him in Bedford Falls instead of letting him wander the world building and creating in exotic places. This resentment and hatred built in him, in spite of the good he managed to do for others, until finally one day he snapped. His life, he felt, had been a waste because he had never done the great things he'd wanted, or been as successful as his friends--Sam Wainwright, business mogul, being the most prominent. He couldn't even provide for his family and, because of someone else's mistake, would end up in jail.
The film/story is fairly well known now. There's no real need to go through the ending--how George Bailey discovers that his life, no matter how it may end, was never really a waste. My point is that part of discovering the edge of frugality is discovering joy. Just as George Bailey had to learn that there are more sources of security than money, and that a life of service is worth more than any investment in a bank, keeping joy in our lives is vital to truly living a frugal life.
George Bailey had more than he thought he had. So it often is with us. And as long as we can keep joy in our lives, then we know we haven't crossed that line yet. We're still only being frugal.
Everyone has their line in the sand. Everyone. I can't think of one person who doesn't have a financial line that says, "You are now leaving Frugal and entering Cheap." However, each person draws it in a different place, either because of circumstances or values. For me and my family, we care very much about quality on some things. Food, for example. We try our best to eat as healthy as we can and we do surprisingly well. So, even though I could save quite a bit by buying white bread and white rice, I choose to buy brown rice (preferably through an Asian market in bulk) and other whole grains, some of which sound a bit exotic. We aren't able to grow a garden (horrible soil here and we don't have the money to buy anything extra for gardening at the moment) so we buy loss leader vegetables and fruits. Soon, I'll have a different blog up for our efforts to heal ourselves naturally on a limited budget but that's another topic.
The point is, there's a lot of people who would think we were crazy for trying to live on so little, especially when we put such a high amount in the food we eat.
Our view is that better food keeps us healthier and out the hospital: medical bills are a big reason people go into debt.
So, what do I mean when I talk about the "edge" if it's that malleable? I'm talking about the point where you sacrifice true quality of life. There are many things people can live without. My experiences as a child taught me there are some things that a person must have: food, water, clothing/warmth, and joy. The first three are pretty obvious. The last one isn't but if you look at people who are truly happy, who have found joy in their lives, you'll also find that they often only have what they need and a little extra. The surplus they create tends to circulate through the community benefiting everyone.
Take George Bailey for example.
George Bailey, from It's a Wonderful Life, hated his town. He hated the life he felt had been pushed on him by circumstance. He hated Potter, who only cared about himself and what he could extract from others and probably hated him as one of those circumstances keeping him in Bedford Falls instead of letting him wander the world building and creating in exotic places. This resentment and hatred built in him, in spite of the good he managed to do for others, until finally one day he snapped. His life, he felt, had been a waste because he had never done the great things he'd wanted, or been as successful as his friends--Sam Wainwright, business mogul, being the most prominent. He couldn't even provide for his family and, because of someone else's mistake, would end up in jail.
The film/story is fairly well known now. There's no real need to go through the ending--how George Bailey discovers that his life, no matter how it may end, was never really a waste. My point is that part of discovering the edge of frugality is discovering joy. Just as George Bailey had to learn that there are more sources of security than money, and that a life of service is worth more than any investment in a bank, keeping joy in our lives is vital to truly living a frugal life.
George Bailey had more than he thought he had. So it often is with us. And as long as we can keep joy in our lives, then we know we haven't crossed that line yet. We're still only being frugal.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
