frugal waste of money - my solution

**perSue** · 05-12-2009, 09:19 AM

all the wonderful things i am so proud of many of you for doing - making hm soaps, candles, canning, making hm gifts, etc.
and what i'm slightly jealous of - having room for an extra freezer to stock up, having space to keep all your extra bulk & sale items. LOL

i've officially realized, and all i did was punch numbers, didn't buy anything, that much of it would be too much for me to do (busy sked) and TOO expensive.

having posted about ppl throwing away my gifts - other than the obvious hurt - the waste of MY time, resources, money, etc.
I don't think I'll be doing all these wonderful (heck even envious) things i WISH i could do, that many of ya'll do.

other than not having anyone who'd appreciate my efforts, i also don't have help (via friends or family) who would want to help or would be capable of helping (w/out making fun of me & making me feel absolutely horrible).

however, i still choose to continue to save jars for all the various things "I" can do with them.
I choose to sew, crochet & make gifts for ME and my close ones.
I choose to have a garden my MY peace of mind (or else you'll get a _piece_ of it! LOL)
I choose to do for ME & am not gonna worry about what others think of me (as hard as this is). I still get odd looks and nasty comments... most of the time it doesnt bother me. But every now & then there's a really sharp comment (or I'm just having a sensitive day) and it really digs in.

i guess i realize that "frugal" or "thrift" or whatever you wanna call it doesnt mean I have to do it all... I just dont have the luxury of time anymore.

Simplicity however is THE most important thing to me (with regards to this topic). And w/in that is a sense of frugality... and that's what's right for me.

**madhen** · 05-12-2009, 09:28 AM

It is definitely all about balance. I don't have a lot of friends or family to help me out, but I also don't have friends and family taking up my time on other things, or wanting things I don't want, so I find the time to do the things that make me happy.

I don't really do HM gifts either, for the reasons you have mentioned before, although my HM soap was a hit last Christmas.

I told my mother I was making dandelion jelly on her last visit, a few days ago, and she just made a disgusted face and walked away. No adventurous souls in my bloodline, I guess.

**IndigoMom** · 05-12-2009, 11:01 AM

Good for you! Yes, the time, work, energy, and thought we put into all the little things we do are all resources we need to be frugal with as well. We shouldn't throw them away any more than we would our money.
We don't live in an area/space where we can do all that we'd really love to, but we do a lot of it on a much smaller scale. Our garden may not be large (or productive) enough to preserve enough to carry us through the winter...but we're doing what we can. We cherish the experience, and education that comes in just doing the tasks. We often exchange HM gifts amongst ourselves - but it's very rare any are offered outside our little circle. While people tend to be suprised with what I can make with $3 worth thread, they often tend to see it as being worth the $3, not the week or two it took to transform that ball of thread into the dresser scarf, curtain or what have you...
It's much more enjoyable once you strike that balance. Limit yourself to those things that give you and your family the greatest benefit, and give you the greatest joy.

**Cricketlegs** · 05-12-2009, 03:39 PM

Well good for you!

In my family we love a homemade gifts that have thought and time put into them so I guess I am lucky there.

I say, live your life and enjoy it! Don't sweat the small stuff.

**Siebrie** · 05-13-2009, 04:03 AM

My aunt is very good at flower arranging, so she will bring this lovely dish/bowl with a really wonderful arrangement of plants, sticks, flowers, etc. Even when the flowers are dead, you can remove them and you have a very nice longlasting green 'nature-display'. She will ask the bowl back ;-) But people happily do return the bowl, because she makes such lovely arrangements. And the best part? All ingredients come from her own garden or the woods behind it.

**ladytoysdream** · 05-13-2009, 06:27 AM

It comes down to doing what makes you happy, what works for your budget and what fits your time / schedule.

I made knitted, and crocheted hats for Christmas presents for family members, because of our tight budget. No complaints and if so, they did not tell me about it. Something homemade again this year is my plan.

I think the family is coming around more to my style of thinking. Even the husband is getting a lot better. I sure hope it continues, because I'm not changing my frugal ways

**Lora88** · 05-13-2009, 08:08 AM

I am the most untalented person I know when it comes to making things so I dont give homemade gifts. But I would love to receive some. The thought and effort invovled in a hm gift is so much more important then something you buy. We all have to do what is best foreach of us. Living life on your own terms is the greatest freedom of all