Frugal Living Today

When it comes to frugality and simple living I have come a long way this past year but I’m not there yet.  There, in my case, is the realization of my dream to live a self-sufficient lifestyle on a large piece of land that is secluded from the so-called civilized world.  I want a buffer zone between my life and the nearest city or town because I don’t want to have to deal with zoning and building codes when it comes time to build my chicken coop or a new barn.  I realize that before that dream can actually happen I need to be not only financially ready but also emotionally ready.

Giving up cigarettes last week was a step in that direction, as are my efforts to improve my overall health and fitness level.  I’m working hard to streamline my life and to better organize my life and my work to make them both more efficient, effective and productive.  Doing more in less time is the goal, but only when I don’t have to sacrifice quality for speed.

I have been spending the last few days updating my address book and filling in my day planner for 2009 with all of those dates (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.) that you shouldn’t forget but always do.  One of my resolutions for this new year is to do better about staying in touch with people in my life.  If that means I send an email, make a phone call or actually sit down and hand write a letter, I’ll do it because people are important to me and I haven’t done a good enough job in 2008 of showing them.

Are you the type who wants to eat well but just doesn’t have a clue where to start?  If you are looking for a simple tool that will help you understand what a well balanced meal should look like as far as proportions, look no further than our friends at the University of Michigan.  The great minds behind their healthy eating initiative came up with the The Great Plate - a simple to use visual representation of a standard meal plate and what should go on it.

When I was learning portion control I was taught the phrase half, quarter, quarter.  Half of the plate should be vegetables of a non-starchy variety, a quarter should be whole grains and starchy veggies and a quarter should be protein.  That may be easy to remember but if you have a visual reminder in front of you like the big PDF file that UMich is offering you’re far less likely to make a mistake!

Get out there and get your great plate!

I’ve discovered yet another reason to green up your living space whether you have a green thumb or not - and it has nothing whatsoever to do with your feng shui. According to a spokesperson for the American Lung Association, a simple way to remove many airborne toxins from your home is to get a non-flowering green plant such as the no nonsense bamboo plant. A single plant of this type can purify the air in a 10 x 10 room in 24 hours!

Think your housecleaning skills removes all of that nasty stuff from your home? Bet you didn’t know that paints, carpets and even shower curtains can release toxic junk into the air all the time…just some food for thought.

Stop using the dryer!

People used to laugh at me when I told them I don’t use the dryer.  Okay, so in fairness they still laugh at me but nowadays I can laugh right back.  Not only do I save a ton of money by not using a clothes dryer, I also extend the life of my clothes.  Excessive heat breaks down the fibers, so even if you do use the dryer you really need to stop overdrying your clothes.

Zip it!

Always make sure that your buttons and zippers are all fastened prior to starting a load of laundry.  Zippers can catch on anything and cause damage when you least expect it.

Iron inside out

When you iron your clothing - especially darks - turn them inside out first.  This will help stop fading and help you to avoid that tacky shine that appears on some fabric when they’re ironed.

I did the traditional Christmas Day meal this year which included a whole turkey.  Unfortunately I would not be able to eat standard leftovers on the day after Christmas because that morning (yesterday), I was slated to have some pretty heavy duty oral surgery.  Thinking ahead as I tend to do, I was able to prepare for it quite well.

I used a baking bag for the turkey which did well to keep it juicy as well as keeping all of those delicious juices for me to make soup.  All of that liquid was transferred to a large stock pot to which I added fresh water, rice, chopped carrots, celery, onion and garlic.  I allowed the soup to simmer long enough for the rice to cook and I was in business.  It was (and is) some of the best soup I’ve made in a long time.For tomorrow I’ve made a simple turkey salad with chopped turkey, onion, celery, hard boiled egg, mayo, salt & pepper.  I sampled a quick bite to make sure I had everything right and I was amazed that anyone can complain about being sick of turkey.  I ate turkey on Christmas, turkey and rice soup all day yesterday and today and will love my turkey salad tomorrow.  Because I only cook whole turkey twice a year on average, I enjoy a few days of these special treats.

I quit smoking two days ago.

This isn’t the first time I’ve gone smoke free and I have never had the severe withdrawal symptoms that many experience, thanks in no small way to a non-addictive personality that probably kept me from becoming an alcoholic in my youth as well. Every time I’ve quit though I am always on the lookout for those symptoms that others report - hyper sensitivity to the smell of smoke, for example. I never get those and I feel cheated somehow.

I quit this time because I am tired of wasting money on something as ridiculous as smoking cigarettes and I can think of at least 1,000 other productive uses for that money such as putting it into my savings account. Even if I put it in the stock market it has the chance of returning something to me, that’s a far cry better than smoking ever did for me.

I call this my “common sense bailout program”.

Does your friend or loved one have a decidedly un-green thumb but still loves plants?  Want to give them a special gift for the holidays this year that they’ll love without breaking the bank?  Why not go green?  This is an idea I had a few years ago when neighbors would always tell me that they loved my plants but had no luck in growing any themselves.  Give it a try!

Michael’s “Go Green” Holiday Basket

I start with a small terra cotta pot into which I have transplanted a small cutting from one of my aloe vera plants.  In a few weeks it will fill out quite nicely.  I chose aloe because it is such a simple plant to grow and maintain and it actually thrives when over watered and then allowed to dry out.  In other words, it is a brown thumb’s dream.  You could also use cacti, spider plants, rubber plants or any other hearty plant that can withstand a few days without moisture.

A trip to my local dollar store yields almost all the rest of the required accoutrements when I add a small gardening spade, gloves, a packet of wildflower seeds and - the most important part of my gift - a card like the image you see above.