A Renewal

Maybe because it's spring, maybe because I don't want to squander our tax return, maybe because I have recently landed myself on a very slippery slope, but for whatever the reason, I have renewed my efforts to be a tightwad...or maybe I should say, frugal...thrifty? Whatever you want to call it, I am working hard once again to watch my spending/budget.

I have been on this road many times before and as the year wears on, I find myself slowly letting expensive, or should I say, less cheap habits creep into my life. Better laundry detergent, getting a $5 pizza once a month or so, pricier trash bags, dish soap, shampoo, etc. We're not talking Tide, Aveda, Dawn, Windex, or Pampers here, but the middle of the road stuff that when added together, really adds up.

I don't know why I keep having relapses, but it happens every year or so. I have never "let myself go" spending-wise, not even close, but as I said before, I have found myself on that slippery slope and I'm bound and determined to not only get off, but stay off...for good.

So some of my recent efforts have been:

• cloth diapers (again - I stopped this with Rose a year ago or so - it is also aiding in potty training)
• natural light only during the day (except in the bathroom of course!)
• frugal meals - not letting anything going to waste in the back of the fridge
• homemade cleaning products

This picture doesn't fit in this post - it's just so darn cute

• washing dishes in bulk loads with minimal water for cleanliness (same goes for laundry)
• shorter showers (5 min or less for Ryan, Claire and I)
• less bath water for other two kids
• condensing errands - I usually do this anyway as a time-saver, but now even more so

• line drying clothes
• comparison grocery shopping with my price book (I may explain this another time)
• buying in bulk when it's a good deal
• mostly shopping at ALDI because even in bulk, their prices are hard to beat
• buying the cheapest toiletries/soaps/detergents I can find that get the job done

So you know, old egg cartons (paper) filled with seed soil is by far the best seed-starting kit. We've tried the bamboo and plastic irrigation trays and both breed mold. The egg cartons are cheap and drain perfectly. Don't waste your money on the expensive systems.

• growing garden from seeds
• reusing things I would normally toss out

Those are a few of the things we're doing. There are more, but I won't go into too many details. There are more drastic changes we're making in regards to total living/shopping/spending habits, but these are some of the smaller things. We're also cutting back with activities, getting rid of cable as soon as our contract is up, etc.

What I really need to change is my attitude. A general feeling a gratitude and contentedness would go a long way. So would not caring so much about the mainstream expectations, because the mainstream is in debt up to their eyeballs. Starting with having let my Better Homes and Gardens subscription end - embracing frugality and letting go of that picture-perfect home is a step in the right direction!