limits that free part 3

A few months ago, I went out to dinner with a couple of gals. One of them suggested stopping at a clothing store. Before I could pipe up and decline, the other gal said that her credit card was maxed at this particular store and she couldn't allow herself to go there until she had paid it off.

She wears a uniform at work, so I know she isn't paying money for work clothes. Thankfully, she was disciplined enough to stop shopping at her max, but I wonder if the joy of buying the clothing offset the discomfort the debt brought.

I'm not judging her, she is a sweetie and a good friend.

I'm hoping she can some day enjoy a closet with empty spaces and a credit card with no balance.

Less clothes=less debt. More space=more freedom.

Sometimes we need to ask ourselves hard questions. Do I need this? Do I have enough? Can I pay for it?

Obviously questions not asked by these folks with super-sized closets. Apparently Eva Longoria doesn't adhere to my three jeans guidelines. :) My response to the question 'can a girl have too many jeans?' is a resounding 'YES!'.

Such a different mindset than the young man who felt two shirts was enough and did not want responsibility or the burden of care of a third.

Lest I sound like a clothes scrooge, let me assure you that I am not opposed to buying clothes when needed. My definition of 'when needed' may differ from others.

My dressier jeans are beginning to show signs of wear and will soon be shifted to my everyday jeans. I am watching sales and checking thrift stores for something that will fit the bill for my new dressy jeans.

My walking shoes are also in need of replacement. Hopefully sometime this month I will find a sale on the shoes I prefer.

I am very aware of how blessed I am. I have the ability and means to replace clothes that wear out. I would not care to have a closet the size of most people's bedrooms. But I do have choices - and plenty of them even with less than 33 items of clothing. It is enough. And more.

By limiting my clothing options, I have freed up some money that can be used to help others in genuine need. So many in our world have so few options when it comes to clothing.

Hopefully these past few posts have given you food for thought as you consider: "What's in your closet?"

I would really like feedback on these thoughts. Do you think I am off the wall? Has this challenged your way of looking at clothing? Do you think I have too many clothes? Did you count your clothes? (Ann did.) We can all learn from each other.

show me the money

Many people, when informed that the subject matter of the morning sermon would be money would:

a. bolt for the door

b. turn off their hearing aid or

c. plan their Christmas shopping list on the back of their bulletin



Our pastor, unphased by the potential of losing his listening audience, began the sermon by showing a picture of a dollar bill. You may have held one of these in your hand at one time or another:





Apparently, though, there is some talk that the standard dollar bill could soon be replaced by this:

It was a really good sermon. A reminder that we came into the world with nothing and we will take nothing out of it. That we are but stewards of what God has allowed or enabled us to have.

My parents have taught and modeled this lesson for us and I hope Pat and I are able to do the same for our children. Sermons on the subject are appreciated and good reminders.

Though Mom and Dad could buy new shirts and pants - and sometimes do - they also take care and mend clothes to make them last a little longer. Dad uses the blank side of junk mail when he wants to print something. He has this little gizmo (I need to get a picture of this) - a little piece of wood with two small bolts protruding from it. Dad cuts junk mail envelopes etc. to size, punches holes in them and puts them on this little contraption. This is their notepad - primarily used for grocery lists. I know Dad can probably shake a little bit of change loose to buy a notepad, but like me, he gets as much delight in making do as in buying something brand spankin' new.

Like Becky, I darn socks and mend all kinds of other clothing. All kinds. Because I can.

My thrifty tendencies are not about miserliness and stinginess. At least I hope not. I am often reminded by the gentle quiet voice of the Holy Spirit of how blessed I am. Beyond compare.

As Thanksgiving approaches, I am all the more reminded of my many blessings. Patching pants, mending shirts and realizing that my money is not mine, but belongs to God helps me keep things in perspective. Saving a few pennies here and there may enable us to be more generous to those in need.

~~~~~

For the next ten days, I would like you to join me in Thanksgiving. I'll be posting (in no particular order) things for which I am grateful. I hope each one of you will add your ideas in the comment section. Let's see how many things we can list!

food find

We brought these asters home the other day. Love the color!

Seems like blogging minds think alike. I regularly read this blog and this blog. Their recent posts seem to echo what has been on my mind.

In an economic class I took in high school, we played a Stock Market game. I stunk. Not A Risk Taker. So, I do not pretend to understand or care to understand how the market works. Recently, I'm a little underwhelmed at the performance of those who do understand the game. However, you will find no stock market advice in this blog.

Here is something I do understand a little bit: grocery shopping. My own kind of stock market. I've spoken before about how I buy quantities of food when I find it at a really good price and 'stock up'. I always try to buy stuff at the lowest price I can find it.

Prices have been increasing so much lately that it is hard to keep track of what costs how much and where. I finally sat down yesterday with a fistful of grocery receipts from the past few months. I generally shop at three grocery stores here in town. In a little notebook I recorded prices for the items that I most typically buy: milk, eggs, butter, oil, flour, sugar, etc. etc.

Now I have a written record of what I have paid recently for specific items. This notebook will easily fit in my purse and if I see a sale at one of the stores I frequent, I can whip out my price book and see if it truly is a good deal. I first learned about the price book when I read The Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyzn. It only took me about 10 years to get around to making one.

I also keep my eye out for alternatives to grocery stores: farmers' markets, roadside stands, trucks parked by the side of the road with fresh produce mounded high in the pickup bed....

One recent find is this place. It is a rather non-descript place- a worn looking cinder block building. It was our first landmark when Dad gave us directions to get to their new house over 2 years ago. Our neighbor recently dropped off a stack of old Southern Living magazines and I was surprised to find Benton's Country Hams in a little article, but I was also amazed to note that many chefs prefer their hams to any other. This is they way bacon was meant to taste. If you order some online, you won't be disappointed.

Pat and I have stopped in twice in the past few weeks. We met the owner who turns out to be a neighbor and gave Pat some good fishing tips. The staff is very friendly, the prices are good and the quality is excellent. This is where we will buy ham, bacon, farm fresh eggs and local honey from now on.

Shortly after we moved here, I also stopped in at a rundown looking produce stand. A white building trimmed out in orange (orange is a very popular color down here). The people were very friendly, the prices good and the produce yummy. The other day when I was there a little old man came in with a garbage bag full of green peppers. He wanted to sell them to the produce stand. I like that they buy stuff locally from little old farmers.

I guess you can get rich if you know how to play the market right. I will never get rich by careful grocery shopping, but I can bring some delicious, affordable food to our table.

I'm related to this person, yes I am.

as good as it gets

I miss my fellow gardener.

Sweet corn so delicious and flavorful it needs no salt or butter.

Cucumbers drizzled with a little bit of Italian dressing.

Perfectly ripe peaches - sweet and tender.

Last night's supper, grown by the local Amish, was everything I hoped it would be.

The Amish farm was plenty busy yesterday. Once again, cars steadily streamed in and out. We had to wait to reach into the produce bin to fill our bags with the produce we wanted. We had to wait in line to check out. Men with long beards, blue shirts, black suspenders and pants worked hard to keep the bins full and the lines moving.

No cash registers here. Sums were totaled using old fashioned non-electric adding machines. A horse drawn buggy made its way back and forth from the fields bringing more bushel baskets of corn, beans, potatoes, beans, onions, squash to replenish the supply in the market shed.

One buggy was driven by a young father. His little girl was beside him and I really wanted to take a picture of her. She was probably about Emilee's age. So cute, next to her daddy in her bonnet and long dress. The Amish do not like to have their pictures taken so I refrained.

We did not see any of the women. But their works were very evident. Jams, cookies, breads. We succumbed to the smell of the sticky buns - a caramelized sweet roll. Oh, my. Probably the best I've ever tasted.

I am guilty of romanticizing the Amish way of life. I know they are not perfect and that various Amish communities have their fair share of problems. However, the simplicity of their community and business attracts me. Ann and I have often joked (in a kind of serious way) that we would love to be Amish. I admire their hard work, their determination to adhere to their way of life and their desire to live their lives to please God. They are not distracted by the things that distract so many of us in this technological age.

While I will most likely never be Amish, I will continue to patronize their farm stand to buy things we cannot yet produce ourselves or aren't dropped off at our doorstep. We can help support their way of life and enjoy the most delicious produce we have had in quite a while.

Win win.

hysterical markers

evening sky watching

DOD (Dear Ol' Dad) has been known to take a few liberties with the English language. Lori mentioned one yesterday when we saw a road side sign on our way to Bald River Falls. "Look, there's a hysterical marker!"

For those of you who didn't grow up with my dad, that would be an historical marker.

Lori, Richard and I are taking a little road trip today. I'm packing a lunch for us and we will hop in the car and head for this place.

I've been there once before and am looking forward to seeing it again. Once more I will marvel at how simply Americans used to live. I'll scratch my head at how much we have complicated our lives. I will most likely come home re-inspired to change things around here. For the simpler.

We will be reading hysterical markers along the way.

As many as a ten year old boy can stand.

when you try to live simply...

....it doesn't take much to make you happy.

I was up at church the other day and asked C. if she had any boxes.

"You need boxes?" called Pastor from the other room.

"Yep," I said.

"Come with me."

We marched over to the vacant parsonage. Tromped through the unplowed driveway. Down a flight of stairs. Lo and behold there, under the steps, neatly stored, were boxes and boxes and boxes.

We dragged them up a flight over stairs, through the snow and loaded them into the back of the minivan.

When I got home, I schlepped them down the stairs and up the stairs. When they were all in the house I counted them. 30 boxes of varying sizes and 7 wardrobe boxes.

Since I arrived home Thursday noon with my Magnificent Stash of Boxes, I have been a packing maniac. I packed up all of Daniel's room (he had left for school a few hours earlier), both china cupboards and half of my kitchen. My side of the closet is packed - except for the stuff that needs to go in the wardrobe, all my music is packed, except for the music I'm playing Sunday morning. My punch bowl, cups and canning jars. All packed. All my sewing stuff is packed, as well as all the other craft stuff. I packed up the game closet and filled one box with gardening stuff out in the garage.

Now that I have all these boxes at my disposal, I have really been making progress. We leave sometime next week for house hunting in TN. I want to have as much of the packing done before that as I possibly can.

Feel free to come over and help. Just don't sit down in one place for very long. I might wrap you up in bubble wrap and pop you into a box.

Come to think of it...has anyone seen Patrick lately?

simply moving

our current decor - lovely isn't it?

Our friend J. moved yesterday. They haven't sold their house yet, but had jobs to go to out west. So she packed up all their stuff in totes and left it in the basement. They'll be living with family for the near future.

"If you don't mind my asking, how many totes did you use?"
"Thirty."

That sounded like a lot until I came home and counted how many boxes I have already packed.

Gulp.

I have seven boxes packed in our bedroom, six in Daniel's, three from one bookshelf in another room. And I've hardly started yet. Clearly I'm doing something wrong.

J. admitted she had been pretty ruthless in getting rid of things. I thought I had too.

I'd like to think that I live simply. And in some areas I do. I wear either one outfit or the other to church each Sunday. I have two pairs of jeans and one pair of dress pants to my name. One pair of jeans if for gardening and scrubbing floors - the other for wearing in public. The dress pants seldom get worn. I could get rid of them. I prefer to wear a skirt and blouse when I go somewhere nice.

I think my biggest downfall may be books...and fabric.....and dishes ....and music for church. Though I've bought precious little fabric lately and I don't have much of a stash at all, it seems like there is a lot of sewing stuff. I haven't bought any dishes, but I'd be reluctant to get rid of the ones I have. Our everyday dishes are from Mom and Dad. Our china, a gift from Pat's folks. Music? Whether I play at church or not, I love to sit down at the piano and play and sing worship songs. And Pat kindly says he likes it when I do.

So I say nothing about fishing equipment. ~Smile~

Like I said, I think we have gotten rids of lots of stuff. I suppose I could do better. But it really isn't a competition is it? I don't have to get down to 30 totes, do I?

We are leaving a lot of our furniture behind and both tvs (hooray!).

What would you get rid of if you had to move?

doing Christmas part 1

if you are tired of seeing pictures of deer and snow in our yard, you may have to visit someone else's blog, cuz this is pretty much all I've got

This past summer, I read the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver.
It was a good book. I like her writing style, and while we are on opposite ends of the spectrum religiously and politically, I would read it again for the inspiration it gave me. Inspiration to eat locally, that is .

It is a book about their family's attempt to raise most of their own food and to procure locally what they could not raise themselves. If you've read this blog for any length of time, you know this is a subject that interests me.

I picked it up again to read her chapter on December - to see what foods they were eating at this time of the year.

This sentence jumped out at me:
"We are a household of mixed spiritual backgrounds and some of the major holidays are not ours, including any that commands its faithful to buy stuff nobody needs." (page 285)

Where did she get the idea that Christianity 'commands its faithful to buy stuff nobody needs'?

A careful reading of the gospels, I think would lead to a different conclusion. The baby born in a manger grew up to say things like this:
"and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me." Mt. 10:38
"If someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well."Mt. 5:40
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal." Mt. 6:19
"...the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." Mt. 8:20b
"If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Mt. 19:21

Hardly a call to rampant materialism.

What have we done to Christmas?

It is true that we are daily bombarded with enticements to buy stuff for people for Christmas and indeed most of it is 'stuff nobody needs'. But this is not what Christianity 'commands'.

What kind of example have we set? How should those of us who follow Christ celebrate Christmas? Frenzied shopping, decorating, baking? I don't think so. I'm not against shopping (well, I kind of am...) decorating or baking....These are fun activities and not inherently wrong when done in moderation.

But Christmas needs to be so much more. Here is a wonderful gift we can give to God and those around us:
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it 'Love your neighbor as yourself." Mt. 22:37-38

More tomorrow....

ambition

The last several weeks are sort of a blur. Work in the morning, more often than not some meeting, activity or something else to attend to in the afternoon, and commitments several nights a week.

I need to take charge of my schedule instead of having it run me. Although I have enjoyed all of the things that call me away from home, home is where I really want to be.

"Do all you can to live a peaceful life. Take care of your own business, and do your own work as we have already told you." I Thes. 4:11

I have always appreciated this verse. In the NIV it reads: Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life.

Time to start. Ambitiously pursuing a peaceful, quiet life.

Sound like an oxymoron? It takes a lot of work and a lot of intentional decision making to keep life from dragging you along at a fast pace.

Stop and smell the roses. Drink in God's Word. Be available to someone in need.

Be still and know that He is God.

coming clean

Please pass the water, Ammonium Laureth Sulfate, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Glycol Distearate, Sodium Chloride, Cocamide MEA, Amodimethicone, Cetyl Alcohol, Fragrance, Sodium Citrate, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Sodium Benzoate, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Panthenol, Panthenyl Ethyl Ether, Ammonium Xylensulfonate, Trideceth-12, Cetrimonium Chloride, D&C Yellow No. 10, FD& C Blue No. 1, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone.

Don't have any? Betcha do.

Or how about the fragrance, glycerin, triclocarban 2.6-Di-t-butyl-p-cresol, pentasodium pentate, sodium palmitate, tetra-sodium etidronate, sodium chloride, water, sodium tallowate, PEG-6, metyl ether, titanium dioxide, sodium cocoate, faatty acids C8-C18 and C18 unsaturated sodium salts, fatty acids C14-18 and C16-18-unsatd. sodium salts and palm kernalate.

Don't know what that is? You probably have it and use it about every day.

The first is a popular shampoo/conditioner. The second is a well-known deodorant soap.

My friend Kim, who died of cancer almost a year ago, first warned me of the dangers of many of the ingredients in many of the products we use each day. She did a lot of research when she was first diagnosed and eliminated of lot of these things from her life.

One of the first things I ditched was aluminum chlorhydrate, water, PPG-11, stearyl ether steareth-2, steareth-20. Yes, I quit using my antiperspirant deodorant.

"Gasp! Ack! TMI*! TMI!" you say.

Don't worry, I still use something. A homemade concoction (you knew that was coming didn't you?) of equal parts of baking soda and cornstarch. It can be a little stingy at times, but that will reassure you that I have not adopted the customs of most of the women of the world. In other words, I still shave. "Ack! More TMI!"

This concoction has kept me every bit as cool and dry as what I formerly used. And it is much cheaper. Much cheaper. And there are no plastic bottles to dispose of .

For shampoo and soap, I had to look no farther than my friend Cheri. She makes wonderful soaps and shampoo bars. I am completely sold on her shampoo bar that contains (natural) rosemary and lavender. Nice, light fragrance. Good lathering capabilities. My hair feels soft. I love it.

Check out her website here.

She has lots of goodies available and minimal packaging.

So, those are my health/environmental tips for the day.

And my sincere apologies to my children and others of you who perhaps do not care to hear about my 'close shaves'.


*TMI means too much information

simple

thumbergia
black-eyed susan vine

1. Reduce energy consumption. Don’t turn heat above 65 in winter.
2. Unplug all chargers
3. Turn off TV when not watching
4. Use air dry on dishwasher or hand wash dishes
5. Use cold water in washing machine
6. Line dry clothes
7. Turn off the TV for a week, a month, a year or just get rid of the thing
8. Take shorter showers
9. Turn off the water when brushing your teeth
10. Use a bucket to save the water that is going down the drain while you are waiting for it to warm up
11. Buy organic or locally grown food (or grow your own!)
12. Make food from scratch – minimizes waste
13. Use cloth bags at the store
14. Eat vegetarian once in a while
15. Don’t use paper towels – use cloth rags, napkins
16. Recycle everything you can
17. Compost food waste
18. Carpool
19. Take the bus, bike, or walk
20. When it’s yellow….oh, never mind….

I came across the above list recently. Several blogs were having a 'reduce your consumption week' or something along those lines.

All of my adult life, I have been interested in saving money and energy. During the early years of our marriage the oil embargo occurred. The conservation mindset was firmly implanted in my brain at that point. I remember sitting in long lines at the gas station. I think gas was $.79 a gallon then.

Those were the days.

We only had one car, so I would ride to school with Pat and study in the library when I wasn’t in class. On days when I didn’t have class I would often ride my bike to one of my two part-time jobs.

I car-pooled into Chicago for some of my teacher education classes. I rode in with Bob. I was afraid of him. He was a body builder and he was huge.
He wanted to be a kindergarten teacher and as far as I know he still is a kindergarten teacher. I was afraid of him. I wonder what the kindergartners thought.

We did a lot of simple living type things out of necessity back then, now we do these things by choice.

Some of them are time consuming – like making food from scratch or hanging up laundry or biking instead of driving.

Of course if you shut off your TV, you just might save a little time.

out of the closet

A few months ago, I donated about half of my clothing to Goodwill. With the prospect of moving, I wanted to simplify and downsize. I haven't missed any of it.

It wasn't that we didn't have space for it, we do. It wasn't that I didn't wear most of it, I did.
I decided I didn't need so many clothes. It feels liberating to live with less.

~~~~~
We bought a 12 shoe cubicle thingy for our closet yesterday. Normally we keep our shoes lined up fairly neatly on the closet floor, but we decided this would save space and make the closet look neater (always keeping the prospective buyer in mind). I put the thing together last night while Pat was at basketball. As I nailed the cardboard back to the particle board inserts (and the particle board became more particles than board), I reminded myself to not do this again. If we need storage space there are all kinds of cool containers at the local antique store (owned by friends of ours).

We got only one 12 shoe cubicle thingy because I never want to get to the place where we need two. Twelve pairs of shoes are more than enough for two people, don't you think?
~~~~~
As I was hammering teeny tiny nails into the splintering particle board, the phone rang. It was my friend Carol. She and her husband have recently sold their furniture store. She said she has a box of upholstery samples to give away. The samples range in size from 2 inches square to 20 inches square.

So, I'm putting this out there. Anyone want to come with me to get some free fabric? She said a missionary friend of hers in Africa often uses samples to make quilts for the one inch floor mats the people sleep on. But her friend will not be in the States for some time and Carol doesn't want to ship the box to her.

"How big is this box?" I asked.
"The size of a stove," she said.

That is a bunch of fabric. Local ladies, call me if you want to join me early next week and investigate the contents of the box. We could make tote bags, tablecloths, table runners, pillows, chair covers, window coverings.

I have had the same winter coat for at least a decade. It is starting to show a little wear around the cuffs. I have a pattern for a patchwork jacket somewhere around here. Done in upholstery fabric, a jacket could last for years and years.

Any other ideas? Carol said she couldn't bear to send it to the dump. Let's help her recycle!