Independence is an amazing thing. I recall moving into my first "real" apartment after college. My parents were no longer footing the bill. I had no roommates. I was responsible for everything: decorating, cooking, cleaning... My complete independence had begun!
What seems like ages since then, I've now learned that independence comes in cycles. We're continually moving through periods where we become dependent on things and/or people. Or, others are becoming dependent of us. Such is the case with parenting.
This past week, I have been working with my Sweet Pea on her own independence...mainly so that I can once again have my independence (at least during meal times so that I can sit down and enjoy a hot meal). We've been working on using utensils to eat, eating finger foods (although nearly every food has become a "finger" food whether I want it to be or not...think applesauce all over the floor!), and entertaining ourselves. These skills, as with true independence, don't come easy. They are all baby steps. But, each step - no matter how small - is a step forwards.
The same can be true for living frugally. Looking at life in portions has helped me to slowly cut the unneeded out of my life. I pick one area and work on that until I've got it under control. Then, I work on another area while continuing to maintain the first. Doing all of this so that I eventually gain another level of independence.
My independence, as with my Sweet Pea's, comes slowly, but it's moving forwards. This month, didn't succeed at not going to the grocery store, but I managed to not buy any more items for my pantry. That's a step forwards for me!
I hope you're moving forwards in your goals too.
Showing posts with label frugal living. Show all posts
Showing posts with label frugal living. Show all posts
Friday, April 1, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
I See - I Need
Let's face it; I'm not really made to be frugal. However, in today's society, frugality can be a necessity. So, I try. I have saved money using cloth diapers, making my own baby food and home-cooked meals without going to the grocery store; I gave up clothes shopping for Lent (probably my greatest Lenten sacrifice to date)...I'm making a real effort at not spending money.
The difficult thing is that I have wants. They're not needs. They're not, "I can't survive without it" or "That will make work so much easier." No, they are wants...I want what others around me have. I want the nicer car, the exotic travel, the ease of life that seems to come if I just get that newer gadget...you get the idea. These are all a part of the "I see - I need" syndrome which I have to resist on an hourly basis.
It's not easy to resist these urges. I am the person that marketing departments are trying to get when they put items in the checkout lane or sale signs on windows. I am the person you invite to your at-home candle/basket/housewares/food party. These things call out to me. I can feel that inner desire to go in, find any item, and buy it. But, I'm not made of money; therefore, I must resist.
So, how do I do it? Well, it's one minute at a time - sometimes even one second at a time. I try to stay away from areas where I'll spend money. But, you can't do this forever. I would have to stay locked away to truly avoid spending money.
I am not perfect. I stumble weekly. Then, I pick myself up and start again. I'm making progress. I have set goals of things that I would like to have in my life. I've planned my dream vacation to Europe. I've priced it. Now, I'm saving for it. It may never come. With each stumble I have, I fall further away from it. But, with each purchase I avoid, I get closer to it...eventually my avoidance will bring me closer to my goal. Until I reach it, I'll try to continue resisting - one second at a time.
How do you resist the "I see - I need" urge?
The difficult thing is that I have wants. They're not needs. They're not, "I can't survive without it" or "That will make work so much easier." No, they are wants...I want what others around me have. I want the nicer car, the exotic travel, the ease of life that seems to come if I just get that newer gadget...you get the idea. These are all a part of the "I see - I need" syndrome which I have to resist on an hourly basis.
It's not easy to resist these urges. I am the person that marketing departments are trying to get when they put items in the checkout lane or sale signs on windows. I am the person you invite to your at-home candle/basket/housewares/food party. These things call out to me. I can feel that inner desire to go in, find any item, and buy it. But, I'm not made of money; therefore, I must resist.
So, how do I do it? Well, it's one minute at a time - sometimes even one second at a time. I try to stay away from areas where I'll spend money. But, you can't do this forever. I would have to stay locked away to truly avoid spending money.
I am not perfect. I stumble weekly. Then, I pick myself up and start again. I'm making progress. I have set goals of things that I would like to have in my life. I've planned my dream vacation to Europe. I've priced it. Now, I'm saving for it. It may never come. With each stumble I have, I fall further away from it. But, with each purchase I avoid, I get closer to it...eventually my avoidance will bring me closer to my goal. Until I reach it, I'll try to continue resisting - one second at a time.
How do you resist the "I see - I need" urge?
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Leftovers
I have a lot of friends that are gourmet chefs. While perhaps not classically trained in the art of cooking, as I watch them meander through their kitchens preparing delicacies from around the world, I realize how much of a foreigner I am in my own kitchen. I tend to stick to the easy-to-prepare, no-fuss recipes. My go-to recipes tend to include chili, meatloaf, pot roast, enchiladas, grilled chicken, salmon, and spaghetti. My husband is the king of leftovers and so I rarely have to eat this after-thought of my preparations. I don't like leftovers.
However, as I begin this new challenge of not spending money on groceries and simply using what I already have, I found that I have a ton of leftovers in my fridge and freezer. While, in a typical month, I would probably just toss these if my DH hadn't eaten them in a week, I feel like I need to also partake in this cleansing so that I can truly fulfill the goal of my challenge of not wasting food.
Therefore, on the first two days of my challenge, I ate leftovers...Yesterday, I finished off the chicken enchilada dip that I made for a friend's baby shower over the weekend. Today, I used the leftover potato fries I made for my Sweet Pea - which she refuses to eat unless they're mashed - into a potato quesadilla for lunch (also using the sour cream that I had purchased and not used all of to prepare the chicken enchilada dip). I also finished off the leftover Panda Express my DH left in the fridge. Amazingly enough, it wasn't horrible!
Granted, my healthy eating habits need significant improvement, but we'll start where we must in order to fulfill the challenge of eating frugally and without waste.
However, as I begin this new challenge of not spending money on groceries and simply using what I already have, I found that I have a ton of leftovers in my fridge and freezer. While, in a typical month, I would probably just toss these if my DH hadn't eaten them in a week, I feel like I need to also partake in this cleansing so that I can truly fulfill the goal of my challenge of not wasting food.
Therefore, on the first two days of my challenge, I ate leftovers...Yesterday, I finished off the chicken enchilada dip that I made for a friend's baby shower over the weekend. Today, I used the leftover potato fries I made for my Sweet Pea - which she refuses to eat unless they're mashed - into a potato quesadilla for lunch (also using the sour cream that I had purchased and not used all of to prepare the chicken enchilada dip). I also finished off the leftover Panda Express my DH left in the fridge. Amazingly enough, it wasn't horrible!
Granted, my healthy eating habits need significant improvement, but we'll start where we must in order to fulfill the challenge of eating frugally and without waste.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
A Challenge
Perhaps if you've been reading my blog for a while, you've realized that I'm a person who loves a challenge. I think that's part of why I've survived being a mom for nearly an entire year...yes, my Sweet Pea is almost one! It's amazing how fast the time flies. Granted, I don't remember half of it, but I have my previous blog posts to help me remember it all.
As my second year of being a mother begins, I had a thought...really a dare from my husband. We have saved so much money by using cloth diapers and cloth wipes - as well as making most of our own baby food - that I wonder where else I could save money. After all, I love to spend money, but I can't spend money I don't have!
So, here's the idea. For the month of March, I am going to attempt to only make meals with items that I already have in my pantry, fridge, and freezer. I'm going to attempt to spend nothing - or next to nothing - on groceries (which is usually one of our top expenses). I'm going to get creative with what I have and what I can do with it. Now, I'm not saying that I won't buy any groceries. After all, I can't let the milk and eggs in my fridge last the entire month. But, I will limit the food that I want to buy and only buy what is absolutely needed (this means taking out that extra trip to the store for the chocolate, soda, or cheese that I want to snack on).
Perhaps you're like me, you like to keep your pantry, fridge, and freezer stocked. Well, how often do you actually use everything in them? I realize that there are so many things that I am wasting simply because I want to always keep them stocked. So, now I'm going to force myself to use them while trying not to make the same thing over and over again. To begin, I must first inventory the items in my pantry, fridge, and freezer. Instead of listing all the items, I decided that I'd simply take pictures (listing them would take too long and I'd be quite embarrassed to actually see a written list of the items I've been wasting).
As my second year of being a mother begins, I had a thought...really a dare from my husband. We have saved so much money by using cloth diapers and cloth wipes - as well as making most of our own baby food - that I wonder where else I could save money. After all, I love to spend money, but I can't spend money I don't have!
So, here's the idea. For the month of March, I am going to attempt to only make meals with items that I already have in my pantry, fridge, and freezer. I'm going to attempt to spend nothing - or next to nothing - on groceries (which is usually one of our top expenses). I'm going to get creative with what I have and what I can do with it. Now, I'm not saying that I won't buy any groceries. After all, I can't let the milk and eggs in my fridge last the entire month. But, I will limit the food that I want to buy and only buy what is absolutely needed (this means taking out that extra trip to the store for the chocolate, soda, or cheese that I want to snack on).
Perhaps you're like me, you like to keep your pantry, fridge, and freezer stocked. Well, how often do you actually use everything in them? I realize that there are so many things that I am wasting simply because I want to always keep them stocked. So, now I'm going to force myself to use them while trying not to make the same thing over and over again. To begin, I must first inventory the items in my pantry, fridge, and freezer. Instead of listing all the items, I decided that I'd simply take pictures (listing them would take too long and I'd be quite embarrassed to actually see a written list of the items I've been wasting).
Pantry:
Freezer:
Fridge:
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