Wednesday, January 16, 2008
The Frugal Life
| By Lynn Forgy Being frugal, thrifty, even cheap has become a way of life for me.  CLEANING: I got on the natural, green cleaning bandwagon - making my own household cleaners out of natural ingredients (mainly vinegar and water, as well as borax and washing soda for my homemade laundry detergent). I no longer have to pay sometimes exorbitant amounts for cleaning products at the store. (Recipes below).  FOOD: I am trying to research growing my own food, which is somewhat difficult for me since I've killed every plant I've ever tried to grow. But I think with perseverance I can do it. The major obstacle, besides having a non-green thumb, is where to grow the food. My thinking is that I can grow a lot of things in containers, inside the house, during the winter months. During the summer, I can plant food outside (being mindful of the racoons, possums, and deer that live in the woods behind my house). If anyone has any suggestions on growing your own food organically, I would welcome them. My list includes potatoes, carrots, green beans, peas, squash, and whatever else I can find. I would also like to try growing coffee - I love coffee, and perhaps I could save several bucks a month by doing this. Other necessities, such as electricity, water, etc. I obviously am not equipped with providing for myself. So for these expenses, I have instituted "household rules" which lower the monthly cost of these: - It goes without saying that if you're not in the room, the lights do not need to be on. That applies to all electrical appliances. - Water - I live in Georgia, and of course everyone is aware of the drought. I made a homemade rain barrel (out of flex-drain and a trash can) and will use this water for planting in the summer, watering the grass, etc. Inside the house, to conserve on water there are buckets in the showers, the bath water is saved and used in the laundry machine, and yes, we are a "MELLOW" household (if you don't know what that is, you probably don't want to know). I have a budget, which I review and monitor weekly. I also check my balances (checking, savings, survey monies, mystery shopping balances, etc.) sometimes daily but no less than 3-4 times per week. I am making steady progress on my Debt Snowball (my goal was to have it completed by the end of May 2008 = $15,000 paid off). To date, I have $2800 to apply towards my Debt Snowball, bringing the total to $12,200. I am beginning to see that getting out of debt is a process, one which takes a great deal of patience, particularly for me. As Dave Ramsey says, my shovel isn't that large so it might take me longer than it does for others to dig myself out of this hole. CLEANING RECIPES: Laminate floor cleaner - 1 TBSP. vinegar, 2 cups water. Mix together. (I put this in a spray bottle for easy application.) Sweep and mop (the spray bottle and a dust mop work well). Window cleaner - 1 TBSP. vinegar, 2 cups water. Spray and wipe. Kitchen Counter/bathroom cleaner - 1-2 TBSP. vinegar, 2 cups water, 1 tsp. tea tree oil. Spray and wipe. For those harder to clean areas, such as tubs and showers with soap scum on them, if you mix a little baking soda and salt (about 1/2 cup baking soda and 1 TBSP. salt) in a container, shake, and sprinkle on the area, then spray with the bathroom cleaner, it does really well. You may have to use a little elbow grease, but think of the money you're saving (not only on the cleaners, but you'll have wonderfully shaped arms so no need to spend all that money at the gym!) Labels: frugal cleaning, growing your own food, natural cleaning products, organic |
posted by Krista at 4:52 PM
