Comments on: Optional frugality

By: Thomas Bailey

Thomas Bailey — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 22:36:59 +0000

For many years at my old home, my family had a washer, but no dryer. The clothesline did the dryer’s job just fine as late as 2005. Also at my old home were fig, plum, apple, lemon, grapefruit, and apricot trees, as well as tomato bushes. Occasionally we had corn growing in the back yard. As this is in the Santa Clara Valley, where the climate is suitable for such a lifestyle, it could be done without difficulty. As for transportation, the bicycle has served me well for the past 20 years and have gone considerable distances, to San Francisco, Hollister, Oakland, Santa Cruz, and Half Moon Bay. Back in the early 1970’s, we had chickens, and I would go to the henhouse to get eggs. Another child asked what I was doing. I told him I was getting eggs. Apparently he didn’t know chickens laid eggs. We also had cats who did a fine job of pest control.

By: » The Frugal Festival Lives Large This Week on the Festival of Frugality

» The Frugal Festival Lives Large This Week on the Festival of Frugality — Tue, 19 May 2009 17:45:27 +0000

[...] presents Optional frugality posted at Funny about [...]

By: kjg

kjg — Thu, 14 May 2009 20:22:06 +0000

I share some of these experiences. I remember sprinkling clothes and keeping them in the fridge while ironing (back to the 60’s). I remember running a wet cloth along the line before hanging clothes (as late as 1980). I also remember the back to nature movement during the 70’s. I failed at growing a garden in the NM sand, but I learned to make deep-fried burritos, refried beans, and red chili from scratch. During the 80’s, however, when I became a first-time mom and worked full time outside the home, I decided that survival for me meant embracing modern conveniences. I gave up some environmentally friendly practices like using cloth diapers and hanging clothes on the line. We moved to a newer home on a smaller lot and stopped raising chickens for eggs and goats for milk. It all seemed backwards, to stop living close to nature just as I was starting my own family, but my job provided our health insurance. Even so, my early years still inform my daily practices. I run a tiny trickle of water to rinse my plates before placing them in the dishwasher. I still plan a trip to town so that I complete as many errands as possible to conserve gasoline. I keep my home thermostat at 69 degrees in the winter and 79 degrees in the summer. (Under Carter’s influence, it was 68 & 80 respectively–but I’m making more than minimum wage now, so I treat myself!) Today’s frugal people have the luxury of picking and choosing how we will be kind to the environment. I just hope that our efforts are making some small difference to the whole. .

By: Mrs. Micah

Mrs. Micah — Thu, 14 May 2009 15:39:56 +0000

My mom believes that a/c is the best discovery (or at least popularization) of the 20th century. Sure, it’s more frugal not to use it, but she grew up not having it in the Midwest and apparently the summers were just awful. So she keeps it at a reasonable level, but she’s so grateful she’s not forced to be frugal and not have it at all. I feel similarly in the summer when our 3rd floor apartment here in muggy DC gets so hot that the window a/c doesn’t even get it cool enough to sleep some nights. I’m glad that we’re able to do what we can.

But I also like optional frugality when it doesn’t cause actual suffering.

By: quietrunning

quietrunning — Thu, 14 May 2009 04:49:53 +0000

Boy, does this post bring back memories. And…while ironing with my oh so smooth steam iron last week, I recalled my mom “sprinkling” the ironing and putting it in a plastic bag until it was to be ironed. She used a big ole 7up bottle with a sprinkling cork on the top. We also had a wringer washer in the service porch that I ran my left arm through while she went to answer the door. I was rushed to the doctor in our 1947 Plymouth on the bench front seat…no seat belts… and my baby brother in a car bed…a canvas over metal frame box-shaped contraption to let the baby sleep in the car. It is a wonder we all lived!

By: funny

funny — Wed, 13 May 2009 20:32:49 +0000

@ frugalscholar: Three! Good lord! Well…on the other hand, if you have to bring a gigantic pot of water to the boil anyway, what’s the difference, really, whether you drop seven diapers or twenty-one into the broth?

I also have an old friend with a story: her eldest was born when she and her ex-DH were living in Japan. Disposable diapers existed, but they weren’t sold at the base exchange. Fifteen years later she still seethed with resentment at having had to…uhm…seethe the diapers.

By: frugalscholar

frugalscholar — Wed, 13 May 2009 19:10:44 +0000

An old friend was one of 5 children. Her mother recounted having 3 children in diapers and boiling the diapers in a pot on the stove. My husband’s nana happily wore polyester pansuits with shiny blouses. Never did a natural fiber touch her body!

I used cloth diapers, but with a washer and dryer.

Words of wisdom as always.