I have an old recipe book that I book marked a few years ago (darn, now I remember that I need to re bookmark said book) that speaks about saving string, gathering feathers, and saving bits of yarn to be used over again. The book was written many years ago, and while we no longer save beef fat to make candles, or in my case raise chickens in the yard (not allowed to in my city, I actually checked) there is still a lot to be gained from reading the bits and pieces on living a thrifty, frugal life.
Using up leftovers to make new meals, packaging meals that the family did not totally consume to be used for another meal, and wearing your clothing (mending when necessary) until you out grow it or it is no longer suitable, are a few of the thrifty ways I run my household and I am sure many of you do the same thing.
When sheets rip I either use them to make rags or if they are big enough' for the backs of my quilts. Scraps of fabric, old shirts, jeans, pants, and nighties are cut into usable quilting squares (then they are made into blocks), or cut into strips which will be used to make rugs and for stuffing.
I darn socks and when they can no longer be darned, I cut the sock up to use in the garden to tie plants up. I also use them as dust cloths.
Winter has struck which means we will be cooking heartier meals. I think I may just try to use the slow cooker more often, and the roaster oven, I have heard that the roaster ovens can be used to cook casseroles and even bake. Could save on electrical costs.
When I do have the oven on I bake as well as cook supper. The oven is full and used to it's full advantage.
Lights are turned off in rooms not in use, but since we live in a very cold place we set our heat at 21C in the winter. At our time of life we like to be comfortable, even so when the wind howls outside covering up with one of the blankets in the living room and wearing a sweater keeps us toasty warm.
It really is not thrifty to catch a cold!!
Everybody have a wonderful evening.
God bless.
I think it's a great idea to really go back and take a look at the basics to refresh our minds. Some things become second nature and other things come and go as life changes, but something that used to be obvious can fall by the wayside, a little look back can be a very good thing.
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