A Taste of the Frugal

Sometime last year I introduced you to a friend of mine, Emma MacPherson,  whose talents are many, then as a photographer and author, now Blogger.  
Today I would like to introduce you to Emma's Blog, Living The Simple Life!  I am certain as time goes on if her introduction to her blog is anything to go by will prove to be of great interest to many.
Congratulations and welcome to the world of Blogging Emma, I for one am so interested in your point of view and am certain I too will be learning something new as I follow along with you!
As I sew on my latest project today the scent of the baking beans I am making are wafting throughout the house....Mmmmm I so enjoy home baked beans and freshly baked bread of which I have a loaf of just waiting for me to cut into....YUM

Several weeks ago a good friend gave me these freshly grown peas from their garden and these have been blanched and are now residing in my freezer for good eating come this winter....so, what's in your freezer?

As Quilters and Crafter's we all search for ways and means to support our hobby habits and in this endeavor many of us follow similar rules to acquiring our materials to create something out of.  As said in some of my previous posts I so enjoy hoking about for remnants to make my quilts from as well as up-cycling different types of fabrics to create my tote bags from as I so enjoy selling that "one of a kind" item I have created and I have Bonnie Hunter, to thank for the taste of frugality I now practice.   Bonnie has been advocating this type of scrappy fabric gathering forever and she proves it with her glorious quilts.

What about you?  Do you up-cycle?  Do you scrounge the 2nd hand shops and remnant bins for your quilted and crafted items?  I see many shops on Etsy that practice up-cycling and these people create very beautiful items.

I had to learn to be frugal due to my being on a very fixed income from pensions so that after paying my living expenses I find not sufficient left over to spend on my hobby.  To this end I made myself a promise not to buy anything new if at all possible and to this end I keep pulling from my stash. This provides me still with lots to work with and at times when I am looking for that one of a kind piece to make I go scrounging the second hand shops and as many of the remnant bins as I can find.  
My recent forays always have me searching for zippers and nice sized buttons to use in my many projects.   Not only do I sew for charity but I also make things to sell near Christmas time and to add as inventory to my Etsy Shop (which is woefully empty at the moment).
Stretching the few dollars I manage to save from selling items is very gratifying. 

Do you remember that wonderful old quote "look after the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves" or something like those words.  Since becoming a pensioner this is what I have had to learn.  

Once again I would like to thank Emma for her timely themed Blog "Living The Simple Life" because again it has reinforced my need to continue on the road I have set for myself being as frugal as I can possibly be.  

Remember that piece of fabric I showed you the other day ?  I plan on turning it into another one of a kind tote bag which I am still quilting the fabric for, so it is off to get back to that.

Thank you for dropping in today to share some of your time with me and I wish you a perfectly wonderful day and I look forward to posting again tomorrow.  

Expect nothing.  Live frugally on surprise.  ~Alice Walker 

SEW - I'M A CHEAPSKATE!

Someone called me a Cheapskate the other day and after thinking about it, I conclude their so right!

Just about everything in my house is second even third hand and I love my possessions, I am so fortunate as to have good friends who deemed me worthy enough to ask if I would use or could make use of certain furnishings and objects.  Needless to say, I said YES and cannot express my thanks enough for my treasures.  My closet is testament to my good fortune and when I dress up for an event I look just as stylish as those in the room having paid more than I can afford, even my new winter boots were actually brand new and possibly only worn once or twice were a fantastic find for me with a price tag of FREE....I love that price!!!!

TODAY is Wednesday, the day the sales papers are delivered in my neighborhood to all homes in my area!  So I will invest the hour to sit and go over all of the savings offered in those advertisements.  Mostly because, this year more than ever before in my lifetime I find that my budget is being stretched to its limit.  To this end I have been surfing the internet to see what others are doing to stretch their budgets. 

I have come across some very wonderful sites, but one in particular called  Debt Free, Cashed Up and Laughing - the cheapskates way to living the good life!   I visit this site so often and love it there.   The ideas and solutions expressed make such good common sense and I have really learned from Cath's Blog how to save even more money than I had thought possible. 
The laundry detergent (washing powder) recipe alone will save so very much money, just this one item and you'll be amazed.   Mind you it takes a bit of doing to find some of those ingredients in Ontario where I live, but, it can be accomplished.   I am now aiming to try out the Miracle Spray and the MOO stain removing soap.  These are just for starters for me. 

Then there is the getting of almost free fabric, by simply visiting some decent second hand stores.  I haven't done any of this type of shopping since leaving New Brunswick  all I have to do is to find a good source around here to take advantage of gently used cotton shirts or sheets, this would aid and abet my quilting habit, a good source for nearly free fabrics.    You do have to be vigilant in what you find at the thrift stores though you really have to take your time and look at the labels to make certain it is a cotton shirt or sheet..  Another great site with lots of good ideas and solutions is Make It and Mend It.   Up-cycling is really not a new idea, pioneer women up-cycled much of their fabrics all of the time.  Some sites even advocate dumpster diving, but that is one method I would not attempt, with my good fortune I might fall into the dumpster and not be able to get out..oh my, that would not do!  LOL

In New Brunswick we had second hand shops called Frenchies, here in Ontario, it's Value Village, the Salvation Army Thrift shop and the Mission For Bibles and there are so many more, many I haven't discovered just yet, but I will..  These stores provide those who practice being frugal a good supply of items needing a new purpose or a continued use in someone's home.   

Making headway in Cyberspace are 100's of sites that advise, inform and assist in finding uses for unwanted items, even assist you in finding sites in your area of the world.  One such effective site is Earth 911 -  a huge and very informative and interesting site, look one such topic alone is Staying Green in 2013  and crazy DIY project ideas.   

What you can make from old floppy disks..

Then, if your seeking to purchase something recycled or upcycled, go to Etsy and search for such shops and you will find a varied amount of vendors who are really cutting down on the carbon imprints by recycling and reselling these new products made from unwanted items or materials, clothing.. hand bags, totes, shoes, art works you name it, I tell you it can be found.   You and I know that Etsy is just one such place to find these sort of finds.  So much fun searching around the internet for motivation and ideas.  There are so many very clever people out and about in our world. 

What is it like for you in your area, do you have outlets which provide you with a way to really stretch your budget?  Do you enjoy visiting these shops, do you enjoy paying a little to gain back so much more? I sure do!  

If your still reading, I'm so happy you stopped to share some of your time with me today.  I hope you stop in again. 

"In the old days a man who saved money was a miser; nowadays he's a wonder." --Author Unknown