From the category archives:

Living Simply

How Buying Less Can Set You Free (Guest Post)

by Crystal on February 8, 2010

Guest Post by Danelle Ice from Home Ever After

We all want to have an inviting home, comfortable environment, and nice things for our family. As moms, we’re always looking for products to make our lives easier, to make chores go smoothly, and to make our homes beautiful. The desire for “things” is normal in moderation. The problem is when buying “things” takes you over, cluttering up your home, controlling your actions, and wreaking havoc on your family budget.

The desire for material things is encouraged by advertisers to get you to buy their products. Commercials make us think our lives aren’t whole until our kids have the newest bicycles or our husband has a top-of-the-line barbecue grill. What advertisers WON’T tell you is that not only do you have the power NOT to buy things, but that buying less can set you FREE!

More Things = Less Money + Less Time.

Things are a huge responsibility, and take their toll in many areas of our lives. First, it takes money to buy things. Then, we have to find space to store things, batteries and electricity to power the things, time to learn how to use things and teach our family how to use things. We have to spend time or money to fix things when they break. We spend time to clean and maintain things. We pay for a larger house or storage to have room for all of our extra things.

The first step to simplifying our lives is to stop buying unnecessary items immediately. Just saying no to bringing more possessions into your home will immediately give you more time, more money, and less clutter.

What if you want to let go of things but don’t know how to make the change? Here are 5 tips that can help you get started:

1. Realize that most “needs” aren’t truly needs.

Most “needs” we feel to buy things aren’t real needs, they’re wants. Food for dinner? Yes. 5 new cookbooks? Probably not.

Worse, they’re never ending. The desire for stuff doesn’t end when you get that latest gadget. The empty spot is quickly replaced by another item you don’t have. Read about the difference between needs and wants here .

2. Stop coveting.

Almost everyone has a friend or neighbor who seems to have everything. Don’t get caught up in the desire to have everything others have. Acquiring things to keep up with someone else will not bring you a feeling of contentment with your life or gratitude for what you have; it will only breed feelings of guilt that you can’t afford (or choose not to buy) all those items.

3. Be grateful.

Be thankful for all the wonderful things you have, and the comfortable lifestyle and loving environment you’re able to provide for your family. When you feel gratitude for what you have already, it is difficult to feel bad for not having more.

4. Be content.

We are full, whole, loving people, with or without things. Material possessions can never make you a kinder, nicer, or a better friend, parent, or spouse. Desiring and acquiring more things won’t change who you are–at least, not for the better.

5. Declutter for charity.

Make a family project of decluttering your home to donate unneeded items to those less fortunate. This is a sure way to put things into perspective and realize that “things” only have value when they fulfill a real need. Donate items to Goodwill, to less fortunate friends, or to families from church that can use a little help.

Set yourself free of the responsibilities of being a “consumer” and realize that you have the power to stop buying things! Buying less does a multitude for your mind and soul, including getting you a little closer towards having gratitude for what you already have, not focusing on what you don’t.

This guest post is by problogger Danelle Barbi Ice from Home Ever After, an online Home & How-To magazine specializing in homemaking, decluttering, frugal living, and more. If you like this article, please subscribe to Home Ever After for free!

photo credit: dawnzy58

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Making the Most of What You Have (Guest Post)

by Crystal on February 5, 2010

Guest Post by My Friend Kelly

January is over and the Eating From the Pantry Challenge has come to a close. While you may be ready to dive back into grocery shopping, couponing, and restocking, don’t let the momentum end here. The principles behind this challenge can be applied to a variety of other projects which can help cut costs, de-clutter your home, and streamline daily life. Sometimes this means using up excess stock and other times the focus is getting more regular use out of non-expendable items.

Here’s a few ways to do that:

Personal Hygiene Products

Whether or not you can find coupons and deals on the food your family eats, most everyone will be able to find a rebate or rewards deal on hygiene products at one of the drug stores or national chains around the country. Using what you learned during Eating from the Pantry Month, give yourself 30 days before buying any new personal hygiene products. In the meantime, clear out your bathroom cabinets and see what you still need and what you don’t.

Finish up half-used bottles of shampoo and conditioner and use the last bits of lotion from gift sets. Replace the razors with dull blades or broken handles and if you have liquid soap, refill pump bottles. Toss broken combs or hair accessories and use up the last inch of mousse or gel before starting a new bottle. If someone in your family opposes a particular brand and you have unopened items consider putting together a care package. Check out this post for ideas on what to send and who to send it to.

Pull out fresh floss and mouthwash to improve your oral hygiene and health. If you haven’t swapped out your toothbrush in the past three months or have recently gotten over an illness open up a new one but don’t throw out the old just yet–a toothbrush can clean more than your molars!

Household Cleaners

Maintaining a clean house doesn’t have to take hours and hundreds of dollars in premium cleaning products. Use similar tactics to inventory what you have, see what you need, stretch what you use and find substitutes. While you’re digging under the sinks use up the last little bit of general cleaner and wipe down the shelves. Try to identify what you use each product to clean and how often you use up a bottle.

Don’t just think about products but other supplies as well. Re-purpose old towels from the kitchen or bath as cleaning rags, use old worn out toothbrushes to scrub small crevices, find an old pillowcase to clean ceiling fan blades, or lone socks to dust. If you find you have a pile of dusting rags you can reduce the amount of paper towels you buy.

Office supplies

How many different places in your house do you have a stash of pens? Notepads? Tape? Round everything up and sort it out (old shoe boxes come in handy here) and toss or donate what you don’t use. Find out what you’ll need for everyday use and what school-aged children can take to class. Just like the pantry challenge, make do with what you have–blue pens can work just as well as black ones–and substitute where you can. Whether you write grocery lists on the back of a used envelope or reuse file folders these tactics can keep money in your pocket and clutter out of your home.

Centralize one place for commonly misplaced items like tape, scissors, and sharpies. Or is that just my house?

Crafts & Decorations

If you can be described as crafty, then you’re probably well aware of the dangers that entrap quilters, scrapbookers, knitters and painters alike. It’s easy to hoard supplies and fill drawers, bins and yes, even rooms with projects that we have no hope of finishing in ten lifetimes. Make the commitment to stop buying new supplies for one month and go “shopping” at home. Dig through your stock and try to remember what project you had in mind when you brought home these items.

Finish an old project or start a new one, substitute one component instead of buying new, and give away things you won’t use to someone who will. Consider a swap amongst friends or just a potluck night in when everyone can bring a dish and a project and work together.

As Spring rolls around it can be easy to get tired of our surroundings and want something new and fresh. Check your attics, basements, and closets for decorative items that were put away or forgotten. Re-hang a picture or touch up the paint on a table. Move around some furniture, pull out the throw blankets, fill glass vases and use the good china. Put a new picture in an old frame or clear everything off a wall and paint it fresh. Look for things you already have that can be used in new and interesting ways.

There are also some things we can be getting more use out of, things that are not necessarily used up.

Entertainment

Do you have family games gathering dust? Puzzles, video games, books or movies that go unused? The same principles apply even if using an entertainment item will not expend it for future use. Pull out all your puzzles and look them over together. Maybe some are missing too many pieces, another too advanced for younger children, some too juvenile for older children. Keep what you’ll use, recycle what you won’t. Donate unused items to your school or church, ask friends if their children would enjoy something new.

Do your kids have piles of half used or broken crayons? Turn them into a craft project. Go through your books and weed out volumes you no long read, reference or enjoy. Do the same for family pictures by tossing prints that are fuzzy or faded, or pictures that have no personal meaning or value. Be careful about tossing older photos that may have some value to another family member. Check out this post for tips on preserving family memories.

Clothes

If you find yourself wearing the same outfits over and over again try the Empty Closet Challenge. Pull everything out and box up things that don’t fit or flatter your figure. Work with what you have and fill in pieces that will create attractive looks that fit your lifestyle. At the end of the month pull out the boxes of discarded clothes and sell them by consignment or eBay, return new items to the store, donate to a charity or give to a friend. Don’t forget to look over belts, scarves, jackets, shoes, and jewelry too. Rethinking a wardrobe can be challenge–check out this site for ideas on using thrift store finds to create stunning new looks for under $20!

I know it seems overwhelming when you think of all the places to apply the principles you learned during Eating from the Pantry Month. But just like January, take one thing at a time, make adjustments as you go, and share what you’ve learned. By 2011, you might just have a cleaner, uncluttered home, more money in the bank and new routines. Then your only challenge will be finding a New Year’s Resolution you haven’t already accomplished!

Kelly is a 25 year old single homeowner living in Northern California. Despite a high cost of living and tough job market, Kelly has created a cozy home without acquiring debt. Now just $3,000 away from eliminating student loans (the last of consumer debt), Kelly looks forward her first trip abroad, thrift store decorating, and teaching financial awareness. Kelly blogs at My Friend Kelly.

Photo credit: Fauxto_credit; Kevin McShane; Patrick Q

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Cutting down on waste

by crystal on September 4, 2009

Inspired by Stephanie's post on cutting down on waste,
I've been contemplating areas where we've cut down on waste in our home.
As I thought about these things, I realized how often frugality can go hand-in-hand with being environmentally-friendly.

Here are a few of the ways we've cut down on waste in our home:

1) Utilizing PaperBackSwap and the library instead of buying books new.
Also, unless I find a book to be exceptional book, I usually pass it on once I'm
finished with it so that someone else might enjoy it and our home can
stay pared down from unnecessary clutter.

2) Buying clothes at second-hand stores at least 50% of the time or more. We also readily accept offers of hand-me-downs from others.

3) Cooking and baking from scratch as much as possible. This is not only healthier for us, but it eliminates much of the extra packaging which comes along with eating a lot of boxed and processed foods.

4) Thinking before I throw something out, "Is there another way I can use this?"

5) Reusing foil and plastic bags until there is no life left in them.
In addition, we use Tupperware or pans/containers with lids instead of
disposable containers whenever we can and, by doing so, I've found that I can get by with only buying a small roll of aluminum foil and a box of plastic bags every six months or so.

6) Eliminating paper towels and using cloth rags/towels instead.

7) Keeping it simple: Staying home more, not having an excess of clothing or household items, drinking water most of the time, and trying to only buy what we need.

Only requesting free samples for items we'll use.

9) Using baking soda and Basic H for almost all of our household cleaning.

10) Using less–less shampoo, less laundry detergent, less electricity, and so on. You can cut back in many areas without even ever noticing it and conserving in simple ways throughout each day can add up to big savings
in the long run.

How are you reducing waste and
being frugal at the same time? I'd love to hear your ideas!

Originally published March 2008.

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Having a Baby Without Breaking the Bank: Bringing Baby Home (Guest Post)

by crystal on March 5, 2009

Guest Post by Amy from The Finer Things in Life

Certainly one of the Finer Things in Life
is becoming a parent. While one of life's greatest blessings, the
thought of all the stuff that's about to consume your home and your
budget can be overwhelming. Don't let the cost of having a baby (or
two, or five…) overshadow the joy. Bringing home a baby doesn't have to break the bank.

Babies are born with a strong appreciation of the Finer Things. They are very basic creatures with very basic needs. Feed them, clothe them, keep them warm, safe, and clean; love them. And that's about it! In fact, anything you
purchase beyond meeting baby's needs could add unneeded stress to
an already intense time in your life.

Feed Them. I know it's a personal choice and
I don't judge those who don't breastfeed for whatever reason, but the
research is tremendously convincing: mama's milk is best for baby. No ifs, and, or buts about it. As a bonus, it's free! If you have a choice, why spend $1,000 (at least, and not including feeding supplies) on formula
in the first year of baby's life when the good stuff is readily
available, always the right temperature, easily portable, and free?

Breastfeeding a baby deserves its own post, but may I quickly
encourage those of you who are preparing for motherhood for the first
time to please surround yourself with breastfeeding resources and
information and friends? Having support for those first few (very
tough for me!) days and weeks will increase the chances of your success
and your enjoyment of the experience.

Clothe Them. Sweet little baby clothes are hard to
resist, huh? I know the temptation. Fortunately, hand-me-down and
garage sale clothes are just as cute as the over-priced garments luring
you in the store. Baby needs clothing, yes. Brand new
clothing at a premium price? No.

Keep them warm, safe, and clean. When registering for baby showers and browsing garage sales before our first was born, I tried to keep something in mind: If my mom didn't need it, neither do I.

When bringing
home baby, your day will be full to the brim meeting baby's basic
needs. Why clutter your home and your time and your mind managing all
that unnecessary baby stuff?

I know that many of you will scream that a baby monitor is an
absolute necessity. I thought so, too, so we registered for one and
received it at our baby shower. Four and a half years later we finally
took it out of the box when our third baby was six months old. She is
now 19 months old and I think we've used the monitor twice.

Convenient? Yes (if I could ever remember to use it). Necessary? Not
really. I'm not trying to discourage you from purchasing a baby
monitor; just giving one example of how the "necessary" isn't always
so.

Love them. Hold them, read to them, sing to them. Word to the wise: you are not impressing your baby with the frou-frou. There are endless bright, loud, entertaining toys available for baby. A few of them (I like having a bouncy seat and gym mat) are very convenient and give mom a nice reprieve.

Don't overdo it, though, because what does baby really want? You. Keep it basic. If you must have the frou-frou, shop at garage sales or online at craigslist because parents of equally unimpressed babies are getting rid of barely used items for cheap!

The marketing of baby stuff continues to be lucrative as parents
are convinced that having the newest, brightest items will make their
baby happier and smarter and safer. Not so. Stick to the basics. Your baby will thrive, and so will you. Blessings to those of you
preparing to bring new life into this world!

A stay-at-home
mom, Amy gave up an eight year teaching career at one of the largest schools in
her state to move with her husband of nearly 10 years and their three children,
ages 5, 3, and 1 to Tiny Town two years ago. Amy takes joy in caring for her family, finding a good deal, volunteering
at her local library, and blogging at The Finer Things in Life.

Note from Money Saving Mom: Photos are of my second daughter, Kaitlynn, when she was a wee little one. Isn't she precious?!

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Guest Post: Simplify Christmas Without the Guilt

by crystal on December 16, 2008

Note from Money Saving Mom: Rachel's post kicks off a short series we'll be doing here over the next few days on Celebrating a Simple Christmas. I'll be sharing some of the things our family is doing, baking, and making to enjoy
this special time of year while keeping it very simple. I hope the
ideas shared will be an inspiration and encouragement to all of you to
slow down and focus on what really matters this season.

Guest Post by Rachel from Small Notebook

We are simplifying our Christmas this year, finding ways to celebrate that aren't costly or emotionally draining. It feels amazingly free to let go of obligations, not try to do it all, and focus on the traditions that our family enjoys most.

When I shared about this recently, my friend Megan responded:

So am I reading this right that you might possibly NOT be sending Christmas cards this year? Because I so want freedom from Christmas cards. Can I opt out? It would be the second year in a row. Am I a bad person/friend?

Okay let me be honest: I haven't sent Christmas cards since 1995.

Do I feel guilty? Not really.

It's so easy to wonder and worry:

Will friends still like me?
Will they think that I am unorganized?
What if they send me a card, but I don't send one to them?

Sometimes Christmas seems like putting on a show. It's wearisome, and it leaves us wanting more.

I've been thinking about what a simple Christmas would be like for us, and together with my husband we have chosen some things to cut back on.

This means I won't get to act like Martha and show off my amazing skills. (Which is a good thing, considering my past kitchen disasters.)

More and more, I have to remember that Christmas is not about me. It's not about what I can do, what I can make, or how organized I can be.

If our Christmas is to resemble the way that Christ came to this earth, then we need to take a step back. The way Jesus was born was humble. It wasn't a spectacular show. It wasn't a production. I want my Christmas to reflect that, so I can dwell on him this season.

If I don't send cards this year, or have a huge pile of gifts to pass out, or fill up my kitchen with cookies, it will be okay. It could be more than okay–joyful even.

I will assume my friends will be understanding and gracious, and they will still like me, even without cards. Benefit of the doubt is a gracious gift: it makes it so much easier to live with others. When you give benefit of the doubt to others, you are saying, "I am looking at the best in you."

When you receive it from others, it means, "I don't need to be perfect, or try to look like it."

Jesus said, "For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:30 NIV), and I am convinced that goes for the holidays too.

May you have a blessed, peaceful, and guilt-free holiday season.

Rachel Meeks writes about making a simple and peaceful home. To read more about having a "Come As You Are" Christmas without the frenzy, visit Small Notebook.

Is your family proactively doing anything this year to keep Christmas simple? If so, please tell us about it in the comments section!

photo by Lili Vieira de Carvalho

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Guest Post: The Freedom of Limitations

by crystal on November 24, 2008

Nuns fret not at their convent’s narrow room
And hermits are contented with their cells;
And students with their pensive citadels;
Maids at the wheel, the weaver at his loom,
Sit blithe and happy; bees that soar for bloom,
High as the highest Peak of Furness-fells,
Will murmur by the hour in foxglove bells:
In truth the prison, into which we doom
Ourselves, no prison is: and hence for me,
In sundry moods, ’twas pastime to be bound
Within the Sonnet’s scanty plot of ground;
Pleased if some Souls (for such there needs must be)
Who have felt the weight of too much liberty,
Should find brief solace there, as I have found.

- from Nuns Fret Not at their Convent’s Narrow Room, Wordsworth

Guest Post by Jennifer from Life From The Roof

In our neck of the woods, there are lots
of bars over the windows and doors. Despite how elaborate the design,
the overall effect is still a bit disheartening, as it is aesthetically
a distraction, and psychologically it’s a reminder that there are
reasons roaming the streets at night that require those bars to be
there in the first place.

We live on the third floor, however, and
for awhile we were able to enjoy the prettier views and bar-free
existence that this height enables. That is, until our little guy Eli
became a bigger guy who was capable of climbing out of those windows.

We racked our brains for solutions. Our
windows are fairly large, and are only 18 inches off the ground (the
building we live in is around 100 years old), and as I researched
options, I was discouraged to find that if I wanted something really
secure, it would cost upwards of $200 a window, and we had two windows
to secure.

Safety of course, matters, and no matter
how frugal you are, it’s not something you want to compromise when your
child’s well-being is at stake. So I braced myself to somehow find a
way to scrape the money together on our limited budget.

Then one day, as I was taking out the
trash, I took another look at an old abandoned black metal headboard
and footboard that had been sitting there for at least a couple of
months. They were about 3 feet tall, and just wide enough that they
looked like they might fit our windows. I went upstairs and after my
husband measured them, lo and behold, they would fit! They even had
holes drilled in them for the bed rails that would make securing them
to our windows easy.

Only, they were still black and ugly. I
thought about it for a minute, and then remembered an extra set of
sheer white curtains I had purchased awhile back but had never got
around to using. An hour or two later, I had come up with sheer white
sleeves to ruffle over the bars, and voila, window gates that not only
kept our little critter in, but also allowed light to pour in and
shield our view of the next door building’s roof.

“They say that God is in the details, but
maybe He’s in the dumpsters, too,” my husband commented wryly as we
finished up our project.

It’s easy at times to feel like we’re
limited or lacking in our ability to “live” because we have less money,
but I’ve observed over time, in my own life as well as in the lives of
others, that often we are at our most creative when we are provided
with limitations and boundaries. As T.S. Eliot once wrote:

“When forced to work within a strict framework the imagination is taxed to its utmost – and will produce its richest ideas. Given total freedom the work is likely to sprawl.”

Sprawl…yes, that is what I feel like at times when I’m faced with too many choices. My mind becomes cluttered with options instead of solutions, because I have to waste so much time considering the many choices.

When I was working in Uzbekistan, an Uzbek friend of mine had the opportunity to visit the US for six months. When she returned, I asked her what she thought of America.

“America…they have too many cheeses,” she replied.

“Too many cheeses?” I asked, not quite clear on what she meant.

“Yes…so many choices, and why do you need so many cheeses in the first place?” she asked.

I understood later when I returned for the first time to the US after my initial 2 years in Uzbekistan. I went into Wal-Mart to buy shampoo, and ended up just standing there for a few minutes staring at an entire aisle of shampoo.

I was so overwhelmed, I ended up just turning around and walking out without buying anything. While it was hard at times to be deprived of access to certain products in Uzbekistan, I now understood what Wordsworth commented on in his poem Nuns Fret Not at their Convent’s Narrow Room. Instead of being limited by what we cannot buy, perhaps sometimes we should look at having too many liberties as a weight, and at our limitations as true freedom.

Jennifer Duenes is a homemaker, wife to Michael, and proud
mother to one-year old Elijah. She lives in the San Francisco Bay
Area, and despite living on one income with the high costs of living
associated with that area, she enjoys finding creative ways to save
money and thrive. She attributes part of her ability to save and
appreciate the important things in life to her experiences as a teacher
in a poor region of Uzbekistan for five years before getting married.
For more on her insights from life in Uzbekistan and tips on making the
most of your resources in high-cost urban areas, check out her blog at www.lifefromtheroof.wordpress.com.

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Guest Post: Frugal Living in a Tiny Town

by crystal on October 17, 2008

photo by Savannah Grandfather

Guest Post by Amy from The Finer Things in Life

After living and working in a suburb for seven years, my
husband and I felt led to move to a small town to raise our family (we’ve dubbed our new town, Tiny Town, since that’s what it is). This decision was a leap of faith for us, as
his salary would be cut drastically and we both knew that I needed to be home
to raise our children.

Although far removed from bargain shopping and mainstream
entertainment conveniences (we live 15 miles from the nearest grocery store and
55 miles from any real shopping), we
have found that Tiny Town living lends itself nicely to our frugal lifestyle. In fact, even with the salary cut we were
able to save and invest nearly 15% of his income last year!

I wanted to share a few of the ways this major move to a tiny town has been a big blessing in our lives:

Our Home

::We sold our 1,200 sq. ft. home with no basement and purchased for just over half of our selling price a 1,400 square home with a basement in Tiny Town. More space. Less money.

::We now have a big yard–three city lots big, to be exact. That makes for some nice garden space, which has given us lots of practically free food. My black thumb has turned a lovely shade of green!

Our Vehicles

::My husband’s vehicle now sits in the garage much of the time, as he simply walks one block to work. The gas and maintenance savings have been incredible, and we are able to save that extra money for the rainy day when a new vehicle will be needed in order to avoid car loans.

My van sits a lot, too. All of the daily errand-type things that need done are within four blocks of my home. We walk to the post office, bank and library if we need something.

Shopping

::Living in Tiny Town has honed my organizational skills and my creativity. I refuse to drive to the nearest store every time I’m out of an ingredient for supper. I keep a detailed list of things we need, check the store ad before we go, and scour the aisles (coupons in hand) to stock up on special deals while we’re there.

::I keep a bargain bin of small gifts in the basement for unexpected party invitations.

::We have wonderful family and neighbors who help each other out. They’ll pick up something at the store for me if I’m not headed that way.

::It’s harder to develop a case of the "wantsies" when you’re far removed from all the latest and greatest things in the store windows.

::Oh, and sales tax here? 5.3% Not too shabby!

Entertainment

::Our awesome library carries a nice selection of dvds for checkout. Free.

::We have a lovely park and walking path and quiet streets for bike riding. Again, free.

::Eighty dollars buys us a full family summer pass at the city swimming pool.

::We stay very busy with church and school activities. Supporting the kids in our community is fun and free for us. It’s also the best way to stay involved because in Tiny Town, pretty much everything revolves around school activities.

Tiny Town living has been great for our young family, in
more than just frugal ways. If you’ve
ever considered leaving the city behind, take that leap of faith. Your family is sure to benefit!

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Guest Post: The Beauty Of Simplicity

by crystal on October 14, 2008

photo by tourist on earth

Guest Post by Jennifer Duenes from Life From the Roof

I distinctly remember a moment when I was working as a teacher in a poor region of Uzbekistan. I had received an email from a friend asking me if there was
anything I needed.

I sat there for a minute, racking my brains. Surely I needed something.

My wardrobe consisted of a mere few skirts,
tops, and dresses. I only had a shelf of books to my name. My living
room was sparsely decorated in Central Asian style: a low-lying coffee
table with floor cushions scattered around, a small television in the
corner of the room, and a buffet-style cabinet that housed extra goods.I truly couldn’t think of anything I needed.

Today, I constantly going around with a mental list in my mind that
is ever-growing. Hmmm… I think to myself, with all of those great
picture printing deals I am getting, it would sure be nice to get some
quality frames to put them up in.

The duvet cover I have is extremely
soft and in great condition, but I am bored with it, and feel like it’s
been "ages" since I had a new one. In my mind I think of how much more
efficient I would be at life in general and especially blogging if I
had a nice over-stuffed Manhattan leather chair to sit in.

And then there are the sales. "50% off! No, 75% off!" they
decree. "Hurry in, before this deal is gone forever and you are
sitting in your pitifully undecorated, unorganized home one day wishing
you had taken advantage of this deal!"

A sense of anxiety begins to
pervade my heart as I hear of the deals springing up right and left. A
sense of impatience fills my spirit as my trusty little digital camera
is gasping its last breaths after 6 years of usage, and I have to
recharge it more often than normal.

A sense of embarrassment settles on
me subtly as I have worked for wealthier families as a nanny, and drive
my Honda 92 Accord with its bumper cracked and patched up with duct
tape and park it behind their brand-new Sienna with rear-view camera
and DVD player options.

Sometimes people ask me if life was harder in Uzbekistan. In some
ways, it was. Having to heat a bucket of water on the meager gas flame
on your stove to take a bucket bath in an ice-cold bathroom wasn’t
fun. Nor was it when you constantly felt that, as one of the few
Americans living there, people were always asking you for favors, and
you never knew who really just wanted to be your friend.

But in other ways, it was so much easier because of the simplicity
of life there. There wasn’t a Sunday paper that came laden with ads
urging you to get to their stores as soon as possible. There were
people with the "latest" fashions walking around, but because many of
our friends were poor and had very little, it felt like a slap in their
faces to always be buying something new.

It was an inconvenience to
not have things like Starbucks or fast-food places, but after a while,
you settled into a slower pace of life where you drank your tea and
Nescafe pseudo-coffee at home and in contentment with other friends
bearing the same hardships you did.

The "rest of the world" that we often refer to who doesn’t live in
the excesses we do was a reality for me for five years. They were
friends, second families, and I am forever grateful to an experience that simultaneously purged from me my need for the newest thing,
and enriched me with what could truly nourish: camaraderie, mutual
suffering, and sacrificial love.

Jennifer Duenes is a homemaker, wife to Michael, and proud
mother to one-year old Elijah. She lives in the San Francisco Bay
Area, and despite living on one income with the high costs of living
associated with that area, she enjoys finding creative ways to save
money and thrive. She attributes part of her ability to save and
appreciate the important things in life to her experiences as a teacher
in a poor region of Uzbekistan for five years before getting married. For more on her insights from life in Uzbekistan and tips on making the
most of your resources in high-cost urban areas, check out her blog at www.lifefromtheroof.wordpress.com.

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Guest Post: Living Frugally and Pleasantly in an Apartment

by crystal on October 7, 2008

Guest Post by Katey from Having Fun at Home

Our family is living in an apartment
right now, and we often find there can be a temptation to pine away for the
home we hope to own someday instead of making the most of where we are right
now. There are, however, a lot of benefits to living in an apartment, and I want to try to enjoy them to the hilt. With that in mind, here are 13 tips I’ve learned for living frugally and pleasantly in an apartment:

1. See if you can share a wireless
internet plan with one of your neighbors. Half of an internet bill is a
whole lot more better than paying the full thing, and apartment dwellers usually live
close enough to one another to make it work! [Note from Money Saving Mom: I'd recommend you check with your internet service to make sure this is alright with them before going ahead with it. Thanks to those of you who wrote to mention that!]

2. If you have a porch or patio, hang
bird feeders and grow vegetables like tomatoes and peppers in containers.
Many birds, especially hummingbirds, will visit even an urban feeder. The garden
will give you a little free produce and will help you feel closer to
the outdoors.

3. Invest in wall shelves for extra
storage. Stock up when there are good sales (or check your local Craiglist or Freecycle to snag some great deals). This investment has been very helpful and worth the
money for our family.

4. Scatter bay leaves strategically
around your apartment. That’s right–bay leaves! Apartment complexes are
much more likely to host an infestation of cockroaches. Keep them out of your
apartment with bay leaves; roaches hate the smell! (I was very happy to discover
this solution because, with a small child, I really didn’t want to have to use
chemicals.)

5. Talk with your neighbors about
holding a community-wide garage sale. It’s difficult to have a garage sale
when living in an apartment complex, but because space is tight, apartment
dwellers, more than most people, need a way to recycle their stuff and pare
down to what is really needed. If you can’t seem to organize a community wide
garage sale, see if there’s a friend nearby who is planning an upcoming sale with whom you might partner for a two-family garage sale.

6. Invest in a cordless vacuum
cleaner. I received this Shark brand
rechargeable battery sweeper
as a wedding gift and use it all the time. It’s pretty powerful, a lot less
hassle than taking out a big vacuum, and takes up a lot less space in my
closet.

7. If you have to use a coin operated
laundry facility, consider getting a foldable indoor drying rack. Wash
your underclothes in the sink and hang them to dry in the bathroom on your
rack. It saves you money and you don’t have to leave your apartment as often to
go to the facility.

8. Take out the trash every day, and
place a box of baking soda at the bottom of your trash can to absorb odors.
In a small place, it is much more vital to keep the bad smells to a minimum.

9. Since there usually isn’t the option
of painting or wallpapering make your own decorations, use homemade photos
and enlarge them. Get cheap frames at garage sales and hang them around the
apartment. I used pretty satin ribbons to hang these in my baby’s room.

10. Pare down your collection of
pots and pans to the bare minimum. Not only will this give you more
cupboard space in your kitchen, but it will make it less likely that you will
end up with a mountain of dishes in the sink.

11. Take advantage of the time you
save not taking care of a yard by taking your family on outings to local parks,
zoos, nature centers, festivals, and fairs.

12. Save counter space by using a magnetic tool strip to hang your knives instead of using a knife holder. This saves space and allows you to be able to see the blades without
picking up the knives to find the right one.

13. Make friends with the
maintenance men and the apartment manager. Not only is it advantageous to
you for getting repairs done more efficiently, but those are two jobs that are
often unappreciated. Most of what they hear is complaining. Even if you don’t
develop a personal relationship, show appreciation by baking them Christmas
cookies or other holiday treats.

Katey is a
stay-at-home-mom in Austin, Texas. Her
blog havingfunathomeblog.blogspot.com is dedicated to finding ideas for
inexpensive, creative, and wholesome fun at home.

From Money Saving Mom: I know many of the rest of you have lived or are living in an apartment or a very small home. I’d love to hear your ideas for making the most of this situation. Please share your input in the comments section.

photos by Katey

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Frugal Friday: It’s been a quiet week and I’ve loved it!

by crystal on August 22, 2008

(My mom just gave me this quilt. It was made by my great grandma using pieces from the dresses my grandma wore when she was a little girl!)

It’s Frugal Friday on my other blog today. You won’t want to miss all the great tips and hints shared there. And I’d love to have you weigh in on my question on getting rid of set-in stains.

It’s been a really good week here, despite some bumps in the road. After weeks of going-going-going, I’ve stayed home every single day this week. And I’ve loved it.

I’ve been cooking and cleaning and just enjoying my family. It’s been wonderful and I’m hoping the trend can continue now that our vacations and travels and other things are behind us.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy short seasons of excitement and adventure, but I always love coming back to our quiet, peaceful home and routine. I’m itching to take back up my handwork, do more experimenting in the kitchen, spend more time playing and reading with the girls, and keep the house more organized.

What about you? Do you like staying home, or going and doing, or a little of both?

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