Frugal Friday came so fast this week!
I have been home a lot all week because it’s been busy in the studio…And by the very nature of being home doing my work quietly in my little corner, I have been frugal I guess? I mean I haven’t been out and about spending money for sure. There have been no distractions. And the kitchen has been humming along with whatever is around without buying more things.
So overall, I declare my week pretty frugal by the very virtue of hunkering down to work at home.
And sometimes that is enough, no? We don’t have to all be trying hard to do things a certain way. Sometimes, passively going about life makes sure things get taken care of. No big statements being made. And maybe in those times, the space in the brain is just enough to get things done, but not enough to do the extras.
Here are thoughts about frugality in my current or near future life as I’m seeing it from right this moment:
My CSA share
I get this from Plan B Organic Farms every two weeks. And it kinda lasts me for two weeks, especially the hard produce like the squashes and apples. Also the big head of lettuce I get…there is no way I am able to finish it in a week. So we keep going with it- keeping it well wrapped to maintain it over the two weeks, of course. This gives me super fresh organic local veggies straight from the farmers at a great price, and I can mostly skip the produce aisles in the grocery store the week I get my share.
Using up leftovers in the fridge and shopping my pantry for things
More kitchen related. I feel like I can always make a decent meal from whatever is around in my fridge, freezer and pantry. Yeah, I may not want to be that creative all the time, but if I really want to, I can. And the quest is to do more of that, and less of buying more things. “Use it up” is better than “Throw it out and get some more”– and I am trying to implement that in my kitchen all the time.
Example- the soy sauce marinade from making air fried tofu squares now flavor my lentil beet stew for the added depth of flavor and the salt.
Reading or listening to books that I already have at home/in my playlist
Again the concept of getting through what I already have. Rather than looking for more outside. I love the library for the world of books it opens up to me, and all for free. But I am leaning towards actually reading what I already have at home. Maybe that would be my next year reading project goal- only get book club books from the library. But otherwise read what you’ve collected but not cracked open the spine of yet…something to think about for me.
Spending my mental energy towards growing my business and making better art…
Rather than all the shiny new things out there. Again it’s about the limited time in a modern life- I want to always keep choosing to do stuff I truly care about, and not feel the regret at the end of life. Than collecting more stuff just because it’s out there. I love not buying things for myself on a usual basis, but putting away all the money I save in investments and savings. And putting away all the saved time and mental energy towards doing the work I care about.
Entertainment
How can I be frugal here…by watching all the stuff that is already at our disposal from all the subscriptions we already have. Not looking for extraneous subscriptions and shows and movies would be a good start. We have been paying for Crave to watch Succession, and I am very glad we did since I thoroughly enjoyed it. But we finish the entire show this weekend. Which means Crave will have to go. Next I plan to watch Mad Men on Netflix, something we’ve had for years. So I wont be feeling un-frugal watching that. Also, board games and card games with family, meeting friends, going for walks, reading books– these all count for frugal and wholesome entertainment ideas, right? Ooh, and to bring back the thread to the kitchen- to cook or bake together for entertainment– that sounds like a whole lot of fun for an hour or two in my opinion!
These are some ideas of how I am or planning to be frugal in the next few days/weeks/months.