Friday, June 28, 2013

Frugal Friday: Guilt over not doing enough?

It's  tempting to compare our daily work to others and feel we don't measure up. We've all done it. I've done it.  The only remedy is to compare ourselves to God's Word. True guilt should be a result of not keeping God's commands... not just by comparing ourselves to others. Oh, it's so easy to say but such an easy trap to fall in to.  It's a miserable way to live.

For instance, I choose to keep a garden in order to save money (the jury is out on the final outcome as to whether I will save money *smile*). Is there a direct command for every woman to keep a garden? Not that I can find. So, I am free to have a garden... and another woman is free NOT to have a garden. It's a personal choice. We just need to be careful to not put our choices on another woman if we can't back it with scripture.

There are specific commands for women and men. But, regarding whether to spend your days sewing, or living a simple life, or canning, or writing a blog, etc.... I find no commands!

Now, there are commands concerning HOW I keep a garden and WHY I keep a garden.  Here are just a few:

~ work heartily as for the Lord and not men. Col. 3:23
~ work with your own hands. 1 Thess. 4:11
~ for the glory of God. 1 Cor. 10:31

Our work becomes an act of worship when it's done for the glory of God.  So be free to worship God with your daily work with no condemnation if it doesn't look the same as your neighbors. And if your day happens to look different than mine or theirs... rejoice that God has given you that liberty.

***
A few frugal things:

1.Our grape vines were just about dead when we bought our home last year. This summer they look beautiful and lush but we have very little fruit. My neighbor told me that she buried tin cans around the base of her grapes last year and this year she has a ton of fruit. So I buried some cans and hopefully we'll get more fruit next year. I also buried some old rusty nails around my Azalea.

2.  I made 4 batches of apricot jam. The apricots were off our tree. I also made SF Raspberry jam.



3.  I've been harvesting my onions and putting them in the freezer.

4. I filled 2 propane tanks for the price of one. Instead of trading our tanks at a Quik Stop store we took the cannisters to a propane company which charged half of what we normally pay when we exchange them.  I hope to buy an extra tank next month for a back up because I ran out of propane (thankfully) right after I  finished canning my apricot jam.  I don't want to do that again. I use the propane for a campstove when I'm canning. This helps keep my house cool in the summer months. Most of my cooking and baking are being done outside this summer.

5.  It rained this week so I placed large buckets around the yard to catch the rain water. It didn't rain enough to fill up the buckets. Oh well! At least I tried. :-)

6.  Believe it or not it was 'soup weather' this week. I decided to make a batch of 'refrigerator soup'. I found some leftover enchilada sauce, ham hock, zuchinni, onions, yam and a small bit of creamed corn. I added water and some chicken bouillon along with some seasoning. It sounds like a strange combination but it was good and didn't cost much at all.

7.  I have a tooth that was causing me a bit of discomfort. The dentist suggested a procedure that would cost $25. I asked if the procedure would benefit the tooth or was it for my comfort? He said it was for my comfort. I told him I would not feel comfortable paying $25. *smile* Thankfully the xray lady told me ahead of time  to take a bit of sensitive toothpaste and 'patch' the area. God's provision! I saved $25.

8.  My birthday was this week. I wanted to go out to dinner and maybe a movie but it was a tight paycheck.  Instead of being disappointed I decided to be thankful for whatever the Lord would choose for my day.  So, we had leftovers (I didn't have to cook) and chose a movie that had been pre-recorded on TV.  A dear friend stopped by and surprised me with a special outing. Then my children and their families came over with such nice gifts and homemade ice cream after dinner.  I thanked God over and over for giving me such a special birthday. His plans are much better than my own.

9.  I'm not buying hardly any vegetables since my garden is producing. There is not a big variety but I figure that's okay because we are eating what is growing right now. We have artichokes, tomatoes, zucchini, patty squash, onions, cucumbers, okra, lettuce and green beans. I'm probably spending less than $5 a week on veggies and fruit at this point.

10. I've been stocking my freezer because my in-laws will be here in a few weeks. I've been watching for meats that are on sale. My freezers are now full so I decided to shop my freezer until our next paycheck.  I can do this!

So the question of the week is: What did you do this week and how did you save money? I love reading your replies. I feel like I'm taking a peak into your home.