|
Natural Family Living
Frugal Living
By Tammie Ortlieb
I own an unbelievable amount of useless stuff. Search my closets,
cabinets, and drawers and you will find all manner of items never used
by any member of my family, ever a kitchen zester (good intentions), a
mini trampoline given to us by a neighbor, a broken American Girl doll
bunk bed (we'll fix it someday, I'm sure), a construction cone (don't
ask!), four unopened boxes of Epsom salts (what the h@ll!), a used set
of golf clubs (we don't golf), an ice cream maker, an industrial size
coffee pot, and a fringed leather vest that belonged to my
father-in-law (my husband has never worn it-thank Jesus!?in the eleven
years since his father passed away). Why do I keep this stuff? It owns
me. Do I live in a twenty-four hundred square foot colonial to have
room for my family or to accommodate my stuff?
Article continues below
Peter Walsh, in his latest book Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat? , suggests that the more we collect, the more we suffer
emotionally and physically. Think about it. All of this stuff has to
be organized, dusted, moved, repaired, or in the case of food, eaten.
We deal with it, fret over it, argue about it, and let it pile up
around us like tires in a junkyard. So why bring it into the house in
the first place? We Americans have created a celebrated national past
time out of purchasing products. We spend entire afternoons at the
mall, page through catalogs, surf websites, and phone home shopping
networks with credit cards in hand all in the name of immediate
gratification. Articles on frugal living insist we wait twenty-four
hours before making any purchase. If we still want it, fine, then we
may buy it because it is probably a true necessity instead of some
spur of the moment desire. Honestly, at this point could we even tell
the difference between a want and a need?
And yet, our actions as consumers impact the earth we are trying so
hard as vegans to protect. Is it environmentally responsible to
collect every existing video game system or to stock five of the very
same can opener (the drawer was so packed I didn't realize I already
had one!) or to buy in bulk foods we will never possibly be able to
consume before the expiration point or to purchase yet another black
cotton scoopneck tee (don't I already have about ten of those?) Oh,
but, I buy at consignment shops and so don't contribute to stress on
the environment. My purchases take advantage of the whole recycling
concept. Yes, that's great, but buying is buying. Just think. If you
didn't purchase those thrift shop jeans, then they would be available
for someone else. Also, you already have seven pairs of jeans in your
drawer at home. So essentially you are spending fuel and any related
environmental expense to acquire something you already have. Much
better as a steward for the earth to have fewer pairs of pants, wear
them a couple of times before washing, and line dry so they last
longer.
Appreciating and caring for what we have is such a foreign concept.
And yet, at one point in our history, that of the Great Depression, it
was an absolute necessity. Following is an excerpt from an essay by an
adult child of a parent who lived through the Depression (see
http://newdeal.feri.org/sevier/essays/frugality.htm for the entire
piece):
When I was a child to be frugal was one of the highest
virtues. Gifts were carefully opened, hands delicately loosening the
tape so the wrap could be neatly removed and folded to be used again.
A ball of string graced our kitchen cupboard; it was made up of
hundreds of shorter pieces tied together. Thanksgiving week we were
never done with the turkey until soup had been made off the bones.
Catsup bottles were always turned upside down to coax the final drops
out, and even then the residue was rinsed out, the last diluted juice
added to a meatloaf or spaghetti. Nylons were never thrown out because
of holes: small runs were stopped with clear nail polish, larger holes
mended with special nylon thread colored to match the various stocking
shades. Cotton and wool socks were stretched over a worn out light
bulb and darned to prolong their use. Egg shells were saved to crush
and spread in the garden soil. Rags were precious, to be used, spread
with mentholatum, to wrap sore throats; or to make rag rugs; better
cloth was cut up and used for quilt squares. Printed chicken feed
sacks became skirts, flour sacks became underwear. The phrase "Use it
up, wear it out, make it do or do without" was a household aphorism.
I am embarrassed the amount of glut I consider need.
In attempting to learn more on this issue of what is called voluntary
simplicity, the idea of living more with less, I confess that I am
getting sidetracked. I have found the most wonderful website at
www.greatriv.org/vs.htm. Not only does this site define what it means
to live in voluntary simplicity, but also describes how living this
way benefits both the individual and society. Tighter communities,
less stress, fewer need for road improvements, less traffic
congestion, and an environmental benefit as people learn to "live
locally" are among a few of the advantages to a scaled back lifestyle.
The Great River Earth Institute site suggests that we Americans are
beginning to question our definition of "normal" as proposed by
columnist Ellen Goodman:
'Normal' is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work, driving
through traffic in a car that you are still paying for, in order to
get to the job that you need so you can pay for the clothes, car, and
the house that you leave empty all day in order to afford to live in
it.
In getting started on a more frugal lifestyle, I highly recommend
Peter Walsh's book, It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff
. Walsh examines our need to surround
ourselves with excess, a need that often stems from emotional roots.
De-cluttering is the first step in giving yourself more space, both
literally and figuratively, more room to breathe, less stress. You can
move from there to some of the do-it-yourself sites (check out
www.diynetwork.com) to learn how to build, sew, or repair some of the
actual needs in your life in order to kick the consumerism habit. From
there, search vegweb.com for recipes for homemade versions of
those packaged or restaurant dinners your family likes so much.
Actually, once you get started on this quest to simplify, to reduce
consumption, to live better with less, it sort of becomes a challenge,
a game. I've included a few ideas below to help get your game started.
But remember, it's always more fun to play with a friend.
Food
- keep snacking simple and to a minimum
- eat at least one raw meal a day
- keep portion sizes small
- grow your own veggies
- eat what's on sale or clearance
- make up a week's menu and use it to construct the grocery list
- make out a list before heading to the store and stick to it
when shopping
- don't shop when hungry
- or do, and take advantage of all the snack demos
- share garden surplus with a neighbor (one who also has a
garden and might share back!)
- buy huge bags of dried beans and bulk grains
Cleaning
- use rags, not paper towels
- eliminate air fresheners, open windows instead
- limit cleaning water for mopping and laundry
- own less stuff so there's less to clean
- use cold water in the wash
- clean only every OTHER week, not every
- completely eliminate the use of fabric softener, it's
totally unnecessary
- clean a spill right away to avoid a tougher stain later
- unplug appliances when not in use
- clean during daylight hours to take advantage of natural light
- stock plenty of the toughest cleansers of all
time---vinegar, baking soda, and lemon
Clothing
- stay basic, not trendy
- buy clothing end of season for the best deals
- look for needed items on www.freecycle.org
- let your friends know that you are totally ok accepting
their children's hand-me-downs if they have no other plans for them
(even offer to pay a fair price if that seems appropriate)
- wear clothes more than once before washing
- line dry garments to make them last longer
- share items among same-sized family members
- wash more often to avoid the need for many clothes
- buy only items that don't need dry cleaning
- trade unwanted outfits with friends in exchange for their
used clothing
- frequent consignment shops and garage sales
Toys
- designate one closet or toy box for all household toys and
do not buy what doesn't fit
- visit places with toy rooms such as libraries
- play free games like Mother May I, Red Light Green Light, and tag
- save Mom and Dad's old clothes for dress up games
- visit friends' homes for a little toy variety
- check out stacks of books from the public library
- play with nature---sticks, mud, leaf piles, rock collections
- rotate boxes of toys among friends for "all new" items
- fill a sink with bubbly water for an afternoon's worth of
fun—throw in some measuring cups, sponges, and spoons
- "paint" with shaving cream on the bathtub tile wall
- play hand games like Rock, Paper, Scissors and Thumb War
Tammie Ortlieb is a freelance writer and adjunct instructor with a Master's Degree in Developmental Psychology. She resides in southwest Michigan with her omnivorous husband, four veg kids, and small menagerie of pets. Tammie writes for various vegetarian sources, mostly on being okay with your vegetarian self. She's a book nerd, a research nerd, a health nerd, and a huge glass of soymilk half full kind of creature. Visit her blog at www.middle-agedveganchick.blogspot.com.
VegFamily Resources: Visit the VegFamily Shopping Guide for organic products companies that support VegFamily.
| |
Sponsors:
|
