Sometimes scarcity, whether forced or self imposed can often breed creativity. This can be extremely valuable when it comes to frugal living. So many time we get stuck in a rut and do things the way we have always done them because it is familiar or easy. It is hard to think of a better way of doing something when the method you have right now works perfectly well. It is only when we have to work around a problem that the creative juices get flowing and we find some new ideas.
Think about our parents and grandparents. During the Great Depression or the war years, there was a lot of scarcity, but folks managed to get buy with a little creativity and a lot of community sharing of ideas. My own father is filled with stories of getting creative in tough times.
You may be feeling a pinch here and there with things costing so much lately, or you may just wish to do a better job with your resources. Whichever it is, don’t be afraid to do without. Chances are pretty good that you’ll work around it and feel a sense of accomplishment or empowerment. Of course, this assumes that your basic needs are met, although there are plenty of folks who successfully work around shortages in these areas as well.
The next time you run out of something, break something or lose something don’t run straight to the store to replace it. Instead see how you can work around it or make due. I’ll give you a recent example from my household.
The first is the fact that we haven’t had cooking spray for a few weeks. Since I bake a lot, this could have stopped me in my tracks. The way I have gotten around this is by using butter wrappers, since most of the things I bake will involve butter. I also save the wrappers from our table butter and use them as needed. Normally, I would throw the wrappers away, so this is a free resource and one less thing on which to spend money.
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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