Do the things you take for granted seem strange to everyone else? What do your friends and neighbors think about your frugal ways? You may be surprised.
Last afternoon, it was the very last day of school. The kids had a half day, and our neighbor and friend asked if I wouldn’t mind having his son over at our house. After settling everyone in with lunch, we sat around the back porch. The kids played a board game and talked. Since I wanted to keep an eye on them and be part of the conversation, I grabbed up some mending and got to work.
A little while later, our neighbor came by to pick up his son and noticed that I was sewing. It actually shocked him a little. “Anything to save a few dollars,” he said. “That is good.” But did he really think it was? What I realized in that moment, is that something that seems so natural to me, repairing a tear in a fitted bed sheet is probably unusual in this day and age.
Today, goods can be so cheaply attained, that it doesn’t always seem worth it to do repairs, especially when they take so much time. It is a valid argument. But I find that simple things that we do at home that save money can be worth it. For example, not only did I save on the cost of those sheets, but also the money and the time to go pick up new ones.
The time involved in the repair really didn’t cost me much. It probably took less time than shopping for a replacement. I was already engaged with the kids, so it wasn’t as though I had to make special time to sit down and sew. The repair was a sort of bonus in the day, in a sense. Mending might also be done while watching television, waiting in a doctor’s office, etc., putting time to good use.
Now I have to confess that I am no genius in sewing. My stitches probably resemble those seen on the Frankenstein monster. They do, however, get the job done, and that is all that it important for most repairs.
What frugal activities do you engage in that might catch others unaware?