be more frugal

Instead of going out for lunch, I am having a store bought frozen pizza at home, they were on sale for under $4.00

I am making a REAL conscious effort to not purchase ‘stuff’ and to encourage my mum to think twice about it too.

It’s so easy to get sucked in to buying stuff on sale or with coupons because it’s being ‘frugal’ ... but it’s not really frugal if I didn’t need it in the first place.

Tonight we had green and wax beans, fresh from the garden patch behind our apt building. One of the neighbours had harvested and was going door to door sharing them. What a great frugal dinner, fresh picked beans and fish with yogurt and fruit for dessert.

Taken from this article:

http://www.torontosun.com/News/Canada/2008/07/11/6125796-sun.html

The ‘he’ in the article is:

Dion Oxford was sitting at his computer at the Gateway men’s hostel in downtown Toronto, and typing about what was definitely some food for thought.
He is not a resident there, by the by. He’s the founder and director of Gateway, and someone who has seen what money can do if discriminant spending could be redirected.

The article goes on to say …

“Rogers will be the sole provider in Canada (monopoly?). You can get the 8G iPhone for the low price of $199 or the 16G iPhone for just $299.

“Oh, did I mention you need to sign your life away for three years on top of that? No other options available.

“Then there’s the monthly fees that you commit to paying for those next three years – with the occasional letter from Rogers telling you that they’ll be generously raising your prices so they could better serve you) – $69-plus in applicable taxes, and then random arbitrary fees per month for voice services. Then $20-plus in applicable taxes and random arbitrary fees for data.

“So $89-plus, per month; for THREE years – meaning this inexpensive toy will run each user in the course of three years over $4,000.”

(Note: This, of course, is the basic cost – before data packages are considered, and long-distance calls, and downloads of music, et cetera. Dion Oxford’s frugality is showing. Truth, it might just cost $4,000 a year to have all the iPhone’s features, despite Rogers’ recent downgrading of costs in response to consumer complaints.)

What else might $4,000 pay for?, asks Oxford.

“It would cover close to 2,000 meals in the shelter where I work, and for folks who live on the street.

“Or, if you don’t believe that local people need to be going hungry, and don’t deserve your charity, then it would allow you to sponsor three children per month for three years through World Vision.

“It could purchase 50 school kits per month through the Mennonites, with each school kit helping one child in Bangladesh get through school for one year,” he says.

“It could provide the necessary labour and materials needed to provide 10 families with the clean drinking water they will need for the rest of their lives.

“Over three years, that’s 360 families,” he writes.

“Or, you could buy a toy that will fill a void in you for a few weeks, or months, until you grow tired of it and feel empty again—or until someone makes a better toy.

“Forgive me for sounding pious,” he writes.

“But the world is falling apart, and we need to stop being seduced by the man, and start waking up to the needs of people who are dying all around us.”

Food for thought, indeed.

I am in ‘gypsy mode’ for the next week and a half, home for a bit, then away, over and over. So, I am not buying any groceries, only to have them sit rotting in my fridge. I am going to eat up what I have in the freezer and pantry.

A stay-at-home day today. Caught up on cleaning, did a load of washing, and still figuring out what else to send to the Salvation Army. My neighbour cooked dinner for me, I came down the hall with a plastic tub, she loaded it up and I came home with it. LOL, she smokes and I can’t stand to be in her apt. I don’t know how people can afford to smoke!

My other neighbour came into the laundry room with two newish magazines, so I traded her for the one I had just put in there, sharing and recycling. I will read the mags and then pass them to my mum or another friend. I love magazines, but hate the price of them. So many things I enjoy but can’t afford, but I am so grateful for the stuff I do have in my life.

One of my fav sayings:

I have more than I require of everything that I need!

My frugalness for today was: not going out shopping, not going out to eat or for coffee .. in other words, eating at home and making do with what I have here at home. This meant that I didn’t drive my car and didn’t spend any money today. Wooo hoo!!

Hey everyone,

Wow, our team is up to FOUR now, great start. If you would like to invite anyone to join us, please feel free. :-)

My frugal act for today:
– colouring my hair at home instead of paying to have it done

Take care and hugs, if you want one,

Julie Andrea

I am working hard at this one, have joined a couple of frugal groups on yahoo, eating out less, haven’t bought new clothes in ages – I don’t need any! Still haven’t given in to the temptation to have cable, and I plan out my day so that I am not out driving around in my car every day.