I still have food in the house.
Amazingly, the food is lasting much longer than I expected. I have noticed several things that have happened.
One is that we are not throwing away food like we have in the past. Somehow, knowing that there is a limit causes us to rethink what we are willing to eat, or reheat, or remake.
I'm not saying I've eaten anything that wasn't good. It's just that it's so easy to look at 3 types of leftovers and think "Nah! None of that sounds good. I think I'll make some ______" Days later, all those leftovers are being thrown away.
I read somewhere that Americans typically throw away 40% of what they buy for food. 40%!!! Which translates to mean that you paid 40% more for the food you actually ate. Have you ever thought about that? If you spend $100 on food, and throw away $40 worth of it, then you have essentially paid $100 for the remaining food. Another way to say it: if I buy 10 pounds of food for $10.00, that would be $1.00 per pound. If I throw away or waste 4 pounds of that food, then I have paid $10.00 for 6 pounds, or $1.66 per pound.
How we spend or waste has a lot to do with how we think.
Here is something I read on Mary Hunt's Everyday Cheapskate website:
Frugality doesn’t mean you have to become someone you aren’t. Frugality means doing whatever it takes to spend less than you earn. Frugality is about restraint, discipline, finding the best value and not being wasteful. It’s about making choices and understanding that if you say yes to one thing you may need to say no to something else. Frugality is about deciding what really matters and not living to impress others.
One thing it comes down to is SELF-DISCIPLINE.Because we live frugally doesn’t mean we don’t spend money. It means we spend money thoughtfully and with a sense of discipline and purpose. Frugality is about striking a balance between saving and investing for the future and having a fulfilling life now.
Self-discipline brings about good fruit. I may have mentioned before, but we are also limiting our water usage, electricity usage and car usage to save on gas (which is happening quite naturally, since I am pretty much NOT shopping). We are choosing, once again, not to be WASTEFUL.
I've found that it is easy to live with my thermostat being lowered 3 degrees. I have kept it at 68 all winter, every winter. It took a week for my DS to realize that it was lowered to 65; longer for my husband.
In order to decide what to charge for sewer charges during the year, our city takes the lowest water bill during the winter months and uses that as their basis. I am finding that we were unnecessarily wasting water in so many ways! Mind you, I am a frugal-minded person. I also believe that we shouldn't waste resources, such as water and electricity, and yet, we have cut these things CONSIDERABLY in the last 3 weeks!!!
I think it's all about reevaluation. Which brings me back to New Year's Resolutions. I discussed this on the very first day I started this blog. We sometimes drift throughout the course of things. It's like floating on a raft in the middle of a lake. You don't realize you are drifting, but then - all of a sudden - you are at the shore. I LOVE reevaluating!
I think sometimes, as Mary Hunt said above, we equate frugality, saving money and resources, etc., with lack. I can run all the water I want. I choose not to. So, it's REALLY about taking control. I am in charge of my income, my resources, my bills, my spending. It's my choice where my money goes.
Some people would argue that it isn't my choice. But, for the most part, that's not true. I chose to buy my house. I signed the note and agree to pay for it. No one coerced me. I gave my word and my signature, and a huge down payment.
I bought my car. No one made me. I can eat chicken, steak, or no meat at all. It's my choice. If I choose steak, I might not be able to buy something else - like a new pair of shoes. But it's still my choice. When we look at how much control we actually have in our spending, and stop thinking we are victims of our finances, we really can walk in financial freedom.
We have some unsecured debt right now, and have a long way to go in paying it off. I slipped off the discipline train a while back. But the good news is, I have reevaluated and resolved to get it paid off. Compared to my usual spending, I have already saved $1000 in 3 weeks. Yes, I have a desire to buy some things that I want, but don't need. My choice - my decision - is to pay it toward debt.
The good news (or should I say - miracle) is, I have enough meat and other main dish foods left to last another month. No kidding. I'm not sure how that happened, but I've already decided. I am continuing this into next month. I will have a slightly higher budget than $30, but it is going to be pretty low. The fact is - I can do this. It has lots of benefits, and not a whole lot of sacrifice. Honestly. It has been pretty easy. A lot easier than I thought!
More updates coming soon.
Sherry
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