Good Monday morning to all my listeners. I hope your week is off to a great start. I'm your host, Belinda Richardson and I want to welcome you to the Frugal Workshop podcast. I'm so glad you decided to join us.
Today’s main topic is going to be about The Frugal Mindset, which is really about changing your mind to think in a frugal way the majority of the time. A mindset is an established set of attitudes, which will allow you the benefit of thinking differently than other people.
People with a fixed mindset believe that their traits are just givens, and that they have a certain amount of smarts and talent and nothing can change that. People with a growth mindset, on the other hand, see their qualities as things that can be developed through their dedication and effort. Which means that you can have a frugal mindset with proper learning and practice.
During the times in my life when money has been tight and there was no wiggle room, I knew I had to be extra careful or we would suffer the consequences. This really helped me to use up things, make do with what I had and simply do without some things. This forced to bring my skills to the forefront and learn how to do a lot for myself. My cooking from scratch skills really became honed during this time. My daughter knows that if she finds something on markdown that I’ll be able to make a meal out of it, so she does not hesitate to pick up these markdowns she finds.
I’ve always mended a lot of our clothes instead of buying new. I’ve made a lot of cloth pads using fabric that we repurposed from other articles of clothing.
Living this way requires self-discipline, skills, and some determination. We need to learn to make do with what we have or do without. Becky over at Frugal Measures writes a lot about continuing to work on our skills. She says learning new skills regularly will bless our lives.
The real key to the frugal mindset is the daily decisions you make every day. The decision to make toast at home instead of buying a doughnut at the coffee shop. To make coffee before you leave for work and take it with you.
Use up that brand of coffee or tea you have on hand instead of simply tossing and wasting it. I recently used up a tube of toothpaste my daughter didn’t like until it was gone. Don't throw these items away. If not you, then find someone who will use it up and not waste it.
Learn how to cook cheaper, tougher cuts of meat instead of buying a steak. Or if you can find ground beef on sale use that instead of buying expensive steak or roast. We don’t buy steak or roast in our home due to the cost. We find ground beef on sale and manage to make delicious meals with that instead.
Sew the hole in the seam of your shirt instead of running out to buy a new shirt. Plant some lettuce or greens outside your home instead of spending money on those items from the store.
Your daily decisions will make all the difference in your mindset. You need to get creative and think about ways to solve a problem in order to fix things or make do without. Recipe substitutions come to my mind. Fixing things around the house like a new handle for a flyswatter that’s broke. Reusing large industrial sized cans to repurpose into things like a kitchen utensil holder or a rocket stove.
The frugal mindset is not for those people who are unmotivated and lack the desire to live frugally. You have to be willing to put in the work to make this mindset and lifestyle work.
During the Great Depression, people already had many of the skills with which to live frugally. Many didn’t have indoor plumbing or electricity. They did not have the many distractions we have available to us today. So, they made time to use their creativity to come up with solutions for the problems they encountered and they worked hard to make their lives better.
With the technology we have today it is possible to learn how to repair things, make things, and all types of skills about how to do so many things. Take the time to use these resources available to you and see what new skills you can learn.
The frugal mindset can be hard, but with some time and practice, it can become second nature to you. You will just naturally look for solutions that do not involve spending money or purchasing unnecessary items. You will just use your creativity and skills to solve your problems instead of running to the store to buy something new or throwing away an item that could be repaired. Even better, you may learn to be content with the things you have.
In The News…
There was an interesting article in the news this week on NPR about vanilla. I’ll include a link to the article in the resources section for this podcast. The article states that the vanilla boom is making people in Madagascar wealthy, although there is also a lot of theft going on as well.
Also...
Marianne Tulis, a resident of Chattanooga, TN, died on August 2nd, 2019. An elegant woman with classical tastes, Marianne taught herself how to invest by reading the Wall Street Journal.
Marianne, a naturally frugal person, had told family members that she just wanted to be buried in a pine box. So last month, her two sons bought $71 worth of pine plywood at the Lowe's and built their mother's coffin together.
I’ve included a link to this story in the resources for this podcast. The story is told by her grand daughter Abigail and is quite touching.
Christmas is 92 days from Today!
This past weekend I found a couple of presents at a consignment sale we attended. So that is my tip for this week. Brand new items can be found at yard sales, flea markets, thrift stores, second hand stores, etc. You will definitely save money. Be sure to look at unusual places for Christmas, which will save you money buying new items second hand versus buying new items at a retail store.
In Conclusion
I hope that this podcast has been helpful to you and I want to thank you for taking the time out of your day to listen. I hope you have a great week and we will see you back here next Monday. :)
Resources Used In This Podcast
Frugal Measures Blog
Vanilla Boom in Madagascar
Hand Built Coffin
Thank you for the link to Frugal Measures blog, Belinda.
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy reading about frugality and there are so many new things we can learn from others.
You're welcome, Nil. Hers is one of my favorites to read as she has so many skills. It's a keeper. :)
DeleteI connect lemurs and not vanilla with Madagascar. Read to learn about vanilla in Madagascar. Sink or swim with vanilla in Madagascar. With DH's business friend's living in Madagascar, we have always taken notice of its rains/floods; however, the importance of vanilla beans had not crossed our minds. Thanks, Belinda.
ReplyDelete-memphis metro
You're welcome, Anna. It's pretty fascinating to read.
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