Living Frugally Is Like Home Baked Bread

Posted on February 8, 2008
Filed Under frugal living |

photo courtesy of net_efekt

While I was buttering my thick fresh slice of homemade bread this afternoon, I decided that I was starting to like frugal living. Most people think that living frugally means giving things up. For me, it means spending time versus spending money.

I took the time today to throw a batch of bread into the bread maker. It took me about 10 minutes and cost me under a dollar and there is NO comparison between a slice of homemade bread fresh out of the oven or breadmaker and a slice of wonder bread. The mouthwatering aroma of homemade fills the whole house while it’s baking. It’s one of the simple pleasures of life and very frugal.

I am already planning my vegetable garden. I am going to put in square foot gardens. They save on space, water and fertilizer as well as labor. The gardening will still take time but it will save money. The fresh vegetables are so much tastier than store bought. I should even have enough to freeze for the winter.

I am eating better right now mostly because I quit buying more expensive convenience foods. Yes, I spend a little more time in the kitchen but I enjoy it and the meals are so much better. I buy in bulk and separate it out at home, store it raw in ziploc bags. When I cook, I cook in quantities and separate that into meals stored in tupperware containers.

I don’t put leftovers into the refrigerator. I am notorious for turning them into science experiments so I keep a soup can in the freezer. Any leftover veggies go into the can juice and all after dinner. When I am ready to make vegetable soup, the only thing I need to buy is the soup bone for the stock.

Leftover meat scraps that haven’t been fried get chopped up for the dogs. They enjoy the tidbits in their regular food and it’s better for them than store bought food. They also get leftover mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots. So even the dogs eat better.

When I can, I walk instead of driving. It saves me a bit of gas, gives me a bit of exercise and relaxes me. Unfortunately, I can’t walk very often as I live in the country and it’s 10 miles to anywhere.

As you can see, for me at least, living frugally has meant living better. I have found that I appreciate the things I have a lot more than I did before. So you see living frugally is a lot like home baked bread, thick and filled with flavor.

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Comments

2 Responses to “Living Frugally Is Like Home Baked Bread”

Bouncing Back on February 8th, 2008 8:12 pm

I love my breadmaker. I make bread a couple times a week so I always have a fresh loaf. If I had the time, I’d go back to making bread by hand.
CindyS on February 8th, 2008 10:28 pm

I love mine too. I think it is my favorite small appliance even including the microwave. I usually make one each of raisin bread, garlic herb bread, and one regular white bread each week.

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