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Servant2theKing
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With prices escalating, rampant consumerism abounding, natural resources diminishing, I've been prayerfully seeking ways to be better stewards of what we have and use. I'm also trying to help our children look at this subject in a prayerful, discerning, non-radical way. I'm interested in hearing how others may also be trying to improve in this area. I think often of my own grandparents and contemplate the many ways they continued to guard their use of things more carefully, due to their Depression era experiences, long after there was no perceived need to be quite so frugal or careful.
Here are a few ways we're consciously trying to improve:
Not making any unneccesary trips in our vehicles. We consolidate most errands into a monthly, onetime event. Any additional errands must fit into my husband's drive to and from work or we simply do without.
Re-using items or finding suitable alternatives. This applies to everything from clothing to household items. We almost always buy secondhand or use hand-me-downs or cast-offs from friends and family.
We've been finding ways to eliminate disposable products; covering serving dishes with a plate or lid rather than plastic wrap, pans in the oven covered with cookie sheets rather than foil, baked goods that might stale stored in re-usable pie-savers or covered with inverted bowls or pans. I wash and save coffee cans, tins and larger containers for storing dried goods and staples.
I'd love to hear more ideas. It's likely this subject has been covered in previous threads...if so, I apologize for not searching first...I'm trying to conserve on computer use :) I'm off to string clothesline inside the canopy shading our deck (which helps save on cooling costs inside the house as well)...I've been trying to figure out a way to prevent our hand-me-down dogs from reaching our hand-me-down clothes and chewing them all to useless bits! BTDT!
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chrisv664
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Here are a few areas our family of eight has been trying to improve:
I recently bought some colorful cloth napkins in my favorite discount store and have moved away form using so many paper towels and napkins. Having a larger than average family, I am conscious of how much waste we generate, so I recycle newspaper, glass, metal and plastics and I have the best compost heap on the block!
I have raised the temperature at which the a/c comes on (read: almost never!)
I also combine errands into fewer car rides. We now only use the 12 passenger van for the train station (my husband is a commuter) or if we actually have 12 people in it! We also use it to haul wood.
We heat with wood, not oil, so that has helped tremendously! For the last three years we've gotten almost all of our wood for free.
Also, for both health reasons and budget reasons, we try to eat as few pre-made foods as possible, sticking to homemade baked goods and mixes as much as we can.
Also, in the interest of being better stewards of our $ and with everything getting so costly these days, we revamped our household budget, refinanced to consolidate payments, and it looks like for the first time in our marriage, we may actually have a small surplus in the budget!
I'm listening for any new ideas, as well. I know there is always room for improvement.
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Loving Wife of Dan and Mom to Kate, Jessica, Ben,
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Michaela
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Servant2theKing wrote:
| With prices escalating, rampant consumerism abounding, natural resources diminishing, I've been prayerfully seeking ways to be better stewards of what we have and use. |
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This is a subject I look forwarding to delving into here on the forums.
The biggest change is in my attitude. A return to the simple, uncomplicated life...back to the basics!
It's embarrassing because everything I am doing has been discussed here since I've been a member, but I've only recently seen the light.
My absolute favorite blog to learn about being a good steward with less, back to basic, simple, enjoy being a homemaker, ect is Down to Earth. Rhonda's latest post "Tightening Your Belt" is timely to this topic. Actually, ALL of her posts have to do with being good stewards...simple living, sustainability, growing your own, stockpiling, filling the pantry, cooking from scratch.....
We aren't allowed to hang clothes in our neighborhood, however I bought two drying racks to dry clothes out of sight on our back porch. Add the addiction to unplug and turn off almost everything and I have a 50% less electric bill!
Something as simple as using less prepacked foods has cut down on our trash. Consequently, I've been able to have a smaller container delivered which has lowered our monthly trash bill by $20 = a savings of $240 a year.
Seeing the beauty in making food from scratch instead of thinking Why? I can just buy it. (still unsure there because of all the start up costs..I hope to discuss here sometime)
I need to start dinner, but this subject is very close to my heart (now  ).
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Michaela
Momma to Nicholas 16, Nathan 13, Olivia 13, Teresa 6, & Anthony 3
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PDyer
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| Posted: June 11 2008 at 8:34pm | IP Logged
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Michaela wrote:
| We aren't allowed to hang clothes in our neighborhood, however I bought two drying racks to dry clothes out of sight on our back porch. |
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Eureka. I can do that!
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Patty
Mom of ds (7/96) and dd (9/01) and two angels (8/95 and 6/08)
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Servant2theKing
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Michaela, the Down to Earth BLOG is great! If you do a search for Simple Living you'll find several other interesting sources. Here's one that looks good:
http://www.betterbudgeting.com/frugalliving.htm
For those of you in subdivisions that don't allow clotheslines, you might consider lines or racks indoors, especially in areas like a laundry room or basement. I fondly remember both my grandmothers hanging clothes on lines in their basements in the winter, and one grandmother telling stories of hanging sheets outside in wintertime and bringing them inside, stiff as a board. Retractable clotheslines are really nice because they can be reeled in when not in use. Alas, ours is outdoors, in an area that our dogs are able to reach!
I agree with your comments on seeing the beauty of making food from scratch. Whenever I am frustrated over the time it takes to cook frugally, I contemplate how our Blessed Mother would have seen every aspect of cooking for Jesus and Joseph as an act of love. I'm getting ready to bake bread, before the day heats up and our house with broken AC gets even hotter. I will pray for all those seeking to live more simply to be blessed with the grace to emulate the Holy Family in their efforts.
Here are some words that hang over our baking area to help me meditate on the blessedness in the simple act of baking bread:
"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it bears much fruit." John 12:24
The Navarre commentary for that verse:
"If the grain of wheat does not die, it remains unfruitful. Don't you want to be a grain of wheat, to die through mortification, and to yield a rich harvest? May Jesus bless your wheatfield!" St. Jose Escriva, "The Way"
"May the wheat fields speak to you about the mercy of God toward every creature. That is why, renew prayer of thanks for everything that He gives you."
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chrisv664
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All this talk of bread baking is making me hunger for a slice of warm homemade bread! SInce the topic of bread baking has come up, I want to mention a book I received from my husband last Christmas called Brother Juniper's Bread Book, subtitled Slow Rise as Method and Metaphor. I recommend it because it has many wonderful recipes, and also, it reads like a book, not just a cookbook, if that makes sense. Lots to meditate on.. and he really delves into the nuances of breadbaking.
Oh, and I can't wait to check out some of those interesting sounding blogs when I get a chance! They sound exactly like what I am looking for! Thanks, everyone!
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CandaceC
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I just finished reading the book Serve God, Save the Planet. I'll say right off that it is not Catholic, nor am I. But this book was fabulous for really opening your eyes to things that can easily be done.
The author used to be a chief of staff for an ER, had a nice large home, lived a very comfortable life. They began feeling convicted and he quit his job, they sold their home and now live in a home the size of their previous garage!
Each chapter talks on a different area - he discusses living without a clothes dryer - line drying. He discusses composting, having less trash in your home, etc.
This book isn't really a "how-to" but a call to action. It is very motivating!
Just thought I'd share! :)
ETA- as I was thinking more about this book I remembered he does have a chapter on birth control. So, maybe I should not recommend it here! I will also say that I didn't agree with what he was saying on BC either...but still enjoyed the rest of the book. So I think it is possible to take bits and pieces of it. For me it was very eye opening and a reminder that you don't have to be a non-Christian to be concerned about the world God created for us!
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Candace - wife to David since 2000...mommy to Hannah (Feb. 2002), Emily (April 2003) and Caleb (March 2005)
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guitarnan
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Bread making saves a TON of money. I am on my third bread machine...this one has lasted for about 12 years so far...
Have your dc make birthday and holiday cards (you can buy blank card/envelope kits wherever you buy scrapbooking supplies). Greeting cards are sooo expensive!
Repair things. Shoes. Appliances. Furniture. (I am trying to find a tri-blade screwdriver to fix my iron, which dd dropped. Meanwhile I am not ironing.)
Great thread.
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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amyable
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Most of what we do has already been mentioned (but who am I to give up a chance to post something?  )
We are trying to use more reusable items instead of papergoods: we cloth diaper (not all the time but as much as I can stand  ), cloth napkins, rags instead of paper towels when I think of it, even cloth pads for me on those rare occasions between children. . Allergies has necessitated more cooking from scratch, and we are slowly doing that even for things we don't *need* to for allergy reasons.
This year we have our first productive garden. It's not huge, but has kept us in salads all spring, the occasional strawberry, and hopefully tomatoes and carrots by the end of the summer!
I'm trying to really rethink what we own, also. Maybe it isn't frugal to give so much away, but if I don't *need* it I'm hoping it's good stewardship to let someone else have it (whether they need it or not ) Especially if something breaks, I think long and hard whether I need to replace it or can I make do with something else. I'm trying to change my mindset also - like in the sentence above, I shouldn't even say "make do". That makes it sound sad. I should be happy I have ONE spoon to serve with, not sad that I'm "making do" with one because my other one broke (bad example, but you know what I mean!)
Thinking about all this, I'm realizing that so much of what I'm doing is changing my mindset, not so much changing any one particular thing. I have a big problem with "living in other people's minds" i.e. making choices because of how I think someone else will react. I am making a valiant effort to STOP THAT (yelling at myself here) and just enjoy doing what I want to do with regard to all this--because I'm really a rather crunchy, frugal, natural, save the earth kind of person down inside - but have covered it all up after years of conditioning that "image is everything". 
Along those lines we are still in our small-ish house when we could afford more (well, we could qualify for a mortgage for more ) and people look down their noses at us for *choosing* to put 3-4 girls in one bedroom,etc.
Gotta run, baby is up - hope to gain more interesting things to do reading this thread! 
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The Highly Sensitive Homeschooler
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Jess
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Good topic!
We are doing a lot of the same things others are doing. We cloth diaper, use cloth napkins, and dish towels instead of paper towels. I was line drying a lot, but there is something about doing this where we live. I use a fabric softener that has a scent (and I have tried doing it without a scented softener), but the clothes come in smelling weird. There is no fresh line dried scent here! They stink! So my dh kindly asked me to dry clothes in the dryer. I have cut back on laundry by having the kids rewear their pj's for a couple of days. I do line dry diapers, for some strange reason they don't smell bad after. We could probably go down to a smaller container for our trash too because we usually only have 1 bag a week. We recycle all we can and have a compost pile.
I am interested in what others do and I will checking out those blogs when I have a chance.
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Jess
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JSchaaf
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Jess wrote:
| I was line drying a lot, but there is something about doing this where we live. I use a fabric softener that has a scent (and I have tried doing it without a scented softener), but the clothes come in smelling weird. There is no fresh line dried scent here! They stink! So my dh kindly asked me to dry clothes in the dryer. |
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We have this problem, too. We live in cattle country and our sprinkler system (mandated by the subdivision and the water is free!) uses water that has farm runoff in it. ("Cow-poo" water is what we call it). Now you know why it's free! Anyway, it's great fertilizer for the grass, but the scent lingers in the air for a couple of hours after the morning and evening watering. So line drying outside doesn't work. I am thinking about getting a rack for inside, though. The Down to Earth blog that was mentioned above (thank you!) links to a site that discusses all sorts of options for line drying.
Jennifer
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Erin
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Regards presents- lets be honest presents can really add up. Firstly have a budget and stick to it! Keep an eye open throughout the year and grab specials and put them away in the 'birthday cupboard'. Buy from ebay or garage sales.
Can you tell birthdays are on my mind? I have three coming up in the first week of next month.
Buying clothes/shoes- buy when specials are on, this often means buying at the end of the season for the next year. It is so nice to open a container the following year with brand new clothes ready and waiting. I buy a little big so that my dc get two seasons out of their clothing. Truthfully I mainly only buy for the two oldest as God provides and I am often given clothing for the younger ones. And think about how much you buy, do we really need as much as we have?
Shop monthly- I shop monthly and save! I couldn't really tell you why but it is cheaper. If we run out we do without. And as already discussed buy as little processed as possible.
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doris
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Great thread.
In no order --
I'm a complete convert (revert!) to cotton nappies. I used them almost exclusively for my eldest two children, then on and off for the third. Now I'm using them all the time for my fourth, and it's really not that much extra work. It saves so much money and we have so little rubbish to throw out each week, it's almost not worth bothering. I also use cloth wipes instead of disposable and honestly, it's not a sacrifice as they are actually better -- less slimy and chemically.
I've also got obsessive about never using the dryer. I hang clothes to dry either outside (no dodgy cow dung smells in London!) or on a clothes horse inside.
We use energy saving lightbulbs where possible.
We've got a water butt for watering the garden -- essential here where there's often a hosepipe ban.
I really hate throwing anything away so I try to pass on unwanted clothes or toys to friends or charity shops. (Obvious, I know!) I absolutely love Freecycle because you can offer stuff that wouldn't necessarily be good enough for a charity shop but someone else might want -- say a broken appliance that someone might be able to fix.
The weather's quite mild here so we set the thermostat quite low in the winter and AC is unheard-of!
I make lots of meals from scratch, though not everything. I really try to challenge myself about whether something could be made -- and usually it can. Just as a silly example, I made salsa when we were having tortillas and it was really nice!
Even before the latest fuel price rises, I'd been trying to limit car use -- it should be pretty easy in London, with good public transport and with lots of things in walking distance. But that's harder with a newborn, so I'm still working on that. Petrol here is now £1.20 a litre ie $9.36 a gallon! Can you believe it?
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Home educating in London, UK with dd (2000) ds (2002), dd (2004), ds (2008) and dd (2011).
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jdostalik
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doris wrote:
| Petrol here is now £1.20 a litre ie $9.36 a gallon! Can you believe it? |
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Well, that makes me feel positively giddy about our $3.89/gal here in North Texas...
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Jennifer in TX
wife to Bill, mom to six here on earth and eight in heaven.
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Michaela
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guitarnan wrote:
| Bread making saves a TON of money. I am on my third bread machine...this one has lasted for about 12 years so far... |
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Here is where I have the greatest challenge. Cooking from scratch does save money when you have the necessary equipment. The start up cost of buying a bread maker, fabric, sewing machine, canning food, homemade cleaners, homemade napkins, ect. It costs more to make it myself than to buy what I need.
I'd like to can food and make our own jelly. I'm going to have to spend a small fortune to buy jars, lids, and ingredients that I wouldn't regularly have on hand to only use one tablespoon. 
Start up costs may be for another thread. It's the main reason I haven't made more changes. I've considered asking at Freecycle for canning jars. Plus, it's a skill I don't have. As Rhonda writes about on her blog, I need to "Re-skill" myself.
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Michaela
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SeaStar
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Since moving last fall, we have gone newspaper-less and cable-less.
We tried the local paper here- there just wasn't that much in it that we couldn't get on-line. It was weird adjusting to no paper over breakfast, but it has cut down quite a bit on clutter and recycling and cost. Ditto cable.
I try to have at least a couple of "stay home" days a week- the car stays parked in the garage.
I don't line dry clothing, but I only have them in the dryer for about ten minutes, then hang them on hangers to dry. They are wrinkle free and soft (don't have that "crunchy" line dried feel, or all the pollen from outside on them). In the winter, drying them inside on hangers also helps put moisture back in the air inside.
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insegnante
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Could anyone give me a rough idea of how much money is saved monthly not using a clothes dryer? I'm sure it varies by how many clothes you have to dry, where you live, etc., but just a rough idea! We've been thinking about it, but since it would probably involve some kind of monetary investment however small and I'm not sure how quickly it would pay for itself, and would certainly involve a change in routine, it just hasn't been a top priority. I should probably care about this for environmental reasons too, but I admit that saving $ would be most motivating right now, especially since it seems like we might spend the rest of my third trimester with the central air conditioning set to 73.
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Theresa
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Servant2theKing
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If living simply and practicing good stewardship seems daunting, I always focus my attention on something small and manageable, then work toward making further progress in baby steps. Cooking from scratch, sewing, canning, etc. doesn't mean you have to go out and buy all kinds of brand new equipment. Put the word out among family and friends, or even place a notice in your parish bulletin, that you're interested in obtaining things used items such as a sewing machine, mixer or bread maker, canning jars, etc. You'd be amazed how many people have such things taking up storage space...often they would just love to give them away. Search online sites like freecycle or local postings for free items. Frequent thrift shops and garage sales. Most of all ask the Holy Family and St. Anthony to intercede on your behalf and then patiently and trustingly wait on the Lord...very often He will bless you in unexpected ways for seeking to make better use of His blessings!
A perfect example...I wanted so much to buy our daughter a good stand mixer when she married, because she loves to bake bread and I knew it would be difficult to adjust to making it by hand after using our mixer for years. We just could not afford it at the time, so I humbly submitted a fleeting prayer and dismissed the idea. Our daughter practiced hand mixing and kneading bread before her marriage and without complaint lovingly baked her new husband bread every week by hand. A few months later a homeschooling friend offered to give our daughter the very same mixer I had yearned to purchase...it's as good as new, she uses it constantly, and we were all just thrilled with how God answered the prayer of our hearts. Good stewardship often translates into patience, obedience, sacrifice (especially of our own desires and will) and trust, mixed with healthy doses of humility! It can be humbling, yet freeing, to admit that the clothing someone complements came from Goodwill, but it might also encourage another soul to break free of the trap of consumerism driven by advertising or cultural and peer pressures!
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CrunchyMom
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My mother always used cloth napkins; so, I've been using those my whole life and am still surprised that not using paper napkins at every meal is an adjustment for most.
I think one of the easiest transitions for me was paper towels. I used to go through tons of paper towels, though, but I bought a bunch of microfiber towels from the automotive section (they have terry, too, which I think I might do next time). They are great for spills and dirty jobs, and now I only go through one roll of paper towels in about three months! I use them for bacon, patting dry raw meat, etc... The whole bag of towels I've been using for a couple of years cost the same at Costco as the big package of paper towels we'd been buying every few months.
I think another aspect of Stewardship that is hard for me is being sure to take care of what we have. When the house is messy and things get out of control, more dishes get broken, books get torn, etc... It is hard to break the mindset that things are easily replaceable and truly treasure the things I do have as blessings (without attachment to them--which is hard).
I have tried more and more to be picky about what I get--often "doing without" until we can afford what I want. This is counter to some of the comments above, and I certainly do a mixture of the two concepts, but I also find that waiting means that we find the perfect item/solution at a bargain (sometimes free!), or that we are happier for longer because the item is what we wanted, or that it just lasts longer because I held out for the higher quality.
For example, my MIL has a TON of dishes she has acquired at yardsales, etc... Her pantry is like a hardhat zone. I have very few things compared to hers, but she would have a heart attack over what I paid for them. And yet, I am very satisfied with my few dishes and rarely covet more because the ones I have are exactly what I wanted, yk?
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
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[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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Stephanie_Q
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Servant2theKing wrote:
If living simply and practicing good stewardship seems daunting, I always focus my attention on something small and manageable, then work toward making further progress in baby steps. Cooking from scratch, sewing, canning, etc. doesn't mean you have to go out and buy all kinds of brand new equipment. Put the word out among family and friends, or even place a notice in your parish bulletin, that you're interested in obtaining things used items such as a sewing machine, mixer or bread maker, canning jars, etc. You'd be amazed how many people have such things taking up storage space...often they would just love to give them away. Search online sites like freecycle or local postings for free items. Frequent thrift shops and garage sales. Most of all ask the Holy Family and St. Anthony to intercede on your behalf and then patiently and trustingly wait on the Lord...very often He will bless you in unexpected ways for seeking to make better use of His blessings!
Good stewardship often translates into patience, obedience, sacrifice (especially of our own desires and will) and trust, mixed with healthy doses of humility! It can be humbling, yet freeing, to admit that the clothing someone complements came from Goodwill, but it might also encourage another soul to break free of the trap of consumerism driven by advertising or cultural and peer pressures! |
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I tried to post a reply to this topic yesterday - in the morning my son turned off the computer before I posted and in the evening my father-in-law closed Firefox before I had posted...This is just what I wanted to say but it wasn't coming out right...which is why the Holy Spirit was keeping me from posting, I'm sure!
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Stephanie dh 6.01
dd 6.02, dd 8.03, ds 3.05, ds 12.06 at Catholic school.
dd 12.09 at home.
Baby boy due 10.13
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: Good Stewardship
