Frugality: It’s in My Genes

By Cheryl Carson

In these times of soaring prices, it becomes all the more desirable, even necessary, to conserve our resources and use them wisely—all of them. Some may call my frugality "penny-pinching" or miserly; I call it thrifty and wise. Some may think of the frugal lifestyle as one of austerity and deprivation. On the contrary, I think a frugal person is someone who gives generously, saves regularly, uses resources intelligently, and most importantly, doesn’t spend more money than he or she has.

At any rate, I can't help being frugal. It's in my genes. Actually, I got a double dose of it. Not only did I come from pioneer stock—those dear folks known for their thrift and industry—but I also was raised by parents who lived through the Great Depression. I recall, as a child, hearing stories of my father riding boxcars between Idaho and California in search of work. He told us of men so desperate for employment that they considered themselves lucky to be able to work for a dollar per day. My parents, in the early part of their marriage, lived on bottled fruit and homemade bread. 

My father never wasted anything on the chance that there might be a use for it someday. He was not alone. My husband's mother passed away at the age of 84. Included in her collection of gift-wrapping paper were pieces as tiny as four by six inches. My husband brought the paper home to me, and I used it all. When her sister, Aunt Izola, had passed away, among her possessions was found a small box she had saved that contained string and yarn.  It was labeled, "String too short to be of any use." So you see, I can't help it. I inherited this frugal mindset through my genes and also through marriage.

"Waste not, want not" is a familiar maxim to many of us. "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without" is a philosophy that may seem outdated in this day of abundance, and in today's throwaway society. Will the current economic roller coaster ride force us to be more careful and more wise in the use of our resources--or will we simply crash and burn?

I take literally the counsel of Utah's first territorial governor, Brigham Young: "Let nothing go to waste. Never consider that you have bread enough to suffer your children to waste a crust or a crumb of it.

Admittedly, I go to extremes. It’s like a game to me—to never allow anything to be wasted, to get full use out of everything. Come to think of it, maybe that's why I signed up to be an organ donor! 

It gives me pleasure to use what would otherwise have been thrown out. For example, uneaten leftovers find their way into the blender and then into my homemade bread. One can disguise anything in homemade bread, except Brussels sprouts, which turn the bread green (as I learned from experience).

Waste nothing! What about smashed gift bows? Do you think I discard them? Of course not! I save them to put on gifts to be sent through the mail, and the recipients think the mailman did it! 

Whenever I am given fresh flowers at a speaking engagement, on the way home I try to think of someone else who might appreciate them—a new mother, perhaps, or someone who is ill, or a friend who needs a lift. Thus, two of us can experience the pleasure of receiving fresh flowers. They think I'm thoughtful and generous—and I don't have to watch the flowers die or clean up the mess. 

Our neighbors, too, think that we are kind and helpful. When someone TPs their yard, we go over and offer to help them clean it up.... Truly, nothing goes to waste!

 By avoiding waste, we can "stop the leaks" in our resources. We may be unaware of our wasteful habits, especially in small things. But a sieve is simply a collection of tiny holes, and, combined, they become a major leak.

Small things can cumulatively make a big difference. Small things, like not allowing the bar of soap to dissolve in the bath water. Or by using the last diluted bubble of shampoo after storing the bottle upside down for a few uses, and then by adding a bit of water so you can use up the last of the shampoo after that. You see, I know that these small things add up to big savings over time.

Once, after speaking to a group, a man in his 60s came to me and said, "Remember how you talked about squeezing out the last bit of toothpaste by pressing the handle of your toothbrush up the tube to flatten it?" He paused. "Well, after I have done all that. . . then I suck out the rest!"

He—and I—may seem eccentric or compulsive or fanatical—but at least I don't save the shower water to water the house plants. And I don't put a sign on the wall by the toilet paper stating how many squares should be used, as does one woman I heard of.

However, even though I purchased a lifetime supply of 2,400 new pencils (they cost a penny apiece), I use my pencils down to a nubbin. My husband suggested that I save all the stubs so he could bury them with me in my cheap casket—as a tribute to my frugality. Unsettling as it may be to think of leaving him behind to face the challenges of this unsteady economy, I can still die happy and rest in peace, knowing I saved him every penny I could!

Note: contact the author at: www.cherylcarson.org