Hello friends,
Many of you have followed me for some time and though I describe my blog as living frugally, much of what I post about is implied frugality rather that statements about how I action frugality.
I thought today it would be interesting to write about some of the ways I relax and enjoy myself without breaking the bank.
Like many of you, I have limited free time but I do have a few activities up my sleeve to keep me busy when I have some free moments here and there.
Reading
One of the things I love to do and which costs me next to nothing is reading. You may find it hard to believe, but when I started this blog back in 2007, I couldn't read an entire page. My concentration had taken a nose dive due to illness. I also suffered a lot of fatigue and could hardly do anything which required more than a minute or so of sustained action or concentration. Though I have come a long way since then, chronic fatigue and a few other ailments still hamper what I can do and the consistency with which I can do it. The good news is that I've been setting reading goals each year for about 15 years. In the beginning I had to force myself to read more than a page and whatever I read I didn't remember but I kept going. Today I regularly set reading goals which vary from year to year. I often say I'm going to read less and end up reading far more than I intended. It's actually a good strategy for me as it puts less pressure on me to 'perform'.
This year my reading goal was 50 books. I have reached that goal and have read 52 books to date. My new goal is 20,000 pages which will likely be another 3 books (I'm currently at 19,120 pages) which I'll easily do before the end of the year. I got the idea of setting a page goal from my blogging friend, Jeanie at The Marmalade Gypsy. I think it's a fantastic idea and I've used it as my target in previous years whenever I felt I could devote more time to reading.
How I make it frugal
In times gone by I bought a lot of books and magazines to the point where the books completely filled 2 large bookcases, several drawers, covered a few flat surfaces and were stacked on the floor in parts of my home. Obviously I had far too many books for my home and these have now been reduced during my ongoing decluttering and downsizing project. I still have a lot more to declutter but the next bits will be harder because they are reference materials as opposed to reading novels. These days I borrow most of the novels I read through my local library. From time to time, I purchase books from the thrift store if I really want it or it is a good price. Even the thrift store prices are getting far too high around here.
In a bid to keep down the clutter, I also now donate the books through my local Freecycle website or donate them back to a local charity shop for resale. This works for me to ensure I don't add even more clutter as I work to downsize. I only like to read current issues of magazines I like so I don't borrow or reach them at the library. I browse the occasional magazine at the supermarket and pharmacy and buy one from time to time if I like what I see when I browse. Usually a spring or fall edition suits me.
Crochet
I taught myself to crochet from a little book that my mother owned. She didn't crochet herself but she had every intention so she had the right supplies for the day when she might make time to learn. I think The first thing I made from a pattern in the book was a doily. I had no idea that it wasn't a beginner's project, lol. I remember the day very well. I wasn't feeling that well and was staying home from school. I was up by myself very early in the morning. I sat under the dining table with the pattern book and supplies. A blanket was draped over the dining table to make a sort of 'tent' that my younger siblings had been playing under. We had seen this tent idea on the Mr. Dressup show, a Canadian children's show hosted by the late Ernie Coombs. My siblings and I used to love Mr. Dressup. Anyway, I was under that table trying to be as quiet as a mouse and concentrating on figuring out how to read the pattern whilst using tiny little thread, looping it with a tiny little hook. I was also being quiet so as not to wake anyone. It was painstaking work for unaccustomed fingers so my tension was tighter than it needed to be but after that project, I fell in love with crochet. I like making doilies best, but sadly most people don't really use doilies anymore. I love it when I travel to Kenya and I see that a lot of women (and men) there that still love crocheted items.
Here is the latest doily I've made. I think I'll send it to a friend in England because she also loves crochet.
I also love to crochet afghans and have made a lot of them over the past several years. All of them have been given away as gifts to family and friends.
Here is another blanket called African Flower Hexagon
I was never a good sewer in high school. I had fumble fingers and my machine stitching was never that neat. It didn't help that one of my best friends had near perfection in sewing class. In fact, she had top grades in virtually every class but it was her sewing skills that amazed me most because she was just so naturally able to sew well. Despite not measuring up to my friend, whatever I learned in sewing class stayed with me throughout the years and helps me to this day. I am grateful to have had at least a bit of instruction since my late mom never had any instruction. Mother was also a gifted seamstress through sheer determination and natural ability. Somehow she just figured everything out on her own and I marvelled at her sewing ability. I would say she was as good as my classmate. My mom was my inspiration to keep at it though I can't say she really encouraged me with her words. She never said anything much about my sewing except to critique what wasn't quite right (she was a perfectionist after all). But I think she was quietly proud of me many years later because I had to begin making most of her clothing and she really liked whatever I made for her. I took great care to try to make simple dresses, tops and skirts in colours and fabrics that I knew she would like. She loved clothing, dressing up, looking good and getting compliments. She got a ton of compliments on her outfits at the care home where she lived in her later years.
These days I don't sew that much but I'm planning to do more in future. I just don't quite know when I will begin. I made a small start this year by making this summer top with a fabric called double gauze. It actually is a bit hard to work with due to it's fraying nature. Since I don't own a serger it means twice the sewing time to finished the seams. But I was pleased to discover that the top was really nice for wearing on a hot summer day so I went and purchased more of the fabric to make something else, possibly a dress.
A summer top for me |
Pillowcases for my niece |
There are many ways to make sewing more frugal. Otherwise it can be an expensive hobby. Firstly, one needs a sewing machine which can be an expensive outlay. I have my own expensive machine and also 2 other machines, one which I purchased and one which I inherited. I do not own a serger and I'm not likely going to buy one.
I know people who want to learn to sew or they are beginners and don't own a machine. They put feelers out in the community for a donated sewing machine or they buy an inexpensive one at the second hand store or even at big box stores like Wal-Mart.
Fabric can also be expensive. I purchased a fair bit of fabric over the years and most of it on sale. I go to the main fabric store in town where they have a variety of price points. I still have a lot of fabric on hand and most of it will be used for quilting projects. You can also get fabric from time to time on sites like Freecycle (so the fabric is free but you have no choice of what kind or what colour). You can also buy clothing second hand and cut it up into fabric pieces. Unless you have a long skirt or a dress your fabric output will be on the smaller side. You can also buy second hand clothing and remake them into something you like better. This is called upcycling. If you are like me, you probably prefer to buy new fabric at reduced pricing, to make sure you get the colours and amounts you need.
V-neck top and skirt for mom |
Round neck top and skirt for mom |
I made mother's clothing by adapting various dresses and skirts I owned and making them larger for her comfort in a wheelchair and her size.
Simple dress made for mom |
Quilting
Quilting is something I'd been wanting to do for some time. I finally took a one day class to make my first quilt. I wanted to make it in time for my mother's first days in the long-term care home. I really enjoyed the experience and made a few more quilts after that.
Crazy quilt (in center of photo) made for my mom (my first quilt). |
Wizard of Oz quilt made for my niece |
I thought working with a panel to make this Wizard of Oz quilt would be easy but it turned out to be trickier than I expected.
Quilt made from mom's fabric scraps. She used it for a lap quilt. |
I wasn't free to make the patterns the way I really wanted due to lack of adequate fabrics.
A made up quilt pattern for my nephew using scraps of mom's fabric. |
Another quilt made for mom. I love the sunflower fabric. |
3 comments:
You are accomplished in all the crafts you have learned!
Well done on your reading goal. And lovely crafts. I think the question of how to make it frugal is an interesting one.
We are a family of readers and over the years we have given away tons and tons of them. Nowdays we use the library a lot. Also I have a kindle and buy books on their ultra cheap rates they have every now and then. The books we do buy we turn them into a local used bookstore that extends trade credit so basically we can get new "used" books for a dollar.
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