Saturday, November 5, 2011

Saving Money

When my children were small, three, four and five years of age, I taught them to save their money. Then I took them to a bank (which incidentally had steps the children had to climb to reach the teller) to save their money. I told them about interest and compounded interest. They loved the idea that their money could make money. They read the statements and watched it grow.

When they became older they took jobs that paid them money. They saved that, too. Meanwhile, we supported them as all parents do. By the time they went to college they had money saved up, and to this day they still save money. I wouldn’t be surprised if they still have those first few dollars they saved as they walked up the steps so they could talk to the teller.

Children often do what the parents do and stress in life.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Gardening Tips

One day I was driving by a door-making company. I saw lots of sawdust and bags and bags of it. I stopped and asked about it. It was free! My son and I gathered about three bags and with the help of two men placed them in the car. We tipped them. It always helps to tip people in those type jobs because it means a little bit more money in their pockets and they will be happy to see you the next time you go by.
We placed the sawdust in a special place so it would have time to rot. Also, my husband likes to add organic material. So when he finishes oranges and such, I slice them as thin as I can so those scraps can mingle with whatever else is out there, lettuce, cucumber skins, potato peelings, and, of course the sawdust . We also throw dirt on top of the pile from time to time.
That soil, which we moved to a flower bed, is so rich that anything grown where the sawdust and other organic material is located, is bigger than similar plants in other parts of our yard.
IMPORTANT CLUE: If you have children and they are watching this type of lifestyle, they, too, when grown, will take care of their money and attempt to live a practical way of life.

Old Linens

Another project which has given me great pleasure is recycling old linens. If your creative mind is not working as quickly as you would like, go to a fabric shop or a book store and look at magazines that tell you about old linens, their care and their uses.
I have found crocheted pieces in New Mexico, lovely linens in estate sales and have also acquired lovely old pieces from my mother and mother in law. Of course the older folks are pleased you are interested in their linens. And I am thrilled to have them to work into my home.
The most obvious thing I’ve done is taken a round doily and placed it on a white background and made a round cushion out of it. I also found some crocheted squares in New Mexico which I took and sewed on to the bottom of a piece of waffle cloth. Voila! Linen towels for my bathroom.
Possibly the most creative and most pleasurable thing I ever did with old linens was to piece some and make an old timey summer vest, which I can wear with a dress or with a skirt. The back of the vest advertises a Rice product. It was a rice sack my mother had saved up and never used. The front of my summer vest has bits and pieces of her embroidered work. I also sewed ribbons diagonally to separate the linen scraps. I used colored ribbons for an additional color. Charming is what friends call it. I think of it as a piece of my mother. She is still “has my back”.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Working on Your Wardrobe

An effective and economical way of dealing with your clothes is the concept of working on your current wardrobe.
When I was in college I hired a dressmaker to make me a sundress using really good cotton fabric. When I began teaching I wanted to use the dress but it was not a practical garment to teach in. So I took out my scissors and cut off the bottom part of the dress, (it was a full skirt on the dress) and made myself a skirt to be worn with a simple blouse. Great result and no money spent as I already had the thread with which to sew.

While going through my mother’s things when she passed away, I found a beautiful blouse from Europe made with a batiste that behaved like a fine silk. The only problem was that a moth loved it too and ate a tiny hole near the shoulder seam. I brainstormed by myself as to how to utilize the blouse and I came up with this idea. I took some fine cotton lace and sewed it on both shoulder seams. Voila! I own the most beautiful blouse. Lace on the front, on the sleeves and on the shoulder seams. Mother has been gone twenty years. I hope she is looking down and saying something like…”she’s still wearing my blouse” and smiles as she notices.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

One Way to Save

I don't necessarily recommend this method of saving money, but it worked for the parents of a friend of mine. She said her family lived in an apartment in a complex full of people. Her mother wished for a home, and she told the children, "We will have a home."

While her husband went to work and the children went to school, her mother took in ironing. Everytime she was paid, she put her money through a slit in a large pottery pig she had bought at a market. This money no one ever touched. The pig sat in the corner of her bedroom, and no one paid any attention to it.

After thirteen years her mother announced to the family at dinnertime, "We now have enough money to put a down payment on a house."

And my friend said, "And that is how we came to move out of an apartment and into our very own home."

I loved the story for it showed determination and patience. More power to those who wait.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Sewing Bargains in Bulk

Remember I mentioned how enjoyable and useful hobbies are. I sew a great deal and I have since I was a child. One day I went to a “sale”. An individual was selling fabric in her garage sale. I looked about and told her I wanted to purchase the plaid flannel. “How much of it do you want?”

After hearing the price, which was reasonable, I told her I wanted to buy the whole bolt. “Why?” she asked.

Because I just decided to make robes for all the men in my family and then give them as Christmas gifts. That included one husband, three sons, and one son-in-law. And that is what I did. Robes are very easy to make. No buttons and now handwork. Each robe cost me about ten dollars to make. And they were greatly loved and I see some of the relatives still wearing the robes.

Another time when we visited England I found some white linen at a very good price. I bought the whole bolt, which was much cheaper there than in the states. I knew in advance how much I needed because I had already measured my patio doors. When I returned I made simple linen panels that attached to the rod with grograin ribbon. The panels were copies of some curtains I saw from a well-known department store, but mine were much cheaper.

These are stories of bargains which resulted in little work but much pleasure. Hopefully you will get the idea and the desire to do the same thing.

Sewing Bargains in Bulk

Remember I mentioned how enjoyable and useful hobbies are. I sew a great deal and I have since I was a child. One day I went to a “sale”. An individual was selling fabric in her garage sale. I looked about and told her I wanted to purchase the plaid flannel. “How much of it do you want?”

After hearing the price, which was reasonable, I told her I wanted to buy the whole bolt. “Why?” she asked.

Because I just decided to make robes for all the men in my family and then give them as Christmas gifts. That included one husband, three sons, and one son-in-law. And that is what I did. Robes are very easy to make. No buttons and now handwork. Each robe cost me about ten dollars to make. And they were greatly loved and I see some of the relatives still wearing the robes.

Another time when we visited England I found some white linen at a very good price. I bought the whole bolt, which was much cheaper there than in the states. I knew in advance how much I needed because I had already measured my patio doors. When I returned I made simple linen panels that attached to the rod with grograin ribbon. The panels were copies of some curtains I saw from a well-known department store, but mine were much cheaper.

These are stories of bargains which resulted in little work but much pleasure. Hopefully you will get the idea and the desire to do the same thing.

Sewing Bargains in Bulk

Remember I mentioned how enjoyable and useful hobbies are. I sew a great deal and I have since I was a child. One day I went to a “sale”. An individual was selling fabric in her garage sale. I looked about and told her I wanted to purchase the plaid flannel. “How much of it do you want?”
After hearing the price, which was reasonable, I told her I wanted to buy the whole bolt. “Why?” she asked.

Because I just decided to make robes for all the men in my family and then give them as Christmas gifts. That included one husband, three sons, and one son-in-law. And that is what I did. Robes are very easy to make. No buttons and now handwork. Each robe cost me about ten dollars to make. And they were greatly loved and I see some of the relatives still wearing the robes.

Another time when we visited England I found some white linen at a very good price. I bought the whole bolt, which was much cheaper there than in the states. I knew in advance how much I needed because I had already measured my patio doors. When I returned I made simple linen panels that attached to the rod with grograin ribbon. The panels were copies of some curtains I saw from a well-known department store, but mine were much cheaper.

These are stories of bargains which resulted in little work but much pleasure. Hopefully you will get the idea and the desire to do the same thing.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Sewing Machines

I’ve been sewing since I was eleven years old, and I started sewing on a treadle machine. So you can imagine, my dear readers, how impressed I was a couple of years later when the Home Economics teacher Mrs. Sullivan assigned me to an electric sewing machine. Wow! It could go very fast. In fact, the teacher told me to slow down.

At age twenty-two I was finally able to purchase my first sewing machine. It was a brand new slant needle Singer and it cost me $150. I loved it and sewed on it for years as we raised four children. That’s lots of pajamas and many Christmas gifts for children and relatives. Finally, I gave it to my married son and it still works just fine.

While I still owned that slant needle machine I decided I wanted a machine that zigzagged, and a friend told me exactly where to find it. She took me to a used Singer store. I bought the machine for $100 and began zigzagging every opportunity I had. The machine was used and worked very well. I used it for years and then gave that to my daughter and it still works.

Time to buy another machine. I walked into a dealer of Bernina sewing machines. The salesperson told me I could buy a $1600. machine for $1000. And truth to tell, the former owner had barely used it. There is no doubt but that it was new, new. Someone had decided to buy it and then immediately bought a higher model. I took the machine home and it was great. It still works.

My point is this: if you need a sewing machine, it doesn’t have to be brand new. Save yourself several hundreds of dollars by buying a machine that is slightly used. They are tough machines and they rarely break down.

I wish I could say the same thing about other machines, but I really don’t have the experience. But as for sewing machines…shop around. Save your dollars and get a good deal. Then enjoy!

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Save Money by Spending Some

I had always heard of folks buying used clothing to wear, but somehow I didn’t think I would ever do that. I had, however, worn hand me downs from friends who had outgrown items, and I was happy with that.

But I surprised myself one day when my husband and I went for a walk. We ran into a garage sale where I found a skirt for $2 and a silk blouse for $2 also. I have worn them quite often. I found another garage sale where I bought some vests the owner had outgrown. I kept one and even gave the others to friends telling them my source.

My last successful buy was a $15. dress, which still had the sale ticket on it and fit me perfectly. Since I wasn’t acquainted with the label, I came home and looked it up on the internet. That dress and others with that label sell for over $300. So you can see how much I saved. Besides, I love the dress.

A really good shopping venue is also an “estate sale”. You can find jewelry, furniture and other useful items. A friend of mine has found beautiful linens, many of which were still in the original package. I bought a bowl which I have learned in a magazine article might be worth as much as $200.

So, if you want your money to go far and own something you like, try the garage and estate sales. Select the older, better neighborhoods. You can’t go wrong. But remember, it should be something you want or need and the price should be very low. Good hunting!

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Creativity

Be Creative

One day my son said, “I am going to go to the Pet Store to buy a collar for my dog.
“Wait,” I said. I ran to my closet and took out an old belt and gave it to my son. He shortened it, put holes in it and then buckled it on the neck of his dog.

You don’t have to buy everything. You can sometimes make do with what you have. I made my own pads for my babies. I took several layers of cotton and hemmed them and then quilted them. My babies had new pads. I also made them tiny drooling bibs so that I wouldn’t have to change their clothes so often when they were teething and drooling particularly in cold Amarillo, Texas. I used corduroy to make the bibs a little bit thicker. Then when the baby drooled and the bib was wet, I replaced the wet bib with a dry one.

Hobbies of all sorts allow you to make and then give very nice gifts, some of which you can’t find in the store. For example, I knit a hat that looks like a strawberry, and that is a favorite baby shower gift. Where can I buy that?...is a common question upon seeing the strawberry hat.

Gardening is another hobby that allows you to grow a plant or vegetables and give them away as gift. Who does not appreciate fresh lettuce or a fern you have grown from a sprig of a fern.

I’ve also made booties, scarves, aprons, and other things. I have fun and the recipients seem happy. Not only that but folks look forward to receiving some gifts from folks they know are good with a particular craft.

Just think about what you can do, and then do it.

More later…

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Recycling Before it was Recycling

When we first married I realized “two cannot live as cheaply as one”, a saying many repeated often. One of the ways I found to deal with the limited income was in the area of recycling, although we didn’t utilize that word back then.

I had a dress with a wide skirt which I couldn’t use anymore. I took the dress apart and from the wide skirt I fashioned a top and another skirt that required less fabric. I was very happy with my “new outfit”.

Later on I was pregnant. One of the outfits had a top with pleats that were permanently pressed; knife pleats they were called. When my daughter was about three, I took the maternity top apart and with the bottom part and the top part I made a gorgeous child’s dress with a yoke and a pleated bottom. It looked oh, so, tailored.

I also took apart some jeans and made my small boys short pants with bibs. Nice and fun, and still durable as denim jeans are. Since then I have made blankets with blue jean squares and interspersed the denim squares with medium weight cotton. Durable and heavy.

An older friend told me to tear old sheets into strips, sew the strips together and using a large crochet hook, crochet a rug. I also used my fabric scraps to crochet colorful rugs which I placed in the kitchen and by the back door.

Two friends gave me wool which they had purchased at a fabric store sale. It turned out the wool had many flaws. No problem. With the scissors I cut the wool into strips and after deciding on the color scheme, I took out my large crochet hook and, voila, I had a beautiful wool rug which now lies on my bedroom floor.

More later…

Monday, February 21, 2011

Ways to Save Money

My title,"Be Free! Save Your Money!", refers to the concept that if you are not in debt, you will experience freedom. My intent is to get you to see how if you are creative in your everyday experiences, you will not spend much money and you will feel free.

Some of the best ways to save money are by doing the following:
(I’ll elaborate in other columns.)

• Utilize what you have.
• Find out what is free out there and use those items.
• Work with what is in your home.
• Share ideas with others who have the same desire to save money.
• Sell what you don’t use/need.
• Listen to others’ conversations, especially older folks. They knew how to same money.
• Live on less than you bring in.
• Think before you buy. Do you really need that?
• Prepare for the future-might you make less?
• Think in terms of having money for your needs in an emergency.
• Teach your children to take care of their money.
• Teach your children to save.
• Sit with your family and talk about goals and needs.

More later.