Introduction to Out of the Box Frugality
Hello! And a Happy Frugal Wednesday to you! I’m Janel Messenger of Pearls and the infamous author of “Feminine Little Girl Dresses for About $6 or Less.” For the next 16 weeks or so, I’m going to show up at Frugal Hacks on Wednesday to stimulate your frugal brain cells in ways you never dreamed possible. (Or at least that's the plan!)
Although I can’t say I’ve lived frugality quite like Deputy Headmistress, or that I can make my grocery budget stretch like Meredith, I can give you food for thought about frugality and how it can affect our lives. Because I’ve never been a traditional thinker, you’ll find me sharing thoughts that I’m going to call “Out of the Box Frugality.” I want to explore frugal philosophies, challenge how you perceive frugality and offer some of my tips and tricks.
What’s my story? It all started when I was about 12 and found a screamin’ deal on a piece of fabric. Go ahead and giggle. Yes it was fabric! Don’t tell me you’re surprised…That turned me into a bargain hunter and things snowballed from there. Even today I’m more of a bargain hunter than a frugalite. I’m still known to get giddy over a 25¢ pattern. But God’s taught me that for a Christian, there is a necessary philosophy for good bargain hunting. That philosophy is frugality.
When Rich and I got married in 1994, it was understood from the beginning that I would stay home, do the domestic engineer thing and run our fledgling nutritional consulting business, while Rich worked elsewhere. God was so gracious. Every month my pantry, our biggest expense, was like the widow who fed Elijah. I trusted God to provide because I knew I didn’t know enough to pull it off on my own. I knew he could. Finding great deals when you’re 12 or 18 is nothing like budgeting for a household or business. Oh yeah, I was pretty naïve.
In the 13+ years we’ve been married, Rich and I have been all over the financial spectrum. In the beginning we had barely enough, then we made some hard (but not necessarily foolish) choices that put us up to our ears in debt. Looking back, it was all part of our journey. In 1999 Rich sought God for a major career change that blessed our socks off and left us owning a home and completely debt free. Now, although we know we’re smack in the middle of where God wants us – which is a story in and of itself – we’re in hock for more money than I’ll ever confess to online.
Do I like being in debt again? No. (!) But, it was the frugal choice for us. Sound Out of the Box? You bet! And we’ll talk about that more in the coming weeks. In the meantime, please feel free to visit me at Pearls.
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5 Responses to “Introduction to Out of the Box Frugality”
September 19th, 2007 at 9:11 am
I’m looking forward to this weekly feature! I tend to be a very much “in the box” thinker, so this will be good for me!
September 19th, 2007 at 9:30 pm
I can always use some good ideas…
I’m looking forward to visiting here again.
~simply stork~
September 20th, 2007 at 2:04 pm
Hopefully we’ll have some fun and you guys will enjoy what I’ve got cookin’.
September 22nd, 2007 at 7:37 am
I’m not all that great at frugality…which is why my blog is called “Sorta Frugal.” But I don’t see it as a burden, I see it as a game. I’m with you…I get giddy over great buys, too! (Although, alas, I’ve never found a 25 cent pattern.) I look forward to reading some clever ideas here!
September 22nd, 2007 at 1:45 pm
I can’t wait!
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