Shortsighted Frugality
It seemed to be a good idea at the time. Having glanced out my window and seen the ever increasing supply of weeds in my front yard, I purposed to take the few minutes available to me and eradicate those weeds too tall for the lawnmower to clip. A hot Texas summer with over sixty days of 100 degrees or more, and no rain, had left my yard with little grass. The blessing of many showers throughout the fall and winter had now given life to a multitude of weeds covering the empty spaces. Practicing the art of contentment and seeking to be grateful for anything green that made my yard “home,” I was on a mission to remove only the unsightly monsters I could not keep in check. Deciding to remove fifty of these pesky weeds as quickly as possible and then get on with the rest of the day, I found a pitchfork and set out to accomplish said task.
In past years, my hand weeder seemed to do the job well. But this year, the number of weeds had increased considerably and made this tool ineffective. In a hurry, and using the “what’s in my hand” frugal philosophy, I found a pitchfork and set to work. The large taproots were not as easy to dislodge from my black clay soil (a kind of concrete) as I had hoped. Realizing the pitchfork was not the best tool for the job, I persevered in thinking how great it was that I had learned to make-do. Returning inside, I felt a certain sense of satisfaction for a job well done and continued on with my day. Little did I know what was to come.
Six chiropractor visits later, an aching back, and a lawn I have not been able to return to has taught me that shortsighted frugality can be costly! There is wisdom in being willing to use the right tool for the job and I am learning not to practice shortsighted frugality!
How about you? Any lessons concerning shortsighted frugality you can share? Oh, by the way, can anyone recommend a tool for weeding that is frugal or otherwise?
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4 Responses to “Shortsighted Frugality”
April 22nd, 2010 at 8:55 am
I live in Texas too. I have the same soil. I use a spade shovel. Dig the deep root and shake the dirt off and pack dirt only back into the hole. The weed goes into the trash can. (I do not want weed seeds in my composter)
April 22nd, 2010 at 9:41 am
Hi!
My mom has back trouble, and one day a friend introduced us to one of those weed-pulling gadgets on a stick. We found a similar tool at Home Depot, called a Weed Hound. It was at least $25, but for my mom, it has been worth every penny!
I have a recommendation for weed-pulling, but unfortunately it isn’t cheap. You might decide it is worth the expense, though.
Here is the website for it:
http://www.hound-dog.com/retailer_info.htm
I hope this helps! Maybe there is a cheaper tool based on the same principle, but I haven’t found it yet.
Blessings,
Elisabeth
April 22nd, 2010 at 9:45 am
Once when my mom was moving, she didn’t want to spend the money to have the movers pack the contents of the house into boxes. So they only paid for the guys to move the boxes into the truck. She hurt her shoulder badly in the process and needed months of physical therapy to heal. She ended up spending as much money on the physical therapy as she would have on having the guys pack all the boxes. She says she’ll never pack her own house again. LOL
April 22nd, 2010 at 5:33 pm
i live in northeast mississippi…lots of rain, heat, and humidity year round. i gave up on the fight to rid my acreage of weeds. instead, i let ‘em grow and bloom. many of the weeds are in fact wildflowers and are edible or useful for other things. anyway, i digress….i let them grow, bloom and then mow ‘em down. some of the prettiest days i have seen around here is when the weeds are in full bloom…like those photos in magazines where there are fields blooming on a fine breezy day. in the fight against mother nature i could spend a small fortune or pick a pretty bouquet.
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