Seasons That Make the Frugal Life Flow
Reading the comment Mary left on my last post, a thought came to mind. I began to contemplate on how the seasons impacted the frugal life. Mary had found the hot weather season to make her frugal life more challenging and as I continued to evaluate my own life, I had to agree. There really did seem to be a correlation between the time of year and my advancement of frugal success.
Running through the list of budget categories in my mind, food was one of the first considered. Definitely the colder weather months seemed to be an asset to my food budget. Soups, stews and homemade bread products were great money stretchers in my menu. Now, living with temperatures in the high 90's or even higher, turning on the oven and even the stove top was less than desirable. There was of course the crockpot that provided less heat to the kitchen and could even be moved outside, but honestly, soup and stews on hot days were not always appreciated.
I am sure those that live in areas where gardens grow with some success, might find the summer months to be the most frugal. Gardening in South Texas however, is far from a frugal person's delight. Try gardening with such hot temperatures and no rain. My tomatoes plants looked a bit amazed when they received a shower. I am not exaggerating when I say my garden had rain only twice and that of a meagerly proportion.
Next in mind came my utilities. Definitely more water is used in the hotter months to water not only the garden, but the thirsty plants and trees. As a Texas transplant from the east coast, saving money by living with less heat in the winter seemed a lot more pleasurable than living with less air-conditioning in summer. So my electric bill and water bills stayed lower in the colder months than in the hotter ones. (Even with very discreet use of my air-conditioner.) I washed more frequently and used more clothes in the summer as well. There were few items that could be worn more than one time in this heat and showers had been known to be taken on more than one occasion each day.
With some rumination I realized that although the following factor may not be able to be broken down into dollars and cents, I am more motivated and find the frugal life more desirable in the colder months. Working in the kitchen cooking and baking seemed to be less taxing when I was trying to stay warm then when seeking to be not so warm. I wasn't finding excuses to live above my means. I knew that would never be my goal or exhortation. Perhaps it was I found my flexibility in living the frugal life more successful in colder months. Some seasons just make the frugal life flow better for me.
What seasons make your frugal life flow?
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9 Responses to “Seasons That Make the Frugal Life Flow”
July 21st, 2011 at 1:34 pm
I agree; SUMMER in Texas is brutal. I remember my grandmother’s house. She had a small 4 room house. For many many years there was not air conditioner or heater in the house (in Houston Texas) There was an attic fan. We used to drink ice water and tea by the gallon sitting by a window letting that fan pull in a small breeze. It was miserable to be honest.
I too find it easy to be frugal in the brief winter months.
July 21st, 2011 at 2:15 pm
I live in San Diego we have only one season “Nice” all year round. But we are also an expensive city to live in. I have toyed with the idea of moving to New Mexico or Texas were I can rent a nice 3 bedroom house for half the cost that I pay for a 2 bedroom apt here in a crummy neighborhood. Then I think about the miserable weather and the cost of heating and cooling. Maybe Im better off right here in good old San Diego.
July 21st, 2011 at 4:28 pm
Frugaljoe:
I have been to San Diego and it is beautiful! I never thought I would live in Texas and although the climate and geography would not be my first choice, the cost of living is less than on either coasts and the people are terrific!
July 21st, 2011 at 6:12 pm
Whereas in the winter we eat lentil soup, in the summer we have lentil salad with carmelized onions and a big dollop of yougurt on top. Cheap and can be cooked quickly in the cool of the day. Another favorite is a cucumber salad with tomatoes, onions and feta that requires no cooking, and is really good served with hummus and pita. We can’t grill outside, so we use our Foreman grill, which doesn’t heat up the apartment too much, to grill chicken for salads. A lot of our summer meals have a basis in Mediterranean cuisine, which is pretty frugal to begin with.
I live in Oregon and we have had a very cool summer so far this year, so saving LOTS on our electric bill, which was very high last winter.
July 22nd, 2011 at 5:57 pm
it does not take much to build and use a “solar” cooker for outdoor use. instead of the oven, i use toaster oven for summertime baking. and my husband put gutters up on my potting sheds which are located very close to my gardens. then he put cheap trashcans under the downspouts to collect rain water for the gardens. (you can run hoses from the barrells or just put a bucket in the barrel). we live in mississippi so we get a little bit of every kind of good and bad weather.
July 23rd, 2011 at 7:58 am
Caryn:
Have you used a solar oven? My son made one a couple of years ago out of cardboard and other supplies, but it never seemed to work as well as we had hoped. I do try to save rain water, but my raindrops can be few and far between!
July 24th, 2011 at 9:35 am
I too am just not as motivated in the summer months to do frugal things. Here in Michigan we get really humid weather and everything you do makes you work up a sweat. Combine that with not wanting to heat up the oven and that leads to no more baking of cookies and casseroles. I guess the upside is we eat a lot more fresh fruit and salads.
July 25th, 2011 at 7:26 am
I live in the desert and it gets sooo hot! I am definitely not as frugal in the summer months. I try and keep the temp at the most bareable temperature, but dang is it hard. When you are sitting in your house sweating constantly, it just isn’t too fun. Then again, it is hard seeing that huge electric bill. I tend to take a cold bath before bed to cool me off and then go to bed. I have a hard time cooking since it heats up the house so much. It gets so hot!! In Winter, it is easy to just load on more blankets and layers of clothing, or baking/cooking in the oven.
July 25th, 2011 at 9:21 am
I think my definition of frugal must be deferent. I don’t think of being miserable in my house as frugal, just miserable, so I know what my utilities will run me in each season and plan my spending accordingly. Fall, winter, and spring I have high gas bills from school and sports, in the summer the gas money goes to pay my electric bill, and we stay home more.
Crockpots are good for more than stews and soups. I have a meat and potatoe dh, so I use the crockpot to cook our meats and vegetables. I find I am more frugal in the summer as I find ways to squeese more fun and more food out let cash
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