Home A Story Teller Be of Good Cheer Believing is Seeing Benefits of Play Black Friday Cabin Fever Cataracts Coffee Perks Connections Different, Yet Similar Division More Fun Than Hiking Economy Forty and Pregnant Geisha Happy Mother's Day Home Canning Happy Valentine's Day It's a Miracle "Just" a Housewife Little Gem in the Woods Marlboro Country Missing Hiker Mr. Smith Goes to Washington RMKK Year in Review She's Having a Baby Ten Sixty-Six The Game of Life The Otters Return to Glacier The Wonder of it All These Boots Are Made for Walking Thrifty Time is on My Side You Get What You Expect 100 Years of Grandeur
|
Share this article with a friend. Click file, then send.
Thrifty
With talk of our
depressed economy, I am reminded of my Granny’s
insistence of waste not.
“Don’t fill the bathtub with more than two inches of water,” she
would say. “And don’t flush the
toilet for number one”.
Memories of conserving water give examples of her frugality, while a
freezer of frozen Hershey Bars to delight grandkids exemplify her
generosity. Having raised nine children through the Depression, it’s
understandable she would be practical. Times were tough but she
shared her good fortune with others and fed the neighborhood kids.
She understood that kids don’t cost a lot to raise and that “the
Lord provides”.
Just as in my Grandmother’s day, families are searching for ways to
economize. While there are many ways to live abundantly within one’s
means, I’ll take this opportunity to share one of my favorites.
Saving on movie rentals is easy when you borrow videos from the
library. Everything from educational how-to videos to Hollywood
releases sit on library shelves waiting to be checked out. I Love
Lucy, Leave it to Beaver, and the mini-series Centennial are all
great family entertainment picks. Last winter, we borrowed The
Walton’s. A TV series our family watched in the 70’s, it was a
pleasure to introduce this program to our two youngest daughters,
M
& E. Created by Earl Hamner, based on his book Spencer’s Mountain
and movie of the same name, it follows a family in The Great
Depression. Inspired by Hamner’s childhood, living in the mountains
of rural Virginia, we see the story unfold from the perspective of
the eldest son, an aspiring writer. The family penny pinches, wears
worn out clothes, and eats well from their garden. Dessert is served
every night to a contented family. Thankful for what they have, they
enjoy life as they accept their present situation, while waiting for
better times.
How often is it forgotten in these days of affluenza that “life’s
simple pleasures are the best”? Take this time to embrace change and
look for the abundance all around. As the Rolling Stones lyrics
attest, “You can't always get what you want, but if you try
sometimes, you just might find you get what
you need."
©10/09/08
|
|