Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Guidelines for Shopping

Some Interesting News...



"Everyday Cheapskate" is a frugality column by Mary Hunt that is carried by our newspaper and I also receive it by e-mail. In today's edition, she writes about working all weekend to clear out a lot of unwanted and unused possessions from her house and garage.

I've renewed my determination to ask myself these questions before I bring anything of significance into this house:

Can I afford it?
Do I really need it?
Do I need it now?
Do I have something like it already?
Can I find a cheaper substitute?
Is this the best deal?

Then I'm going to go home and sleep on it for 24 hours.


The phrase she uses, "I've renewed my determination..." suggests how easy it is for even a preacher to fall into sin. smile

Mary Hunt's website, "Debt-Proof Living", has practical advice for living frugally, including 97 pages of helpful hints from readers. You can read her column online at twincities.com..

The topic of frugality reminds me of the Aymara lady who used to come to our house in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, to wash our clothes and sweep the floor. She saved every tiny scrap of cloth that I discarded while sewing. I don't know what she could possibly have sewed with those little snips of cloth, but probably she used them for some other purpose.

We are blessed with so much in the United States; we are rich beyond belief, and we don't even appreciate it. Can you imagine? We even print articles in the newspaper that urge us not to buy a lot of things we don't need.

1 comment:

Wrkinprogress said...

I have subscribed to the Yahoo group for Freecycle.org in my area, which is an organization devoted to helping people get rid of things they don't need but that are still usable, while keeping this stuff out of landfills. Naturally, this is also a place where you can GET things. Everything must be free. It might be a good idea to check this org out if you intend to get rid of things and prefer to pass them on to someone who can really use them. Oh, you also have to agree not to sell the stuff you receive. :)

WIP

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CONTENTMENT: Keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry, live simply, expect little, give much, sing often, pray always, forget self, think of others and their feelings, fill your heart with love, scatter sunshine. These are the tried links in the golden chain of contentment.
(Author unknown)

IT IS STILL BEST to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasure; and to be cheerful and have courage when things go wrong.
(Laura Ingalls Wilder, 1867-1957)

Thanks for reading.