The job search continues ... nothing back from the most promising leads yet, but I refuse to give up! Sooner or later something will happen for me, even if it's only something to pay me a living wage while I look for something better.
* * * * * *
I'm happy to report that the food waste for the last two weeks consisted of one-half a baked potato skin - we were just too full to stuff & eat the last one - and the skin off my share of last weekend's barbecued salmon. And even that wasn't really wasted, since Big Guy ended up giving it to the Dog. I don't count the few wilted veggies from the back of the fridge, since the guinea pigs happily gobble those up.
* * * * * *
It rained for a few days, so I spent a lot of time catching up on my blog reading, and following links from old favourites to a number of new favourites. Isn't that always the way? One link leads to another ... and another ... and another ... and before you know it, there goes the weekend!
Funny thing, though. There are a gazillion "green" blogs, and a gazillion "frugal" blogs, but surprisingly few that put the two things together other than in an incidental "oh-by-the-way-this-might-save-money-too" kind of way.
Why is that? Yes, I know that organic is more expensive than non-organic, and truly green cleaning products and recycled paper products are too. But isn't there some way to do as much as we can afford to? Do we have to choose either green or frugal?
Granted, with both of us unemployed, Big Guy and I just can't afford to go all-organic/all-natural/all-recycled in the grocery store... but we still manage to combine green and frugal in lots of ways:
Bar soap - we buy whatever non-scented, non-added-to soap is on sale ... and when the pieces get really small, I collect them and tie them into one of those mesh bags our fresh garlic came in, and hang it by the basement sink for grimy-from-the-workshop-or-garden hand washing.
Paper towels - are only used for draining bacon. Which we buy in bulk slabs and slice ourselves, for about half the price of sliced bacon.
Pest control - we put out cat chow for the local skunk, so we don't have rats or mice. We encourage ladybugs in the garden. We scatter coffee grounds around the base of the rhubarb and tomato plants, so we don't have much snail/slug damage. Fruit trees are patrolled by the cats. so the birds and squirrels are (slowly, I admit) learning to leave the fruit alone. And I plant marigolds between the veggies to deter other bugs.
Laundry - we've never used fabric softener because of Big Guy's allergies. Everything gets washed in cold water and whatever enviro-friendly detergent was on sale - and a lot less of it than the "recommended" amount! - and hung up to dry; towels do go in the dryer once they're dry, but just a few minutes on the no-heat "fluff" cycle to beat the stiffness out of them. Because if I don't do that ... well, next time you shower, dry yourself off with a cedar shingle and you'll know exactly why I do that!
Groceries - we do buy in bulk and stock up at case lot sales, but I won't let him put anything in the cart unless all of the packaging is recyclable. And I always have our reusable canvas bags handy - no plastic bags, thank you!
I guess my bottom line is that life is full of compromises, and I have to find the best compromise I can between what's completely "green" and what we can afford to do.
* * * * * *
It looks as though I'm going to have to bite the bullet and either a) leave my herb garden until next year, or b) break down and buy bedding plants instead of starting from seeds. Sigh. If I can find the bedding plants, I'll probably get them; I don't want to wait another whole year and a half for my own homegrown mint tea. (There are times when I think the universe just doesn't want me to have a garden ...)
* * * * * *
A couple of weeks ago, Big Guy scattered a whole bunch of lime on the front so-called lawn, trying to kill the moss. Well, as of today the moss is still there, but instead of greener grass in most of the yard, we have a beautiful lush cover of new clover! I wonder if I can persuade him that the entire lawn should be clover, not grass? More clover means more honeybees, which means more fruits and vegetables get pollinated ... plus it wouldn't need to be mowed nearly as often, and the cuttings make great guinea pig fodder ... hmmm. I'll work on that!
Showing posts with label frugality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label frugality. Show all posts
Friday, May 25, 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Feeling Better, Sort Of ...
Wow. I don't remember ever being sick for this long ... it's been three weeks so far, and I'm still coughing, though not nearly so incessantly or painfully as last week or the week before. The doctor thinks I probably have/had pertussis (also known as whooping cough). Oddly enough, though the cough was a killer and left me raspy-throated, achy-ribbed, and utterly exhausted, I had no other symptoms. No fever, no rash, no green goop, no digestive upsets ... just the damn cough. Said cough, I'm told, could take another week or two to finally disappear. I'm finally starting to feel more like myself, though, and getting a lot of my energy back at last. Which is nice after weeks of being too tired to pick up the remote and change the channel!
Of course, the job search had to be put on "pause" along with everything else; there's no mileage in applying for a job you can't go to the interview for, is there? "Yes, I'd love to come in for an interview. How about three weeks from now?" That, I figured, wouldn't make a very good first impression. So the plan right now is to spend the rest of this week getting the new workroom in order, and gear up the job search again next Monday morning ... including rescheduling all the Resource Centre workshops I missed.
Big Guy, bless his heart, tried to take care of me. He made chicken soup, brought me Benelyn (with codeine for the aching ribs), intercepted phone calls ... then again, he also did his usual You-are-a-plague-rat-and-I-will-feed-you-with-a-slingshot routine.
And ... he painted my new workroom. Just got up one morning, grabbed a roller, and did it. Over my protests that I would do it as soon as I could stand up long enough, He claimed he only did it because my new desk is taking up too much room in his workshop, but we all know better. And I love him too.
So ... the painting is done, the windows are sparkly clean inside and out, the curtain rod is back up. We're still working on the floor; it really needs professional refinishing, but for the moment all we can do is try to get all the paint splatters and scuff marks (from J's furniture) cleaned away. I'm hoping to get the desk in there some time tomorrow; after that I can start shifting everything from the current room. And yes, I'll be sorting and tossing/donating as I go ... nothing is going into that room until I'm absolutely sure it will be used. I refuse to move things in that I'll just end up taking back out!
Our downstairs tenant gave us notice for the end of March. Whereupon daughter P and son-in-law N promptly asked if they could move in on April 1st! The suite is pretty small for two people and a dog (and two cats), but the price is right as P is still looking for work (she was laid off last fall), and N likes the closeness of the Skytrain for his daily commute. So they have given their notice to their current landlord, and the weekend of March 31st - April 1st is going to be interesting, to say the least. Oh, and did I mention that March 31st is daughter J's birthday? "Interesting" may turn out to be far too mild a word for it ...
On the frugal front, things are going well. Instead of buying paint for the workroom, I used primer and paint we had left from painting the living room a couple of years ago. It's a lovely soft, warm oatmeal colour, with a white ceiling to reflect more light. For drapes, I'll be using some fabric Mom gave me; a sheer lightweight silk patterned with pastel flowers. Not my first choice, but it will work well with the room and is mild and inoffensive. And if we can't get all the paint off the floor, I'll check out Freecycle and the local thrift stores for a couple of nice light-coloured throw rugs or sisal mats.
Convincing Big Guy to cook in smaller quantities is going to be harder than I thought. Good thing we have that big chest freezer - which he now says we should be eating out of instead of grocery shopping! I've been saying it for months - but now that it's his idea, it's a good idea! ::sigh :: But it looks like he might be back to work soon, which means I'll probably have to take over the cooking. Now, I hate cooking. Frankly, I'd rather scrub toilets than cook. But if I do the cooking, I can control how much gets cooked, which in turn means I can cut the food waste way down. We ended up tossing a quart of homemade chicken soup last week, because he made a huge pot of it and then stalled on batching it up for the freezer, and I was too exhausted most days to eat more than a tiny bit.
I was enormously amused by something I got in the mail a while back. Last year I joined BC Hydro's "Power Smart" project; a couple of weeks ago I got a little package from them in the mail. I opened it up to find ... half a dozen wooden clothespins accompanied by an estimate of how much I might save by hanging laundry up instead of using the dryer! I giggled madly as I tossed them into the basket with the hundred or so I already have - I guess they had no way to know I've been hanging all my laundry for years!
Anyway, back to the floor cleaning. I've been taking pictures at each stage of the room conversion; I'll post them when the room is finished. Can't wait!
Of course, the job search had to be put on "pause" along with everything else; there's no mileage in applying for a job you can't go to the interview for, is there? "Yes, I'd love to come in for an interview. How about three weeks from now?" That, I figured, wouldn't make a very good first impression. So the plan right now is to spend the rest of this week getting the new workroom in order, and gear up the job search again next Monday morning ... including rescheduling all the Resource Centre workshops I missed.
Big Guy, bless his heart, tried to take care of me. He made chicken soup, brought me Benelyn (with codeine for the aching ribs), intercepted phone calls ... then again, he also did his usual You-are-a-plague-rat-and-I-will-feed-you-with-a-slingshot routine.
And ... he painted my new workroom. Just got up one morning, grabbed a roller, and did it. Over my protests that I would do it as soon as I could stand up long enough, He claimed he only did it because my new desk is taking up too much room in his workshop, but we all know better. And I love him too.
So ... the painting is done, the windows are sparkly clean inside and out, the curtain rod is back up. We're still working on the floor; it really needs professional refinishing, but for the moment all we can do is try to get all the paint splatters and scuff marks (from J's furniture) cleaned away. I'm hoping to get the desk in there some time tomorrow; after that I can start shifting everything from the current room. And yes, I'll be sorting and tossing/donating as I go ... nothing is going into that room until I'm absolutely sure it will be used. I refuse to move things in that I'll just end up taking back out!
Our downstairs tenant gave us notice for the end of March. Whereupon daughter P and son-in-law N promptly asked if they could move in on April 1st! The suite is pretty small for two people and a dog (and two cats), but the price is right as P is still looking for work (she was laid off last fall), and N likes the closeness of the Skytrain for his daily commute. So they have given their notice to their current landlord, and the weekend of March 31st - April 1st is going to be interesting, to say the least. Oh, and did I mention that March 31st is daughter J's birthday? "Interesting" may turn out to be far too mild a word for it ...
On the frugal front, things are going well. Instead of buying paint for the workroom, I used primer and paint we had left from painting the living room a couple of years ago. It's a lovely soft, warm oatmeal colour, with a white ceiling to reflect more light. For drapes, I'll be using some fabric Mom gave me; a sheer lightweight silk patterned with pastel flowers. Not my first choice, but it will work well with the room and is mild and inoffensive. And if we can't get all the paint off the floor, I'll check out Freecycle and the local thrift stores for a couple of nice light-coloured throw rugs or sisal mats.
Convincing Big Guy to cook in smaller quantities is going to be harder than I thought. Good thing we have that big chest freezer - which he now says we should be eating out of instead of grocery shopping! I've been saying it for months - but now that it's his idea, it's a good idea! ::sigh :: But it looks like he might be back to work soon, which means I'll probably have to take over the cooking. Now, I hate cooking. Frankly, I'd rather scrub toilets than cook. But if I do the cooking, I can control how much gets cooked, which in turn means I can cut the food waste way down. We ended up tossing a quart of homemade chicken soup last week, because he made a huge pot of it and then stalled on batching it up for the freezer, and I was too exhausted most days to eat more than a tiny bit.
I was enormously amused by something I got in the mail a while back. Last year I joined BC Hydro's "Power Smart" project; a couple of weeks ago I got a little package from them in the mail. I opened it up to find ... half a dozen wooden clothespins accompanied by an estimate of how much I might save by hanging laundry up instead of using the dryer! I giggled madly as I tossed them into the basket with the hundred or so I already have - I guess they had no way to know I've been hanging all my laundry for years!
Anyway, back to the floor cleaning. I've been taking pictures at each stage of the room conversion; I'll post them when the room is finished. Can't wait!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Time Flies ...
... whether you're having fun or not.
So far today has been a complete waste of clean underwear.
The job search, of course, continues. I'm not finding many jobs to apply for, but I keep looking. One that I did apply for last week - a reception/customer service position - actually came through with an interview, for which I dutifully coloured my hair and shaved my legs last night. The interview was today, and I had fairly high hopes going in; everything listed in the posting was stuff I can almost do in my sleep. They seemed quite impressed with my resume, and it sounded like a job I'd want, and it was fairly close to home - ten minutes by car, just under half an hour by public transit. All in all, pretty much exactly what I've been looking for. Until they mentioned that the salary is $11 per hour. I was polite and didn't actually say out loud what I was thinking: Are you freakin' serious? I'm getting more than that from EI! I thanked them nicely for seeing me, indicated that I'd wait to hear from them, and came home hoping I don't. Hear from them, that is.
Upward (with luck) and onward, as they say. I'll keep looking.
It took three weeks, but I finally got through to a real human on the phone at EI. Yes, they do have programs for women over 55, for retraining and assistance getting back into the workforce. No, I can't come in and see someone about the programs, I need a referral. Yes, the local Employment Resource Centre can give me that referral. So I called the Centre. "Yes, we can give you that referral, but first you need to do at least one session with one of our counselors. No, you can't just come in, you need an appointment. Yes, we are taking appointments now - yours will be for Monday, February 6th." So now I have to hope that the time limit between applying for benefits and applying for the special programs doesn't run out before I can actually take my referral to the EI office, where I will no doubt have to make another appointment some time in the nebulous future. So far, the only saving grace is that both offices are within walking distance of home.
J moves on Friday, so tomorrow I'm off to the liquor store for as many boxes as I can cram into the car; I might make two or three trips. I'd rather have too many boxes than not enough! If there are any left over, well, that's what our recycling boxes are for. I still have the tape gun and some rolls of both tape and bubble wrap from when we moved here, so there's no need for her to buy any of the supplies U-Haul keeps trying to talk us into. Thursday will be for finishing the packing, and staging everything so that once her friends/helpers arrive on Friday it will all be ready to go into the truck. The truck will be here around 9 a.m. (I set up the rental for her last week, and she'll be paying cash when we return the truck) and her friends will start arriving around 10 a.m. or so.
We will miss her dreadfully, of course - she's the last one to leave home, and the place is going to seem pretty quiet for a while. But at the same time, she's almost 27 - it's time to empty the damn nest already. And as previously mentioned in other posts, I have plans for that room - and this one! I have the action plan all mapped out in my "Projects" notebook, the primer and paint are in the basement, and all that's left to do is draw a scale plan of the room and decide where the furniture etc will go.
An unforeseen consequence of having so much of her stuff staged in the living room already is that I have no flat surface left anywhere that's big enough to lay out the pieces of the green shell so I can sew them together. So I've modified my original resolution accordingly; I've started another sweater and will sew them both together as soon as there's space to set up my layout table. The new sweater is a classic vee-necked pullover with elbow-length sleeves, in a lovely soft caramel colour. I did break down and buy the yarn - for $4 at the thrift store. I was there to drop off a box of donations, but when I saw that yarn and realized there was enough to actually do something nice with, well, I just couldn't resist. The pattern is very plain, so it knits up fast; and I've used it before, so I know it will fit well and look good. The pattern is also old enough that it gives yarn amounts in ounces and needle sizes in the old British range! It calls for #9 and #11 needles; after some swatching I find that 3.25 mm and 3.75 mm are the ones I'll be using.
I've come to the conclusion that one of the really difficult things about J moving out will be getting Big Guy to scale back on the amount of food he cooks for every meal. We both hate waste, and I pointed out to him yesterday that I'd just had to throw two week-old baked potatoes in the compost. He cooked too many, the two left over got shoved to the back of the fridge and forgotten ... I can see that kind of thing happening more and more often if I don't find a way to stop it. In a way the potatoes aren't a total waste - we do use the compost in the vegetable garden - but it's the habit of cooking too much and then tossing it that I want to eliminate. There will just be the two of us from now on; there's no reason to cook six pork chops, or bake four or five potatoes, or open two cans of corn.
So the short- and long-term goals are:
Get J moved, which will basically be finished by Saturday.
Relax after the move by setting up my layout table and sewing together the pink sweater that's been ready for a while, the green shell I finished last week, and - if it's finished - the brown pullover I'm currently knitting. Sans interruptions, I should have at least the first two done by Monday.
Turn her old bedroom into my new workroom, turn my old workroom into a den/guest room. I think I'm looking at about a month, maybe two. Both rooms must be finished before mid-April, as that's when my good friend S arrives from Indiana for a two-week visit.
Persuade Big Guy to cook less and thus waste less food. I foresee an ongoing struggle with this - could take years. I'll keep you posted ...
This week's food waste tally so far: two smallish potatoes, six olives (they're not supposed to be hairy, right?) and a baby dill pickle that was turning blue.
So far today has been a complete waste of clean underwear.
The job search, of course, continues. I'm not finding many jobs to apply for, but I keep looking. One that I did apply for last week - a reception/customer service position - actually came through with an interview, for which I dutifully coloured my hair and shaved my legs last night. The interview was today, and I had fairly high hopes going in; everything listed in the posting was stuff I can almost do in my sleep. They seemed quite impressed with my resume, and it sounded like a job I'd want, and it was fairly close to home - ten minutes by car, just under half an hour by public transit. All in all, pretty much exactly what I've been looking for. Until they mentioned that the salary is $11 per hour. I was polite and didn't actually say out loud what I was thinking: Are you freakin' serious? I'm getting more than that from EI! I thanked them nicely for seeing me, indicated that I'd wait to hear from them, and came home hoping I don't. Hear from them, that is.
Upward (with luck) and onward, as they say. I'll keep looking.
It took three weeks, but I finally got through to a real human on the phone at EI. Yes, they do have programs for women over 55, for retraining and assistance getting back into the workforce. No, I can't come in and see someone about the programs, I need a referral. Yes, the local Employment Resource Centre can give me that referral. So I called the Centre. "Yes, we can give you that referral, but first you need to do at least one session with one of our counselors. No, you can't just come in, you need an appointment. Yes, we are taking appointments now - yours will be for Monday, February 6th." So now I have to hope that the time limit between applying for benefits and applying for the special programs doesn't run out before I can actually take my referral to the EI office, where I will no doubt have to make another appointment some time in the nebulous future. So far, the only saving grace is that both offices are within walking distance of home.
J moves on Friday, so tomorrow I'm off to the liquor store for as many boxes as I can cram into the car; I might make two or three trips. I'd rather have too many boxes than not enough! If there are any left over, well, that's what our recycling boxes are for. I still have the tape gun and some rolls of both tape and bubble wrap from when we moved here, so there's no need for her to buy any of the supplies U-Haul keeps trying to talk us into. Thursday will be for finishing the packing, and staging everything so that once her friends/helpers arrive on Friday it will all be ready to go into the truck. The truck will be here around 9 a.m. (I set up the rental for her last week, and she'll be paying cash when we return the truck) and her friends will start arriving around 10 a.m. or so.
We will miss her dreadfully, of course - she's the last one to leave home, and the place is going to seem pretty quiet for a while. But at the same time, she's almost 27 - it's time to empty the damn nest already. And as previously mentioned in other posts, I have plans for that room - and this one! I have the action plan all mapped out in my "Projects" notebook, the primer and paint are in the basement, and all that's left to do is draw a scale plan of the room and decide where the furniture etc will go.
An unforeseen consequence of having so much of her stuff staged in the living room already is that I have no flat surface left anywhere that's big enough to lay out the pieces of the green shell so I can sew them together. So I've modified my original resolution accordingly; I've started another sweater and will sew them both together as soon as there's space to set up my layout table. The new sweater is a classic vee-necked pullover with elbow-length sleeves, in a lovely soft caramel colour. I did break down and buy the yarn - for $4 at the thrift store. I was there to drop off a box of donations, but when I saw that yarn and realized there was enough to actually do something nice with, well, I just couldn't resist. The pattern is very plain, so it knits up fast; and I've used it before, so I know it will fit well and look good. The pattern is also old enough that it gives yarn amounts in ounces and needle sizes in the old British range! It calls for #9 and #11 needles; after some swatching I find that 3.25 mm and 3.75 mm are the ones I'll be using.
I've come to the conclusion that one of the really difficult things about J moving out will be getting Big Guy to scale back on the amount of food he cooks for every meal. We both hate waste, and I pointed out to him yesterday that I'd just had to throw two week-old baked potatoes in the compost. He cooked too many, the two left over got shoved to the back of the fridge and forgotten ... I can see that kind of thing happening more and more often if I don't find a way to stop it. In a way the potatoes aren't a total waste - we do use the compost in the vegetable garden - but it's the habit of cooking too much and then tossing it that I want to eliminate. There will just be the two of us from now on; there's no reason to cook six pork chops, or bake four or five potatoes, or open two cans of corn.
So the short- and long-term goals are:
Get J moved, which will basically be finished by Saturday.
Relax after the move by setting up my layout table and sewing together the pink sweater that's been ready for a while, the green shell I finished last week, and - if it's finished - the brown pullover I'm currently knitting. Sans interruptions, I should have at least the first two done by Monday.
Turn her old bedroom into my new workroom, turn my old workroom into a den/guest room. I think I'm looking at about a month, maybe two. Both rooms must be finished before mid-April, as that's when my good friend S arrives from Indiana for a two-week visit.
Persuade Big Guy to cook less and thus waste less food. I foresee an ongoing struggle with this - could take years. I'll keep you posted ...
This week's food waste tally so far: two smallish potatoes, six olives (they're not supposed to be hairy, right?) and a baby dill pickle that was turning blue.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Happy New Year!
January 1st. New Year's Day. The time for new beginnings, new resolutions, new habits ... some say, the perfect time to wipe one's slate clean and start over.
Well, I'm starting over, all right. As of noon Friday, December 30th, I'm once again unemployed. The job search begins on Tuesday ... here's hoping it doesn't take thirteen months like it did the last time!
I've lost or left jobs before, of course. Who hasn't? But this time it feels different. Last time, I was grateful; I'd been hating the place (though not the work) and its management for years, and I was just sticking it out until the layoff I could see coming actually arrived (I needed the money, and here if you quit there's no EI to fall back on). I've left jobs in anger, in frustration, in disgust, or to go to better jobs. But this time ... I loved that job. I was very fond of the people I worked with, and got to be friends with a lot of nice customers. And damn it, I was good at what I did! This time ... I'm just really, really sad.
**********
Last night - New Year's Eve - was pretty quiet here at Chez Chaos. J was at work, so it was just the Big Guy and me. We watched television for a while, then he went outside to have a few beers and I curled up with one of my new movies. Eventually he came back in and remarked that it really didn't feel like a special day, and I had to agree. The whole neighbourhood was quiet all night - none of the usual gongs & whistles. Don't know if everyone was out partying, or what, but I sure did appreciate the peaceful evening!
**********
Today was a mix of the traditional (for us) - taking down the tree and packing up all the decorations - and the new - cleaning out the basement. We've made a pretty good start on it - the truck box is almost full enough to do a dump run, and my car is packed full of stuff to be dropped off at a local charity thrift shop. Now that we finally have room to work down there, the insulation and wallboard will go up this week, and with luck by next weekend we'll be putting up shelving. After that, I have a feeling the organizing part of the job will be almost all on me, but that's okay too. It'll give me something constructive to do besides sitting at the computer all day hunting down jobs and sending out resumes.
J has announced the intention of moving out at the end of January; apparently she has found not only two good (I hope) housemates, but a house for them to rent. I really hope it works out for her; she's always missed East Van and wanted to move back there. It will also mean she'll have a thirty-minute commute each way rather than the ninety minutes (and sometimes much more) she has to travel to work from here. And she's almost 27, so it's time to empty the darn nest already!
I have big plans for that room - it will become my new workroom/sewing & craft room/office/guest room. The day after she moves, I'll be in there cleaning and priming, and the next day I'll be painting. No more neon lime green - that will change to pale grey walls and a bright white light-reflecting ceiling. Since I'll be working with fabrics and yarn, I'll really need a very neutral background and a lot of good light.
This teeny-tiny room I'm currently in will become the Big Guy's den. He'll have a nice desk, a file cabinet of his own, good light to read by, television, bookshelves, and with luck enough space for that hideous old recliner presently (dis)gracing the living room. Maybe then all his assorted papers and junk will migrate permanently from the kitchen table, and we'll be able to sit there and eat together ... maybe ... a girl can dream, can't she?
The resolutions I made this time last year have served me well, so I'm sticking to them for this year:
1) I will work with what I have.
2) I will finish what I start.
3) I will step up my efforts to reduce, re-use, and recycle.
And I'm adding a fourth:
4) I will spend at least four hours every single day, Monday through Friday, looking for a new job.
And of course I'll continue to report my progress on all fronts!
New Year, new start? I certainly hope so!
**********
I wish all of you a happy, healthy, and peaceful 2012. May you accomplish everything you set out to do, and be pleased with the outcome of every choice you make.
Well, I'm starting over, all right. As of noon Friday, December 30th, I'm once again unemployed. The job search begins on Tuesday ... here's hoping it doesn't take thirteen months like it did the last time!
I've lost or left jobs before, of course. Who hasn't? But this time it feels different. Last time, I was grateful; I'd been hating the place (though not the work) and its management for years, and I was just sticking it out until the layoff I could see coming actually arrived (I needed the money, and here if you quit there's no EI to fall back on). I've left jobs in anger, in frustration, in disgust, or to go to better jobs. But this time ... I loved that job. I was very fond of the people I worked with, and got to be friends with a lot of nice customers. And damn it, I was good at what I did! This time ... I'm just really, really sad.
**********
Last night - New Year's Eve - was pretty quiet here at Chez Chaos. J was at work, so it was just the Big Guy and me. We watched television for a while, then he went outside to have a few beers and I curled up with one of my new movies. Eventually he came back in and remarked that it really didn't feel like a special day, and I had to agree. The whole neighbourhood was quiet all night - none of the usual gongs & whistles. Don't know if everyone was out partying, or what, but I sure did appreciate the peaceful evening!
**********
Today was a mix of the traditional (for us) - taking down the tree and packing up all the decorations - and the new - cleaning out the basement. We've made a pretty good start on it - the truck box is almost full enough to do a dump run, and my car is packed full of stuff to be dropped off at a local charity thrift shop. Now that we finally have room to work down there, the insulation and wallboard will go up this week, and with luck by next weekend we'll be putting up shelving. After that, I have a feeling the organizing part of the job will be almost all on me, but that's okay too. It'll give me something constructive to do besides sitting at the computer all day hunting down jobs and sending out resumes.
J has announced the intention of moving out at the end of January; apparently she has found not only two good (I hope) housemates, but a house for them to rent. I really hope it works out for her; she's always missed East Van and wanted to move back there. It will also mean she'll have a thirty-minute commute each way rather than the ninety minutes (and sometimes much more) she has to travel to work from here. And she's almost 27, so it's time to empty the darn nest already!
I have big plans for that room - it will become my new workroom/sewing & craft room/office/guest room. The day after she moves, I'll be in there cleaning and priming, and the next day I'll be painting. No more neon lime green - that will change to pale grey walls and a bright white light-reflecting ceiling. Since I'll be working with fabrics and yarn, I'll really need a very neutral background and a lot of good light.
This teeny-tiny room I'm currently in will become the Big Guy's den. He'll have a nice desk, a file cabinet of his own, good light to read by, television, bookshelves, and with luck enough space for that hideous old recliner presently (dis)gracing the living room. Maybe then all his assorted papers and junk will migrate permanently from the kitchen table, and we'll be able to sit there and eat together ... maybe ... a girl can dream, can't she?
The resolutions I made this time last year have served me well, so I'm sticking to them for this year:
1) I will work with what I have.
2) I will finish what I start.
3) I will step up my efforts to reduce, re-use, and recycle.
And I'm adding a fourth:
4) I will spend at least four hours every single day, Monday through Friday, looking for a new job.
And of course I'll continue to report my progress on all fronts!
New Year, new start? I certainly hope so!
**********
I wish all of you a happy, healthy, and peaceful 2012. May you accomplish everything you set out to do, and be pleased with the outcome of every choice you make.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Things I Learned The Hard Way Part One: Shopping
There are so many things I had to learn them the hard way ... Basic, frugal tips and techniques that I had to figure out for myself; some based on the principle that price is not always the bottom line, others relating to doing instead of buying. Today's post is the first of several "roundups", if you will, of the things I wish I'd been taught before I left home instead of having to figure them out on my own.
For example, dollar stores.
Dollar stores (at least in Canada) are great places to pick up stationery, school and office supplies, gift wrap/bags/boxes, cards of all kinds, insulated lunch bags, cotton swabs, cotton balls, bar soap, travel sized shampoos/conditioner/lotion, razor blades, sport socks, storage containers, laundry baskets, plastic or wooden hangers,clothespins, sewing notions, craft supplies, tea towels, facecloths, hand or kitchen towels, freezer bags, glassware, candles, incense, matches, foil products, party supplies, ashtrays, ice trays, sponges and cleaning brushes, hair ties/clips/pins/bands, combs and hairbrushes, toothbrushes, kids' party favours, toothpicks, and all kinds of housewares, kitchen gadgets, and holiday decorations.
Dollar stores are not a good place to go for first aid items (other than elastic bandages and the cheap bandaids the kids go through a gazillion of), food, or anything else that goes in your mouth, such as toothpaste, vitamins or supplements, or OTC medications. They are also not a good place to get your blank cd's/dvd's/videotapes/audiotapes, batteries, light bulbs, extension cords, or anything that plugs in or uses batteries.
Then there are the supermarket store brands, and the "no-name" or generic items.
Store/house/generic brands can be good value for the money, but you have to try them and compare them with the brands you used to buy. What at first looks like a great price may not work out so well in the long run ...
I found that while the generic frozen vegetables were just as good as the higher-priced brands, the canned vegetables were not; they were usually mushier, saltier, and had much less flavour. Generic canned soups, though, are generally good, as are generic dry soup mixes. Generic spices are just as good, and can be bought in bulk in most supermarkets here. The same goes for soup mixes, pastas and noodles, baking supplies, pickles, nuts, raisins/dried fruit, peanut butter, hot and cold cereals, rice, beans, dried vegetables, holiday candy of all kinds, and syrups. Generic ketchup is thin and watery; don't waste your money. I'm still looking for generic soy sauce, which we go through at an astonishing rate. Generic dryer sheets (if you use them) are good value as long as you get the unscented ones. Generic vitamins, supplements, and OTC medications are by law (at least in Canada) exactly the same as name brands.
The no-name products I find to be a waste of money:
Any liquid cleaning product - dish soap, laundry soap, shampoo - they are all so watered-down that by the time you've managed to get the job done, you've used so much more than you would have with a good name-brand product that it's actually costing you more.
Almost all paper products - toilet paper, paper towels, tissues - so thin and skimpy, and so much less in the package, that again you will end up using more and so spending more.
Pet food. Mostly cheap fillers. If you love your animals - and if you don't, you shouldn't have them in the first place - do not cheap out on their food.
I'm not going to mention thrift stores or yard sales today - they're for a later post. Some of the other topics I'm planning to cover are:
Making do and making it work
Learn to do it yourself
Get creative with what you've got
Stick around! You might even learn something - or teach me something! Questions, comments - share your less-than-common frugal tips, tricks, and insights.
For example, dollar stores.
Dollar stores (at least in Canada) are great places to pick up stationery, school and office supplies, gift wrap/bags/boxes, cards of all kinds, insulated lunch bags, cotton swabs, cotton balls, bar soap, travel sized shampoos/conditioner/lotion, razor blades, sport socks, storage containers, laundry baskets, plastic or wooden hangers,clothespins, sewing notions, craft supplies, tea towels, facecloths, hand or kitchen towels, freezer bags, glassware, candles, incense, matches, foil products, party supplies, ashtrays, ice trays, sponges and cleaning brushes, hair ties/clips/pins/bands, combs and hairbrushes, toothbrushes, kids' party favours, toothpicks, and all kinds of housewares, kitchen gadgets, and holiday decorations.
Dollar stores are not a good place to go for first aid items (other than elastic bandages and the cheap bandaids the kids go through a gazillion of), food, or anything else that goes in your mouth, such as toothpaste, vitamins or supplements, or OTC medications. They are also not a good place to get your blank cd's/dvd's/videotapes/audiotapes, batteries, light bulbs, extension cords, or anything that plugs in or uses batteries.
Then there are the supermarket store brands, and the "no-name" or generic items.
Store/house/generic brands can be good value for the money, but you have to try them and compare them with the brands you used to buy. What at first looks like a great price may not work out so well in the long run ...
I found that while the generic frozen vegetables were just as good as the higher-priced brands, the canned vegetables were not; they were usually mushier, saltier, and had much less flavour. Generic canned soups, though, are generally good, as are generic dry soup mixes. Generic spices are just as good, and can be bought in bulk in most supermarkets here. The same goes for soup mixes, pastas and noodles, baking supplies, pickles, nuts, raisins/dried fruit, peanut butter, hot and cold cereals, rice, beans, dried vegetables, holiday candy of all kinds, and syrups. Generic ketchup is thin and watery; don't waste your money. I'm still looking for generic soy sauce, which we go through at an astonishing rate. Generic dryer sheets (if you use them) are good value as long as you get the unscented ones. Generic vitamins, supplements, and OTC medications are by law (at least in Canada) exactly the same as name brands.
The no-name products I find to be a waste of money:
Any liquid cleaning product - dish soap, laundry soap, shampoo - they are all so watered-down that by the time you've managed to get the job done, you've used so much more than you would have with a good name-brand product that it's actually costing you more.
Almost all paper products - toilet paper, paper towels, tissues - so thin and skimpy, and so much less in the package, that again you will end up using more and so spending more.
Pet food. Mostly cheap fillers. If you love your animals - and if you don't, you shouldn't have them in the first place - do not cheap out on their food.
I'm not going to mention thrift stores or yard sales today - they're for a later post. Some of the other topics I'm planning to cover are:
Making do and making it work
Learn to do it yourself
Get creative with what you've got
Stick around! You might even learn something - or teach me something! Questions, comments - share your less-than-common frugal tips, tricks, and insights.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Joining The "Not Buying It" Crowd
I really didn't accomplish much this week besides going to work, doing my job, and coming home to collapse. I've had a horrendous cold since early in the week. On Tuesday I was just sneezing and a little sniffly, which prompted me to wonder if I was finally developing the hay fever that the rest of the family suffers with every spring. But no ... Wednesday at work I went through one boxes of tissue in eight hours, Thursday's count was two boxes, and by Friday afternoon I'd lost count. Friday night I started to cough, and I spent Saturday on the couch hacking, wheezing, and going through a couple more boxes of tissues. (good thing I got them in bulk, on sale, with a coupon!) It's tapering off now, but I'm still exhausted enough that today I did the dishes in several installments, because after ten minutes standing in front of the sink I just had to go sit down for a while.
Big Guy did what he always does - he made a big pot of from-scratch chicken soup and kept bringing me bowls of it - lovely stuff, full of bite-sized chicken chunks, onions, celery, carrots, lots of garlic and ginger, and egg noodles. It makes me feel better, at least for a little while ... in fact, I'll be taking a thermos of soup to work for lunch tomorrow.
I spent a lot of the weekend browsing a variety of blogs, following links from one to another, and I was surprised at how many bloggers are on the "Not Buying It" bandwagon. Not because it's a novel idea - I've pretty much lived that way for most of my life - but because so many people use that particular label. Is it easier to be frugal as part of a group? Does not spending money feel more comfortable if you can see how many others aren't spending money either? I'm not putting them down for it - in fact, I can't help wondering if I'd do better at the whole saving/not spending/paying down debt thing if I followed their example.
So ... as of today, I'm going to actually track every cent I spend, and post the details - starting with the generic cold capsules I hauled my poor aching, wheezing self out to get this morning. Maybe someone can suggest areas where I could spend less, or even items I could eliminate entirely. I don't pretend to be an expert, and I'm always open to new ideas. Oh, and just so the tracking will make more sense - Big Guy and I have an arrangement. Since he does almost all the cooking, he pays for the groceries, and I pay the household bills - hydro, gas, phone/cable/internet. So those categories won't show in the sidebar, and neither will our mortgage payments. What I'll be tracking is just my own personal spending, not the household budget. The goal is to make myself more aware of what I'm spending on "extras"; we're already pretty darn careful about what we lay out for necessities. For instance, the coffee we buy as part of the regular groceries won't be listed, but if I treat myself to a pound of a specialty blend I will show it. I'm still debating whether to show what I spend on my monthly transit pass - it's expensive, but it's necessary. Driving to work (especially with the cost of parking downtown) would cost at least three times as much ... so I don't think the pass can really be called an "extra". What do you think?
I'm also making a list in the back of my current all-purpose notebook of all the things I have enough of that I don't need to buy more no matter how good the sale price is. Thanks to my long-standing habit of stocking up when the price is right, it should be at least two years before I'll be buying office supplies, shower gel, deodorant, hair ties, shampoo, sewing notions, underwear, garbage bags, greeting cards ... the actual list is far more detailed, but you get the idea.
I will have to bite the bullet very soon and buy a new pair of running shoes. Actually, skateboard shoes, which are far more comfortable (they're wider, and I have square feet and a ridiculously high arch) and don't have the big ugly clunky soles that almost all women's "running" shoes seem to have these days. I pretty much live in those shoes, unless there's snow - our neighbourhood doesn't have sidewalks except on the main streets, and I'm not about to ruin my good/dress/office shoes by commuting daily through mud, gravel, and roadside dirt in them. A pair of the brand I like best will run me about $75.00 on sale, but once every two years or so turns that from an extravagance into a practical budget item. Especially since it allows me to make a nice pair of dress shoes last up to ten years. Yes, seriously. Shoes I like, that fit properly and don't hurt to walk in, are hard to find; when I do find a pair, I make them last as long as possible. I don't care about fashion - and some of the recent and current styles are downright ugly - my "good" shoes are plain, comfortable classics that will always look suitable for whatever I wear them with.
Apart from the shoes, there won't be any clothing in the list. This goes back to my New Year's "resolutions" - to work with what I already have. As each new garment is started, it will be added to the "Current Projects" section of the sidebar, and I'll try to post a picture of each one when I finish them. The sweater is almost finished, so (touch wood) next post will include a picture. I'll also be adding a "Finished Projects" section - sometimes I feel like Alice, "the faster I run the behinder I get", and it will be nice to look at that list and reflect on what I have accomplished.
Big Guy did what he always does - he made a big pot of from-scratch chicken soup and kept bringing me bowls of it - lovely stuff, full of bite-sized chicken chunks, onions, celery, carrots, lots of garlic and ginger, and egg noodles. It makes me feel better, at least for a little while ... in fact, I'll be taking a thermos of soup to work for lunch tomorrow.
I spent a lot of the weekend browsing a variety of blogs, following links from one to another, and I was surprised at how many bloggers are on the "Not Buying It" bandwagon. Not because it's a novel idea - I've pretty much lived that way for most of my life - but because so many people use that particular label. Is it easier to be frugal as part of a group? Does not spending money feel more comfortable if you can see how many others aren't spending money either? I'm not putting them down for it - in fact, I can't help wondering if I'd do better at the whole saving/not spending/paying down debt thing if I followed their example.
So ... as of today, I'm going to actually track every cent I spend, and post the details - starting with the generic cold capsules I hauled my poor aching, wheezing self out to get this morning. Maybe someone can suggest areas where I could spend less, or even items I could eliminate entirely. I don't pretend to be an expert, and I'm always open to new ideas. Oh, and just so the tracking will make more sense - Big Guy and I have an arrangement. Since he does almost all the cooking, he pays for the groceries, and I pay the household bills - hydro, gas, phone/cable/internet. So those categories won't show in the sidebar, and neither will our mortgage payments. What I'll be tracking is just my own personal spending, not the household budget. The goal is to make myself more aware of what I'm spending on "extras"; we're already pretty darn careful about what we lay out for necessities. For instance, the coffee we buy as part of the regular groceries won't be listed, but if I treat myself to a pound of a specialty blend I will show it. I'm still debating whether to show what I spend on my monthly transit pass - it's expensive, but it's necessary. Driving to work (especially with the cost of parking downtown) would cost at least three times as much ... so I don't think the pass can really be called an "extra". What do you think?
I'm also making a list in the back of my current all-purpose notebook of all the things I have enough of that I don't need to buy more no matter how good the sale price is. Thanks to my long-standing habit of stocking up when the price is right, it should be at least two years before I'll be buying office supplies, shower gel, deodorant, hair ties, shampoo, sewing notions, underwear, garbage bags, greeting cards ... the actual list is far more detailed, but you get the idea.
I will have to bite the bullet very soon and buy a new pair of running shoes. Actually, skateboard shoes, which are far more comfortable (they're wider, and I have square feet and a ridiculously high arch) and don't have the big ugly clunky soles that almost all women's "running" shoes seem to have these days. I pretty much live in those shoes, unless there's snow - our neighbourhood doesn't have sidewalks except on the main streets, and I'm not about to ruin my good/dress/office shoes by commuting daily through mud, gravel, and roadside dirt in them. A pair of the brand I like best will run me about $75.00 on sale, but once every two years or so turns that from an extravagance into a practical budget item. Especially since it allows me to make a nice pair of dress shoes last up to ten years. Yes, seriously. Shoes I like, that fit properly and don't hurt to walk in, are hard to find; when I do find a pair, I make them last as long as possible. I don't care about fashion - and some of the recent and current styles are downright ugly - my "good" shoes are plain, comfortable classics that will always look suitable for whatever I wear them with.
Apart from the shoes, there won't be any clothing in the list. This goes back to my New Year's "resolutions" - to work with what I already have. As each new garment is started, it will be added to the "Current Projects" section of the sidebar, and I'll try to post a picture of each one when I finish them. The sweater is almost finished, so (touch wood) next post will include a picture. I'll also be adding a "Finished Projects" section - sometimes I feel like Alice, "the faster I run the behinder I get", and it will be nice to look at that list and reflect on what I have accomplished.
Monday, February 14, 2011
What's In A Name?
People often comment on the way we choose to live, and some of them apparently feel compelled to label us. I don't know, maybe the labels they use make them think they understand us. But I got to thinking today about all those labels and whether or not they really fit us ...
My family sometimes laughingly call me "Farmer Kate". That's okay with me. We do plant a new fruit or nut tree every year, we do try to put in a fairly good vegetable and herb garden every spring, and I do freeze, can, or dry everything I can save from the squirrels, raccoons, and assorted birds - who all seem to think we're growing the stuff just for them. I like knowing where my food came from and what's in it, and I believe in "eating locally" whenever possible - and it doesn't get any more local than my own back yard! I'm not quite ready for chickens or goats yet, though.
Big Guy and the girls call me the "Recycling Police". True, most of the time. I confess I have been known to pluck an empty toilet roll or shampoo bottle back out of the wastebasket and shake it at the offender while yelling "Blue box, dammit!" I will also make Big Guy put something back when we're shopping if I think it's over-packaged, or if the packaging is not completely recyclable. I make sure everyone's lunches are in reusuable containers, in insulated cloth bags, and include our own non-disposable cutlery and stainless steel water bottles or thermoses. I even bring home my banana peels (for the compost) and apple cores (for the guinea pigs). I'm proud of the fact that between our buying habits, the compost, the recycling bin (our city recycling program is very good), the plastic-bag-recycling bin at the local Safeway, and the wood stoves, we produce less trash for the landfill than anyone else we know.
We've been called cheap, miserly, penny-pinchers, and tightwads. Possibly true - but words that all have negative connotations. I prefer to be known as frugal, thrifty, or economical. Our financial resources are our own business, as are our financial decisions and practices. Those decisions, those practices, are what got us through a very difficult year; I was unemployed from September 1st 2009 to October 4th 2010, and Big Guy from December 15th 2009 through to two weeks ago. And in all that time we did not go hungry, we paid all the bills on time, we paid the mortgage and property taxes on time, we didn't go without anything we needed, we replaced the entire roof, and we continued paying down our line of credit.
We've been called "survivalists". Not true. Yes, we have guns - because he hunts - not for sport, but to fill the freezer with meat that's cleaner (we butcher and wrap it ourselves), leaner, additive-free, and healthier. What we don't have, and never will, is any kind of hand gun. Yes, we have kerosene lamps - most are antiques collected over the decades, all are kept clean and filled, and do they ever come in handy during power outages! Yes, we heat the main floor and workshop with wood stoves - why not, when the fuel is free? And we stay warm during winter power outages, and can also cook on them if necessary. Yes, I have a treadle sewing machine that I keep in good working order. For years it was the only sewing machine I had, and I clothed two small daughters and innumerable dolls with it.
We've been called "odd" because there are some things we refuse to have in the house, and some things we have but very rarely use. We will never have a dishwasher, electric can opener, electric pasta maker, electric frypan or griddle, air conditioning, carpet shampooer, or plug-in air fresheners. The juicer, rice cooker, electric kettle, electric waffle iron, and electric carving knife are J's and will go with her when she moves out (she's a practical little cookie and has been gradually collecting everything she'll want in her own place). And I'll probably give her the vacuum cleaner since our floors here are all hardwood.
Don't get me wrong (as some have done) - I'm not anti-appliance. I love my fancy sewing machine and my serger, I really wouldn't want to go back to living without the computer or the washing machine or the coffeemaker, and I seriously crave a tabletop steam presser for my sewing room. I do my floors with a steam mop (yes, bought on sale with a discount coupon!) and I have a toaster oven just for baking my polymer clay projects. What I am against is people becoming so dependent on powered machinery to do things that they forget there was ever any other way. It saddens me to realize that I know people who literally don't know how to sweep a floor, wash a sink full of dishes, darn a sock, or use a hand-crank can opener or eggbeater.
We know we'll probably never be one hundred percent self-sufficient. But we're going to get as close as we can - not because we're survivalists, but because we're survivors. We've both been poor, we've both been hungry, we've both been homeless. And we both believe that the more we can do for ourselves, the less dependent we are on the good will or expensive skills of others. We know that the less money we have to shell out to the power company or mechanic or plumber or dry cleaner, the more we can keep in our pockets or use for other things. Things that are more important to use than the momentary convenience of, say, an electric can opener.
My family sometimes laughingly call me "Farmer Kate". That's okay with me. We do plant a new fruit or nut tree every year, we do try to put in a fairly good vegetable and herb garden every spring, and I do freeze, can, or dry everything I can save from the squirrels, raccoons, and assorted birds - who all seem to think we're growing the stuff just for them. I like knowing where my food came from and what's in it, and I believe in "eating locally" whenever possible - and it doesn't get any more local than my own back yard! I'm not quite ready for chickens or goats yet, though.
Big Guy and the girls call me the "Recycling Police". True, most of the time. I confess I have been known to pluck an empty toilet roll or shampoo bottle back out of the wastebasket and shake it at the offender while yelling "Blue box, dammit!" I will also make Big Guy put something back when we're shopping if I think it's over-packaged, or if the packaging is not completely recyclable. I make sure everyone's lunches are in reusuable containers, in insulated cloth bags, and include our own non-disposable cutlery and stainless steel water bottles or thermoses. I even bring home my banana peels (for the compost) and apple cores (for the guinea pigs). I'm proud of the fact that between our buying habits, the compost, the recycling bin (our city recycling program is very good), the plastic-bag-recycling bin at the local Safeway, and the wood stoves, we produce less trash for the landfill than anyone else we know.
We've been called cheap, miserly, penny-pinchers, and tightwads. Possibly true - but words that all have negative connotations. I prefer to be known as frugal, thrifty, or economical. Our financial resources are our own business, as are our financial decisions and practices. Those decisions, those practices, are what got us through a very difficult year; I was unemployed from September 1st 2009 to October 4th 2010, and Big Guy from December 15th 2009 through to two weeks ago. And in all that time we did not go hungry, we paid all the bills on time, we paid the mortgage and property taxes on time, we didn't go without anything we needed, we replaced the entire roof, and we continued paying down our line of credit.
We've been called "survivalists". Not true. Yes, we have guns - because he hunts - not for sport, but to fill the freezer with meat that's cleaner (we butcher and wrap it ourselves), leaner, additive-free, and healthier. What we don't have, and never will, is any kind of hand gun. Yes, we have kerosene lamps - most are antiques collected over the decades, all are kept clean and filled, and do they ever come in handy during power outages! Yes, we heat the main floor and workshop with wood stoves - why not, when the fuel is free? And we stay warm during winter power outages, and can also cook on them if necessary. Yes, I have a treadle sewing machine that I keep in good working order. For years it was the only sewing machine I had, and I clothed two small daughters and innumerable dolls with it.
We've been called "odd" because there are some things we refuse to have in the house, and some things we have but very rarely use. We will never have a dishwasher, electric can opener, electric pasta maker, electric frypan or griddle, air conditioning, carpet shampooer, or plug-in air fresheners. The juicer, rice cooker, electric kettle, electric waffle iron, and electric carving knife are J's and will go with her when she moves out (she's a practical little cookie and has been gradually collecting everything she'll want in her own place). And I'll probably give her the vacuum cleaner since our floors here are all hardwood.
Don't get me wrong (as some have done) - I'm not anti-appliance. I love my fancy sewing machine and my serger, I really wouldn't want to go back to living without the computer or the washing machine or the coffeemaker, and I seriously crave a tabletop steam presser for my sewing room. I do my floors with a steam mop (yes, bought on sale with a discount coupon!) and I have a toaster oven just for baking my polymer clay projects. What I am against is people becoming so dependent on powered machinery to do things that they forget there was ever any other way. It saddens me to realize that I know people who literally don't know how to sweep a floor, wash a sink full of dishes, darn a sock, or use a hand-crank can opener or eggbeater.
We know we'll probably never be one hundred percent self-sufficient. But we're going to get as close as we can - not because we're survivalists, but because we're survivors. We've both been poor, we've both been hungry, we've both been homeless. And we both believe that the more we can do for ourselves, the less dependent we are on the good will or expensive skills of others. We know that the less money we have to shell out to the power company or mechanic or plumber or dry cleaner, the more we can keep in our pockets or use for other things. Things that are more important to use than the momentary convenience of, say, an electric can opener.
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