Frugal Hoarding 101

In my post yesterday I talked a little bit about feeling like I lived through the depression.  Wanting to be prepared, scrimping, being frugal.  One of the things I do as a result of that feeling is that I like to have things around in case I need them.  While that may sound completely mad to some of you, I will clarify what I mean.  I am not a hoarder by any means.  I do not keep mounds of kleenex boxes or bags of garbage.   Not anymore.  Just kidding.  But.  I do have the things I need when I need them.  

Take canning jars for instance.  When I need to can some grape juice in the fall, the jars are in the cellar.  I don't need to go to the store at all.  I have collected them for years, a box at a time, so that I would have them when I need them.  I have seen canning jars sell for between $8 and $12 for a dozen at the stores.  I get them for $2 or $3 a dozen at garage sales.  I have gotten some for free.  Glass canning jars themselves can be used over and over forever. 

I am saving time, gas, and money.  I don't need to go out and buy the things I need every time I have a project.

Another thing I like to have around is vintage plates and shallow bowls.  I pick them up whenever I see a couple that are pretty and I store them or display them until I need one.  If you have ever known anyone who worked at a thrift store, they will tell you that the majority of the glass and china that gets donated is thrown in a dumpster because no one wants it and they don't have the room to display it all.  I would love to see them throw it far out in the lakes so it will become sea glass, but it just all goes in the land fill.  So here are a couple of ways to keep them out of those land fills.


 I have been using some vintage white soup bowls to grow my oat and wheat grass in the kitchen.  You just need a little layer of dirt and a heavy layer of seeds.  It takes 3 to 5 days for them to sprout.  It's pretty and I use the tops in green drinks and smoothies.  You can juice the tops too.  My cats like to chew on them.

Another thing I use old plates for is to catch water under my plants inside or outside.  Especially if the rim around the plate is really pretty.  There are all sizes and shapes of pots and plates so it's easy to find matching ones.  I saved my begonias that were growing outside in my straw bale gardens before the frost got to them, and brought them in the house.  The composting straw that they are growing in is all the soil they need in their pots.  And it was super easy to pot them up because the soil is really loose.  I just kind of scooped them up and stuck them into clay pots.  I don't know how long they will keep flowering through the winter but it is a nice thing to see in the windows on a dreary day.

Lastly, if you have a few plates that are pretty enough to give as gifts, you can give cookies or treats away on them.  The plate is an extra gift.  If you have ever given a plate of cookies to someone on a paper plate and tried to keep the cling wrap from coming off, you know where I'm coming from.  I have given cookies on real plates before and people are always a little tickled that I went the extra mile to have a real plate they can keep.  Plus, if you add this to your Christmas list when shopping antique places and thrift shops, it's kind of an adventure to find cute plates that you know will make someone happy as a gift.  I have found them priced anywhere from 25 cents to $2 a plate, which is a totally reasonable amount of money to spend on a teacher or a neighbors gift.  Green glass plates are always fun at Christmas.  Come to think of it, I have some mugs at the shop with gingerbread men on them.  They can be filled with candy for gifts.

I'm always shocked by the things that people throw away.  Even some the clothing that gets donated to thrift stores goes to other countries because we have so much and they appreciate the used clothing.   Or it gets chopped up for rags.  There just simply aren't enough people buying used things to keep up with our waste.  It's funny, we ship merchandise over seas from China or wherever so we can have cheap clothing so that we can ship it back to another country after we're tired of it.

With the Christmas season coming, maybe we can change the way we spend.  Local, family owned places are always struggling, so why not spend our money there?  We are always so sorry when these small stores go out of business, but we are the ones who don't shop there.  Amazon and big corporate companies already have all the money.

Okay, I went off on a rant.  But you get the idea.  Maybe this year, our Christmas season can be different.  Buy gifts that mean something.  Buy from people who make things.  Buy on Etsy or at a craft fair.  I know Amazon is cheaper, but when you buy from Amazon, your money goes to make some CEO in an office richer.  I know there are things that we can't help but buy on Amazon, I do it myself.  But gifts are special.  If they aren't special, then why are we giving them?  Obligation?  That is absurd, you should give because you want to give.

Okay, done ranting.  I do feel better now.  Thanks for listening.

Let's keep pretty old things out of the land fills, shall we?  And buy from people, not corporations!