Canning applesauce
If you’re reading this blog, chances are saving money and living beneath your means matter to you. They matter tremendously to me, too! Working to this end has helped me stay at home with my two children, helped our family pay off debt, and put food on the table.
But as of late, I’ve been contemplating pursuits that may seem “frugal-ish,” for lack of a better word, but may not really be the cheapest option available. Or maybe just hobbies you’ve taken up that seemingly don’t gel with a money-saving lifestyle. Today, I wanted to expand on this topic and then provide an opportunity to hear from you.
The Simple Life
Consider if you only learned how to use a calculator – that you had no concept of how math worked. Sure, you could bring that calculator with you everywhere you went, but isn’t there a bigger freedom in having that calculator and also being able to quickly add, subtract, multiply, and divide on the fly?
When was the last time you did laundry like this?
This is exactly why I’ve taken considerable time in my own life and here on the blog to write about things such as: making your own bread, canning applesauce, dehydrating fruit, and making your own laundry soap. There’s something inspiring about making something from scratch that you just buy at the store every week. It’s empowering, isn’t it?
Many of these pursuits will save you money either short- or long-term. But let’s not kid ourselves, sometimes they don’t save you money. And if that’s the case, why bother?
Value Beyond Frugality
The other day I shared a photo on my Facebook profile of a cooking project I just completed. One of my friends shared that she used to cook that way, but couldn’t do so any more due to the cost involved. (If you’re really curious about what I cooked up now, patience…promise, I’ll be sharing it here soon!)
There are times when saving money trumps everything. Job loss, income loss, unexpected expenses, emergencies. In these situations, you are operating from “how can we live for the least amount of money possible?” I get that, because that’s been us at different points in our family.
Other times, you might find different goals that sometimes compete with saving money. Here are a few examples of hobbies and pursuits I’ve taken on and the value they’ve provided beyond saving a buck:
Gardening. Lots of people will tell you it’s cheaper to grow your own food, but I’m going to argue “not necessarily”. Particularly when you are getting started. No doubt, there are ways you can save (check out Erica’s Urban Gardening posts for some ideas), but chances are you’re going to need dirt, seeds, supplies, and possibly lumber, compost, tools, and other related items. Let me fill you in on a secret: when we started our garden three years ago, saving money wasn’t our primary goal. Our goals were: 1) to turn our yard into more usable space, 2) to fulfill a desire I had to start this hobby, and 3) to appreciate the work and reward of growing your own food and work to eat a better diet. We’ve been relandscaping for the past four years now, paying cash and doing it ourselves to save on costs. The past few weeks I’ve enjoyed not buying salad or smoothie greens and just picking them out of my garden, but we’re a long ways yet from breaking even on our investment.
Parsnips!
Traveling. When you’re on a budget, traveling is probably the first thing to nix, right? Well, when my husband and I got married 10 years ago, we decided that traveling was a priority for us. It’s how we make memories as a family, and how conversations have the time to open up. Last fall, we splurged on a trip that screams anything but frugal – a trip to Disneyland. Now before you begin to think we up and go to Cabo or Bora Bora on a monthly basis, let me clarify a bit. Traveling for us can be as simple as getting in the car for a day trip or an overnight stay (usually bought with a Groupon) to a nearby town. To some this might feel like a wasted gas of tank, but I wouldn’t trade those day trips for anything. They’ve helped shape our family into the fun-loving, tight knit unit that it is.
Our favorite family trip to-date!
Cooking (some forms, anyways). When I was in high school, my parents had me take this test to gauge where my strengths and interests lie to help me figure out a future career. (I apologize, I forget the name of said test.) The results indicated I should do something culinary. While I’m feeling fulfilled in a career that uses my love of writing, I have to agree with the test that yes, I LOVE cooking. I love creating new dishes in the kitchen, trying new foods, exploring different ingredients – it’s a form of play for me. While the large stock of recipes I make are budget-friendly, there are times I bust out the Grand Mariner for a decadent dish, or splurge on good quality balsamic from Pike Place, or bake something from scratch that would’ve been infinitely cheaper to buy pre-made. What am I doing? I’m playing, honing a skill, cultivating a hobby.
This yule log was NOT cheap to make!
I’m sure if you thought about it, there are areas in your own life you can relate to the examples I shared above.
It’s all About Balance
In Financial Peace University, Dave Ramsey explains that budgeting is a lot like choosing what to eat from a menu. You can’t have the steak and the prawns and the appetizer and the soup and still have money for cheesecake and a 40-year old port. You pick and choose.
Ramsey has real wisdom here, it’s simple truth, but good to remember. While we may like to getaway here and there, we don’t often buy fancy clothes (or really, go clothes shopping much at all). While I like to garden and cook, I don’t have other crafting hobbies. While I like to make fancy and complicated dishes on occasion, I often am doing probably exactly what you all are – clipping coupons and shopping with sales most of of the time.
And now, I’d love to hear from you. What pursuits have you taken on that don’t save money, but provide value in other ways? When does frugality take second seat? When does it trump everything else?
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{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
My one splurge is makeup. I hate foundation and I have found one I love and cannot live without. It’s a little speedy at first but it lasts me almost a year and is so much better for my skin. I get guilty when I bought it the first time a few years ago but it has been a good purchase.
We also love to garden and you are so right about not always breaking even. I still love the the taste of fresh vegetables from my garden and so I will continue to grow one. This year has been so cold that nothing is really growing, not even my strawberries! I hope I haven’t lost any plants.
My strawberries aren’t either – I usually don’t have an issue with them. Glad to hear it’s not just me. Maybe they’ll bounce back if we get some sun???
I hope so! It kills me to buy strawberries in the store when I have so many plants at home.
Just like a job, some people get very caught up in the process, making everything they do about saving the most possible. I applaud them for having that level of dedication to their endeavors.
I, however, look at it much like the “live to work” vs. “work to live” analogy. While I highly value the skills I’ve learned that have helped my family to live a much more frugal lifestyle, there really wouldn’t be any point if that’s ALL we were doing. Couponing is a tool that gets me what I need for less, so I can direct more to what I want. I’m still new to all of this (couponing and ad shopping since May – I’m a reformed Walmart shopper), and thus, still working on my stockpile.
Like you, getting out of the house is of great importance to my family. Considering I work 6 days a week and live 20 feet from the family business, the only way to get any time to ourselves is by leaving the house. Usually these are day excursions, a trip to the lake, a motorcycle ride, etc. In the past, these didn’t happen without at least $50 out of pocket between stopping for drinks, eating out, etc. Now, we shop the pantry before we leave and spend only the gas money. Before couponing, we had to limit how many trips we could make in a summer season. Now, we don’t have to limit these trips.
I could make hundreds of examples, but I fear my response would turn out as long as your blog. Thanks again for your voice and your insights.
Thank you so much for your comments here. It’s something I’ve been thinking a lot about – and it sounds like you & others have too.
After burning myself out chasing all the deals, I decided to step back a bit, get a few deals that matter to me, and not worry about wasting all the energy, gas, and time involved to capture every last deal out there. I am OK with this – even if it means I spend a little more – because my time is valuable too.
Thanks for your insight.
I “line dry” all my laundry in the dripping wet Pacific Northwest. I have an awesome drying rack from IKEA and have used it for 4 years indoors with a box fan next to it. When I lived in an apartment, the laundry rack stayed up in the dining area–it had to, there were cloth diapers to dry every day! The laundry rack currently has sheets drying on it.
I agree that you need to pick where you will spend money. It’s very important to my family to lessen our impact on earth. We bought a washer and dish washer last year that use far less water and electricity than what we had. The savings can bee seen in both the electricity and water bills! It will take years to break even, but those purchases are worth it for us.
Great examples! Thank you for sharing.
I make freezer jam every summer, and I am 100% certain that I could buy it for much cheaper (considering containers, pectin, and sugar). However, unlike that store bought junk, mine is made with amazing berries I pick myself and is also made with minimal sugar and just pectin. The color and flavor of my strawberry jam blows that dark brownish-red Smuckers yuck away.
I also store a lot of freezer berries to use throughout the year. I refuse to spend $3 a pound on blueberries or those awful strawberries, so I guess that saves me quite a bit.
Trips are especially important to me as well and considering that I recently moved four hours from my home town for a job, I go home as often as the $80 in gas will allow. Weeks were a home trip is planned are very tight in my house, but we don’t mind!
You bring up another great example with the jam – while it might not be the cheapest endeavor, obviously the value in that case is knowing what’s gone into the food! I 100% get that. Thanks for your input.
For us travel is important as well. It’s not frugal at all, but it’s important for making memories. Life passes by quickly and you don’t know how much time you have here, so it’s important to enjoy life and travel is what we enjoy. I coupon, use Groupon, shop sales and sometimes simply just don’t buy something, in order to save money, so that we can do the things we love. We’re currently saving for a trip to California next fall. I will happily clip coupons and search for the best deals so that on that trip I can enjoy every minute of that trip. So frugality will take a second seat to this trip, however when you’re out of a job or your income isn’t enough, that trumps everything else. Just a year ago, my husband and I weren’t making ends meet. We considered every dollar we spent. Now he has a good paying job and we can be more flexible on spending, even saving up for a vacation. Living on a tight budget, however, taught me the value of a dollar and how little savings here and there really make a difference. Knowing that I spend smartly throughout the year helps me enjoy splurges all the more, because I know I earned it!
Yup, yup! I feel very similarly about travel! Even just getting out the house for a change of pace is what’s needed at points.
Glad to hear that your husband found a good job!
I still like to eat out. We only do it about twice a month, compared to my “old life” where we ate out two – three times a week. Sometimes it is just so nice to have someone else cook the meal, clean up and do the dishes. Sometimes something besides what I have “created” all week just gives a little pleasure.
That’s another great example and one we do too. We order in pizza about once every month or every other month and go out to eat about once or twice a week. My husband often tries to get take out, but like you, for me the enjoyment is not having to clean it up! For this reason, I prefer eating a restaurant and tipping someone else for doing it for me.
You definitely have to figure out what you and your family needs whether that’s saving money by couponing and doing what is important for you and the family.
I find that making things by scratch whether that’s some sort of food like yogurt, jerky, fruit leather, or whatever and crafts or building things around the house, gardening, or whatever isn’t necessarily as cheap as what I could get from couponing.
For me I enjoy making things whatever it maybe for my sanity, for my health, my families health, to put a personal stamp on something, to show someone that I care about them, etc.
If all I wanted to do is live as cheap as possible my family wouldn’t be as healthy physically and mentally.
I think people have to find that delicate balance on what’s important vs. cost. Sometimes time is money. Sometimes spending a little more lasts a lot longer. Sometimes going on weekend trip is healthy for a family.
Just because you go away for the weekend doesn’t mean you have to spend like crazy. Factor cost for gas, cost of place to stay (look for coupons/specials/discounts), bring your own food (maybe do one meal out), costs of museums or whatever you want to visit (maybe there are specials/coupons/or maybe a family pass is cheaper in the long run).
My husband lost 1/3 of his income 3 years ago and has not gotten it back yet. We looked at our budget and downsized on our cable(phone,internet,cable) bill, added others to our cell phone to split costs more, moved, became more aware of our energy costs, smaller garbage can, recycle everything we can (free), and basically figured out what we can afford. We still take weekend trips to the beach every few months, but we have a timeshare that we got years ago from a third party (it’s paid off) and use that. We bring our own food and hang out all together at the beach.
I would say use common sense. Do what you enjoy and what your family enjoys, smartly and frugally.
Very good points – thank you! I loved this:
If all I wanted to do is live as cheap as possible my family wouldn’t be as healthy physically and mentally.
Yes, yes, yes.
Crocheting is my stress relief. I love making baby items for family, friends and coworkers. I try to be as frugal as possible by using store coupons and sales but yarn can still be very expensive. A handmade afghan can cost upwards of $40 or more.. I refuse to use rough yarns for my projects. It’s sometimes disheartening when stores run specials for $3 blankets, but nothing beats the look of joy on a new mom’s face when they see what was created specifically for their new angel. The giving and stress relief far outweigh the monetary costs!!
It sounds like it’s more than just the end result (a blanket) – it’s a hobby for you! There is value to that. Great example – thanks for sharing.
My mother taught me to sew; and I sew now to show my family I love them. When my mother made my dresses, it was cheaper to buy the material than to purchase a store bought dress. Now, a dress from Target/Walmart is cheaper than the material/pattern to make one. I made costumes for my kids when they were younger, even though well made costumes could be purchased in October at Costco very inexpensively. I still have a cherished memory of The Incredibles costume hanging in my son’s room so he would see it when he woke up the following morning.
My family (six kids) are actively involved in club soccer and have been for the better part of 15 years. Could our children play sports at the YMCA for less?…Yes. But for our family soccer involves more than just the weekly practice and Saturday game. My oldest 5 children became soccer referees at the age of 12 (my youngest is only 11). They paid for and attended the certification class, purchased the uniform kit, and pay their registration fees themselves every year and earn considerably more money than their friends. Some kids mow lawns, babysit, or get an allowance….my kids referee soccer games. Club soccer involves some travel tournaments and we have taken those opportunities to tent camp either on the field or at nearby campgrounds… family time and fond memories! My husband is currently the coach for 2 of our children and has spent time as a referee coordinator and club president. Soccer is just as much his hobby as it is a sport for our children to play. My oldest daughter will be starting her 3rd year of college next month which is partially funded by her soccer scholarship. Some day my daughter may take her soccer to yet another level and become a coach or play professionally. By participating in club soccer, we are investing in our family’s health, income, family time, education, and possible future careers.
I had a parent once tell me how her daughter was going to play recreational soccer and the family could go on a vacation with the money that they would be saving by NOT playing on a club team….I’m okay with that family’s decision, but we are making a different choice. It’s not the most frugal choice, but it’s important to our family.
It’s all about choices, isn’t it? What matters to your family may not matter to another one. We started our son on a little soccer league last year (at the age of 5). We do believe in the value of having an outlet for our kids like this. Being on a soccer team helped my son learn the value of working together, handling disappointment, and the importance of being dedicated by showing up week after week.
Another great example – thanks for sharing!