Final inspirations from Marigold.

Hello. As we creep nearer to Christmas I am pleased that I haven't let myself be swayed by the mayhem of shopping going on around me. I got my yellow stickers on Thursday, so now I am keeping away from the shops. There is really no need for me to go to town, or Tesco, or the Retail Park. I expect it will quieten down later as people realize that they have enough, and with a 4pm closing time, only the least organized will be dashing around at the last minute. It must be very stressful to be a slave to money, tradition, accumulating possessions, and feeling the need to fit in with everyone else. I'm glad I am free of all that.

And so to the fourth and last contribution from our frugal friend, Marigold. A few more pearls of wisdom which might be of interest to our readers.

The thing I find interesting about you is that you seem to be able to free yourself from the"hooks" of money and I am sure that a lot of it is to do with your perspectives.   I feel that frugality is a very prosperous, manifestation mindset but that we really need to control the "impulse buy that satisfies a psychological need" to achieve it.  I also believe sharing is an important part of it so no one holds onto the energy but it keeps flowing.

I'm noticing how often my budget gets into trouble with the agreement to go out and celebrate with a meal or a coffee, to travel with family,....the need to love and be fed?  Now I invite people home for a coffee and some homemade bread, salad from my perma culture garden, pickles from saved food and an egg from the free range chooks.

Another thing that has helped me is to use the Perma Culture idea that everything you grow (I apply to what I do and have) needs to have 3 uses.  My dog is company, security, good for my mental health, she guards the chooks as well as gets me out walking; so I can well justify the money I spend on her.   Now, however, I am looking for cheaper ways to feed her.   I have roses for flowers (sometimes to sell), for gifts, for the bees and insects and I use the thorny stems as seedling protection from the chooks and then they go on the fire when dry.  

At present I justify the car/van as i can get guinea pig and chook food from the roadside, carry wood and sand from the river, sometimes grassclippings and it gives me an opportunity to remove rubbish from the river also.  It is one of my largest expenses (and the earths) so I am trying to use my bike and legs more, find people who will drop their grass clippings here, deliver hay etc. just being really careful about only going to town unless I have multiple uses is making a difference; eg going to library, knitting club, drop off goods and check charity shop, check nearby supermarket for discount buys and on the way home take the dog up the river.

I am aware I am  in a privileged position because I brought a very cheap house (in a not so nice area - which turns out to be great because people are resourceful) and a quarter acre. I have managed to pay it off over about 18 years because I had work.  Having the gardens, the minor outlays, a room to rent etc does certainly make my life easier.  I hope I can keep this better life up; it's a lovely way to go into my older age and your example has definitely helped me to see that and to figure out how to improve it rather than worrying about how am I going to manage for the next thirty years?   It is just a series of challenges to solve and with being frugal I get the opportunity to set up a bit of a backstop, bet the system and see how much money I can make available to me and the people I chose to help.  However, my greatest gift is to be surrounded by friends and family who interact with me.

As you can see she has a very similar mindset to my own. Using her car as a van, multipurpose vehicle, it has to be useful not just for days out and joy riding. Understanding that impulse buying is only to satisfy a psychological need. Being drawn in to socialize with other people feeds a need to be loved. And being aware of the privileged position we are in owning our own house.

Marigold, I thank you for sending these two emails and allowing me to use them here. May I make a suggestion. You have a flare for writing, think about using it to make some extra money. You could contact magazines, newspapers, and web sites, especially blogs, to offer your services as a guest writer. Worth a thought.

The Zippppeeeee wall hanging is finished, and I'm very chuffed at how it has turned out. Pictures to come later. It is the Eve of Christmas Day. I hope you all have a wonderful time, lots to eat and drink, and be merry. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip