Breaking My Rules

Sometimes I am just too tired. After a busy day at work I collected my daughter from school and we walked the hot walk home. We stopped and fed chickens lunch box scraps half way home and then pushed ourselves the rest of the way to our messy sanctuary.

Tonight I just couldn't face cooking as I spent extra time with my overtired, emotional and sick daughter. Instead we read, while cuddling our cat in bed and asked our family man to purchase Hungry Jacks on his way home from his long work day. Fast food which exploits people, animals and the environment. I like to be good - but I fall prey to the fast and popular - and am always disappointed in the bland taste that leaves me dissatisfied and hungry for more.

So I sit here feeling guilty once again for breaking my own rules. What a waste...

How about you? Do you fall for things that you try to ban from your life?

Op Shops, Charity Shops and Thrift Shops

Wow - I just watched my 1st lot of Mary Queen of Charity Shops. I hated her and I loved her. I'm a bit confused really. A bit blown away by it all.

Her concept of upscaling Op/Charity/Thrifts Shops to become boutique and trendy is understandable in the aim to reach new clientele. And I will admit the shop looks fabulous however I also know the shops that have become boutique in Australia such as The Red Cross Op Shops has put me off going as my "to go shop" because the prices are much higher, they have too many duplicated new items and it just doesn't give me the same thrill of the hunt. But when I am looking for that special item for a big event and don't have time to go through piles of ill sorted clothing then The Red Cross is my Fancy Pantsy shop. It's my High End Shop. It's the shop where I will splurge a little extra and live the high life of decadence.

But back to Mary. I felt sad about the whole episodes; Mary's tactless manner in speaking to people was aggravating. I wanted to shout at her as the staff were intimated by her bullish ways. She hurt many people in the process to make changes and increase the profits. And that's what it's all about isn't it - PROFITS - it's no longer a service to allow those on lower incomes to obtain inexpensive clothing or be a place for elderly fulfilling their need for meaningful work and company. It's all about profits to run the charity industry... and let us not all be duped. A huge chunk of charity money goes in the administration of running the charities not the poor or lonely themselves. It goes to real estate for buildings, offices and shops. It goes to administrative costs of consumables and advertising. It goes to pay packets of the non volunteers and executives. All of this is big business that crushes some of the very people it is supposed to be "helping".

So would I shop in one of Mary's shops? I think the answer is highly probably... Yes - because it looks stylish, it's second hand and fits with my eco ethics. I would purchase a few of the most inexpensive items from the discount racks, not armloads to play around with or use as dress ups, slash and punk up. I don't think I would find that bargain piece, that begs cutting to be upcycled into a wonderful new creation. I would consider my purchases very carefully and miss some of those lovely eccentric staff members that have a bit of history behind them. Here in my town The Red Cross Op Shops no longer have elderly staff. I see young vibrant retail assistants who have taken over the reigns in the second hand palaces. The music rocks and tempts us to feel good so that we purchase more items displayed on stunning glass shelves. A bit like everywhere else really - Gloss, Gloss and more Gloss. Me... I still like Old World style, with dusty treasures to discover. A place that still gives me a hunter gather rush.

What have you thought of Mary Queen of Charity? Love her? Hate her? Are you a second hand shopper? Come on spill the beans and share your thoughts.

Stephanie @ Frugal Down Under.

Gifting Babysitting

As I have said many times gifts of time are gifts well worth giving.

Tonight I babysat for a young couple we know with a eight week old baby. A four hour sit while they went off and enjoyed a music festival just a few minutes walk from my home. The mother was very nervous to hand over her baby to me, I could see the flash of panic in her eyes as this was the very 1st time ever for her to do so. I reassured her as best as I could and let her know she could call me every few minutes as I completely understood her anxiety.

The babysitting went smoothly. I held the tiny baby in my arms for the four hour duration. It seemed not so long ago that my girl too curled her warm little body tight up on my shoulder, cooing and smelling so sweet. What a privilege to hold a being, so small, so new and so innocent.

Now... a babysitter in my town costs on average $15 an hour. A four hour evening out would come to $60. That's a lot of money for a young couple just starting out. Usually people rely on family members for that extra support, however in my highly transient town many people do not have family networks in close proximity. Family are most often, thousands of kilometers away.

So tonight when the young parents asked how much I would charge them, I let them know it was a gift on my behalf to celebrate the new addition to their world. I think it can become problematic when you charge people you know for your time. A personal moral issue as friends should be helping each other out without an expectation of money exchanging hands - a community. However many of us know friends that take. take. take. and very rarely give back in return. They burn us out and encourage us to be wary of others that may need our hand. When it's not an outright gift of time event, I think it could be a practical idea to barter a skill friends might have; an experience they might be able to offer or also their time. This way everyone is a winner and there is a sense of equal sharing while getting ahead.

Have you given your gift time or swapped time for skills or experiences with friends lately? I'd love to hear your stories.

Stephanie @ Frugal Down Under.

Puppy Love

Hi Worldwide Frugalites,

One of my girlfriends that I ate out with last night works remote. And I mean really really remote in a small indigenous community on a small island. It takes her two small charter planes and then a slightly bigger plane just to get to my small city which is the states main headquarters. She's here for a weeks work and staying in a small pet free hotel.

Recently in her community, she came across a camp dog suffering from extremely poor health and at threat of being attacked and killed by dingos just like it's brothers and sisters the night before. So with her daughters pleading eyes she saved the puppy from deaths doorstep and got it in top health within a few weeks. However now that she's in town for a weeks work, puppy Rosy was a little hard to cater for. Sure there are kennels but on short notice and without much pet know how, it's a maze to try and know who's who and what's what and really... they cost an arm and a leg at $20 a day.

But our lucky family decided put our hand up to foster the puppy for a few days in our small apartment. And I say lucky because I'm happy to help my friend as a frugal gift giving gesture and because my daughter is thrilled to have a new pet to care even if it's just a few days.

My daughter has been asking for a new pet and I have repeatedly said no. We already own an old street cat from the back streets of Melbourne and this is a logistics nightmare each time we want to travel. We love our cat very much so don't regret having her but I don't want any other full time pets after her. Fostering on the other hand could be a solution to temporarily sheltering native and non native animals - while not having the obligation to long term responsibility, costs and guardianship.

Have you ever taken in a pet for a friend or fostered any animals? Would you foster a native snake, kangaroo, possum or bird? Or maybe a lost cat or dog?

As for us we are so happy with the cute and well behaved Rosy. She's a delight and bundle of fun to have around. We Love Puppy Love.

Stephanie @ Frugal Down Under.

Dinner Out with Sparkles.

Tonight I went out to dinner and sparkled!

I caught up with three friends that I rarely see. The last time we went out to dinner together was 2 years ago so this is not a regular the girls go to dinner event at all. I was ok to pull out some of my money ($35 to be precise), for a lovely meal and catch up with two years worth of chatter. At the end of the meal we asked for the left overs to be boxed up to take home which they kindly did. In the past I have been to restaurants that serve huge portions and yet refuse to box up left overs stating it's a health risk. What do you think?

Tonight I also wore "new" sparkly shoes out to dinner. I splurged and purchased a pair of shabby chic flats with plenty of bling at my local op shop for a tidy sum of $1.00. Yep, that's right one whole dollar! You can't get much for $1 in my town, however my local op shop had a $1 sale on shoes, dresses and trousers so I went heady and purchased a pair of shoes and 2 dresses. There's a few stones missing on my pretty shoes which I will try to replace from my broken jewellery craft stash to give them a second chance to glimmer brightly.

Oooh I so love my new shoes and their feminine prettiness.

So let me know... would you ask to take leftovers in a restaurant or is that too tacky and cheap? If you do and they refuse what do you think of that? Is food wastage in restaurants acceptable? I'm interested to hear your thoughts.

Stephanie @ Frugal Down Under

Restoration of Self

As we mend and restore ourselves from our six months of disillusionment I have found a few quiet moments this week for crafting which I find calming, meditative and fulfilling. I have used what I had on hand always being thoughtful to frugality and being ecological.

The simple act of ripping, cutting and pasting beautiful or inspiring images and words from old magazines into a book has been therapeutic. The hand me down magazines have been taking valuable space in our home. As I purge I have ripped my favourite images for reflection, inspiration or the simple act of admiring beauty.

I have also sewn together more pieces of vintage and reclaimed fabric into owls. My skills have improved as each time I learn from my mistakes and work in better ways. This pretty owl was ordered by a friend for a newborn baby girl. We will be given a little money for our work, with this we will purchase new quality sewing threads, needles and pins.

I have also sat down with my beloved stamps from Freecycle, small scraps of fabric, vintage thrifted books, broken jewellery and old cards. I have upcyled them into four new cards for Thank You, Birthdays and Congratulations which I will give with very well thought out gifts. Gifts that are easy on my pocket and under $5, but show that I care and appreciate these people in my life.

The pasting and sewing is not only an exercise in creating but it's also an exercise in calming my busy mind and heart. A process of restoring and reflecting on what is important to me and my family. A time for me and my soul after a busy day.

Stephanie @ Frugal Down Under.

Sigh of Relief

As my partner works in a new position he has found for the next five months I sigh with relief. A relief for the pay that will come through the door and join mine to keep paying the mortgage, the food, the bills.

We are not poor. We are not wealthy. We are alright - we have saved hard for the past six years, we have spent wisely most days, we have budgeted and not lived on credit. Except for our home... We have a mortgage. A small one. A small flat - but the city we live in is expensive. We aimed to pay it off in five years but that was not achieved. I think another year and it should be paid off. I really should sit down and crunch numbers. Another job to add to my To Do List. A list with no end in sight.

I think once the mortgage is paid off I will feel more liberated. More free to do as I wish. Not buying more, but cutting back work hours and spending more time reading, laughing, cooking, gardening, sewing, thinking, learning, creating and playing. My partners job loss was another lesson learned in our life journey. He was in a secure stable permanent position. Or so I thought. But it wasn't so. He lost it as the new political party took the reins. He became angry and he became sad. He loved his job - he had passion about it. He went to work each day with a skip. I hope that his smile and energy will return, that he will not let the system drag him down.

Sadness and anger sapped our energy. Our home became a mess. We spent too much time doing nothing. Nothing can be good, but when nothing is destructive it's a sickness that grows and becomes too hard to battle. We are fighting it. We worked on the mundane to commence. We cleaned out the fridge together, as a family, the three of us. We purged the old and unhealthy. We filled it's gleaming insides with fresh healthier food choices. We ate a meal made with thought. We tackled our laundry, the mountain was reduced to mere rubble and we have spoken with more consideration to each other and our daughter. The stresses had strained us all, until our voices could no longer speak with calm or gentleness. We are now mending, cleansing and restoring our home and ourselves after six months of disillusionment and uncertainty. I never imagined that job loss could affect my family so deeply this way. But it did and now I have new experiences and wisdom to draw on when the going gets tough.

Stephanie @ Frugal Down Under.