A Penny Saved Is a Penny Earned

I was reading this article the other day about how to pinch the pennies. Here's what they suggest:

1. Rent a DVD instead of going to the movies once a month.


2. Do your own housecleaning and let the housekeep go.


3. Make your own bottle of wine instead of buy them.


4. Order in a pizza instead of eating out twice a month.


5. Start using your local library.


6. Have a home birthday party for the kids.


7. Switch to basic cable.


8. Make your coffee at home and take it in a Thermos.


9. Get your daughter a Girl Guide membership instead of the horse riding lessons.


10. Limit the use of bank machines.

This is the second or third magazine that I've come across with articles like this one and I have to say I think the suggestions are weak because it's all common sense. It's like reading a Sophie Kinsella book but instead of it being written as a comedy it's being written for reality. We have two friends who were laid off recently. I'm pretty sure they could come up with this stuff on their own. Anyone who has gone from two incomes to one has already thought most of this stuff up. Oprah has done a number of shows about money too. There was a women on her show recently who unplugged everything when she was done using it. (Like I'm going crawl on my hands and knees behind my dresser every morning to unplug my alarm clock and set the time again every night) There is a theme out there. We are in a recession but surely there must be more to be done.



Part of today's money problem is the access to credit and the required use of it. You can not park in downtown Calgary without a credit card. You can not buy anything online. You can not book a hotel or flight. Buy a cell phone. Get a land line. Order the newspaper or any service at that. You can't even go to my dentist without your credit card. You can't get a lot of things unless you have a credit card. Our society is set up to use your credit card.



Then there is the access to having one. Everywhere you turn you are offered a credit card and each one has different rewards connected to it. The university is covered in credit card companies the first week of school offering the newest and greatest plans. Every department store. Every football game. Every bank. There was a woman on Oprah the other day with 29 credit cards. Seriously?



Then there is the cutting back; which this article was referring to. We definitely live in a must have/I want/right now society. You can always ask yourselves do I need this or do I just want this. Put it on hold and think about it for a few days but to truly cut back depression style will require a bit more.

It got me thinking how did they do it in the depression. Well for starters if you didn't have the money you didn't get to buy; you could pull out your credit card to cover the excess. But really how did they do it?

They saved, reused and recycled everything. I read an article on the internet about flour sacks. In the 20's your flour came in a cloth sack. Once the sack was empty the cloth was used to make girls dresses. Apparently the flour companies began providing a wide range of prints to make their sacks so that the girls all had different prints on their dresses. I thought this was really cool, however it's not possible to do today (just try to make a dress out of a flour sack now... it is paper). The there is making the dress. If you go to the fabric store (which is pretty close to a monopoly in Canada) you will pay far more for the pattern (because making your own pattern is a lost art which got lost before my generation) and the material then you would to just buy the ready made outfit at the store.

My Dad (who did not grow up in the depression but who did live on a tight budget as a child) said when they were growing up they drank powdered milk, they made their own bread,they grew a garden, they didn't eat vegetables or fruit in the winter, they shopped for groceries on Sat. night when everything was discounted (because the store was closed on Sunday and things would go bad if they waited until Mon) and you would never buy paper towel or a magazine to tell you how to save money.

If I was going to write my own article... off the top of my head without thinking really hard but maybe harder than Rebecca Bloomwood...

1. Grow a garden. Freeze, can, preserve what you grow.
2. Hang a clothes line or get a small hanger thing to dry your clothes with air.
3. Change your own oil.
4. Trade and borrow things with friends. Like toys.
5. Buy second hand.
6. Start making things... like baking muffins, breads etc.

Surely these magazine writers can think a little harder because the truth of the matter is most people are looking for something a little more ground breaking then fire the house keeper.

It's Complicated

We were told it would happen.
We knew it would happen.
Now it has happened.

I'm feeling punched in the stomach.

I think we just were hopeful. On Tesla's last day of preschool we handed out cards to 3 of her favorite friends. They read "Tesla is moving and would like to stay in touch with you. Her new address is..." In my heart of hearts I knew this wouldn't pan out and it didn't. We haven't heard from any of these people since.

At Christmas time we sent out christmas letters with our new contact information.

Tonight we sat in our living room with the windows open listening to the birds sing. It is so peaceful. No dogs barking and cars moving. No neighbors. No airplanes. Peaceful. I like it. I like living here.

I don't like starting over. Which is sadly what I think we are doing.

We went to soccer tonight where there are a couple of familar faces. I went to Mom's and Tot's last week... also familar faces. But the truth is these mom's aren't my girls. They aren't the ones I talk to about nothing and everything. They aren't the ones I call nearest and dearest; who know all the things I would write on my secret blog (which has never been started but contemplated more times than I can count.) They aren't the ones who have helped me scrub my kitchen floor or told me off when I needed it. They aren't the ones who... well the list is too long. They just aren't my girls.

We cancelled our annual Christmas party this year. In the past we have invited our friends over for a potluck and gifting. We have always enjoyed it but this year it was too complicated so we decided we would have a housewarming party once we moved. The problem is no one can come. It's complicated. After getting decline after decline we decided to cancel the whole thing. We were disappointed.

The punch came tonight when our old small group changed venues. It probably felt like a punch because it happened so soon after the housewarming incident. We decided to see this group through until the end of the year. It contains many of our good friends. So every third week Karl stays in Calgary wasting a couple of hours until it starts, while I drive in with the girls. We have two vehicles in Calgary. We have PJ's. We have our component for the potluck supper. We have a great time and then we drive home; arriving close to 10 pm with two cranky girls. Don't get me wrong. We have made choices.

We were excited and delighted when this group suggested that we host the wrap up BBQ. Tonight the leader called to change venues because one of the families in our group won't come to our house. It's too far. It will be too late. PUNCH PUNCH PUNCH. All very good reasons, which I totally understand. Really I do. What could we say? No it has to be here. You have to make the same choices we make. We couldn't say that.

Here's what Karl had to say, "I'm not surprised. I kind of expected it. It would have been nice if someone else made the effort for once. I'm not sure I want to hang around the city for a couple of hours on a Friday night."

The familar faces said it would happen. Most of them have moved here in the last 3-5 years. They said people will come in the beginning. They said people will stop coming.

People have stopped coming. It's definitely slowing down. Is it true then? Are we really going to do this? Am I really going to have to start looking for replacements for my girls? Dare I ask... are they replaceable? NOT ON YOUR LIFE but...

We do have to do something. Tesla is feeling it. We are feeling it. We invite people but they can't come. We've offered to meet people half way, at their house, at a common place... some are still checking their calendars. But the fact of the matter is we can't always be driving to Calgary and our friends can't always be driving to our house. If we have 15 friends and go to each of their houses once that is 15 trips we make to the city. If they all come to our house once that is one trip for each of them to make but we can't always expect people to come here. It's a problem!