No Discount

I love a discount, when it means money off, don't you?  What I don't care for is the sort of discount that  occurs when someone takes a snooty attitude towards an opinion or action that others might be taking part in.  Not politics, but money saving is still the topic.

Not long ago, as I tooled around on Pinterest looking for new to me ideas or reminders of old ones for saving funds, I came across one of those bullet point type blog posts "Ten Things I Won't Do to Save Money."   Do you know how many of those things I do?  At least 8.  And it sort of riled me a little that this blogger would discount the efforts others make!

One of her points was that she would not wash zippered baggies.  That's fine.  It's not something I'd do either if I was short on time.  It is a savings but it's not necessarily the most time effective method of savings and I acknowledge that.  Her reason?  She wasn't sure they were really clean...uhm ever hear of HOT water and soap?  And she didn't think a baggie could be gotten completely dry.  Well you can completely dry a baggie but that's where the time and effort come in. 

I wash my baggies in very hot water and with plenty of soap in clean dishwater first before I do any other washing up.  I turn them wrong side out and wash the outer part of the bag well (now inside), rinse in hot water and stand it on the drying mat.  When the outside is completely dry and free of water, I turn it right side in once more and stand it on the drying mat and let that dry thoroughly as well.  THEN when it's dry in and out, I flatten it and put it in the drawer to reuse.  It generally takes a couple of days to get a baggie air dry.  I've never stored a wet baggie to date.   



In the truly difficult days, I sometimes had to use a zippered bag for meat storage and I washed those, too, and reused them but I reserved them for meat and meat only even though I knew without a doubt they were clean.   Mostly I used bread sacks or cereal bags for meat storage which I still do today.


I noted one blogger who had, after a long stretch of struggle with a budget that simply could not stretch further, decided it was in her family's best interest to not purchase organic meats until they could re-establish their former living standard. Sometimes the hardships make things really tough.  Sometimes a person does things to stretch dollars that even they don't care to do but it sees them through a season of necessity. I read her post with interest but within an hour of posting the item had disappeared from blogdom and never again was seen.  I'll warrant it drew a lot of criticism and the help it might have been to someone else who was struggling hard was completely obliterated by that criticism that caused it to be removed.


A few years ago Brandy of Prudent Homemaker came very near stopping her blog entirely...all because she posted a shopping list that mentioned a sale on margarine.  Oh the horrors!   We used margarine for years ourselves, until we were in a position where we could afford to buy butter for our family, so I wasn't horrified.  But the criticism and backlash that went on from others got downright nasty.  How do I know she came near quitting blogging?  Because it happened I sent her a message of encouragement privately and she wrote right back telling me she was sure she ought to quit.  I told her that she had a powerful ministry that had done a world of good for many and stopping would be a major loss.  I reminded her how many more women who were struggling and hadn't discovered her blog yet would miss out on the good she might do.  In the end, she kept on blogging.  I am not by any means saying I am solely responsible for her continuation.  I'm sure I was just ONE of many who did encourage her in what became a rather vicious moment of attack upon her budget needs. 

At one point, my eldest daughter and her family used family cloths.  Not something I wanted to do but with a family of five and growing I could see her viewpoint.  Money was doggone tight and buying paper products was not high on her list of necessities to cover.  When we went to visit we often took paper products with us and left it with her, but in between they continued to use family cloths.  Did I discount her efforts?  No, I didn't, but another family member did.  I applauded my daughter's decision!  It made me proud to see that she'd do whatever was necessary to take care of her family needs. 

Don't discount what others do to save money!  Take the things you can use.  What isn't for you might very well be the very things that turns the tides for someone else.  All those methods of saving money are out there because someone needed to employ them at some point.  Don't be snooty about it.  Thank the Good Lord it's not something you have to do just now...but tuck the information back for future reference if you should ever need it.