Monday Message

(Gordon B. Hinckley, October 2001)

“As we have been continuously counseled for more than 60 years, let us have some food set aside that would sustain us for a time in case of need. But let us not panic nor go to extremes. Let us be prudent in every respect.”

Let us be prudent in every respect - that is such a wise statement and oh how needed. There is so much we could do to be more prudent. Living beneath our income is certainly something to consider. Be frugal with our budget and save some for a rainy day. Where is it written that we must spend all we make?

We should never be spending more than we make, this never ever ends well.

Sticking to your budget has to be a priority. Wants versus needs and no saying I need this or that when they are wants not needs, identify them honestly.

Think outside of the box. If i don't have something can I make it? Can I find it used? Is there something else I can do?

Make mindful decisions, don't be fast on spending money.

I kept looking at a chair at the thrift store. It would be perfect for sitting in while working at the sock machine. It swiveled and had a low back but I would notice it was there, maybe there was something else I could use? Nothing seemed right, they were either too big or too high. So finely today I asked how much the chair was and they said five dollars. I could do that. It was worth it to try other things. First, it was worth it to not just buy new. It was worth it to get it used and it did not break the budget. This is just a small example.

I have been wanting to build a skill by teaching myself to do bobbin lace. Over the years I have collected used books and people have given me the bobbins but the pillows are horridly costly. I tried making one out of a small ice chest lid. It was cute but it was too small when I worked on it. So I gave this some thought. I came up with another idea. I liked how light the ice chest lid was but what could I do? Well, I had another ice chest, one that leaks and I could use its lid. The lid was wooden with the inside had the top to the ice chest. So I made a cover for it with a casing that I put elastic through and pulled tight and tied it. This can be replaced easily if needed. I put cloth on it around the pricking and then worked the first stitch and it was absolutely perfect. It was big enough and made it a joy to work on!

So think outside of the box.

I also organized my quilting and dressmaking rulers this week...

I got a t-shirt at a thrift store a while back and upon wearing it I have never ever worn one as comfortable, so I plan to make a pattern off it to make more. So think outside the box and be amazed what you can do.

I found these packages of fabric a frugal find for sure they were free to me so i will put them to good use

The bags with quilt blocks have the pieces already cut, worth it for sure.

The other thing is we keep getting storms here is a pic of the amount of snow we got last week this shows ten inches but two more fell after that 

This pic was taken with more storms coming every two days. It reminds me of the book The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder, in it they said they were getting storms one day to two days apart.

We have so many things available to us now to help us learn, mind you the cost of a class is not in my budget even if there were classes in my area. Do searches to see what free things are out there to learn from.

Here is a site where she shows how to make a wrap skirt without a pattern, she uses white thread so you can see it better - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwrJDyuHcHs

Try to live more frugally. Try to build your skills. Keep working on your storage and keep sharing what you are doing. We all learn from each other.