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Where Do You Splurge?
Nov. 10th, 2024 10:09 amThe conversations on this week's Frugal Friday started some interesting reflections for me. Am I really as frugal as I think I am? Are there places where I will spend and will continue to spend until the product or service becomes unavailable to me? Where are the boundaries of what is "worth it" and what is just habit left-over from a lifetime of not thinking about those expenses? Do other values take precedence over thrift? Are there places where being extra-thrifty can make up for a few indulgences?
The two conversations where Deringolade's comment about using margarine for baking "Blackest of All Black Heresies" https://ecosophia.dreamwidth.org/303365.html?thread=52158469#cmt52158469 and the other was the conversation about dropping the smart phone or out of the cell phone system altogether. "Alternatives to Cell Phone Culture" from Dylan https://ecosophia.dreamwidth.org/303365.html?thread=52168197#cmt52168197
Both conversations caught my attention because neither are things I'm willing to consider in my own life. I chuckled at Deringolade's title because for me, as a life long granola-head, switching to margarine is indeed "heresy." In this case I value my health over my money. I'd rather skip the cookies altogether than use margarine in baking. There may still be debate about which is healthier but I made up my mind long ago. Butter is a natural product and margarine is high tech manufacturing process that damages the fat and leaves lots of chemical residues I don't want in my food.
I have adopted other thrifty strategies to reduce my need for butter. First, I don't bake very often, mainly because eating too much sugar is very bad for me and if I bake cookies I will eat them. I try to keep the baked goods for special occasions: Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthdays. Second, I'm extra-frugal about saving any animal fats from the meat we eat. I pour it off into jars and store it in the freezer until I need it. Almost all my cooking is done with animal fats that would otherwise be wasted. I do still use a bit of butter for sauces and veggies and even more rarely I use a bit of coconut oil. Deringolade's post has made me want to try "Maple Bacon Oatmeal" cookies with bacon fat but otherwise I will still be using butter when I'm baking.
The second conversation, about ditching your cell phone, also caught my attention, because it's another one I'm not willing to consider right now but have thought about many times in the last several years. Until recently I always got hand-me-down cell phones from relatives who were up grading. The last two were refurbished phones I bought from a company that specializes in repair and resale of personal electronics. Both were very affordable older models. I trashed the first one pretty quickly. I can't remember how but it was definitely phone abuse not faulty equipment. The second has lasted for a long time and I will probably buy another one from the same company when it dies if I can.
I don't use a phone as a hand held computer. I refuse to download apps most of the time it's just an expensive pocket watch. So I have to ask myself why I keep it. I could probably get along without it. I like the map function. I've never been very good about finding my way around. I know there are work arounds. I used to look up the route on the computer and make notes of the important cross roads etc. I could go back to doing that but I've also found that having maps available to me while I'm out has saved me lots of distress. Approaching strangers and asking for directions seems to have gone from a fairly normal thing to do to an unwarranted imposition. As others have mentioned being able stay in contact with home when I'm out is certainly a plus. About the only other things I do are take pictures and use the timer/alarm/stopwatch functions.
So the question remains. No answer yet but we'll see.
The two conversations where Deringolade's comment about using margarine for baking "Blackest of All Black Heresies" https://ecosophia.dreamwidth.org/303365.html?thread=52158469#cmt52158469 and the other was the conversation about dropping the smart phone or out of the cell phone system altogether. "Alternatives to Cell Phone Culture" from Dylan https://ecosophia.dreamwidth.org/303365.html?thread=52168197#cmt52168197
Both conversations caught my attention because neither are things I'm willing to consider in my own life. I chuckled at Deringolade's title because for me, as a life long granola-head, switching to margarine is indeed "heresy." In this case I value my health over my money. I'd rather skip the cookies altogether than use margarine in baking. There may still be debate about which is healthier but I made up my mind long ago. Butter is a natural product and margarine is high tech manufacturing process that damages the fat and leaves lots of chemical residues I don't want in my food.
I have adopted other thrifty strategies to reduce my need for butter. First, I don't bake very often, mainly because eating too much sugar is very bad for me and if I bake cookies I will eat them. I try to keep the baked goods for special occasions: Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthdays. Second, I'm extra-frugal about saving any animal fats from the meat we eat. I pour it off into jars and store it in the freezer until I need it. Almost all my cooking is done with animal fats that would otherwise be wasted. I do still use a bit of butter for sauces and veggies and even more rarely I use a bit of coconut oil. Deringolade's post has made me want to try "Maple Bacon Oatmeal" cookies with bacon fat but otherwise I will still be using butter when I'm baking.
The second conversation, about ditching your cell phone, also caught my attention, because it's another one I'm not willing to consider right now but have thought about many times in the last several years. Until recently I always got hand-me-down cell phones from relatives who were up grading. The last two were refurbished phones I bought from a company that specializes in repair and resale of personal electronics. Both were very affordable older models. I trashed the first one pretty quickly. I can't remember how but it was definitely phone abuse not faulty equipment. The second has lasted for a long time and I will probably buy another one from the same company when it dies if I can.
I don't use a phone as a hand held computer. I refuse to download apps most of the time it's just an expensive pocket watch. So I have to ask myself why I keep it. I could probably get along without it. I like the map function. I've never been very good about finding my way around. I know there are work arounds. I used to look up the route on the computer and make notes of the important cross roads etc. I could go back to doing that but I've also found that having maps available to me while I'm out has saved me lots of distress. Approaching strangers and asking for directions seems to have gone from a fairly normal thing to do to an unwarranted imposition. As others have mentioned being able stay in contact with home when I'm out is certainly a plus. About the only other things I do are take pictures and use the timer/alarm/stopwatch functions.
So the question remains. No answer yet but we'll see.
