contentment • conserving • creativity
Extravagant living is the norm for our society if you believe the advertising. Let’s not believe it. The race to extravagant consumption is not the path to contentment or good money management. These five core principles can make a big difference to your overall financial and personal wellbeing when you need to tightening the belt.
Herbs are a valuable resource for the urban homestead. Most are easy to grow, and need very little attention once they are established. They offer a myriad of benefits, both in flavour and in health-giving properties. So it only makes sense to learn how to conserve them for use all year round.
Conserver principles are well worth learning and practicing. They will serve you well over and over again. As you become a skilled conserver, fear decreases. A sense of personal power increases. When you don’t have enough money, getting a grip on your outgo helps you feel less panicky and more in control. It’s surprisingly effective and satisfying. Today, we’re going to talk about using other resources to solve your needs.
When we are faced with tightening the belt, finding ways to reduce outgo is of huge importance. Instead of reacting to any perceived need by throwing money at it, first take a step back and examine the situation. These six questions can dramatically help to choke off the freeflowing outgo of your hard earned income.
Once you’ve separated wants from needs, you’ll begin to notice choices you didn’t realize you had. With your eyes opened, you’ll examine each decision with intention. When you start deliberately choosing your own choices, your money will stretch farther and you won’t feel the pinch so much, even though the belt is tighter.
Chives are one of the easiest herbs to grow and one of the earliest you can harvest. It’s satisfying to pick a few leaves from your chive plant and snip them up for a garnish. When the chives are in bloom, my favourite thing is to make Chive Flower Apple Cider Vinegar.
We live in a consumer society. We are bombarded with artificial standards created by those trying to sell us their products. Consumerism survives by advertising. Advertising strives to make us, the consumers, equate material goods with quality of life. If all the stuff money will buy equals happiness, then we’re not happy yet because we don’t have all the stuff.
The conserver lifestyle can be fun. It can be exciting. It is definitely creative. I know that’s hard to believe when you’re chronically short on cash or facing a financial crisis. The best time to learn and practice the principles of Tightening the Belt is before you hit a hard place. But even if you’re in the midst of one, conserver practices will help you navigate the tough times.
This is a series of posts that look back to the early days of my Tightening the Belt seminars, and explore how those principles have stood the test of time over the four decades since I first started teaching those workshops.
As a urban homesteader, I rely on my grow lights to get a head start on the growing season. Space is at a premium and every plant is precious. My indoor lights and trays are hard at work all spring. And so, it seems, are the little flying insects. Every year.
The thrift shop concept resonates with my personal philosophy. I hate to waste anything. I consider recycling an essential service. I love to see people pay less than retail for products they need. Then there’s the good that’s done with the money collected.
One of my lifelong passions has been miniatures, and more recently, book nooks – glimpses of a tiny scene tucked into a bookcase. I built my second kit in February 2023. The Eternal Bookstore was my choice because the design is so appealing.
