My Frugal Life - Bartering

RE: My Frugal Life - Bartering Post By Sherri Caldwell - The Rebel Housewife (Guest Post) (09/18/2006) I love this post -- thanks so much for sharing! RE: My Frugal Life - Bartering Post by spinwool (28) | (08/21/2006) Profile | Contact To Lynda guest post 8/18 I read your story and wanted to comment on what a strong person you are. To be giving to so many, and helping the less fortunate, and then to find out about your husband.I wish you the best of luck. I would like to be helping people the way you mentioned in your post, but I do not even know where or how to start. Your story is inspiring. acadia ( spinwool ) RE: My Frugal Life - Bartering Post By Lynda (Guest Post) (08/18/2006) Upon becoming a new Christian, that is, learning that I could actually KNOW the Creator of Heaven and Earth, I was prompted by our pastor to begin telling others how they too could KNOW Him. I went out the front door of the church that very day and began talking, helping, serving other's needs while my own son stubbornly struggled with addictions living away from home, and while my husband traveled internationally most of the time. A foreign minister joined me to help with the group of 12 to 24 people in crises over four counties. I found carpet in dumpsters behind carpet outlets to install for them, even though I hadn't done it ever before. I saved milk cartons and regularly delivered water to those who had lost their utilities, jobs, motivations, and were near losing their homes and minds. In route home from wherever I zigzagged the neighborhoods on their "curbside pickup days" and learned that MANY folks are so wasteful that they place NEW and almost new items of every possible sort on the curb. I began to pick up and distribute them to those who needed them. I collected good used doors for those whose anger caused them to slam doors, and installed them, although I'd never done such things before. I certainly found perfectly GOOD clothes/shoes in every size, every season, and learned that garage sale signs/boxes meant "left over unsalables" at that curb. This allowed them to accompany me to church in several trips. This encouraged them that some of us are REAL, though not perfect. I found boxes/cans of unopened, unexpired food/drinks from estate sales. What was unwanted and unneeded I stored in my home, sold in garage sales or used. WARNING: Do NOT STORE to a fault, as I quickly became overstuffed, having to call charaties to take the surplus. It causes one to almost become materialistic especially should there be something lovely that homeless folks cannot practically use and do not value. The OTHER WARNING: Should you become attached to too many lovely things, your home will NOT match, become CONFUSED looking and cause extreme frustration. SUGGESTION: Keep very little, sell all surplus possible, and trust that when it is needed, it will be supplied! After getting to know a few or the most pathetic cases ( about seven or so, male and female, individually) of those who had helped me the most I began to allow them to stay at my home off and on, when my husband was traveling, so that I could a mailing address, work training/history, job reference, phone useage, and guidance in dress/skills/GED/Drover's license/transportation to-from medical/dental care. I had spoken to him about whatall I was doing but he said he didn't care what I was doing and not to discuss any of it with him. So, I carried on. After over 350 folks, one-on-one, I was shocked to learn that my husband had been conversing with what I thought was my best friend behind my back for the eleven years I did this. She mysteriously divorced her doctor husband. Then a few years later my husband announced to me that he had filed 6 mo. earlier for a divorce and would be leaving me without warning but giving me our old home and old van, and a little alimony for three years. It was such a double whammy I was affected in every way. Now, and for the last seven years since the last of the alimony and my last job, I must give credit to the One who never left me. He truly provided for EVERY SINGLE NEED, with curb-side service, even to my exact size,color preferences, and heart's desire, even MORE than I ever expected, showering me with His love, grace, and nurturing presence of His holy angels as I continue to walk totally in faith and trust. I've learned not to keep looking once I have enough. He led me to a charity that provided twenty volunteers to paint the outside of my home beautifully and for free. He gave me charity paid faith-based counseling. He allowed my grandson born to an addictive girlfriend of my son to live with me via CPS request. He provided me with NEW homeschool material through the sixth grade for homeschooling him over these last past five years. We now live on my early LOW low social security income, (WARNING: NEVER TAKE MARRIAGE FOR GRANTED. DON'T VOLUNTEER YEARS OF YOUR TIME WITHOUT THOUGHT TO PAYING INTO SOCIAL SECURITY, otherwise you TOO will be LOW, low income unless you worked steadily all of your life and was NOT an unpaid mother and "housewife" by faith. PREPARE FOR THE WORST AND EXPECT THE BEST!! I am now so SPIRITUALLY RICH THAT MONEY COULD NEVER HAVE BOUGHT THIS RELATIONSHIP with Him. This is the "faith walk", "walking the talk" brings. My faith says that if an unbelieving spouse wants to leave the believing spouse, not to stop them, to let them go. He professed to be a Nihilist: That we come from nothing more than chemicals, exist for no reason and return to nothing more than chemicals. He had forbidden me to mention the name of the Creator of Heaven and Earth in our home. I pray for him every day and night. Now that all utilities have risen so very high, I have plans to enlarge my garden, continue to utilize free organic mulch from the city to conserve water, have a huge compost on-going, have friends collecting egg-shells, organic grass, and kitchen scraps for it. I grew a plum tree from seed, have a dozen apples on my mature apple tree(not supposed to grow in the South! It does and without a single PEST, producing less but DELICIOUS apples! Any advice would be greatly appreciated as to how to increase the crop!) I Zeriscaped the whole area years ahead of now, which greatly paid off over the years and especially now: 4 layers of cardboard, cover with shadecloth, 4" of bark mulch. Does NOT smoother tree/plant roots, but does need to be refurbished every few years! It's costly unless you get all supplies from warehouses tossing them. Shadecloth is the only purchase. You water VERY little. Zeriscaping holds in moisture, preventing evaporation of much needed water. Mulch breaks down into useable plant foods. Fertilize on the perimeters/driplines, but only half as much. I have a wild herb garden as well, yielding all my favorite herbs to eat and pass to friends. It's not so "Pretty" but very serviceable when productive. I save all plastic/glass bottles for possible emergencies in large plastic bags, recycle junk mail for starting wood barbeque, save all cut branches for firewood, propping up leaning plants, thicker ones for outlining paths here and there. I carry 24 gallons of bath water to plants after each bath, twice a week, and do most of my own work inside and out, referring to Jerry Baker's Tonics for the Garden, which work. I recycle every single sack of any material, double bag breads from last packaging, use all possible packaging to serve house bunny his grass and few veggies on, wash foil/baggies/jars for drinking. We limit our foods to sales only, our travels to within two miles, except church 4 miles away twice a week. I mend, mend, mend instead of focusing on t.v. at night, glancing occasionally when something wholesome or educational is on. I refurbish everything I find that's slightly broken, rebuilding found dollhouses for selling, mixing found paint for interior uses, passing on all that I can to those I learn are in need. "Freely you have received, so freely give!", says the One who provides for us. What He has done for us He will do for you if you will simply believe that He is who He says He is, has done what He says He has done, and will do what He says He will do. I could not have survived even being frugal without His help, knowledge, wisdom, understanding and insight as to how to make it after abandonment as an elder. It is He who makes it possible to survive. Pass it on. God Bless you. RE: My Frugal Life - Bartering Post By Lavendergal (Guest Post) (08/17/2006) My wise grandmother always said "It's not what you make, but what you save" that is important. I believe that is true and try to practice it whenever possible. I get a lot of wonderful frugal ideas from postings on this site. Thanks to all! RE: My Frugal Life - Bartering Post by CindyBeyer (1) | (08/16/2006) Contact I think Misty is one of the most talented people that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. RE: My Frugal Life - Bartering Post By (Guest Post) (08/16/2006) Good for you! Who needs all that money anyway!! I once had a very wise friend who believed that if you had more money than you needed, it was a sin.