We are not handy people.
For so many years, we were a family of Convenience. We wasted thousands on eating out so we didn't have to cook. We hired people to do our yard work so we could have a nice looking yard in one afternoon instead of a few weekends. We wrote check after check to handymen because we simply didn't know how to fix anything in our home. It's not that we had so much money to waste, but we fooled ourselves into believing that we deserved the Luxury of Ignorance.
"I don't know how to snake a clogged drain!" Can you believe that it took us 4 visits from the plumber and a total of $1200 before we figured out that we could, ourselves, buy a plumber's snake for under $20 and unclog our pipes ourselves??? Oy, the ignorance!
"I don't want to cook tonight!" After a long day of work, who wants to fire up the oven for a home-cooked meal? We have literally spent THOUSANDS of dollars on convenience foods and eating out. That's when I discovered the best little restaurant in town...The Freezer! When I cook now, I try to make at least two of the same dinner - one for now, and one for The Freezer. When I'm too tired to cook, I just call up The Freezer for delivery!
"Cars are way too complicated to fix." On our way home from Florida this past weekend, our turn signals died. It was a little scary to drive on I-95 with no turn signals! All the way home I grumbled to myself about having to take the car in to the mechanic and how that was probably going to cost me $400. I was still in the Luxury of Ignorance mindset, believing that we were just not equipped to make any repairs to a car. My husband then opened the glove compartment and pulled out the owner's manual. After a few flips through, he said that he thought it might be a fuse and he could try to replace it. The next day, he went to the auto parts store (a place neither of us have ever stepped foot in) and got the replacement fuse for FOUR DOLLARS!!! He popped it in and the turn signals worked! WOW!
My family's new mantra is: How can we save by doing this ourselves? What we've discovered is that there is much more Richness of Pride in Knowledge than there is Luxury in Ignorance.
I don't know how long you've been learning to live frugally, but I would like to suggest that you pick up a copy of Amy Daczyczyn's "The Complete Tightwad Gazette". You shouldn't pay more than twenty bucks for it (library has it for free, but buy one -- trust me. you will not be sorry). You will save that ten times over in the first few weeks, I guarantee. :) Let me know what you think about it.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kellie! I'll check it out! Cheers!
ReplyDeleteIt's true that being ignorant is a luxury!
ReplyDeleteI really love the sites How To Get Rid of Things and How Things Work. Googling saves me tons of money!
AMEN! for finally seeing the light!! It's not that most people "can't" do it - it's that they just don't want to take the time to learn/ask how to do it. My husband can do and fix anything....I kid you not - - (even built our beautiful home) and we have saved THOUSANDS of $$ over the years. With the internet available for research - you can pretty much figure out how to do anything. And people, don't be afraid to ASK someone who's handy - our neighbors are always calling my hubby to ask his opinion or to help if he can, and he LOVES it!
ReplyDeleteI love when I see other people saving money... I converted my MIL to coupons, BUT I also like when I am getting a bunch of stuff for free (after my coupons) and the person in front of me at the drugstore doesn't want to even use their card for the store perks... The way I see they are paying for what I'm taking home... So I silently thank them :-)
ReplyDeleteI am printing out your mantra and putting on my fridge! I am slowly pulling my hubby onto the frugal wagon. And I make our own laundry and dishwasher detergents. :) I am definitely trying your fake windex as soon as my current bottle runs out! Love all of the tips I've looked at so far! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletei am loving your blog. over xmas my SIL turned me onto pinterest, and that's how i found you.
ReplyDeletemy husband and i are "weekend warriors", the house fix-it-upper types, but he seems to only enjoy the thrill of the build with NEW materials from the hardware store. i have pulled him to my side with coupons, and my next venture will be to secretly replace all the windex and clorox cleanup and jetdry with homemade solutions once the store bought is used up...we'll see if he notices... :-P
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