Simple Solutions to living cheaply. No.2

Hello Dear Reader,

I told you I can waste time! I have a whole heap of jobs to do, from laundry to cleaning the car and I made a quilt instead. I started this on Wednesday when Dearly Beloved went back to work. The bright bubbly blue fabric is a pair of gent's pyjamas from the charity shop. The batting is the only major purchase and I buy it from the local craft shop in Liskeard. They always have it in stock along with basting spray and anything else I need for quilting.

A Dear Reader in America sent me a huge box of quilting fabric and I've blended some of it into the last four quilts I made. I made a quilt for a friend who picked me up in his taxi in London and took me to the blog awards, some of the American fabric went in that. I made a quilt for my dad's birthday and some went in that. I made a quilt for a charity raffle and some went in that. I've made this quilt for a friend's baby who is due next year and some went in that too. That box of fabric travelled half way across the world and it's gone to the hearts and homes of four other British families and I know the recipients so far are really enjoying them.

 I got it finished today. It isn't perfect and I had another go at free motion quilting the edge, just to help hold it together.

I'm not going to suggest that quilting is a simple solution to living cheaply but it does help me to get onto what I'm going to share with you today.

2. Your best is good enough

My quilts are bright, scrappy, a bit hit and miss but they are full of love and gave me joy with every stitch. I know there are quilts out and about in the UK keeping a baby warm, a little girl warm in Manchester, two soon to be babies will be kept warm, friends and family are being kept warm. They keep us warm too. However, they wouldn't get a rosette at a show and it doesn't matter to me that they wouldn't either. 

I do it my way.

Nothing in my house matches. Saucepans, cheese graters, pots and pans, plates and cutlery all come from charity shops. My clothing is a collection of good quality items, with bits I've made myself, given to me by friends or bought in charity shops. My hair colourant comes from Boots and I do all my own beauty treatments. The high way, moors and lake side are my multi-gym A walk and a coffee from a flask is my day out and relaxation.

(The backing of the quilt is an old baby's duvet cover from the charity shop and the edging is a gent's shirt cut into 2.5" strips.)

My quilts are not perfect, my life isn't perfect and I'm not perfect but it's good enough. My 60's furniture, gleaned via ebay and Freecycle is good enough for me. The homemade quilts on our beds and over our arm chairs are good enough for us. 

The chopped pallets in the fire, that keep us warm are good enough for us.

I have wasted time, energy and sometimes my soul trying to please other people. I've no need to be, or to have anything that suits anyone else. I've been called boring, old fashioned, repressed, dowdy, stern, harsh, miserable (to my face too!) and told to get a life. I do what I chose, I'm not bored, I make my own decisions, I was not put on this earth for you to look at and if you don't like what you see then walk away. 

My way of life costs me very little. I am warm, comfortable, eat well, I'm well entertained and I have freedom and choices. I'm happy and my life is very simple.

If you want to save money, stop worrying about the way things look, whether your food had bed time stories read to it, what gadgets you buy your kids (library books are free) or where you or if you go on holiday. Don't believe the hype, the brain washing or the green washing and stop worrying about whether something is from Lidl or Waitrose............it will all come out poop in the end! (apologies for the bluntness but it's true)

Do it your way and don't live up to anyone else's standards.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxx