No repeat November - My shop your wardrobe challenge

I'm going to join Midlife Makeover's No Repeat November Challenge and each Monday post what I wore the previous week. It is time to really enjoy and work my wardrobe!

The rules are that you cannot repeat an entire outfit, but of course you can wear individual items of clothing more than once. I'm not including coats, shoes or purses as those are few in my closet and used to be functional or blend mostly.

Want to have fun and join in?

Another week, another 52 projects and accomplishments update

More projects completed:

23. Sprayed yard for mosquito control before they hatched. Hope to stay ahead of the problem this wet summer.

24. Altered two pairs of shorts so that they fit better and I am happier wearing them.

25. Hubby washed the front entry and siding. He also touched up some paint chips around the door using paint on hand.

Other accomplishments & all seem to be food related LOL.

- Made a coleslaw dish to take to the neighborhood potluck and summer party with what was on hand (green & red cabbage, green onions, red pepper, carrots and a vinegar dressing). It was a hit.

- Used up extra ripe bananas, applesauce and walnuts to make muffins

- Had 5 people over for lunch before a play matinee. We had fallen out of the habit of having people over to eat and are trying to get back to doing that more.

- Made a menu plan and followed it. No dinners out again this week.

- I am trying to break my going out for coffee & a treat every afternoon habit and managed not to do it at all this week.
 

Do you take care of your belongings and do the chores you can?

It's been a while since I thought about where my "do your own chores", use it up, fix it, make do, etc. mindset came from. Not that I don't know! My Mom and Dad really believed this as well as having to do so for many years earlier in their marriage do to financial concerns. Later on it was more due to being perfectionists! Fortunately my Mom has accepted that she has to hire people to do things for her at this stage of life but that is another story.

There was a point where we hired a housecleaner. We had a preschooler and a teenager who were involved in assorted activities that we supported, worked very long hours and just wanted some time to do other things that were more fun. We quickly found that the cost was not worth the time savings for us and went back to doing it ourselves. Of course both sons were also trained in all housekeeping skills and helped out and as adults they continue the tradition of doing most things themselves.

So what have we done lately that is just routine for us. I mentioned renting the right saw so that Hubby could take down the damaged fence sections in the woods. I fixed a small hole in a favorite shirt so it will last another year hopefully and hand washed an alpaca sweater rather than having it dry cleaned. I used a box we had plus drawing paper for packing to ship a book sold on Amazon. Due to decluttering I was able to repurpose a small plastic storage container to hold small kitchen items making a drawer less cluttered.

What to we outsource? Mostly things that are beyond our skill levels or current physical capabilities. There is a crew taking down our at risk trees. There will be a crew building a new retaining wall. However we first try to think through if there is a way we could do the work such as when we rented a saw rather than hiring someone to do the work.

I am much less of a perfectionist than my parents yet continue to live this tradition. I wonder how many of you were raised the same way or, if not, have come to do for yourself for other reasons?

Random fortuitous events

Yesterday, when I was "brutally" cutting back some plants that were damaged a while ago by a falling tree and further damaged by our two snow/ice storms this winter, I was wondering what to do about the bare spot that was left, I noticed that one of them had created a new bush that could be transplanted. The branch laying on the ground but still rooted had started a new, healthier plant so Hubby transplanted it and we are hopeful it will take. The same thing happened earlier in the week when I noticed a low stalk on the oak leaf hydrangea. When I went to cut it off I found it was broken cut still alive so I stuck it in the ground nearby to create a new plant.

I have sworn off buying note paper, journals, etc. with the only purchases to be printer paper and cards as needed. So when I signed up for a July writing workshop that asked us to bring our journal I was wondering what to substitute. I have some tablets of paper but they are harder to carry and keep intact. Then I helped sort out book donations to the Friends of the Library and there was a blank journal with the spine broken but the pages still intact. We wouldn't put it out to sale but I can certainly use it! It even has a nice cover.

These little events brought me smiles. Now I am hoping to come up with something colorful to replace the broken wind chime that was hanging outside from a tree. We can't figure out how to remove the chain that was already hanging from a high branch when we bought the house 16 years ago so we keep hanging something decorative from it LOL. Hmmm, I wonder if the tree removal crew could figure out how to unhook it when they are here next week. I'll have to remember to ask as that is my first choice and I know they would if they can.

Any fortuitous events or surprises in your life recently?

Little changes that are good for the environment and/or pocketbook

I get satisfaction out of saving money where it doesn't impact living a joyful life. Please not that going out of coffee is a requirement for living a joyful life for me LOL.

Lately I've been trying to not have to buy more plastic bags even though my shopping habits result in fewer grocery bags being brought home and used for trash in the kitchen. It is amazing how many types of already used bags I have been able to find to use for kitchen trash. Bread wrappers, dog food and dog treat bags, larger newspaper bags, cereal box liner, lined coffee bean bag, etc. I'm going to see how long I can go without buying plastic trash bags.

I also don't like to buy zip lock bags except for sandwich bags for Hubby's lunch items. I wash most larger ones and reuse them as long as possible but was throwing away the ones used for freezing raw meat. Solved that by using bread bags after wrapping the meat to prevent freezer burn.

I also started saving vegetable scraps and peelings to make broth as we rarely have chicken bones to use. I made some this morning to use to make lentil and spinach soup. What a great use of "trash". We don't compost but if you do the used peelings could still be dumped in a compost pile. Mine go in the trash unfortunately.

I'm looking for some other small ways to change our habits and save a bit. I want to spend on travel, theater, good food, time with friends, donations to causes I care about and not on things like plastic bags!

Ideas?

No Black Friday here - Just the satisfaction of watching our pennies

I am quite willing to spend money on those things that bring happiness - special meals out, travel to visit family, vacations, pet care, good food, etc. I also like the challenge of saving money as possible without spending oodles of time doing it. Add in some creativity of making do or using research and problem solving skills and I am really enjoying myself LOL.

So some recent successes in shopping savings are to be noted.

- I recently ordered a pair of loafers exactly like the ones I have that are wearing out. I bought them online with free shipping for the same price I had paid a couple of years ago. No driving, no disappointment that stores were out of them plus I get shoes I know will make my feet happy.

- I tried buying a discounted CVS gift card from Gift Card Granny and it worked fine. An 11.2% discount just for waiting a week to have the card after buying it on line. Definitely will do more of this although I am going to wait until after Christmas as I think the discounts will go up from what they are right now as people buy them for holiday shopping.

- The hair salon I use sends out emails when they up their gift cards to a 20% off discount (vs. 10% every day) and then I buy an amount that I am sure I will use up in the 180 day window.

Thank goodness for the internet when it comes to researching and problem solving to save money.

- Recently I needed to either replace the sponge mop on our mop or buy a whole new one. I finally found that a nearby hardware store carried the replacement item I needed at a lower price than I could get it online. We struggled to remove the old one and get the new one on but we did it and given my rate of mopping are set for quite a while.

And in the creative make do category are these not so exciting to anyone else items.

- I lead a Friends of the Library group that has 3 used book/media sales a year as fundraisers. I am always looking at how to sell anything that is donated and for the upcoming sale am going to try selling the good fabric shopping bags that came in with book donations. We needed hang tags to price them and the smallest package would be $5. We also had a huge donation of origami paper that I packaged in plastic bags but a few pieces weren't of sale quality. I cut them, made a single hole and attached a piece of string from the stash of stuff in our basement. Free and they are just as good as bought ones.

- In addition I am going to try making an artist journal. I was going to use painting quality paper that I have but when I looked at my supplies found a stack of old album paper that already had two holes in the side. A piece of old ribbon tied it and now I will have my journal to play with.

What are your recent successes?

Planning my Fall Project 333 wardrobe

When it was too hot, muggy and drizzly to go outside yesterday I decided to think about my fall wardrobe for Project 333. I already knew that there are a number of items that don't fit or are shabby so I made a potential shopping list.

Replacement Items:
- casual black slacks
- dressy black slacks
- blue cardigan to replace a brown one
- red cardigan to replace 2 old ones
- casual black flats
- belt

Additions:
- slim cut jeans
- skirt
- LBD or equivalent 2 pc outfit - doesn't have to be black just a dark color (Plum?) and useful across seasons for dressy occasions or sad ones


I'm going to look tonight at the 2 pairs of black slacks I'd like to replace and see if I could alter them instead as they are too big but not huge.

We have a tax free weekend here in Georgia this weekend that includes any item of clothing that is less than $100. I'm trying to decide if I want to brave the crowds knowing that the fall items aren't in the stores yet.  I think I'll hit a couple of discount retailers for shoes and tops and maybe go to Talbots to see if they have the slacks/skirts. I could spend the whole weekend driving around to different stores (aargh!) as everything is quite spread out here.

I did stop at Target on the way home from the gym and pick up another pair of wicking fabric shorts so now I have 3 sets of workout/dog walking clothes for hot weather. It is rather crazy making to need to be thinking about finding cool weather clothes during the hottest month of the summer!

Further news on The Wartime Wardrobe Challenge

As I have mentioned, I am seeing how I do trying to participate in The Wartime Wardrobe Challenge. Check out the explanation and see the points chart at Jean of all Trades and you will see that you can only purchase clothes this year up to the value of your 66 "clothing coupons" using the updated Womenswear Rationing Chart. I only had 7 left for the remainder of the year but luckily secondhand clothes are points free. So the two sleeveless tops I thrifted recently still leave me with 7 points.

This is a great challenge to do in conjunction with Project 333 as the whole point of that project is that we don't need so many clothes in a season's wardrobe and could do without a lot of our clothes shopping! 

I keep shortening my clothing shopping list and in fact have cut it down to one item: a sleeveless sleep top which I bought today. I'm going to turn an existing pair of PJ pants into shorts and that will make a summer sleep outfit. PJs are 8 points but a shirt is 5 so I'm going to have 2 points left. For 2 points I could get a pair of tights/stockings/nylons or 2 pairs of socks or 4 handkerchiefs or a scarf/hat/gloves/mittens. Right now I don't want or need any of those things. 

It is interesting to contemplate what I would do if this was real. I'd probably get one of those things with my last 2 points and trade it for something I need and would use if I could find someone who had excess or something that didn't fit. I'd probably be shopping secondhand diligently. Or I'd just get on with my life and focus on other things! Good advice at this time - instead of shopping, do something productive, interesting, kind, or fun.

Update on The Wartime Wardrobe Challenge

I came across links to several bloggers who are participating in The Wartime Wardrobe Challenge. Check out the explanation and see the points chart at Jean of all Trades

According to this challenge you can only purchase clothes this year up to the value of your 66 "clothing coupons" using the updated Womenswear Rationing Chart

I had already used 54 of my 66 coupons before starting this challenge and now I have use 5 more for a total of 59. Yikes, I only have 7 left for the end of the year.

I did find a lovely dressy casual sleeveless top at a consignment shop and as secondhand clothes are points free that doesn't count. However I had to buy a loose fitting button shirt to wear to my upcoming cataract surgery as that is required and I don't own one. I tried on one of hubby's shirts but is was a lot looser than I think they are looking for even though he is quite slim! I tried hard to find a shirt that was inexpensive, loose enough especially in the sleeves (have to push up to put on the blood pressure cuff) and a color I would like to wear. I managed to fit the first two criteria and not the last. Unfortunately this is not an occasion you can ask to borrow something for except from hubby and I chose not to do that. I suppose that during the war I indeed would have borrowed a shirt and crossed my fingers hoping that it wasn't damaged or worn my hubby's.

I've shortened my clothing shopping list but I need to find more secondhand wonders to finish my shopping for Spring/Summer: 

- Black sandals
- 4 pairs of shorts or casual skirts & 2 everyday sleeveless tops 
- Dressy casual skirt or a dressy casual sundress for summer wedding

- Dressy casual dress in dark color other than black (so can wear to funerals if needed)
- Summer PJs/nightgown

With my remaining points I could buy new a pair of shoes OR a pair of shorts OR a nightgown. It must have been very challenging to live with this rationing but at least everyone was in the same boat.
I have checked out three consignment/thrift stores and have decided the 2 nearest me have possibilities if I check them frequently. I'm really hoping to find a nice skirt to go with the top I just bought and wear that to the mid-July dressy casual wedding at Lake Tahoe.

I asked my Mom about clothes rationing in the US during the war and she said she doesn't remember it being much of a problem for her even though she was in her late teens/ early 20s at the time. She remembers having 2 dresses for work and a pair of pants and a blouse but probably had more. She remembers quite vividly though getting a new pair of red high heeled sandals to wear dancing! The dry cleaners was on the same block (they lived in an apartment over their store) and she just had her clothing dry cleaned frequently. Given that she lived in Illinois with hot, humid summers and no air conditioning I be it was frequent.

Eat from the pantry & freezer menus - the week in retrospect

I found during my mid-month check in that we had spent quite a lot on food so far this month so on last Wednesday's trip to the main grocery store I only bought produce, flour, oatmeal, and a few other things. Of course we also shop at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods to get specific things but we have quite a lot at home and need to eat it down.

So what did we eat for dinners this past week?

Wednesday - salmon, wild rice/rice mix with dried cranberries, spinach
Thursday - turkey burgers, salad, black beans
Friday - black beans, wild rice/rice mix with dried cranberries, broccoli, squash, oranges
Saturday - date night so ate out
Sunday - pork chops, broccoli & corn, mango
Monday - beef & barley vegetable stew, salad, baking soda biscuits
Tuesday - cod, stewed tomatoes, carrots & peas, pineapple & banana salad

What is amazing is how much is still left in the house to use as main dishes.There are at least 9 meals of meat (ground turkey, pork chops, fish, chicken) available int he freezer, plenty of eggs for an omelet, lentils and chicken broth for soup, beans and tomatoes for chili, leftover beef & barley stew, etc. I will be really holding back on my grocery shopping other than fresh fruits/veggies, dairy and things we actually run out of and need until we see the end of this supply.

I recently read this article, 147 Meals Later, about a couple who decided to only eat what they had on hand (except for buying milk) for a month to help pay of a credit card bill and found themselves not needing to shop for 9 weeks!

Why do so many of us stockpile food? Part of it is to avoid having to shop more frequently, part of it is packaging that favors large quantity purchases, part of it is shopping "deals". I'm not sure what the rest of it is in my case. Thoughts?

What's up for April and March retrospective

I'm looking at the calendar and see I've got quite a bit planned for April.

Travel 
- trip to visit my Mom, brother and SIL in NH in early April
- book club weekend away at a member's mountain get away
Art
- one or two classes a week at nearby county arts center and "homework" in between
- I am hoping to be a "judge's assistant" the day before a big arts festival
- hoping to walk to nearby festival
Volunteering
- planning meetings and activities for May Friends of the Library book sale
- regular weekly shift sorting donated books
Exercise & Health
- final two Pilates sessions
- home exercise space ready to use
- start a home exercise program to replace private Pilates sessions with trainer
- find out if my braces are going to come off before son's wedding
- pre-op testing for cataract surgery
Celebrations
- our 32nd wedding anniversary
- a bridal shower for a friend's daughter
Personal Challenges
- stick to Spring Project 333 wardrobe with no purchases for that season
- shop thrift/consignment stores for needed summer clothes
- limit time on computer to maximum of 1 hour a day
- try for an "Austerity April" in terms of food and entertainment spending except when visiting Mom.

In addition, it will be time to get some Spring yard work done, the dog needs grooming before she is boarded in early April, and all the routine stuff will need to happen.  

Now let's take a look at how March went! 

I kept up with my Pilates weekly sessions and walked the dog a bit more including taking her to the park a couple of times. Not so great at keeping up with my PT exercises on a daily basis but my shoulder is getting better.

I bought quite a few clothes including getting my Mother of the Groom outfit and am happy with them all. Created list for my Spring Project 333 wardrobe and decided to get rid of one item on my Winter list as I really don't like it. I also bought a Kindle and have found ways to get free ebooks. I'll take it on my trip in early April and be happy to have reading in a very lightweight format.

I did more fun things and started an art class. Spent more time with friends and talked to loved ones who live a long way away more often. This was a really good thing!

My goal of saving EXTRA for retirement is progressing. I saved or made decisions that will save money later this year to a tune of $848.41 in March for a total of $1686.12 in extra savings so far this year.

We didn't Fix Up much - just a doorknob and the painting of a purchased table so it fits with our decor.

Not the most productive month ever but it will do.

Clothes rationing in Britain during WWII

Clothes rationing began on June 1, 1941, two years after food rationing started. Clothes rationing ended on March 15, 1949. Initially each person had 60 coupons for clothing per year, but it was later reduced to 48. Children received an additional 10 coupons to take into account growth during the year.

People were highly encouraged to make do, mend and remake clothing as well as to use curtains, old sheets/pillowcases, etc. to make clothing. I saw one guide to encourage using men's wool suits to make new clothes since so many men were in uniform and the suits were mothballed. There was also a lot of knitting reusing yarn from unraveled sweaters and socks. You can watch a Ministry of Supply move about Make Do and Mend on You Tube. You can also buy the original or a reproduction pamphlet via Amazon but get a taste of what was recommended here

There are archived free materials too such as MakeMendForVictory

My personal favorite in the make do and mend category so far are the materials by "Mrs. Sew and Sew" as shown on this Pinterest board

Their is a also a blog written by a woman who tried to follow food, gas, clothing, etc. guidelines for the US during WWII for a year. Lots of resources on the web and other blogger's challenges if you are interested in more.

I can relate to rationing as a driver for limited consumption and extra creativity than I can to stories of suffering during the Great Depression. I think it is because everyone was in the same predicament with rationing (not true for food of course if you were a farmer) and that led to resources and community efforts.

Wartime Wardrobe Challenge - Interesting to add to Project 333?

I came across links to several bloggers who are participating in The Wartime Wardrobe Challenge. Check out the explanation and see the points chart at Jean of all Trades

According to this challenge you can only purchase clothes this year up to the value of your 66 "clothing coupons" using the updated Womenswear Rationing Chart

There is also a men's chart here

Updates include exemptions for used clothing and premiums for certain kinds of materials. I found that I have already used 54 of my 66 coupons which means I could only purchase a very few new clothing items the remainder of this year. I could purchase an unlimited number of used clothing items. Hmmm - this might be an interesting add on to Project 333 and to my efforts to Save EXTRA Money for Retirement.

On my shopping list for Spring/Summer are: 

Black everyday flats
Black sandals
4 pairs of shorts & 2 everyday sleeveless tops 
Dressy casual skirt & 2 really nice hot weather tops 

Dressy casual dress in dark color other than black (so can wear to funerals if needed)

Sundress

Summer PJs/nightgown

The shoes & sandals would use up 10 of my remaining points but the PJs/nightgown would require 9 points so I would have to choose. I would need to find the rest in consignment or thrift shops. I don't shop those places so it would really push me out of my comfort zone, but it would be an interesting way to explore new places in town. I'll have to think about it.

How would living under wartime rationing for clothing affect your wardrobe decisions? 

Make it Monday - That's make it do, make it last or simply make it! 11/19 Edition

In the run up to Thanksgiving only a couple of things to report in this area.

Make It Do: I realized that I could use up sunscreen that will expire soon by using it in place of facial moisturizer. I'm sure this wouldn't be true of all sunscreens but this one is safe on the face and basically a higher SPF version of the daily moisturizer that I use. Save!

Make It Last: I finished reading the manuals for the remaining kitchen appliances to see if there was any care or maintenance that I wasn't doing and should start. Nothing new for the stove, stove vent/fan or microwave although I learned that the oven door can be removed for cleaning. Not sure I want to do that lol. I did learn that stubborn spots in the toaster oven could be removed by setting a cup of ammonia inside over night not that it needs that. The one thing I did was to clean the inside of the garbage disposal. I had been periodically wiping the underside of the rubber flange but had never done this. The instructions say to put the stopper in the disposal, fill the sink half way with warm water, add 1/4 c. baking soda and then turn on the disposer and remove the stopper at the same time. Easy.

We don't know the answer to this, but think we will probably have to replace all of the kitchen appliances before selling our home in 5 years even if they still are working fine. When we get closer to that date we'll see what the real estate market is like and talk to a few realtors. I'd rather do planned replacements using sales than emergency ones so we will keep focused on maintaining what we have for now.

Make It: Although I haven't made anything for Thanksgiving table decorations yet I have been thinking of low cost ideas that can be done at the last minute using grocery store or existing items. We'll see how that works out!

Make it Monday - That's make it do, make it last or simply make it! 11/12 Edition

I've decided to try to make these Make it Monday posts a series for as long as that works! Making good use of our resources is good for our finances and good for the environment. Here are some things I did this past week.
- made a substitute for a maple Pilates dowel
- fixed our leaking dishwasher
- made Berry Applesauce to use as an oatmeal or waffle topping.

Make it do - To do my physical therapy exercises I need 2 pillows, a rolled up hand towel, a shoulder pulley and stool. The shoulder pulley was lent to me by the therapist and the rest I have on hand. However I also need a 3 foot dowel like this maple one which lists online for $19 plus tax and shipping.
So I went down the basement and found a piece of cabinet trim leftover from our long ago kitchen remodel. It is not round and one end is mitered making is quite uncomfortable to hold. Take two old washcloths and 2 rubber band (helpful poodle is optional) and the ends are now the right size with now cost.

Make it last - Just as I was thinking about doing some routine maintenance on our 12 year old dishwasher as my next little Make it Last project, Hubby walked in and reported that it was leaking water and we might need to buy a new one.  It turned out to not be a very large leak. I turned to the internet for advice. This article (How to repair a dishwasher ) suggests cleaning and carefully inspecting the door seal as a first step. Guess what? The seal wasn't all the way to the bottom on one side and did in fact need cleaning to make it more pliable. I cleaned and worked it down to fill the gap.

The trap over the drain is supposed to just pull out for cleaning. Neither one of us can get it out without potentially breaking it and it looks like it has collected a film of soap which may hinder draining. The manual recommends cleaning by adding 2 cups of white vinegar to the bottom of the dishwasher once it reaches the wash portion of the pots and pans cycle with the hot water setting on. We took off the decorative cover at the bottom of the dishwasher front so we could hopefully see where any leak was coming from and ran it through a cleaning cycle.

No leaks! Love the internet for advice on how to fix things yourself.

Simply making it - What to do with half a large  but mealy apple found in the fridge and frozen strawberries that looked appealing in the store but not so tasty when thawed? I peeled the leftover apple, cut it in small pieces and added some frozen strawberries, cinnamon and water. Cooked it slowly for a bit, cooled in the fridge and it turned into a tasty Berry Applesauce oatmeal topper. Any suggestions for the remainder of those frozen strawberries?

Make it Monday - That's make it do, make it last or simply make it!

I've renewed my efforts to make good use of our resources - good for our finances and good for the environment. This past week I did a lot of things but I want to share these three.
- made a shapeable ice pack,
- mended some pajamas, and
- made a treat to take to a party.

Make it do - In my wanderings around the internet I came upon just what I needed to easily ice my painful shoulder. The physical therapist uses one of those shapeable ice packs wrapped in a pillow case and I didn't want to buy yet another one as I have a large one for use on my hip. Well, over at One Good Thing by Jillee I read that you can take 1 part rubbing alcohol plus 3 parts water, put it in a ziploc bag and freeze for a homemade version. It stays pliable so you can bend it over your shoulder. I used a one gallon ziploc bag and ended up double bagging it. Works just like the one I didn't buy and when I no longer need to use it I can just dump it down the drain, wash out the bags, and not add anything new to my house!

Make it last - I'm frequently glad I learned to sew as small mending comes in very handy. I have a pair of knit pajama bottoms that have developed a small hole suspiciously the same size as a poodle princess tooth! It just took a few stitches to fix it so it won't get larger. If you don't know how to do simple mending, find someone to teach you as it eliminates a lot of expense and saves the clothing you like.

Simply making it - I offered to bring cookies to a surprise birthday party for a neighbor couple this past Saturday and decided to follow this recipe for Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting from Laura of the fabulous I'm Losing It Here blog. I decided to make them more bite sized and cut them into squares instead of bars as you can see in the picture.They are more of a cake like bar than a cookie like bar. Delicious and light although not exactly low calorie LOL.

Use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without - but what about make it last?

I spent a goodly amount of time today cleaning the refrigerator inside and outside. I took everything out of the frig and freezer and washed them. I pulled it out and vacuumed floor, and cleaned the frig back, sides, door and top. A microfiber cloth works great for this by the way.

I took off the grill, pulled out the drip tray and washed both. I used a coil cleaning brush and the vacuum to clean out all of the dust on the coils. There was a lot of dust collected on the coils. Now this is a frig that is at least 13 years old which is the average life span of one. I want it to last until we sell the house in 5 years. It would help if I cleaned the coils and door seals more than once every 12 to 18 months. The manual suggests every other month! I will put it on my schedule in Outlook and be more diligent. As the idiom goes, A stitch in time saves nine - or in this case, maintenance reduces the cost of repairs or replacement.

This however led me to thinking about how to help our other appliances, electronics, cars, etc. last until we are ready to move or even longer. We are all used to the following saying.
 
And there are many others. Here's a whole article about frugality idioms - Idioms clarify frugality foundations. Well, I think that it is time to apply these even more about these as I countdown to retirement. I'd rather become more disciplined and have more money for travel, generosity, fun and savings.

So I am starting a new series as I look for ways to stretch the life of what we have, appreciate what we have, learn new skills and resurrect old ones, and maximize our savings while having a happy life now.

So lets all:

Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without - Get creative!
Take a stitch in time to save nine - You already bought it; make it last.
Save for a rainy day - or retirement, a vacation, or whatever will drive you forward.

 a rainy day: One reader, Caitlin L. from California, shares: "The main thing my dad drilled into my head was: 'If you make $40, don't spend $50. Spend $30 and put the rest away for a rainy day.'" #For some people, it seems impossible to save any amount of money when they're trying to provide basic needs. Start a change jar. It's the easiest way to start an emergency fund or to teach kids to save money. #For ways to find loose change and kick-start your savings, visit www.frugalvillage.com/2008/12/14/see-a-penny-pick-it-up/. #A stitch in time saves nine: This is helpful when confronting money issues, repairs and your health. It's better to take care of things, practice preventive maintenance or address problems earlier rather than later, when it gets worse. #Waste not, want not: Think before you spend. Don't be greedy. Take what you will use and no more than you need. Don't waste anything you might need later. Make the most of your resources. #Give a man a fish: Learn to do things for yourself in case you ever need to. Teach or show someone how to do something instead of doing it for them or giving them money. Visit www.frugalvillage.com/2010/07/03/help-without-lending-money for suggestions on how to do exactly that. #Were you raised in a barn? Don't let heat or cold escape through an open door. Don't leave a mess behind you, be kind to others and remember your manners. #Put a sweater on: Turn down the thermostat to save some energy and money. Along the same lines, unplug items in your house when they're not in use. Think: DVR, cable boxes, microwave ovens or coffeemakers with digital clocks. #Another reader, Gabrielle F., shares: "See if you can borrow a P3 International P4400 Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor from the library to check your electricity usage on household appliances. I can't wait to find out what is sucking up the most electricity! The devices start at about $16 retail, so how cool is it to use one for free?" #The grass is always greener: Don't compare yourself to others. Appreciate what you have. Recognize the difference between having the things you want and wanting the things you already have.

Read more at: http://www.monroenews.com/news/2011/sep/18/idioms-clarify-frugal-foundations/