Frugal Beauty Tips

Those early days of marriage when Pastor Dad was in seminary at the same time that I was finishing up my bachelor's degree caused us to watch our finances very closely. We both had various jobs, "odd" or otherwise, to keep money flowing into the coffers but not enough that we didn't need to be thrifty which sounds so much nicer than saying we were cheap. Two babies were also added to our cozy home in those early years which helped keep the financial situation interesting, to say the least.

In other words, times were tough. Times are tough now, too, perhaps not as bad as they were then but we are returning in earnest to our cheap thrifty ways as we look for opportunities to cut spending again. Having a teenaged boy to feed and clothe makes one examine the finances minutely. I'm kidding. Taking a boy to basketball daily when gas prices are so high is more likely the reason behind it.

Whatever the reason, I began to make a list of the thrifty things we did when we barely had 2 nickels to rub together and here are the things I remember. I thought I'd share some of the beauty tricks I employed to stretch a dollar hard enough to make George Washington cry, "Uncle!"

• I stopped buying my facial cleansing/moisturizer/makeup package from an independent distributor.

Oh, how I hated to do that! Not only were the products good, but the retailer was my friend and she was trying to make extra money. But friend or not, I had to cut her from my payroll. Here is what I used instead:

1. Baby oil. This was slathered on first. It helped to soften the make-up and put needed oils into my dry skin. The object of any cleansing program is to remove dirt and make-up, not the skin's moisture. This step helped remove debris and protect the moisture at the same time.
2. pHisoderm cleanser. I'm sure any facial cleanser would work, but this is what I used. Even though it has been reformulated to remove certain chemicals that the FDA considers regulatory drugs it's still for sale and still inexpensive. Mine was especially cheap years ago(free!) when my dad worked for the company and gave me what came in his product boxes.
3. Alcohol. Yes, plain old isopropyl alcohol and half of a cotton ball (half because we're talking frugal here, you know). This step substitutes for toner and purifier.
4. Moisturizer. This is applied at the end, either before bed or a layer of make-up. I don't remember exactly what brand I used but any facial moisturizer to fit an individual skin type should do.

The next thing I learned to save was:

• Nylon hosiery

Since I wore panty hose almost every day I bought them in a multi-pack. Then if I got a run in one leg only I cut off the bad leg from the panty section which then left me with a pair of hose that looked like it was meant for an amputee. I saved that mutilated panty with one good leg until I had another one exactly like it and wore the two together, one over the other. (I hope I don't need to draw you a picture!) This worked well as stockings and doubled as a post-pregnancy girdle whenever that was needed, too.

* * *Speaking of pregnancy, those pairs of pregnancy panty-hose were really expensive! I didn't use this little trick then no matter what. Frugality is one thing, but I don't think binding a growing baby belly is a wise way to save money.

Now that I'm in those years where pregnancy is not much of a concern, but that the post-pregnancy belly has literally "hung around" a lot longer than I ever dreamed it would, I am seriously considering going back to this option. Buying hosiery that has the built-in panel is expensive and can almost reduce me to tears if I accidentally run them on the first or second wearing! Buying the everyday kind without support and doubling them up after one leg has been removed from each pair should help keep this expense in check.


Moving on. Specifically, we're moving downward from the legs to the feet.

• Shoes.

When a pair of shoes wore out I needed to decide if they truly needed to be replaced. "Needs" are one thing but "wants" are another. What did I really need?

1. Black pumps. They went with everything dressy and I wore a lot of dress clothes to my college classes, church, and even to school when I was teaching.
2. White pumps or dress sandals. These met the need of summer dressy outfits.
3. Gym shoes or similar casual footwear.
4. Boots. This was a necessity where we lived! I bought combination dress/snow boots in a shade of brown just so I could mix it up a bit with my black pumps.
5. (Optional) Casual sandals. This was a splurge when we had the money. Otherwise, I just made do without.

This list looks pretty austere, but these were all I had to have and did have. I was never the best-dressed woman anywhere I went but I was never barefoot even when pregnant! :)

Pastor Dad's "need" list was shorter than mine. He had 1 pair of dress shoes and 1 pair of gym shoes. He also owned softball cleats and we both had house slippers (when we received them as gifts, otherwise we just wore socks on the bare floors) but our closet didn't hold many shoes in any case.

I've got a few more tips for shoes.

• Clean them regularly. (Must I really say this? I'm a mom, so yes, I must.) Clean shoes will stay nicer longer than dirty ones. Children's patent leather shoes can be cleaned with petroleum jelly. Mild soap and a soft cloth will clean most anything else. Permanent markers that match the color of vinyl or leather shoes can help hide slight (and I do mean slight) blemishes.
• Allow shoes to air dry before putting them away. Usually this means at least 24 hours. This will not only help them smell better, but it will keep them from disintegrating as quickly. Never wear shoes that haven't properly aired. Pastor Dad has a couple of nice pairs of dress Florscheim shoes that he alternates just so they'll air properly.
• Store them properly after they've aired. Either keep the shoe box they came in or store them in plastic boxes made for the purpose. A honeycomb-type box made for the purpose will work as well. Just make sure they are not squashed into the allotted space. Crushing and flattening causes them to wear out quickly.
• Women should not drive in high heels. Wear gym shoes or other casual wear for this task. This is so the back of the heel does not scuff.
• Keep shoes away from the dog! Obvious perhaps, but I've lost a lot of shoes this way over the years. Dogs like the smell of your scent on the shoe. (I told you dogs are crazy!)

This post is linked to Frugal Fridays.

A Homeschool Chuckle

One of the young ladies that I have been blessed to meet in recent months - that means in person and not just in the blogging world - posted last week about a funny thing her 4-year-old son said. Read that here. It reminded me of a couple of conversations with The Bear when he was about that age and it seemed to be the perfect anecdote to follow the things I've written about homeschooling.

For instance, do you think homeschool parents sometimes have unrealistic expectations? Well, so do the homeschooled students.

When The Bear was 4 years old we were riding in the car with the newlyweds, Karen and Prince Charming. The Bear suddenly announced, "I'm going to learn to read this year."

Well, this was news to us, since the little dude didn't like books and wouldn't sit still long enough for one of us to read to him, let alone learn to read a book on his very own! He'd need to get over this allergy to paper and ink in a hurry if he were to actually learn to read. Perhaps that was what he was doing by making his announcement to his fellow passengers: making us all "accountability partners" on his road to recovery.

"You'll need to learn your ABC's first," I told him, meaning the actual recognition of the letters. Can't very well learn the phonetic tricks of the letters if you don't even know what they look like!

So began The Bear's journey into the alphabet. He studied strenuously to learn their shapes.

One day he was riding in the car with Pastor Dad and he felt he should confide something to his father. "Mom lied to me," he asserted.

"What?" Pastor Dad asked incredulously (or at least I hope that's how he asked).

"Yes, she said that I need to learn the alphabet so that I could learn to read. I know every letter but I can't read anything yet!" He was quite disappointed when Pastor Dad enlightened him to the fact that he had merely mastered Step 1 and that there were several more in the process.

Every so often The Bear still gets impatient when attempting to master something new and I remind him that there is a process to follow on the path to achievement. He still looks at me like he doesn't know whether to believe me or not.

* * *
Karen tweeted yesterday about Sweet Pea's attempt to sing the ABC song. Sweet Pea and Uncle Bear would make quite the dynamic duo, but then again maybe not. She'd never be able to get him to sing. :)

The Scriptures That Helped Us Decide to Homeschool

Returning now to my little article series on the decision made 30 years ago to homeschool our children, I wanted to list a few of the scriptures that convinced me that the Lord wanted us to do so. The object is not to tell other people what they should do. This series has been my own testimony of what we felt was the answer to a very definite prayer request. (The first 2 articles can be found here and here.)

The secret to success of any educational system is the parents. It doesn't matter if the system is the public school, a Christian/parochial school, or homeschooling. The parents are ultimately accountable for every facet of a child's needs and that obviously includes his or her education.

Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep. Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man, so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. Psalm 127

There are many things in this Psalm that spoke to our hearts. For instance, we realized that if the LORD did not help us establish our home all of our labors, no matter how worthy they seemed at the time, would end in failure. We wanted the Lord to build our home and to provide the protection for it. We needed His protection for our home.

These verses also state that children are the LORD's heritage. Perhaps I misunderstand this verse, but as someone who likes studying their own heritage, it appears that the LORD is stating His kinship to children. That would mean that our offspring belong to Him and are only loaned to us for a season. I think this is taught elsewhere, such as in the New Testament where Jesus teaches His disciples not to scorn the children because they are such that make up God's Kingdom. We also see in the New Testament that the gifts (sometimes called talents) given then require a great deal of responsibility while they are in the steward's care (cf. Luke 12:41-48 for the parable).

These verses also imply that our offspring are their father's weapons. Hmm. Why would we need weapons? Ask my son-in-law, Dan. He'd tell you that weapons are used for warfare. So, what kind of warfare would a Christian father be waging? Spiritual warfare, specifically when it comes to protecting his household.

Can our children really be the weapons God uses to fight a spiritual battle for our homes? Solomon, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, seemed to say so! He continues his city analogy stating the father's ability to beat the enemy at the door with the arrows in his quiver. This brings this Psalm full circle as we consider that God said He had to be the protecting the home and that He uses the children (arrows) He places in it to do it. Surely it is understood that our children are the ones who will keep the faith alive for future generations when the enemy ramrods the gate.

Could we raise children as arrows of faith if we didn't homeschool them? Yes, and many people do so. But given our own desires to stay together as a family through any circumstance (mentioned as one of the "pro" homeschooling decisions in the previous article) we knew it would be difficult if we didn't homeschool.

That leads to the next scripture portion.

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD they God with all thine heart, and with all they soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. Deuteronomy 6:4-9

If there is anything these verses tell me it is that teaching my children about the LORD takes time. Time together is something that would have been at a premium if we had taken the other route. I knew from experience that long days of managing a classroom meant that I was only diligent about one thing when I got home: sleep! I feared I would not have much energy to talk to my children diligently about the LORD early in the morning (most likely I'd be diligently rushing them out the door like I do The Bear now on co-op days), or when I sat in my house (I'm the kind of person who craves quiet and alone time in the evening). I felt I could do the rest, but these scriptures seemed to indicate that getting my faith across to my kids was going to require a whole lot more time than I was prepared to give it while hustling through the evening routine and bedtime prayers.

The part about keeping scriptures before their eyes was important to me also. Frankly, that's why the public school wasn't an option we considered since any mention of the Bible has almost been removed from its classrooms except in a derogatory way. The Christian school option would meet that stipulation if we chose that route. As for our home, well, if you come to our house and you don't see scripture almost everywhere you turn, then you must be looking at the ground. As a matter of fact, you can't escape it there either because even the door mat on the front porch has a scripture verse on it.

May I add a disclaimer? Not all of my days have been God-honoring. My children were witness to my very worst behavior. Do I wish they had not seen my depression or anger? Obviously, but I can't change the past. I can say that while I'm very sad that my children saw me slide into the Slough of Despond I'm equally very happy to say that they also saw the Lord, their father, and even themselves lift me out of it. They saw real life and that included the good with the bad. Sinful behavior was followed by repentance and restoration. I'm overjoyed that my children were witness to that part of the Christian walk, too.

Okay, there was another familiar verse that spoke volumes to me about homeschooling my children.

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

This scripture advocates tailoring the training (or education) to fit the individual child. I am often asked which curriculum I use. My reply is always, "Which child? And which year? Or what subject?" because there were very few years where we used a cookie-cutter curriculum. Our methods were as eclectic as the personalities of the individuals who used them. We're still that way.

God made us all with unique characteristics that must be encouraged to reach our highest learning potential. Also, God endowed each individual with certain gifts and abilities. Our job as parents isn't to turn our children into geniuses but to help them discover the abilities God has placed within them and to use those for His glory.

Our children are all different and we embrace and celebrate their unique personalities and talents. We didn't always get everything right, but we did try to identify their needs and meet them as well as we could. I stand in awe as their talents and abilities still unfold.

Let me leave you with just a few more passages to consider.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck. My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. Proverbs 1:7-10

The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him. Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice. Proverbs 23:24, 25

Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge. For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee, they shall withal be fitted in thy lips. That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee. Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth, that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee? Proverbs 22:17-21

I'm so very thankful that we made the decision to homeschool Karen, Lisa, the Princess, and the Bear. Although we've missed the financial boost of a second income, we can say that we didn't miss out on much else. It remains to be seen if it is the Lord's Will for me to go back into teaching as a profession once this leg of the journey is completed. One thing is for sure, though. These four will always be this teacher's pets!

Frugal Food

This is the picture of the end of a very thrifty meal that served 15 people. Well, okay, that's an exaggeration. Baby Lili brings her own food source with her so that means only 14 people were fed from my crockpots Sunday.

Notice the cooker on the left. It was a gift from my parents many years ago and it has lived a long, useful life. I got the super-duper upgraded model on the right as a gift from Lulu and Dan (only Dan probably doesn't know anything about it) and I think Lulu managed to get all of her siblings involved in the purchase of it in one way or another. The new one was meant to replace my poor, disfigured, broken crockpot except I couldn't bring myself to throw it away. Sure the crockery is a bit cracked and the handles are taped on but the heating element still works just fine thankyouverymuch! I'm a bit cracked and taped up but you wouldn't think of throwing me away would you?  Don't answer that.  And let me just say for the record that my heater works just fine these days - or nights - too.

Anyway, I wouldn't dream of taking the old one to church dinners or anything like that for fear of the tape working loose and the whole shebang going "bang" but for after church dinners at home? Well, it still meets a need.

I like to spend time with my extended family over Sunday dinner if at all possible. I've got a bit of my paternal grandma in me, I think. I remember fondly those days at her house playing with my cousins while the grown-ups did grown-up things . . . like playing board and card games. Some things never change. :)

I also like to be able to invite others home with us on the spur of the moment.  That isn't always possible, but there is usually room for another 1 or 2 (or 3) around my table(s) as long as they don't mind eating home-cooking served rather informally.

The secret to inexpensive Sunday dinners is in planning ahead. 'Way ahead. I'm talking think-like-Thanksgiving-Day-is-coming soon ahead. I already have next week's meal planned and part of the next week also. I'm also scheduled to take a meal later this week to a family who has a new addition so I'm preparing for that meal also.  Nothing like a new baby to make me want to go sneak a peek at the little darling.   I've learned that if you stop by with food they don't mind the intrusion.

Yesterday's meal consisted of pork tenderloin, scalloped potatoes, tossed salad, mixed California style veggies with cheese sauce, home made crescent rolls, and white Texas sheet cake with chocolate ice cream for dessert. I figure that I spent $1.50 per person. The most expensive thing was the pork, but by fixing a whole tenderloin (and buying it on sale) it went further with less waste than individual pork chops would.  Plus I didn't need to worry about the one-to-one correspondence between each person and his or her chop.  Pork chop, that is.

I made my rolls the day before with another cost and labor-saving device: my faithful old bread machine that I bought as a reconditioned item almost 20 years ago.   It has more than paid for itself many times over.

I planned the cooking of the meat and side dishes carefully.  The pork went into the old crockpot and the potatoes went into the new one. The potatoes needed the "keep warm" setting that engages on the newer model once the cook time has elapsed. I made the cheese sauce in the little crockpot immediately after I got home from church for anyone that wanted to put it over the California veggies. 

My roast and potato recipes came from the Fix It and Forget It Recipes for Entertaining cookbook  that I found on sale a few years ago and the white Texas sheetcake one came from the Gooseberry Patch Family Favorite Recipes cookbook that I bought a couple of years ago for full price, but with a gift card. The rolls recipe was from a book that I got at a yardsale in Georgetown, SC while on vacation at Myrtle Beach many years ago (strange, but true:  who goes to yard sales on vacation especially when she doesn't go to them in her own neighborhood?) called Bread Machine Magic.

So I figure that for around $21 I fed us all. I'd hate to think what it would cost to take us all out to eat at a restaurant. Even eating off a dollar menu would not be as "ful"filling.

Speaking of eating out, if you like the flavors of certain restaurant cuisine but not the accompanying price you might be interested in this downloadable e-book entitled "28 No-Guilt Copycat Recipes" that are not only cheaper to make at home but diet friendly.  (Thanks to Cincinnati Cents for the tip.)



Note to Lisa:  I don't know how I could possibly publish anything about frugality that you don't already know!  I think I taught you everything I knew when you were growing up in our home.  And you've learned to live even more frugally yourself on a military salary.  Thanks for the encouragement, though.  Maybe I'll come across something new to teach you.  Love,  Mom