Self reliance works. We know this because personal achievement leads to a happy and satisfying life.

Frugal Plant Profile: Daffodils

Our frugal plant profile this time centers around the lovely spring bloomer and general favorite the daffodil. As I’ve already told you, flowering bulbs are a great frugal choice for the frugal gardener– heck, for everybody!

Daffodils, botanically narcissus, grow from fleshy bulbs and come in tons of sizes, colors and varieties. These are a great bulb for naturalizing, which is to say to allow them do as they will—mostly propagate.

I’m assuming you have heard of photosynthesis. Well, daffodil bulbs get their energy for next year’s flowers through their leaves from the sun. It’s truly one of the most amazing things about plants, their ability to take the sunshine and convert it into food and energy which then gets stored in the bulb and lies dormant until the next spring comes.

Another thing daffodil bulbs do is multiply. They do this two ways. First, the bulbs will go to seed. These seeds drop and start to grow baby bulbs which eventually grow big enough to flower on their own, perpetuating the species. More bulbs form and they keep growing and spreading for bigger and better spring time displays. And guess what? They do it on their own. No gardener intervention needed! Frugal and self-reliant, can’t get better than that.

Bulbs also expand by growing from the bulbs themselves. That is to say, the bulbs get bigger and then split into smaller bulbs or bulblets. These eventually get crowded and need to be divided to help the bulbs stay strong and so they flower more abundantly. If they get too crowded and you leave them, bulbs may eventually not get enough food and they start to die off. So, it is advisable to feed your bulbs and also to divide them when the colonies get a bit too big.

To divide the cluster of bulbs, you need to wait until the foliage dies down. It is the foliage that gives them the energy from the sun, so keep these until they dry up. Autumn is the usual time to dig up the bunch. To be safe, use a straight-tined pitch-fork to loosen up the clump. Shovels could cut into the bulbs, but if you dig several inches away from the edge of the clump it should be okay.

Once dug up, carefully twist the clump back and forth to loosen up the dirt and to separate individual bulbs. One good clump can yield a great deal of new bulbs for you, enough for you to expand your spring time display and to share with friends. Dividing daffodils bulbs is great for everybody!

You will find great bargains on daffodils in late summer. There are so many types you’re bound to find several you want, but you can always start with a mixed variety grab-bag and you’ll have a nice assortment of daffodils for little money. Plant these in your garden and within a few years you’ll have more daffodils than you’ll know what to do with. I find nothing wrong with that! I did say Daffodils are a frugal choice for the gardener.

Photo Credit Mixed bag of daffies

__________________________________________________________

Glory Lennon is a frugal homemaker, avid gardener and accomplished writer on the web and for print media. When she’s not at the keyboard writing a novel, short story or an article about her favorite plant of the day, you can find her at Glory’s Garden or in the backyard where she grows vegetables, trees, shrubs, vines, herbs and flowers of all kinds.

Using a Knife

Are your children proficient in using a knife? Are you? Knives slice fruit and help make simple snacks and meals to teach self reliance, but are also survival tools and are an item of high importance in every hiking, camping or survival backpack. The great Ka-Bar used by the Marine Corps is the best, most versatile knife for all around usage in a backpack or camping pack (see Brad’s great article on this knife). However, since we can not in good conscious hand one to the average 8-year-old, when do we learn this skill?

In our family, we begin teaching the skill of using a knife to our preschoolers with a small paring knife and soft fruit. Bananas, kiwi, strawberries, melons, tomatoes and avocado are wonderful choices. Then we move to hard cheeses and fruits like pears, kiwi and apples. Hand placement is essential. No one wants to deal with blood dripping from a sliced finger and a scared, crying child. Or a scared, crying mommy!  The blade should always face down and away Read more…

Impulse (and Asking Questions)

Impulse is a reaction to an intense emotion. I think that there are two types of impulses. One is the impulse of survival. For example, if a person smelled smoke in their living room, they would run out of the house on impulse. Impulse can keep people alive. Also, impulse can dismantle a person’s life. Shoplifting, substance abuse, reckless driving, self-harm are addictions that some individuals impulsively do. I do believe that thinking before acting is a more constructive way to go about life. But how do we do this? I found that asking myself questions can improve my impulsivity; therefore, bettering my decisions.

-If I do this, what will I gain?  I think it is important to consider the momentarily release or fulfillment of an impulse. Looking at the whole picture can bring honesty and insight to a behavior. There are behaviors that feel productive in the moment, and it is okay to have a sense of relief from doing it. We are human.

-What will I lose?  Impulsivity can leave a person with short or long term consequences, and horrible emotions that reflect anger, sadness, and pain. By acting on an unnecessary impulse an individual can lose trust and respect from themselves and/or society. I like to make pro and con lists because it helps me put a single action into a well rounded perspective.

-By doing this, can I hurt others or myself? This is the most important question to ask! Hasty impulses can hurt a person’s own self and others emotionally, physically, financially, and/or socially. Hurting a person’s feelings can alter relationships, and burn bridges. Any physical harm can lead into lawsuits or restraining orders. Lack of awareness, regarding money can compile into debt and bad credit, even impacting a person’s spouse or partner. All of this is damaging, and even regrettable. Asking questions before reacting to impulse can pave the way to a simple and self-reliant lifestyle.

photo credit

__________________________________

Megan Murphy understands the complexity of impulsivity, and how impacting it can prove to be. She recommends taking a break to ponder before making life altering decisions.

Emergency Supplies – Getting Around Could be Important

This edition of emergency supplies addresses getting around, it’s #8 on my list of priorities when it comes to essential activities. Most of the world is on wheels, but in America, we’re practically married to the automobile, so getting from place to place will likely be essential for many of us, even during an emergency. Just think of how many times you or someone you know told a story about travel and mentioned exactly which vehicle was used. The vehicle was as important as the place visited, wasn’t it?

What kind of transportation will you need during an emergency? It’s all up to you.

Oddly enough, during a snow storm or minor flooding, many of us feel the need to go out and get something from the store. I don’t know why it is, but I’ve seen it many times. Perhaps it’s a way to reassure ourselves that our lives can go on as usual, even in the face of trouble. We often elect to battle the elements just at a time when, in my view, we ought to remain in place. Read more…

Recycling – Articles Revisited

Recycling involves more than simply hauling things to the recycling center or dropping them off into large containers for reprocessing. It often involves creating a new purpose for an item that would otherwise be discarded as waste. Today, let’s look at how some of us deal with waste. The more we start to shy away from simply discarding things, the more inventive our recycling can be. Here are ideas from our writers about how to deal with what might otherwise be waste.

First up is Mark who shows us a way to reuse aluminum foil. It’s always bothered me how carelessly we often use aluminum foil, but Mark shows us that there are many uses for it, long after it’s first put to use.

Next is Clair who shows us how he reuses plastic bags for pet food. Instead of washing them out, he immediately gives them another life for packaging pet food.

Then there is Joan who suggests a second life for newspapers in the form of fireplace logs. I’ve heard of this but never tried it.

Last is Glory who gives us 10 uses of old clothes. She urges us, “Don’t throw old clothes away.”

photo credit

_______________________________________

Well, we made it through another Friday. I hope yours is going well. See you next week for another peek into our archive to revisit techniques associated with looking for a job.

Frugal Plant Profile: French Pussy Willow

We’re going places now with our frugal plant profile series. Where? We’re heading to the edge of the woods, along streams and close to the pond where we’ll find the French Pussy willow happily growing. This is one of the best frugal shrub/trees you can think of. Why is it frugal? I’ll tell you about that in a bit.

First, I’ll tell you a little bit about this most coveted plant for those people eager to welcome spring. Stems and branches of the French Pussy Willow, botanically Salix caprea, are often snipped to bring inside homes and offices and placed in vases with water. Why? Because of their lovely, fuzzy catkins. You know spring is well on its way when you spot these pretty branches on someone’s desk. The great thing about willows is they grow so quickly, the occasional snipping of branches is no bother to it. It actually makes them bushier and prettier. Read more…

Next Page »