frugal plant profile daffodils

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.

Daffodils of a different color

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.

Little double daffies

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!

Mixed grab bag of daffies

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

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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.

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, and a good sawing motion works better than stabbing at an item. Remember to watch what you’re watching.  I strive to watch my children watch what they are cutting, and calmly remind them to take time and use caution.  Onward progression in using a knife will then include steak knives and pork roast to teach a sawing motion. A serrated bread knife and a fresh loaf of bread quickly follow.

As the final goal is a very sharp hunting knife, chefs knife or Ka-Bar, we take steps toward that end from very young. For now, a utility knife or a pocket knife is in each of our hiking packs and our children have steadily become more helpful to us, confident in their cutting skills, and self reliant with every slice they make. From slicing food to packing tape, using a knife is a vital part of self reliance.

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Nicole Lorenz is a home school mom who wants to work herself out of a job sooner rather than later and loves the thought of children raised more self reliant than she was.

Stop! and question your impulse.

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.

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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 could include a vehicle capable of handling more than just the pavement.

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.

Nevertheless, there will be times when getting out is necessary, so let’s look at options for getting around and what that might mean to us when it comes to our emergency supplies. Here are things to think about.

• second vehicle, perhaps 4WD truck or SUV
• 4 wheeler
• enduro style motorcycle
• snow machine
• bicycle
• good walking shoes
• hiking boots
• hunting boots
• reserve supply of vehicle fuel, perhaps onboard
• bulk fuel storage

Again, what we should all do is assess our needs in light of what we expect to experience, how we’ll respond, and other assumptions. If we live in the country, anticipate a huge snow storm and assume that we’ll need to get to the hospital, we’ll likely expend resources to acquire a 4WD vehicle or snow machine to address this worst case scenario. Chances are that we’ll likely never have the need to use either of the vehicles, at least not during such an emergency.

The key to success is to think reasonably. For me, I sit back and enjoy the snow storm. The last thing I want to do is place myself at risk during a blizzard. Even for those with regular employment that requires commuting or travel, an inability to get out as usual might be trouble, but missing work is far less troubling than risking your life by getting stuck in a snow drift out in the middle of nowhere, and having to stay there for hours or days until help arrives.

For those who really have a concern about being within easy reach of businesses, services and facilities, careful location of your home might make more sense than having alternative forms of transportation to get you through the snow drifts, flood waters, mud slides, or earthquake damage and debris. I urge our readers to think about staying put as the first and best option. Often, that’s the best place to be because that’s where your emergency supplies are generally located, and all normally stocked items at the house become materials, resources and emergency supplies during an emergency. When you leave your home, even temporarily, you leave most of your resources behind.

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Clair Schwan isn’t a dyed-in-the-wool prepper, but he values being prepared. He knows that reasonableness is the key. His personal preference is to stay put, even in the face of wild fire or tornado, but he recognizes that sometimes having an alternative means of transportation is wise during emergency situations.

Recycling can take many forms.

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.”

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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.

French Pussy Willow in spring

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.

Small French pussy willow

There are many types of willow–Weeping willow (S. babylonica) Corkscrew willow (S. matsudana), White willow (S. alba) and Hybrid willow (A cross between S. matsudana and S. alba) being the most commonly known and used for the purpose of the home landscape, but the French Pussy Willow being relatively smaller than the others, is the easiest to have in any garden.  All willows have similar qualities, among these being having relatively soft wood, requiring ample amounts of water to thrive, loving full sun and being rather fast growing. The quality which makes the Willow a great frugal favorite is its ability to root almost instantly in water or moist soil enabling easy propagation. When you can take a small piece off one willow plant, stick it in a pot and it grows into another plant, that’s very frugal, wouldn’t you say? Next time you have a vase of pussy willow stems in water, wait 2-3 weeks and you’ll start to see roots. It’s that easy.

Too big French pussy willow

French Pussy Willow is hardy in USDA zones 4-8b, prefers full sun but can tolerate dappled or part shade and is one willow which can tolerate some drought. It likes a rich loam but as mine grows nicely in heavy clay, I’m thinking it’s rather adaptable to soil types.

When I bought the French Pussy Willow, I was told by the tag it came with, it would grow to be a large shrub or small, multi-stemmed tree of about 12-15 feet high with a 6-8 foot spread. That was a complete lie—at least I think so. The French Pussy willow in my garden is currently 35-40 feet tall with a spread of 12 feet. Am I that good a gardener or is my garden that great for plants that they far exceed their potential? Your guess is as good as mine.  In any case, if I had known it would get that big, I would not have planted it where it is as it is making more shade than I wanted on the side yard.

French Pussy Willow in flower

Aside from that tiny complaint, the French Pussy willow has proven quite useful. Like I said, it makes a nice arrangement for indoor enjoyment and after they root—really they root whether you want them to or not—I always feel obliged to plant them. I have given several of these baby Pussy Willows to friends and I even have another plant in the side yard which I am trying to keep at a reasonable size—something close to my height. Unfortunately, it’s already taller than me, so I need to prune it now if I wish to keep it small.

French pussy willow-clippings to root

The foliage of the French Pussy Willow is not narrow and long like other willows. It have a pointed tip, slightly serrated edge and is ~1 inch wide and ~2-3 inches long in a dark green with a slightly lighter colored-almost silver– underside. The flowers would be called insignificant at best, but the attractive catkins make up for that. Because of its height the French Pussy Willow could make a good wind-break or tall hedge if planted 5-6 feet apart. All you need is one plant and you could make all the plants you want from it…just by rooting stems in water and planting them. Now that’s one frugal plant!

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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.