Living savvy: Making use of what you already have
By BY RACHEL HARDY ,For the Avalanche-Journal -Frugal living is more than just couponing and searching for sales. It can be about using what you have instead of buying something new, or selling what you have in order to trade up to something new. For instance, I have an old vacuum cleaner.Well, it’s probably 5 or 6 years old. That seems old to me for a floor appliance.
The point is that it’s not new. It’s not a Dyson or an Oreck. It’s just an older model upright with a canister. It’s green and ugly, but it works.
A friend of mine posted on her Facebook wall that her father bought her a Dyson. I was so envious. Oh, what I could do with a Dyson. I think my house would be spotless. At least, it would be for a few minutes after I was done vacuuming.
But, as of today, I can’t spend $500 on a Dyson because I don’t have the funds saved up for it and regardless of how much I would like to have one right now, I refuse to pay for it on a credit card. I like to pay for items in full at the time of purchase.
Today, I’m going to tell you about how I plan to pay for a new vacuum with cash.
Our garage is pretty full of boxes and older things we just didn’t need inside the house anymore. We have been given furniture and appliances and all kinds of things from friends and family.
In fact, not long ago the Haverdinks gave us a huge freezer; for free. It’s big, and by big I mean probably my whole family could crawl inside if there was a nuclear holocaust. It fits nicely into a little alcove in our garage and I have really enjoyed stocking up on breads, frozen dinners, milk, refrigerated drinks, and meats.
I’ve been able to do things culinarily-speaking that I never could do before because I have a backstock in my garage. We saved money by using theirs instead of buying a new one, and by purchasing food in bulk and freezing it. I am so thankful for the Haverdinks’ generous gift to us.
