Hi everyone! It sure has been a while since I did a Thrifty Thursday. I'm crossing my fingers that the cooler weather will afford me more time to write. 1. Birthday gifts: I celebrated my birthday this month by doing some research at a college historical library, then having lunch out with my family and going antiquing. I'm more often a thrifter than an antiquer, but at this point in my life I don't need more stuff; I just enjoy looking at others' treasures. That being said, I did find a set of pastry/dessert forks (pictured above) for $8.00. I had read about such forks but never seen any for sale. As it turns out, you can buy these on Amazon in stainless steel (the ones I bought were silver plated, I believe). But they are quite a bit more expensive. The second item I bought antiquing was The Ethel Cotton Course in Conversation. I paid $20.00 for it, which seems to be the going rate on Ebay. This particular edition was printed in the 1940s, but I know they have reprints from other decades. I've read the first lesson, and it is excellent. I'm not someone who enjoys most group conversations, but I think this will help me feel more confident and interested in conversation.
As I was searching the web for more information about this book, I found at least one internet commentator who wrote a whole article making fun of the course and talking about how useless and outdated it was. But here's the thing: is conversation really something that gets outdated? People do the same thing with Fascinating Womanhood, and I have to ask myself; is the way that men and women interact something that expires over decades? Does the human mind work differently today than it did 100 or 1000 years ago? No, it does not. Making fun of something solely because of its age is rather tasteless, if you ask me. Rant aside, I'm greatly looking forward to reading the rest of the lessons and putting it into practice. So those were my thrifty birthday presents (purchased with birthday money from my grandparents, I might add!). I also received treats and gifts from other family members, which were duly appreciated and enjoyed. 2. Herbs: I successfully harvested burdock root from our now-abandoned cow pasture. The trick is to pick smaller plants (not the ones that have gone to seed) and then pour water over the plant before you dig it out and pull it from the dirt. According to School of Natural Healing, burdock root has several useful medicinal properties and is a good herb overall to take. I've tried harvesting it before, but without success. I also harvested nettle, peppermint and calendula this week. 3. Garden: I harvested a small amount of potatoes, many tomatoes, green beans and gourds. I also harvested basil, hot peppers and some cilantro grown indoors. I made sun-dried tomatoes, frozen green beans, pesto and hot sauce. Later I picked peaches from our orchard and canned them. It has been a whirlwind of harvesting and processing, but our first frost date is nearing and after that, my garden and kitchen work will slow down considerably. 4. Fall decorating: I used a wreath, ceramic pumpkin containers, a Dollar Tree sign and homegrown ornamental gourds to decorate our home for fall. I also bought three new throw blankets, three small decorative pillows and four autumn-themed pillow covers; some of which are for our guest room. The pillows and blankets weren't necessarily a thrifty choice in regard to price, but I will be able to use them year after year to decorate and keep people warm during the fall/winter months. 5. Wardrobe: I switched out some of my summer wardrobe pieces for fall ones. I'm scrutinizing my clothing choices more and actually reading the labels. I've noticed that my 100% cotton shirts last for years, while the cotton/polyester blend shirts pill very easily. I recently bought a pair of jeans, and was happy with them... until I wore them at home. Then I realized that the top was too stretchy and I would have the same horrible problem I've had for years, of the jeans stretching out at the top and falling down. The jeans were Wrangler, so I just assumed they were a good jean, similar to a pair that I bought at a thrift store and was very happy with. Well, sure enough I checked the tag and the two pairs were not equal Wranglers. My stretchy pants ($24.00 new) were something like 60% cotton, 30% polyester and 10% spandex. The good jeans ($7.00 thrifted) were 95% cotton and 5% spandex. And I could really tell the difference! I'm not sure how much the good jeans would have cost new, but I will be hitting the thrift stores soon and searching for some good quality jeans; not just by brand, as I now know can be misleading. As I was searching for new pieces to bring out for fall, there were some dresses that I simply was not excited about any more; mostly because of the feel and color of the fabric. Assessing clothing quality is not something I was even aware of before our trip to Italy, but now I hope to make more informed purchases. I think that's about it for this week! Blessings, ~Prudence~
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
About PrudenceI am a Christian homemaker who lives in the Midwest. I enjoy sewing, gardening, reading and thrifting. Archives
June 2022
Categories
All
|