Buttons…Lessons for Life

My eighteen year old son is less than pleased with me right now. He is in quarantine today, because he announced this morning that he thought he had swine flu. More than likely the kind that young people get from partying with friends. But to make matters worse…he is having to sew his own button on his shirt.

Why you make ask is he sewing it on? Because to me…sew a button on and he’ll have a shirt for a while, but teach him to sew it on and he’ll have shirts for a life time.

He refused a full shot...hands only.

But ingenious youth of today, guess where he learned to sew it? The Internet. Mind you, he did consult with me about proper technique and when I watched him prick his finger I was a tad tempted to sew it on…just this once. But at eighteen there is a lifetime of buttons awaiting him, so I resisted the temptation.

I am not sure that he appreciates the Frugal Fam core values of this lesson though:

Family first. Like so many things about parenting, it is about tough lessons.

Saving money. It is cheaper than buying a new shirt or even taking it to the cleaners to have it sewn on.

Environmentally friendly. That is one less shirt in the dump…for now anyway.

Healthier. Well, that’s a stretch. Unless your child grows up to be a surgeon then sewing is a good skill to have.

Of course, I hope he has a sense of pride in his accomplishment, even if it is only a button. It is still an important life lesson.

Smell What the Frugal Fam Is Cooking…

As I sit at my laptop typing this, there is a plate next to me of hot, homemade biscuits. When was the last time you had or made biscuits?

Hot, homemade biscuits

I remember my step-grandmother trying to teach me to make biscuits. She always told me the secret to making good biscuits was that they should feel soft like a lady’s boob (mind you a natural one…not Katie Price or Pamela Anderson). I say trying because those first attempts were anything but successful. My biscuits were so hard that she could have used them as rocks in her garden. It was the family joke. But no one would be laughing now if they could taste these.

But in addition to the obvious convenience of having hot, fresh bread anytime you want; this also meets our Frugal Fam core values:

Family first. Like I said, I learned to make biscuits from my step-grandmother. My daughters are learning from me. I think making bread is a really fun thing to do with even the smallest of children; they love to knead the dough.

Saving money. These four large biscuits probably cost me less than ten pence to make. How much would we pay for fresh rolls/biscuits at the baker’s?

Environmentally friendly. I complained earlier  this week about the amount of plastic packaging in my bin; well, making it at home means there is ZERO packing to end up in the landfill.

Healthier. Alright, so homemade biscuits are not the healthiest thing going, but still by making them at home you can reduce the amount of salt in them…and there will be no preservatives.

So how hard is it to make homemade biscuits? There are just five ingredients: butter/margarine, flour, baking powder, salt and butter milk. Begin by adding the flour (about two cups) to the butter/margarine. Use your hands to work it thoroughly through until the butter is broken down into small bead sized bits. Then add a touch of salt and about a large spoon of baking powder; to make them rise. Finish off by slowly adding the butter milk in; kneading as you go until as my Grandma Porter said…it feels soft like a lady’s boob. Then roll into balls, flatten and bake in the oven until light brown. Serve hot with butter, jam or honey.

I can hardly wait to pick those black berries…some homemade jam would have made it even better.

Freegan…Not Quite

I am not quite going Freegan (a term for those who collect their food and other resources from nature or dumpsters), but the local black berries are ripe. As a summer gardener, this is one crop I did not have to plant and tend to enjoy. I am going berry picking. There are several accessible areas near us, including our community garden area, Emily’s nursery, and two local parks. The berries are dark, large and sweet. In addition to just eating them, they make an excellent jam.

Sweet, ripe and FREE

But they serve as an excellent reminder of some of the lost arts and knowledge that our ancestors relied upon for survival; not only in early human existence, but as recently as our grandparents. Even in my childhood, I remember the summer that we all went black berry picking up by the rail road tracks. In addition to lots of sweet berries that we made into jam, we also got a nice case of chiggers (tiny bugs that live under your skin…and ITCH!). But in the end, it was well worth the trouble. My Nanny loved her jam cake so picking fresh berries was an absolute must.

It also matches well with our Frugal Fam core values:

Family first. While Emily is still too young to do much picking, she does enjoy trying. Like I said, I have very fond memories of doing so myself as a child.

Saving money. A single packet from my grocery store costs £1.99. That would only be enough for fresh berries. A jar of jam would cost almost £10 to make…and I get it for FREE.

Environmentally friendly. What could be more environmentally friendly than foraging like this. Of course, always remember to leave enough to turn to seed and to feed our bird friends, but there are plenty for all.

Healthier. While this sort of thing is not organic, it is about as fresh as they come.

Of course, I am learning from others about other fruits and berries that are local to my new home that can also be foraged; things like elder flowers and berries for wine and cordials and rose hips for jam. And don’t forget that some really wonderful medicinal herbs grow wild as well. It may take some research on the web, but you may be surprised at the things you could find in your own backyard.