I make two loaves a week and all it cost me is 79 cents a loaf. I use WalMart flour, Family Dollar store baking soda and yeast at 50 cents and 34 cents each. I use my oven in the late evening when fuel is the cheapest usually around 10 at night, since we moved to Fargo, ND last 6 months ago. We rent a three bedroom on rental assistance, but we pay for everything utility wise. Fargo housing doesn't pay for heat, so we keep a space heater too. But back to baking bread, and sweets. Bread is the easiest in the oven it only takes a half hour with rapid rise yeast. Try late night baking it is fun, because there is no distractions. Making my own saves me $5 dollars a month, and in this economy every penny counts!

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I have made a lot of improvements in my family life. I now make all my things I need to live by from scratch so to speak. I made a purse out of recycled items that is working out good. I made curtains out of unfinished quilt tops for my room when the curtain rod broke. I just nailed up the quilt top. It was made out of thick stuff, so it will do. I sew my own bras too. I make my clothes as I look on the internet for pictures of tops and jeans I like then print the picture. I enlarge it with my Image enhancer and print it up at the library i.e. copier in color for 15 cents. Then I take it home. Sew away my blues. I already have my measurements.  We use the library internet for what we need to look up. My home computer is acting up, so we are improvising, and we may give it up all together. It has been fun, but isolating.

Firing up a winter fire is easy if you get the newspaper. I recently added a corner fireplace. It's not a full wall fireplace, but it burns paper well and we haven't had to pay for wood, or newspaper. I asked our neighbor for her paper that she isn't using, and she gladly gave me it to make logs for the fire place. Sunday paper is the best it burns a longer time. This winter we were nice and toasty. It is better on the environment too.

You can do this simple living too all you need is a will to do it. The schools have sewing centers in my area that they let the public use during class time in exchange for helping out. Maybe it is like that in your area of the USA, or Canada? Well lets say envirosafe and be well. Hurrah!

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I made a new winter scarf and mittens. I sewed the inlining and knitted the outlining and scarf. I knitted the lining and outer material to gether using a needle and yarn. I am a good seamstress and kniter, but when it comes to  making a dress or top. I suck at it. I have made potholders and pillows. I can't follow a dress pattern, and my bust size makes it even more difficult. I can learn I guess cause I learned to knit and make pillows. I am just lazy when it comes to measuring my own bode. Oh I can I just don't want to at times. My sewing machine and I have an agreement. I don't do long sewing projects and it doesn't maim me. LOL I know sewing machines can't talk. Haha. It seems that way though. Everytime I attempt a long project my sewing I end up sewing more than the fabric this includes my sleeves, finger tips and clothes.

The mittens and scarf I made will get me thru to the time I have to leave for the south. I hope to be in Arizona at the end of the year. I will use my sewing skills to make summer bandanas. I have plenty of jeans, sweaters, and shorts with tanks. I will love it in Mesa, AZ.

I also make decorations for my home now. cross stitching pictures is some of my skills, cozies for toilet paper rolls, afghans, wool stockings for Christmas with a Santa on them, and other needs for my home like rugs. Braiding rugs is like crocheting. It's easy and fun. If someone could tell me how to get a real simple pattern and material? I would like to try my hand at sewing out fits again. I will need it there since I don't shop at Wal-Mart for clothes from the factory. I would very much like to become an expert at clothes sewing for the men in my life too. I will need to make things to Survive down there as well as here, since my income is still low at $603 a month. This has to support me includes rent and utilities. I have released the noose around my neck by selling my trailer/mobile home. I have only what I get from Social Security and my wits to make things to survive on my own. The making your own lifestyle has real appeal to me. It is one I intend to live while living frugally and tightwad life. Well any ideas is always good I say. Even the far out ones. Welcome to my frugal life and tightwad life too.

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My family harvests food from our garden to make our own food. We make it by canning, and freezing it too. We grow ruttabaggies, wax beans, green beans, peas, potatoes, corn, carrots, pumpkin, watermellon, lettice, spinach, squash, cabbage, beets, turnips, strawberries, rasberries, sunflowers for their seeds, tomatoes, green peppers, cucumbers, and lima beans in the family garden. We have a couple apple trees as well on our property. I get to pick any I want to eat. I bring it home and make things and can them and freeze pumpkin pie rasberry pie and others. I also make fudge from scratch. Chocolate, sugar and nuts with evaporated milk.

I make my own pickles to sell to neighbors from the cucumbers at my family garden. Bread and Butter Pickles are my family favorite to make to eat. We also make Christmas sugar cookies.

Presents are made by me too. Cards too. I use a library computer and a disc for card making and print them out for 10 cents a copy. That's $2.50 for 25 cards made by a computer written by me. This cost is for one store boughten card at Wal-Mart or whereever. I save $62.50 by doing this on a computer. I don't spend a dime on my own paper at the store. For presents I make them. Doilies, Dolls, candles, candies, cookies, special fruit cakes, Norwegian food like Lefse, Krumkaka, Russian food too, potholders, pillows for bed decoration yes even for men and boys, scarfs and mittens knitted and chrocheted, toys for children that are sewn too. I get my sewing supplies from thrift stores and the dollar stores in town. I live frugally and tightwad every month of the year. Well this is how I make my own. Find your own creativity and make your own. Seriously do make your own because everyone differs on what they have at hand without spending too much money or none at all. I don't want you to copy what I do in this blog as it might differ in your country or part of the country.

Here in Minnesota dollar stores really are a dollar elsewhere they are any amount under $20.00 including North Dakota, so find your own on making your own.

Tanya

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