My mother was very careful with money. I was young, but I knew that she did not spend money foolishly. Her sister said she could stretch a dollar until it snapped. I did not learn that lesson from her. I wish I had.
Frugal does not mean cheap. Frugal means you use goods or resources to the fullest measure. You don't waste it. I did learn that part from her.
This week I was frugal. My church participated in the Pumpkin Patch. To engage in an activity to extend the money making potential of the Pumpkin Patch, the youth department hosted a bake sale. That is being frugal: Use the activity to the best advantage.
It so happened that the local grocery store did not have any canned pumpkin. I thought it would be nice to have pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread, but because of a bad crop last year, they had run out of pumpkin. The obvious solution to this dilemma was to cook the pumpkins from the Pumpkin Patch. I did it.
I bought a small pumpkin. They call them pie pumpkins. Now if you have never slaughtered your own pumpkin, take it from me, it is an experience. I had pumpkin blood and guts all over me, the cabinet, and the floor. I baked the pumpkin, per instructions from the Internet, on a cookie sheet with a little water to prevent it from burning at 350 degrees for about an hour--maybe not that long. I don't know. It was soft and squishy. I scooped the pulp from the peel. It was perfect; it made six cups of pumpkin.
The recipe called for 2 cups of pumpkin pulp. I had bought 2 pie crusts. Obviously I had to make three pies. Frugal, remember? The problem then was when I adjusted the recipe to triple it, God blessed it, and I still had filling left after I filled three crusts. I bought more crusts. I made five pumpkin pies.
I later did it all again and made pumpkin bread. It did the same thing. Instead of the two loaves I intended to make, I ended up with four. And I roasted the seeds.
I truly hope my frugality helps the youth make money for their trips and activities. And I have learned a lesson that I don't think I will soon forget: the lesson of frugality.