From Rags to Riches?

That old saying could possibly have an alternate meaning for us frugal folks. Perhaps by using too-far-gone clothing as cleaning rags, instead of purchasing cleaning cloths or using paper products for cleaning, our bank accounts may increase by a few dollars per month.

This may seem an odd post, but I think some of you can relate. Today's pre-lunch quick task was to sort out the rag shelf. Our cleaning rags occupy a narrow shelf in our laundry/cleaning supply cabinet. As you may have guessed, the majority of our rags are well-used clothing and household items that are way past their prime. As family members retire their old clothing items to the rag shelf, the shelf becomes more stuffed and jumbled. A good sorting is needed from time to time. 

What I found today.

Some of our rags were once t-shirts.

Some rags were once cotton leggings or pajama pants.

Some were cotton socks.

And some were dish or hand towels/cloths.

Part of today's job was to turn the clothing items into more user-friendly rags.

I cut the t-shirts in half.

I cut the waistband off the leggings and pj pants (to use in a future project), then cut the remainder into two pieces.

And I slit the bottom of socks to make a larger, single layer rag.

Perhaps this seems like busy work. For our family, I find we're all more likely to grab a rag for cleaning if the rag is less wieldy or awkward to use. It also makes much more sense to use half a t-shirt as a rag or half a pair of leggings, if that is all the cleaning surface required for the job. I wind up doing less rag-laundry in the long run this way.

We have another category of rags in our house -- single-use ones. These are old clothing items made of synthetic material that don't absorb liquid very well. They are perfect for really greasy or oily cleanup, like the time I spilled about a cup of cooking oil on the kitchen floor, or when I was cleaning up the paintbrushes after using wood stain on our bistro table. Sometimes getting the grease or oil out of a a used rag is more work than the rag is worth. Mostly these rags are on the small side, like a single, hole-riddled sock (or other unmentionable). I found enough of these single-use rags to fill a small bucket today. Once used, we'll feel comfortable throwing them away. 

My rag shelf is now orderly and ready for the next big cleaning day, which is later this week. Oh goody :-(

Can I stay within our grocery budget while dealing with a digestive disorder?

I haven't posted our grocery spending for June or July because I simply gave up keeping track of what I was spending and buying. I was making several trips to the grocery store every week for a while, just trying to find suitable foods for myself. And I knew I was spending a lot. I did save all of my receipts (I always do). I just haven't added it all up. And I'm not sure I want to. 

Do I think I've spent more than normal for me? Absolutely. Here's how I look at it. Food is part of my "medicine" for now. If I had a serious illness that required expensive treatment, I wouldn't forgo the treatment due to cost. I would find money in our budget elsewhere to pay for the treatment. What I eat directly impacts my healing right now. And that can be more expensive.

In addition to transferring money from one budget category to another, I am using what I can from our abundant garden and orchard, and I can and do eat lots of rice, which we buy in bulk. The additional cost for me right now is in buying extra meat, nuts (almonds and peanuts), and some more expensive grains (more expensive than plain rice). I have to go easy on less expensive forms of protein, such as dried beans. In addition, I find I need to buy more expensive versions of common foods so as to avoid specific ingredients (such as mayonnaise instead of "salad" dressing" -- latter contains modified food starch).

Otherwise, I am cooking from scratch almost all of the time, and that as we all know can be a big money-saver. And I continue to shop around for best prices on specific items (such as buying from the bulk bins at WinCo for millet and quinoa instead of from the packaged grain section), again a bargain way to get nearly identical ingredients for about half the cost. And finally, we are trying very hard to not waste food, freezing extras when we can and not serving any of us more than we're hungry for.

I will gladly forgo a vacation this summer if it means I can feel healthy again. Some things in life are optional, like vacations, new cars, designer clothing. But others, such as good health, are not. Like Alice said in the comments last week, (to paraphrase) good health is what makes the rest of life go smoothly.