Sometimes we wonder if this frugal lifestyle of homesteading has been worth all the hard work. It isn't easy and it isn't typical. However, the fruits of our labor may not always be measured in income vs. expense, but in lessons learned as we watch our own children coming into adulthood.
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Yesterday I had the joy of combining a business trip (an hour and a half away to pick up supplies which took all of 8 whole minutes) with a 'Girls Day Out' with our adult daughters. These are the two women in my life that I love to spend time with the most!
We sat at Olive Garden and had a nice, calm lunch. We talked of ideas, crafts, and plans and of course, boys. That was a treat! They voluntarily, as they usually do, ordered water and split a meal. The whole thing cost less than $20.00 for the three of us.
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We then window shopped all the way home. We stopped at Pier One, Michaels, Target and more....just looking, oooing and aaahhing and loving being together. We went in all the shops that Daddy and brother would have said - "Uh, what? No WAY!" to... and browsed, dreamed and giggled (when I dropped little smelly bouncy balls all over the floor and had to scramble to pick them up).
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I watched them from afar, pointing and calling each other over, often taking pictures of things they wanted to have in their own homes some day (special plates, lamps, art work), cataloging what they 'liked' so they could find it at a yard sale or someplace used. They looked at items from all angles to see how they could make it themselves. They conversed as the best of friends with each other and with me, Mom......not just mother, but friend.. .
Seeing how they choose to live and think as adults fills me with great respect for both of them. It gives me pause to realize that being frugal has not deprived them of anything, but in fact has empowered them to not feel the need to ‘fit’ into the status quo of consumerism and frivolous spending, just to find security in who they are. These two newly adult women are showing signs of lessons learned and better yet, lessons enjoyed and embraced!
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Donna Miller is an author, teacher and work-from-home wife and mother with three home-school graduates. The Millers own and operate
Millers Grain House which offers Organic and Chemical-free Whole Grains, Bosch Mixers, the NutriMill, instructional tutorials, recipes and more.
