CLOTHING
“Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” ...Matthew 6:25b
Most American adults could go three years without buying any more clothing. Consider taking a look at your closet and your clothing budget, for the sake of the environment as well as increased opportunities to share - from your closet as well as your pocketbook.

REDUCE 

• Buy quality. Quality lasts.

• Avoid trends; buy something you will want to last.

• If you work at home, wear clothes until they need to be washed. Shake the American idea that a different set is necessary every day. Cuts down on the number of sets needed!

• Sort sensibly. Give away things that don’t fit your shape, your storage space, or your personal style.  Aim for coordinated wardrobe. Look good in primary colors? Weed out the pastels! (or vice versa).

• School? Kids’ trends can be expensive and discriminating—in a negative way. Is it getting out of hand in your area? Consider campaigning for school uniforms.

REUSE

• Clothing closet. Pella is supposed to have the most millionaires per capita of any town in Iowa. When my mother’s friend retired there, no one thought a clothing bank was necessary. She started one anyway. More than ten years later, it has proven its worth: to residents from a half-way house for ex-prisoners, migrant workers, single mothers, suddenly unemployed, people on a limited income. If your community does not have such a thing, consider starting one, even if it is only open three hours a week.

• Children’s clothes. These are always sought for, but in short supply at clothing banks & thrift shops. Consider donating them outright instead of saving them for the next garage sale.

• Thrift store first. A friend always checks the thrift store first. Selection includes colors not currently “in fashion,” but ones that look good on her. Purchases support a worthy cause.

REPAIR

• Mend. A few stitches on the inside can save a favorite sweater. A strategic tuck can hide that stain or tear in a favorite skirt. Iron-on patches work wonders—and can even be decorative.

• Cover-up. Decorative trim covered a problem along my daughter’s neckline. Matching colored fabric extended the hemline. Embroidery (purchased decal or hand-sewn) disguised a hole in her red skirt and my shirt. Fabric paint or artfully cut iron-on patches can sometimes be used, too. 

• Color. Not just with fabric paint, but change the color of the entire garment. Or tie-dye. Transformed a stained pink coat into a work of art, rescued three long-sleeved t’s and two short-sleeved ones. Is kinda fun, too.

RECYCLE

• Cut-offs. Pants with the knees out turn into shorts. Long-sleeves shirts turn short-sleeved.

• Work/play clothes. Too nasty to wear to town is not too nasty to garden or football in.

• Lonely sock club. A basket by our laundry area holds lonely socks. If they never find mates, they become: hand puppets, doll clothes, cat toys, rag rugs, dust cloths (with faces drawn on in permanent marker, just for fun).

• Rag bag. Rags for grease in the garage. Rags for spills on the floor. Rags for the cat’s bed. Rags for kids’ crazy projects. Rags for the weaver down the road.

While most of us “Westerners” feel we cannot afford the time to do anything but heat up packaged food, there is a simple satisfaction in preparing and cooking from ingredients rather than cans and boxes. Here are three simple ways to do some preparing and preserving of your own.

PARSLEY is one of my favorite herbs. Fresh parsley livens up the look and taste of many soups, sauces, and casseroles. I periodically buy a fresh bunch, wash it, and either chop it up before putting it in a bag in the freezer compartment or simply stick the bunch in whole. Nearly-fresh parsley is ready to add to anything any time.

DRIED CELERY LEAVES: My mother always had this on hand for soups, stews, and any other dish which benefits from a quick celery flavor. She (and I) simply cut off the leaves from celery stalks purchased anyway, wash, and lay in a paper-towel lined colander or seive to dry. In damp climates, I put the seive in the turned-off oven after something else has backed. Store the dried leaves in a small jar & crumble your free herb into any dish desired.

AUNT HELEN’S REFRIGERATOR PICKLES:

Pickles? Yes. They took a total of 20 minutes for me to prepare, and the entire family has been enjoying them since.

Combine:

• 9 c. unpeeled cucumber, sliced

• 1 small onion, thinly sliced

Mix separately:

• 2 c. sugar (I cut this down to 1 1/3 c.)

• 2 Tbsp. Salt

• 1 Tbsp. celery salt, celery seed, or several crumbled dry celery leaves (see above)

• 1 c. vinegar

Combine both mixtures. Put in glass jars to store. Can be kept for several months in the refrigerator. Makes about 3 quarts.

SHARE: The joy of making food with your own hands. And you might bring a neighbor a jar of pickles, as well.

COOKING: Friends of friends live in an urban area and lead busy, professional lives. They share the evening meal with their neighbors. One night one cooks, the next night the next. It is not an involved social occasion - they eat together, then go home. But it does simplify their lives and save time, energy, and possibly food.

SIMPLE WEEKLY MEAL: When we were in graduate school, a group of us students got together once a week for an evening breakfast. The breakfast theme kept the meals simple and affordable. The weekly schedule gave singles a chance to enjoy companionship around the table.

FELLOWSHIP MEAL: In our current church, an older group of four singles and one couple (50-65) take turns hosting dinner about once a month. They do this simply for the fellowship. "It isn't pleasant to always eat alone," one of the organizers explained.

OPEN INVITATION: A friend of mine has an open invitation to eat with us once a month. This is doable for us and an enriching experience for all concerned.

MANAGING TIME AND MONEY
“The average American family today has eight-thousand five hundred dollars of credit card debt!” I was so shocked to read this in the March Guideposts that I read it again out loud.
One of my daughters responded, “If I had that much money, I would give it to people in the poor countries.” She has a heart for the .5 million who have less than $1 a day to spend--on anything. But she also doesn’t look at $8,500 of debt every month on a credit card statement. If you are among the unfortunate people who do, consider checking out Suze Orman’s advice on managing finances, p. 43-47, Guideposts, March 2004, also at www.guideposts.com.  It’s time to only serve one master!

Research by Dr. James Dobson indicates that time pressure and fatigue rank high as problems facing Christian households today. The following are tips from others for simplifying schedules and sharing time where it really matters.