I’ve never really thought about the concept of frugality and creativity being bedfellows until today, but it’s a thought that’s been banging on the door of my mind and today I let it in.

I often think about the gifts God has blessed people with, but rarely give thought to the gifts he’s given me. I find myself frequently feeling inadequate as I line myself up against people who are better educators or more organised, but God didn’t give us all, all the gifts, but we’re all good at something.

I’m going to have a shot at being honest, without bragging, I think I’m quite good at creative frugality. So what is it?

It’s the basic idea that the less you have to work with, the more creative you have to be.

This plays out in every part of my life and it’s so instinctive that I never realised it was a gift.

Let’s take cooking as an example. I love to be creative with the contents of the fridge. I take no delight in buying food for a specific recipe, but I find it immensely satisfying to take some slightly worn out vegetables, slowly caramelise them with potatoes and onions, add milk to near the top add some stock and cream and blend…mmm, everyone gobbles it up and I know it’s cost us pennies and is full of home cooked goodness. I love to add croutons on the side, using left over bread and then maybe add in some cheese scones (to make the most of the oven) as they only take up regular store cupboard/fridge ingredients.

I take no pleasure in buying anything I can make, but I am aware that time sometimes insists upon it. During pregnancy and early baby days I’ve bought more and created less, due to exhaustion, but that was the season and that was a compromise well worth making.

Now Timothy is walking and starting to sleep better I am finding windows of time where I am prioritising more home cooking. I’ve begun to realise that my creative outlet doesn’t need to begin when the children go to bed, but it is intertwined into every hour of my day.

Cooking can take up hours each day, but I can often delight in those hours, if I’m making use of leftovers and creating something from practically nothing. Muffins are one of my favourite ways to use left over fruit and they make a great breakfast. Sometimes I make them the night before if we have to rush out in the morning.

Outside of cooking I love sourcing clothes or furniture off Facebook marketplace. I’ve just bought a bundle of clothes for Timothy for £5, they would have cost nearer £80, if I’d bought them new.

I love making fancy dress costumes instead of buying them off the internet. My favourite memory about costumes was the day of a nativity play and our little ‘angel’ was running to the car and fell splat in the mud, her white costume now more suited to being a donkey. What was I to do, we had no time to dither? I sent up an arrow prayer, grabbed a white pillow case, folded it in half and cut a semi circle for the head, the same for arms and we were off, newly dressed white angel in tow! We may not have the costumes that all the other kids have, but we have unique outfits made with love (thankfully the children never seem to mind my creations 😉).

I even enjoy folding Terry square nappies, as opposed to disposables, it’s like origami for bottoms 😂.

Here are some of the other things I have done to add frugality and creativity into our lives: homemade pizza,

nuggets and burgers instead of their frozen counterparts, homemade cakes, especially celebration cakes.

I’ve made a few pieces of clothes, headscarves, a modest boy leg swimsuit (think Minnie Mouse colours with floaty sleeves) and a christening gown, I would love to make more, as time allows.

I love to repurpose old worn out clothes and sheets, turning them into dressing up costumes, dolls clothes or skirts. We also love to make presents and cards.

I’m really excited to be growing more of our own food and learning how to use and preserve it. I think this will keep me going for years, creating new ways to use it all and developing new skills in gardening, cooking and preserving.

I’m not a modern eco zealot, but before it became a ‘thing’ I was a person who wanted to live lightly. I want to leave a positive impact on this world, not a negative one. I know I have high ideals and it’s not always possible to achieve them, but it’s an aim and we won’t get anywhere if we don’t aim somewhere.

The thing that I most enjoy is creating under constraints. For example when we’ve forgotten someone’s birthday and I don’t have time to buy anything, or when we have unexpected guests and I need to multiply the meal. I just find it fun to think on my feet and come up with a plan.

I feel so blessed that I get to use the skills God’s given me everyday in my role as mum and homemaker. I’m not sure if my skills would be useful in many other settings, but I know that God created me for this job and gave me the skills to do it, if I lean on him.

What’s your thing, what do you love to do?

Sending blessings to you all, Vicki

11 thoughts on “Creativity and Frugality

  1. What fun ideas, Vicki! We are on a very tight budget and have created our own board games and card games based on store bought version, done lots of mending instead of buying new replacements, and have turned jeans into skirts for the girls. I’m not always the most creative person, but so thankful to God for these seasons to steward and truly appreciate what He had given us. Sending love from across the pond! Kayla

  2. I believe in frugality & never throwing food away .

    As a Messianic Christian Jew, I love to try & eat the way Jesus & the first Messianic Jewish Christians would have eaten when the first Messianic Jewish Christian Church/Temple/Synagogue was founded.

    Opinions vary & much has been written on the subject, which requires research & dedication, but through prayer the holy spirit can convict us of the right path to follow, & thus we can become a living testimony by the example we set to others.

    Dietary laws
    The observance of the kashrut dietary laws is a subject of continued debate among Messianic Jews. Some Messianic believers keep kosher purely for the purposes of evangelism to Jewish people. Most avoid pork and shellfish, but there is disagreement on more strict adherence to kosher dietary laws.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messianic_Judaism#:~:text=The%20observance%20of%20the%20kashrut,adherence%20to%20kosher%20dietary%20laws.

  3. For some reason my above comment appears to have been to wide for the page, & the right hand side of the comment has been cut off, therefore it doesn’t make sense unfortunately

  4. John 6:12 NIV
    When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.”

  5. (2nd try at getting the comment to appear in full without cutting of the right hand side of the page.
    If this works please delete my first comment VickI believe in frugality & never throwing food away .

    As a Messianic Christian Jew, I love to try & eat the way Jesus & the first Messianic Jewish Christians
    would have eaten when the first Messianic Jewish Christian Church/Temple/Synagogue was founded.

    Opinions vary & much has been written on the subject, which requires research & dedication, but
    through prayer the holy spirit can convict us of the right path to follow, & thus we can become
    a living testimony by the example we set to others.

    Dietary laws
    The observance of the kashrut dietary laws is a subject of continued debate among Messianic Jews.
    Some Messianic believers keep kosher purely for the purposes of evangelism to Jewish people.
    Most avoid pork and shellfish, but there is disagreement on more strict adherence to
    kosher dietary laws.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messianic_Judaism#:~:text=The%20observance%20of%20the%20kashrut,
    adherence%20to%20kosher%20dietary%20laws.

  6. Let your merciful ears, O Lord,
    be open to the prayers of your humble servants;
    and that they may obtain their petitions
    make them to ask such things as shall please you;
    through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
    who is alive and reigns with you,
    in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
    one God, now and for ever.
    Amen.

  7. Your idea of fun and my idea of fun are very different!! I’m so glad God made each of us to be different, with different gifts and passions, so we can complement each other.
    I resonated with your comment at the beginning about not realising your gifts because it’s what you do naturally – I have learnt a lot in the last year about my gifts – the things others see in me, but to me it’s just what I do naturally.
    I find it very stressful having to come up with fancy dress costumes for our boys, especially at the last minute! I’m not a creative cook at all – I very much follow a recipe.
    What do I love to do? I love to spend time with people, to make them feel welcome and ‘at home’, valued and listened to. I love organising get togethers and events. I love encouraging others.
    Since having children I have learnt to be more spontaneous but I still find it unsettling when I have a blank day in my diary with nothing planned.

  8. I think this is an awesome gift. Not only helpful for a mom of many but also fun and satisfying.
    The pizza looks delicious and Philipus Maximus as if he’d just jumped out of a theatre. It was a great read.
    I can relate to much of what you describe, from looking to others and their gifts and not really knowing my own, to be creative with what I have. But you really take it to another level. I’ve never sewn, my sewing machine waiting since 12 years for me to start. And so far I don’t enjoy unexpected visitors. That would stress me out.
    At times I’m good at making presents (I often pray for an idea for something this person really would enjoy). And I used to write quite personal and creative birthday cards and letters, but since having a bigger family I don’t have the peace I needed to do that anymore.
    But I’m good at remembering people’s special dates. Like not only birthdays or so, but if someone mentioned he’ll get test results at a certain day I’ll write it in my calendar and ask that day how it turned out and usually people will be surprised and grateful.
    I’m also very honest in sharing my own failures and struggles which most people are thankful for. And I’m not afraid to ask people (not only close friends) how they are after they lost someone or like after a miscarriage and it seems as if not so many people do that and the ones asked are glad to be able to share their thoughts and feelings.
    Maybe it’s all related to being very empathetic.
    I think these are good gifts but I often wish I was more organised and disciplined…

  9. Lord of heaven and earth,
    as Jesus taught his disciples to be persistent in prayer,
    give us patience and courage never to lose hope,
    but always to bring our prayers before you;
    through Jesus Christ our Lord.
    Amen.

  10. We often seem to be sold the lie that you are either a “creative” or you are not. But problem solving is certainly a form of creativity and the tighter or more seemingly impossible the constraints the more creativity is needed to find a solution. It’s a very different form of creativity to being able to sit down with a blank sheet of paper and come up with something from nothing but it is creativity nonetheless.

    • 1 Corinthians 12: V4-11 NIV

      4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.

      5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.

      6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

      7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

      8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,

      9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,

      10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.

      11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

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