Being made housekeeper, and seeing her master and mistress commit to her with an entire confidence the government of their family and management of all their affairs, she was most scrupulously careful in point of economy, remembering that she was to give to God an account of the least farthing of what was intrusted as a depositum in her hands; and, though head-servant, she never allowed herself the least privilege or exemption in her work on that account.

From: St. Zita

We are not all housekeepers to a privileged family, as St. Zita was, but we can still learn much from her approach to household management! St. Zita very much saw her position in life as working for God, as much as working for her employers. Similarly for us, whatever we are called to do, in the home or outside, we are doing it “as unto the Lord”, and that should influence all that we do.

Saint Zita was most scrupulously careful as regards economy ~ and there is much to emulate in her frugality. I have been pondering ways of making the most of my resources this last week, in a discussion with others. One of the tools I have to help me is a fabulous book which was sent to me by a friend, called 101 Things for the Housewife to Do, 1949 which is fascinating! It is full of handy helpful tips, such as how to mend and darn clothes, to home decorating on a budget to making a window seat with a curtained storage area for your bay window! Reading through, one realises just how much more resourceful women were back then, when it was impossible to just go out and buy something new.

We can also eat more cheaply, whether that’s by growing our own vegetables, or making from scratch instead of buying ready made. It is a good idea to make the best use of leftovers too, as Hugh F-W did on River Cottage last week. Some of the other tips I discussed with friends were:

• Using washable dishcloths instead of disposable j-cloths and kitchen roll
• Using washable cloths to clean baby’s bum instead of nappy wipes
• Old tea towels can become dusters/shoe cleaning cloths
• Mince and other meat can be bulked out with cheaper lentils
• Kitchen foil can be re-used 2, 3, 4 times!
• Use tubs with lids to store leftovers, rather than wrapping in clingwrap
• Odd bits of paper, or faulty print outs can be cut into small squares, threaded on string, and hung in the kitchen to write shopping lists on
• Cut the bottom of the toothpaste tube and get another few uses out of it
• Shop for reduced food at the end of the day, and freeze it ~ it will last beyond the sell by date!
• Make liquid soap out of all the little leftover soap ends: Grate all your odd ends of soap into a pan, add the same volume of boiling water, stir until melted and then boil for 5 minutes to sterilise. Add some drops of essential oil ~ lavender and tea tree are good for their anti-bacterial properties as well as scent ~ and decant into a pump dispenser
• Use old-fashioned LifeBouy carbolic soap to clean the grime off shirt collars
• Make your own washing powder:
  1 Cup  Cheap Grated White Soap
  1/2 Cup Washing Soda
  1/2 Cup Borax
  For light load, use 1 tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 tablespoons.
• Turn worn out collars on shirts by unpicking and turning the other way round
• Always re-use any plastic bags you have
• And lots of other tips!

We may not be living on rations, as was the case when the book I mentioned was written, but we can still have a rationing mentality, and be good stewards of the resources we have. This can also be extended to how we take care of our possessions. Do we look after them, expecting them to last a lifetime, or are we careless, knowing that we live in a “throw it away and but a new one” society. I was struck reading a book about the life of a Novice Sister recently, at the reverence with which objects were treated. because they had taken a vow of poverty, things were only replaced when something was worn out beyond repair…and on the way it was used and re-used for other purposes. Many years ago, Nuns used to make little thumb guards for holding the page in their prayer books, to safeguard the book from greasy marks and thumb prints.

So, here’s to living an economical and ecological life, which is more natural and more healthy! Here are some Frugal Tips, and some WWII Recipes for you to try!