Ongoing Challenge #2 Moey -- Don't Waste

This walks hand-in-hand with what Deb posted earlier. What she was talking about is a little more pro-active than what I am talking about. At this point in my household, I need to get control over the wastage of stuff -- food, materials, time, talents.

I have read many good books during the course of my married life, about this, but probably the stand-out resource, to me, is that well-known collection by Amy Dacyczyn, The Tightwad Gazette.

This is the book that taught me how to turn leftover bits of foody everything into muffins, casseroles, soups, quiches; how to make almost everything from almost anything; how not to be stuff-proud but money-poor; and most importantly, WHY I would want to!

The fact that the author had both a small income and a large family (six children,like Deb and me), makes her ideas both credible and attainable.

I'll let all the single ladies keep Oprah and Cheryl Mendelson, give me $15 worth of Amy any day.

Now, here is the small difficulty: the book (as a series of newsletters) was compiled in the 90's, in the USA, and so is both somewhat outdated and somewhat USA-biased in its ideas, materials available and advice. (That is one of the reasons I think Deb's input is so valuable as an Aussie.) So in our lives, I hope that we can continue to think of creative ways to use what we have, and not to waste.

I just love that challenge.