I was privy to a discussion that a few others were having about a third party. An argument ensued based around whether or not this party should be considered as frugal or cheap. I'm not sure what the decision was because I left, not wanting to take part. However, I did think about the two terms being argued about. By definition the two are different.
Frugal is defined as "characterized by or reflecting economy in the use of resources: economical in use or expenditure; prudently saving or sparing; not wasteful: practising economy; living without waste; thrifty." Its etymology is interesting: " from Latin frugalis virtuous, frugal, from frug-, frux fruit; akin to Latin frui to enjoy." In short, the word has a positive connotation regarding the use of resources.
Cheap is defined as follows: "stingy; miserly: costing very little; relatively low in price; inexpensive: of little account; of small value; mean; shoddy: cheap; now usually suggests shoddiness, inferiority, showy imitation, complete unworthiness, and the like." The connotation is negative.
The problem, as I see it, is that there are only a few areas where you might get 100% agreement as to whether or not something was an example of frugality or cheapness. When trying to apply the terms to human actions, you run into real problems, because truly one person's frugality may be another person's cheapness.
Go ahead, look at any item in your home. Now ask yourself, how much is enough to spend to buy that item? Easy answer? Nope. First ask yourself the following questions. What will the item be used for? How long do you want that item to last for? How many people will be using that item? Will the use of that item be heavy or light? Is that item what you consider a true necessity or does it fall in the category of wants rather than needs? Do you have anything else that is similar in function to that item? Other questions to ask: Will I be able to afford any peripheral costs that come with owning that item? What is maintenance going to cost on that item?
Now look at part of the definition of frugal: not wasteful. How do the answers to your questions apply to this idea? Let's look at an item that quite a bit of discussion on an Orthonomics posting: a food processor for Pesach use. There will be two people cooking in your kitchen over the holiday and you both use the food processor for myriad kitchen cooking tasks. It is going to get heavy use over the course of the few days before the holiday and on chol hamoed. You estimate that you might use the processor about 60 times during that period. Repairing food processors isn't really done, so if it breaks you are in for buying another one.
Your store has three processors for sale. One is very cheap in price, one is fairly cheap and the other is fairly expensive. Which one do you buy? The cheap processor is not made to withstand a lot of heavy use. It might, with heavy use, last one Pesach season--it might last up to 3-4. The mid-priced processor is owned by people you know and they got about 8-10 years under ordinary use out of the processor. The most expensive of the three processors has a life span of 15-20 years with moderate to heavy use. So, which one do you buy? Some people would say that to be frugal you buy the least expensive of the processors and you worry about replacement when that becomes necessary. A different view says that to fulfill the "not wasteful" part of the definition you buy the expensive processor that will last at least 4 times as long as the cheapest model. They say that spending the extra money now saves you money down the road.
And if you plan on using the processor for maybe 3-4 items in total? A wholly different scenario, and frugality is going to be defined differently.
To return to my original statement, yes, there is a difference between frugal and cheap. But there are differing applications of frugal that will depend on a whole slew of factors. What is frugal for one person may seem to someone else to be overspending or underspending, and vice versa. Only you, the individual, can correctly gauge whether a purchase or expenditure is being frugal or being cheap for YOU.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
A Wholly Different Side of Brooklyn
G6 gritted her teeth and made a shopping trip into Brooklyn. I, for one, avoid it whenever possible. And yet.......how come nothing like the action in the clip below ever happens at Shoprite or King Kullen? And that it happened in Brooklyn? And at Pomegranate? Amazing! Don't know what I'm all excited about? Click on the link below and grab a few moments of enjoyment. http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=3fXIMUyrw7s&vq=medium
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
On Green [the environment and $$$] and Cleaning
I had the following discussion with a couple of friends and decided to see what you, my readers, have to say on the subject. The conversation centered around cleaning--what else this time of year--and "being green." In particular we were discussing the use of paper towels in cleaning versus using shmattes (rags). Read any of the green blogs or sites and you'll see that using paper towels gets a no-no--too many trees wasted. However, our discussion pointed out some things the green blogs don't mention when they come out against paper towels.
In discussing cleaning we were talking about the heavy duty kind that goes by the name of Spring cleaning. Items that may not be touched the rest of the year get cleaned at least this one time during the year. This is not light dusting nor is it, for many, lick and a promise cleaning. A lot of the cleaning that is tackled is greasy, grimy dirt. The point was made that those shmattes used for some of this work need to be washed thoroughly or they can't go back to work--bleach, detergent and softener and yes, hot water or the gucky stuff doesn't come off the rags.
If you are tackling this type of cleaning you would need a really large supply of the shmattes. Either you go looking for old towels and undershirts that you are going to replace (and that costs money) or you are buying some (and that costs money too). If you don't have that large supply then you are going to be doing way more loads of wash so that the shmattes can be used again (and that also costs money).
So, what is the cost to the environment for doing loads (yes, loads in the plural) of wash for the rags versus the cost to the environment for using paper towels? Even if you are using "green" cleaning products, once they are in the water of the washing machine they are going down the drain literally and that cleanser laden water is eventually going to find an outlet, either in the earth or into a waterway.
Is the "cost" of using paper towels really so much higher for the environment than what washing those shmattes might be doing? When those shmattes get frayed and stained they are going to be tossed out. What is the disintegration time in landfills for heavy cloth as compared to thin paper towels? And then there was the non-green cost that came up. Figure the price of having to wash those cloths and dry them--detergents, hot water and heating up the dryer. Now look at that cost against the number of paper towels that might be used if you use them instead of shmattes.
I use a combination of paper towels and shmattes, depending on what has to be cleaned. It is both literally and figuratively a wash as to the cost as far as I can see. Given what I can figure out, both choices can have negative impact on the environment and/or the budget. Here's the thing though--things have to be cleaned and you are going to have to use something to do that cleaning with. This doesn't seem to be a case where you can say "use neither."
Note: I'm aware that some people use sponges to do some of this cleaning with--I also use them when called for. Sponges also come with plusses and minuses. You need to rinse them frequently, thus sending detergent and grime laden water into the sewer, and most of our sponges are made of cellulose--not so easily bio-degradable when they are thrown out. They are also not the best tools for certain types of cleaning that require a larger size work tool to absorb what is being wiped up. You work for longer if you use a sponge than if you use a shmatte or a paper towel.
So, are you a shmatte or a paper towel cleaner and why your choice?
In discussing cleaning we were talking about the heavy duty kind that goes by the name of Spring cleaning. Items that may not be touched the rest of the year get cleaned at least this one time during the year. This is not light dusting nor is it, for many, lick and a promise cleaning. A lot of the cleaning that is tackled is greasy, grimy dirt. The point was made that those shmattes used for some of this work need to be washed thoroughly or they can't go back to work--bleach, detergent and softener and yes, hot water or the gucky stuff doesn't come off the rags.
If you are tackling this type of cleaning you would need a really large supply of the shmattes. Either you go looking for old towels and undershirts that you are going to replace (and that costs money) or you are buying some (and that costs money too). If you don't have that large supply then you are going to be doing way more loads of wash so that the shmattes can be used again (and that also costs money).
So, what is the cost to the environment for doing loads (yes, loads in the plural) of wash for the rags versus the cost to the environment for using paper towels? Even if you are using "green" cleaning products, once they are in the water of the washing machine they are going down the drain literally and that cleanser laden water is eventually going to find an outlet, either in the earth or into a waterway.
Is the "cost" of using paper towels really so much higher for the environment than what washing those shmattes might be doing? When those shmattes get frayed and stained they are going to be tossed out. What is the disintegration time in landfills for heavy cloth as compared to thin paper towels? And then there was the non-green cost that came up. Figure the price of having to wash those cloths and dry them--detergents, hot water and heating up the dryer. Now look at that cost against the number of paper towels that might be used if you use them instead of shmattes.
I use a combination of paper towels and shmattes, depending on what has to be cleaned. It is both literally and figuratively a wash as to the cost as far as I can see. Given what I can figure out, both choices can have negative impact on the environment and/or the budget. Here's the thing though--things have to be cleaned and you are going to have to use something to do that cleaning with. This doesn't seem to be a case where you can say "use neither."
Note: I'm aware that some people use sponges to do some of this cleaning with--I also use them when called for. Sponges also come with plusses and minuses. You need to rinse them frequently, thus sending detergent and grime laden water into the sewer, and most of our sponges are made of cellulose--not so easily bio-degradable when they are thrown out. They are also not the best tools for certain types of cleaning that require a larger size work tool to absorb what is being wiped up. You work for longer if you use a sponge than if you use a shmatte or a paper towel.
So, are you a shmatte or a paper towel cleaner and why your choice?
Monday, March 28, 2011
Minhag, Mishagas and Making Pesach
A comment on a different posting about the craziness that goes on when making Pesach got me to thinking, hence this posting. If you think that there are a variety of different minhagim and personal customs and quirks that exist during the year, it's nothing in comparison to Pesach.
Here's my take: each to their own. You think I'm nuts with some of the things I do? Fine, you don't have to do what I do, but be so kind as to not make remarks that I'm out of step with how things "should" be done, that I've gone overboard. That "should" is how YOU hold, and I'm not a'chiv to hold your way any more than you are a'chiv to hold my way.
There is a wide divide in some areas between Ashkenazim and Sefardim when it comes to Pesach. And even that is too general a statement. There are all kinds of differing customs among the Sefardim, depending on country/place of origin, and the same goes for the Ashkenazim. And you have the chasidishe/non-chasidishe differences. But even the chasidim don't all hold the same customs, and neither do all non-chasidishe Ashkenazim.
I grew up with a saying in our family that I've also heard from many others: "Mir mischen nisht auf Pesach"--we don't "mix" with others for Pesach. There are plenty of people whose homes I have not one kashrut concern about during the year, but when it comes to Pesach I don't eat, or don't eat most things, in their homes. We have different minhagim that we hold and that's just fine. No one I know has ever gotten insulted if an invitation is not accepted or accepted with a caveat over Pesach. One of our friends is an old-time Breuer's Yekke, raised in Washington Heights. His family eats only those products approved by KAJ, hence his family basically only eats in their own home for Pesach. So?
And when it comes to how a house will get cleaned for Pesach and what will get cleaned, well each balabosta has her own customs and quirks. Indubitably some of what gets done in the name of making Pesach is really more about spring cleaning. So be it. And if what some call making Pesach begins in January, well so be it. And if for some people waiting until the week before Pesach begins is when they first want to think about Pesach, well so be it.
Any tips I offer on the blog regarding Pesach are not "Torah mi'Sinai." What they are are observations born of my personal experience in making Pesach both in my own home and helping my mother when I was young and unmarried. If something works for you, fine. If it doesn't appeal to you or look like it's going to help you, fine.
Personally, I think all the varying customs, both group and individual, are interesting. To me many of them speak of family life and lore being recreated many generations down the road since those customs sprung up. Telling me that I don't have to do something just because my great grandmother did it misses the point entirely. Isn't it wonderful that I actually know what my great grandmother did and that I can connect to her through doing the same thing. No, I don't live in the same world that my great grandmother did, and some things I am quite thankful have changed. I don't wash my clothes in a stream using a washboard. Given what I know of my great grandmother she would have welcomed with open arms the new innovations that have freed us of truly back breaking labor. I don't make my own potato starch just because Babi did, and I'd be willing to bet that she would be quite thankful that I, her descendant, don't have to undertake that labor. But given that this great grandmother was what we might call a "clean freak," and given that her granddaughters were just like her and that her great granddaughters seem to be keeping that tradition, I think she'd like that just fine.
You'll have to excuse me now--my kitchen ceiling needs washing
Here's my take: each to their own. You think I'm nuts with some of the things I do? Fine, you don't have to do what I do, but be so kind as to not make remarks that I'm out of step with how things "should" be done, that I've gone overboard. That "should" is how YOU hold, and I'm not a'chiv to hold your way any more than you are a'chiv to hold my way.
There is a wide divide in some areas between Ashkenazim and Sefardim when it comes to Pesach. And even that is too general a statement. There are all kinds of differing customs among the Sefardim, depending on country/place of origin, and the same goes for the Ashkenazim. And you have the chasidishe/non-chasidishe differences. But even the chasidim don't all hold the same customs, and neither do all non-chasidishe Ashkenazim.
I grew up with a saying in our family that I've also heard from many others: "Mir mischen nisht auf Pesach"--we don't "mix" with others for Pesach. There are plenty of people whose homes I have not one kashrut concern about during the year, but when it comes to Pesach I don't eat, or don't eat most things, in their homes. We have different minhagim that we hold and that's just fine. No one I know has ever gotten insulted if an invitation is not accepted or accepted with a caveat over Pesach. One of our friends is an old-time Breuer's Yekke, raised in Washington Heights. His family eats only those products approved by KAJ, hence his family basically only eats in their own home for Pesach. So?
And when it comes to how a house will get cleaned for Pesach and what will get cleaned, well each balabosta has her own customs and quirks. Indubitably some of what gets done in the name of making Pesach is really more about spring cleaning. So be it. And if what some call making Pesach begins in January, well so be it. And if for some people waiting until the week before Pesach begins is when they first want to think about Pesach, well so be it.
Any tips I offer on the blog regarding Pesach are not "Torah mi'Sinai." What they are are observations born of my personal experience in making Pesach both in my own home and helping my mother when I was young and unmarried. If something works for you, fine. If it doesn't appeal to you or look like it's going to help you, fine.
Personally, I think all the varying customs, both group and individual, are interesting. To me many of them speak of family life and lore being recreated many generations down the road since those customs sprung up. Telling me that I don't have to do something just because my great grandmother did it misses the point entirely. Isn't it wonderful that I actually know what my great grandmother did and that I can connect to her through doing the same thing. No, I don't live in the same world that my great grandmother did, and some things I am quite thankful have changed. I don't wash my clothes in a stream using a washboard. Given what I know of my great grandmother she would have welcomed with open arms the new innovations that have freed us of truly back breaking labor. I don't make my own potato starch just because Babi did, and I'd be willing to bet that she would be quite thankful that I, her descendant, don't have to undertake that labor. But given that this great grandmother was what we might call a "clean freak," and given that her granddaughters were just like her and that her great granddaughters seem to be keeping that tradition, I think she'd like that just fine.
You'll have to excuse me now--my kitchen ceiling needs washing
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Tidbits from the Past
Some happenings from history that took place the week of March 27-April 2. For events of a Jewish nature, please go to http://thisdayinjewishhistory.blogspot.com/ 27 The biggest earthquake ever recorded strikes Anchorage, Alaska. It measured 8.3 on the Richter scale. (1964) 28 Nathaniel Briggs patents the washing machine. (1797) 28 The city of Madrid falls to the forces of Francisco Franco, ending the Spanish Civil War. (1939) 28 Three Mile Island nuclear power plant accident occurs in Middletown, Pa. (1979) 29 Ice jams stop the flow of water over Niagara Falls. (1848) 29 Coca Cola is invented. (1886) 30 The 15th amendment goes into effect, giving black men the right to vote. (1870) 30 Jeopardy debuts on television. (1964) 31 The Eiffel Tower opens in Paris, France (1889) 1 Oliver Pollack invents the dollar sign $ (1778) 1 Dexter Mason Ferry and partners found Gardener, Ferry & Church Seed Company, now called Ferry-Morse, the oldest seed company in America (1856) 1 Daytime soap opera General Hospital first airs on ABC (1963) 2 Congress passes the Coinage Act and the U.S. Mint is born. (1792) Note to Readers: The earliest washing "machine" referred to above was the scrub board invented in 1797. American James King patented the first washing machine to use a drum in 1851. the drum made King's machine resemble a modern machine, however it was still hand powered. In 1858 Hamilton Smith patented the rotary washing machine. In 1874, William Blackstone of Indiana built a birthday present for his wife. It was a machine which removed and washed away dirt from clothes. The Thor was the first electric-powered washing machine. Introduced in 1908 by the Hurley Machine Company of Chicago, Illinois, the Thor washing machine was invented by Alva J. Fisher [Kind of figures that a woman would invent something like this]. The Thor was a drum type washng machine with a galvanized tub and an electric motor. A patent was issued on August 9th 1910.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
A Spring in my Step... Not
Lest any New Yorkers may have forgotten, the Spring Equinox was on March 20. That's right--
Spring has officially started. Gardening services all over SI were out in full force yesterday fertilizing lawns and preparing for the green explosion that marks Spring in our borough.
Apparently Mother Nature has taken exception to the idea that Spring is supposed to be visiting us. Nothing like waking up to a blanket of white: not on the beds--on the lawn. As I stare at the trees in the woods they are an unbroken picture of ghostly branches clad in white. Where crocuses were gaily pushing up their heads yesterday, today there is no reminder that green is the color that nature favors.
Back to finding where in the back of the closet I tossed my boots in celebration of winter's end. Was it truly only last Friday that the temperature was 71 and all the windows in the house were open wide to bring in a breath of fresh air?
I look for something to blame for today's weather and I find it handily. My brother from California flew in last night for a short visit. Clearly Mother Nature decided to give him a taste of what he doesn't get where he lives. But why oh why do I have to taste along with him?!
I'd snuggle up back under the covers and hope that when I awaken once again I'll discover this was all a bad dream, but I've lived in New York too long to truly believe in that fantasy. Instead it's time for a steaming hot cup of coffee while esconced in fuzzy slippers and a snuggly robe. Then it's time to go and put out food into the bird feedeers yet again. Our feathered friends are doomed to disappointment if they think that they are getting nature's fresh bounty today.
Have a safe day today, and just keep reminding yourself that this weather can't last for ever--I hope.
Spring has officially started. Gardening services all over SI were out in full force yesterday fertilizing lawns and preparing for the green explosion that marks Spring in our borough.
Apparently Mother Nature has taken exception to the idea that Spring is supposed to be visiting us. Nothing like waking up to a blanket of white: not on the beds--on the lawn. As I stare at the trees in the woods they are an unbroken picture of ghostly branches clad in white. Where crocuses were gaily pushing up their heads yesterday, today there is no reminder that green is the color that nature favors.
Back to finding where in the back of the closet I tossed my boots in celebration of winter's end. Was it truly only last Friday that the temperature was 71 and all the windows in the house were open wide to bring in a breath of fresh air?
I look for something to blame for today's weather and I find it handily. My brother from California flew in last night for a short visit. Clearly Mother Nature decided to give him a taste of what he doesn't get where he lives. But why oh why do I have to taste along with him?!
I'd snuggle up back under the covers and hope that when I awaken once again I'll discover this was all a bad dream, but I've lived in New York too long to truly believe in that fantasy. Instead it's time for a steaming hot cup of coffee while esconced in fuzzy slippers and a snuggly robe. Then it's time to go and put out food into the bird feedeers yet again. Our feathered friends are doomed to disappointment if they think that they are getting nature's fresh bounty today.
Have a safe day today, and just keep reminding yourself that this weather can't last for ever--I hope.
P is Also for Polishing
The majority of Jewish homes have within them at least a few items made from silver--lachter, bechers, Chanukah menorahs among those. Along with the beauty of the items comes another dreaded P word--polishing. Following are some ideas about cleaning and storing those silver items. Storing: Silver exposed to outside air tarnishes faster than silver in an air-tight cabinet (and if the air is humid it will increase the rate of tarnishing--one reason why silver seems to tarnish quicker in New York's steamy summers.). It's one reason why lachters that may sit on display in the open air tarnish much faster than pieces displayed in a closed cabinet. In addition, articles that are used with candles--lachters and menorahs--get added tarnish coatings from the particles from the flames that waft up and then settle back down on the silver. Obviously then one solution is to keep all silver inside of an air-tight cabinet. This does not mean that the silver will never get tarnished but it will extend the period between needed cleanings. In addition, there are anti-tarnish strips which can be placed inside these cabinets, adding extra protection against tarnishing. I use those strips with my own silver and they work as promised--they extend the time between cleanings by reducing tarnish buildup. If your lachter won't fit inside a cabinet you still have an option for closed storage. Any of the furniture or decorator places that make plastic seat covers for dining room chairs can also make up for you a zippered large rectangular "box" of that heavy plastic material in which you can place the lachter during the week. Not a "pretty" wrapping but a very effective one. A tip given to me long ago by someone who owned a silver store is to make absolutely sure that any silver that is being placed back in the cabinet is 100% dry. When you wash those bechers and lachters after Shabbos take the time to dry them thoroughly. Wet or damp silver attracts tarnish at a faster rate than dry silver does, in addition to having water spots. Should you happen to see that one of the pieces in your cabinet is obviously starting to tarnish, take it out and polish it. Once one piece has that obvious tarnish it will be a "good neighbor" and start spreading that tarnish throughout the cabinet. Now, about those products used to clean silver. There are any number of these products on the market--creams, pastes, dips, sprays, gloves etc.--but they don't all work in the same way. Silver experts recommend using only a cream or paste cleaner. Jeffrey Herman, a silver restoration and conservation specialist, has an excellent article as to why those silver dips should NOT be used. They are not only not good for the silver but they have some truly horrific possible health affects as well. See the article at http://www.antiquetrader.com/article/60-second_silver_silver_dips_are_dangerous/ There are other experts that put those misty spray cleaners into the same category as the dips--unsafe for humans. Note, however, that some of those pastes and creams also contain ingredients that can be bad for you. Most recommend that you use rubber gloves when using the product. Ironic really, since rubber and latex can promote tarnish. Nonetheless, better to use the gloves than not to. Also note that the Environmental Protection Agency lists silver cleaner, dips in particular, as Hazardous Household Waste and discourages throwing it out with the regular trash. Yes, silver is a part of our lives and yes, it is going to need to be cleaned. A bit of care in storage and handling will extend the time between cleanings. And some common sense when choosing cleaning products will make that cleaning process safer for humans and the environment. For where to get anti-tarnish strips see: http://www.silverguard.com/c-9-3m-anti-tarnish-strips.aspx http://www.silverguard.com/p-14-3m-anti-tarnish-strips.aspx
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)