Mr. Peasant On The Low Hanging Fruit Of Frugality

Boy Scouts pick fruit for jam. Cambridgeshire, England 1944

Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

Frugality is a tough sell. Nobody wants it. They prefer to keep blowing money without a second thought on the matter until circumstances force the issue. The truth is that people want to do better, but they don't want to do better today. The needed change will not come a moment sooner than too late. Then, desperation takes over which leads to very poor decision making. With money, the desperation leads the desperate turn to the usurers who are quite happy to exploit this desperation. A better way is to turn to this handy guide that generates savings immediately.

When people think about frugality and saving money, they have visions of refinancing mortgages and loans, clipping coupons, and hiring some sort of financial advisor. If that financial advisor is worth a damn, he will share the tips in this post than I am giving to you for FREE. None of these tips are sophisticated but are just plain common sense. The problem is that they all involve some form of deprivation and doing without. Frugality is more about having fortitude than brains. Here is the low hanging fruit of frugality.

1. Give up cigarettes.

Vices are expensive, and cigarettes are a very expensive vice. In my state, the average price for a pack of smokes is $8.50. Assuming you smoke a pack a day, that amounts to $255 per month. The price is even higher in other states. New York State is the most expensive at $14.55 per pack which amounts to $436.50 per month. People can argue and bicker over this "injustice," but assuming you are in the right, it is still going to cost you a lot of money. Many people could solve their money woes just by giving up this one vice. Just cutting back on the smokes will generate hefty savings. I won't get into the savings on healthcare expenses. That is in the realm of high hanging fruit.

A girl drinking wine and a boy smoking a cigar, 1893 Albert Roosenboom

2. Give up booze.

After tobacco, alcohol is the next most expensive vice for many people. On a unit price, a can of Budweiser beer will cost a little over a dollar in my state. Wine and spirits are obviously more expensive than beer. The real expense is a drunk driving conviction and the need for a liver transplant, but that also gets into the high hanging fruit. On a single serving basis, one beer is not so expensive. But who drinks one beer? People like to get hammered, and this costs money. I don't know of anyone who gave up the booze who was not better off for it.

3. Give up gambling.

A single ticket for the lotto is not so bad, but many people are addicted to those scratch off lottery tickets. You don't need to go to Vegas or Atlantic City to become a gambling addict. Your local convenience store is now a casino. I have heard of people blowing their entire paychecks on these scratch off tickets.

4. Give up Starbucks.

I don't consider coffee to be a vice, but Starbucks has made coffee cost as much as a vice with a single venti serving of java costing as much as a pack of smokes. There are people who drink Starbucks daily, so their caffeine habit becomes as expensive as any nicotine habit. Fortunately, the answer is to get cheaper coffee at Dunkin', McDonald's, or the Waffle House. Brewing your own at home is even better. I would recommend investing in a good travel mug or a Stanley thermos for taking hot coffee with you on the go. Personally, I think Starbucks is a scam. Anyone who goes there on a daily basis is an idiot.

Elderly couple eating at their home on Lamont Street N.W. Washington DC, 1942

5. Give up fast food, convenience store meals, and microwave meals.

Paying for food you didn't make yourself is a massive expense. You're paying someone to make it for you, but it isn't cheap. Buy your ingredients and make your own food even if it is just a sandwich. People will claim they don't have the time for this, but this is utter horse crap. It takes me less time to make my own sandwich than to watch someone else make it for me at Subway and then pay them for the convenience. Microwave meals are essentially fast food that you make at home.

6. Give up soda pop.

Soda pop is sugar water, but a can of the stuff will cost you a dollar now. You can probably save a bit more by getting a generic store brand in the 2 liter bottle. Mrs. Peasant does this with her once a week purchase of diet soda. She only buys one per week for a treat with her Chef Boyardee Pizza on Sunday.

At this point, the Gentle Reader is howling in indignation and despair because Mr. Peasant is removing all of the joy and pleasure from life. My defense is that I think you can have the same level of joy and pleasure but at a fraction of the price.

I don't drink soda pop except on the rarest of occasions. I prefer to drink tap water. I put a splash of cranberry juice or muscadine juice in it for health benefits, but I stick to water and coffee. I don't do booze or soda pop. I don't feel deprived at all, and there is something to be said for being properly hydrated.

7. Give up cable, satellite, and streaming subscriptions.

I don't expect people to give up entertainment, but I do expect people to stop paying so much for it. I cut the cord on cable a long time ago, and I stopped paying for Netflix when they were still delivering the DVDs by snail mail. I recommend watching over the air television on an antenna while you can still get it for free. I also recommend watching free streaming services like Tubi and Pluto and the free content on YouTube. I don't watch very much visual content, so my entertainment comes from reading used books and listening to the radio on my 20-year-old Sony Walkman. (Sports fans will be happy to know that they can cancel the football package and listen to all their favorite games on the radio for FREE.)

8. Adjust your thermostat.

This is a Mrs. Peasant tip. She sets the thermostat at 78 degrees in the summer, and 58 degrees in the winter. If this sounds extreme, this is where the electric company recommends you set your thermostat. You can set it higher or lower if you're not going to be home during the day because of your job and whatnot. I am used to the summer setting because I am a lizard and prefer to be acclimated to warm weather. In the winter, I break out my house hoodie that I wear exclusively around the home. It is almost 20 years old now and still does the job.

Couple in a Train Compartment, 1895. Ricardo López Cabrera

9. Give up expensive travel and entertainment.

There is a certain type of person who cannot enjoy life at home. They have to go out on the town each weekend and spend two weeks of vacation each year on an exotic cruise or relaxing at a resort. I don't know how anyone can relax if they are living paycheck to paycheck and can't make ends meet. When Mrs. Peasant needs to get out of the house, she goes to the thrift store or to the garden center. In the past, we have been to parks, libraries, museums, the zoo, and kitschy roadside attractions. They have all been fun and done on the cheap. Otherwise, our life is a staycation. Home is a sweet place to be.

10. Give up that flagship smartphone.

The Peasants use durable flip phones that last longer than the cellphone networks. These phones are not cheap but don't cost anything close to the $1000 plus flagship smartphones that people buy every two years. Sometimes, they drop the smartphone and break the screen. This is why they pay insurance on these things like you would with an automobile. This is crazy.

Charles of France, Duke of Berry. 1701- 1725. Nicolas de Largillière

11. Give up fashion.

I gave up fashion in high school and wear work clothes and boots until they disintegrate. Fashion by its nature is short term and expensive. The expectation is that you will change your entire wardrobe twice a year in spring and fall. I don't even change my wardrobe twice a decade. I recommend establishing a uniform for yourself like Steve Jobs did and wearing that gear for as long as it lasts. The interesting thing you will note is that no one is paying attention to what you are wearing. You have to wonder why you are dressing to impress people who don't care except for their own clothes that they are wearing.

Conclusion

As I said, frugality is a tough sell. These tips are falling on deaf ears, and I am OK with that. Just stop whining at how hard your life is and how you are up against it. The reality is that your lifestyle is a choice, and choices come with consequences. I find the consequences of frugality to be easier to bear than the consequences of being a spendthrift. If you are a spendthrift, do us a favor and suck on it as hard as you can. Your misery is free comedy and entertainment for the rest of us who know better. (Listen to The Ramsey Show for some of that free entertainment.)

I don't feel sorry for the grasshoppers in life. No one is up against it. The thing that the person earning $40K a year has in common with someone earning $240K a year is they both have no savings and live paycheck to paycheck. Where does it all go? Most of it goes to the things I just wrote about. I think the average person can save at least $1000 a month just with the low hanging fruit. That amounts to $12K per year.

The high hanging fruit of frugality involves living in a modest home and buying used vehicles while eschewing high price toys like a motorcycle or a boat. The irony is that many people could afford the payments on these large purchases just by going for the low hanging fruit of frugality. Personally, I recommend going for all of the fruit of frugality. The low hanging fruit is for those folks already in trouble and need to generate savings today. This is when they hear the repo man coming down the street to take back their stuff. But that is a topic for another post.

Thank you for reading!

Mrs. Peasant's Bookshelf: Clutter's Last Stand by Don Aslett

The New Novel, Winslow Homer. 1877

Butterfly in the sky, I can go twice as high.

Take a look, it's in a book, a Reading Rainbow!

I can go anywhere.

Friends to know,

and ways to grow.

A Reading Rainbow!

I can be anything.

Take a look,

it's in a book.

A Reading Rainbow.

-READING RAINBOW THEME

Today, I'm going to share why I have a book collection and why I think it's important. I also want to introduce you to the book I am reading and LOVING, Clutter's Last Stand by Don Aslett. There is one area in our home that I can't seem to declutter. This area is our book collection. I find the books to be both beautiful and useful. It is the one area besides the garden that I feel the joy of the abundance. Just like a garden, I am constantly devouring my books. My bookshelf is a stocked pantry for my mind. 

When I was a little girl, my father would drive us kids to the downtown library and let each of us pick out 5 books. I felt like I was in heaven. I spent hours on the carpeted floor flipping through beautiful picture books of Hummingbirds of North America and books on caring for rabbits and paper crafts. The library had a feeling of wonder and abundance. The shelves were organized and I would quietly escape reading a book in a corner of the library where you wouldn't see another soul for hours. But I digress. . . My favorite books were the non-fiction and reference books. Some of the reference books were so treasured, you couldn't even check them out! 

Shelves of Central Library, IITD, 2024

My parents, my brother, and my husband were all English majors. My father was an encyclopedia salesman. I come from book people. It is in my blood. I even love the smell of old books. Over the years, I have created my own library on topics that relate to my weird interests. These topics include 80's Christmas Books, health/food as medicine books, gardening, frugality, spiritual Catholic reads, fairy tales, Peanuts paperbacks, and home repair. I have found most of these books used for under a dollar. My reference library is my analog Internet. I can't tell you how many times I've solved a problem or found the answer by pulling a book from my bookshelf. It's a great feeling to not be tied to the online world. 

When I read my books, I don't usually read them all the way through. It is rather boring to read a cookbook or a gardening encyclopedia from cover to cover. I skip all around when I read my books. Sometimes, I'll just look at the pictures. Other times, I will read a chapter that interests me like tomatoes, soil making, or ground covers. Sometimes, I just like to take bites and eat them slowly. For example, I like to read the intros to my Southern Living Christmas Books from the 1980s just to smile. I nibble through my books like a book mouse. Or, I search for an answer like a detective mouse. Eventually, I read through my books over and over again. My books are like old friends that I visit with over tea many times a year.

I am currently reading Clutter's Last Stand by Don Aslett from 1984. The book is 275 pages of every type of clutter and bad thinking that keeps us stuck. It is the most comprehensive clutter book I've read. And trust me, I've read lots of them. One of my favorite things about the book are the awesome 1980's illustrations. I love the expressions and the silliness of the illustrations that leave the reader never missing photographs. It is filled with tough honesty and humor which I love. It really dives into the psychology of clutter. I am enjoying it! It has wording which is gloriously dated but so true like this passage:

"Junkees are afflicted with the endless urge to have more. Enough is never enough. The have-notters want some, the have-enoughers want more, even the have-too-muchers want more. Ever wonder why most frauds, schemes, cons, embezzlements, etc., aren't committed by the have-nothing desperate but by the nice well-to-do citizen? People with plenty, position, and more things than they can already use are often the people who defraud to get more. Jails are filled with people who never could get enough."

I hope you never feel guilty over your active personal library. I also encourage everyone to enjoy their books more. When we enjoy and read our books, they become a treasure instead of a dusty hoard. Make the time and read your books. Thank you for reading and God bless you! 

"Dig". Poster by Sadie Wendell Mitchell. Part of the artist's
 "Girls Will Be Girls" poster series. New York, 1909.

Mr. Peasant On The Good Old Days

Gibson family in living room of house he (conveyor belt operator) built. Chattanooga, TN,1974 

A conservative is a libertarian who has been mugged.

JOHN STOSSEL

I have been watching John Stossel since the 1980s. I have always liked him especially when I was a libertarian. I am not a libertarian now. I got mugged by reality. I am now a born again conservative. I drifted from conservatism at the same time I drifted away from religion. I came back to religion as a Roman Catholic convert, and I came back to conservatism as a paleoconservative which could be described as a "reality based libertarian." I lost things in my apostasy, but those things were replaced with better things in my repentance.

The problem with libertarians is that they pay no attention to the social and cultural side of the ledger. For them, it is all about free markets even if it leads to things like fentanyl and child pornography. A libertarian can be described as a common sense free conservative. That lack of common sense is what makes folks like me appreciate John Stossel's viewpoints while feeling that he is overlooking colossal things in the process. This is especially true in this Stossel video:

Bigger Homes, Better Cars, Longer Lives: The Truth About Today

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KJTWmRrneo

Ecconomists set up models that seem like pure genius in their analysis, yet they smell like so much bullshit. In the case of this video, Stossel makes the claim that we have better lives today because we have bigger and better stuff even if we can't afford that stuff. He makes the claim that we couldn't afford the stuff we had in the eighties or before that. The good old days were not so good. Our dissatisfaction has kept pace with our "prosperity."

I debated where I should publish this post as I like to keep economic and political topics to my personal blog while keeping my posts about voluntary poverty and intentional living for this blog. Ultimately, this is a Peasants post because it addresses the dissatisfaction so many people feel in our prosperous economy.

Here are some recent headlines I pulled from DDG:

I’m 53, Make $500,000 a Year and Live Paycheck to Paycheck. I Want to Retire At 65, But We Only Have $200,000 Saved.

Earn more, save less? How lifestyle creep is quietly destroying your wealth; experts on how to break free

Living Paycheck to Paycheck? You're Not Alone—67% of People Are in 2025

8 Ways To Escape Living Paycheck-to-Paycheck — Without Sacrificing Your Lifestyle

I make $55,000 — but after rent, student loans and a bit of savings, I'm stuck living paycheck to paycheck

I'm a single boomer living paycheck to paycheck. I've been too busy living in the moment to plan for retirement.

27-year-old first-grade teacher lived paycheck to paycheck due to impulsive spending: ‘It became so stressful’

11 Signs You’re Actually Upper Middle Class Even If You Feel Like You’re Struggling All The Time

Those headlines tell the story. The reason people struggle today can be blamed on monetary inflation, out of control government spending, student loan debt, and crazy medical bills. What doesn't get blamed is the lifestyle inflation these people have embraced with each increase of the paycheck and swipe of the credit card. They buy new cars instead of used cars. They eat out instead of eating at home. They pay for Starbucks instead of Maxwell House. They pay for streaming subscriptions they don't have time to actually watch. They buy toys on credit. They upgrade to bigger and bigger McMansions and take out home equity loans to upgrade them even further.

Maxwell House Coffee ad, 1950

What makes all inflation happen is the expansion of credit which comes from the expansion of the money supply. Today, credit card debt stands at $1 trillion. When money is cheap, everything becomes more expensive.

I agree with Stossel that the good old days really weren't so good. When I was a kid in the 1980s, I saw the same lifestyle inflation and living paycheck to paycheck I see today. I knew kids in high school who drove brand new Mustangs and Camaros that they bought with co-signed loans from their parents. Things have always been ridiculous, and I think they will remain this way.

We remember the good old days because of the intangible and immaterial factors that Stossel and his Cato Institute economist do not address in their analysis. The USA is spiritually and culturally bankrupt. We can argue that the movies are better today because of better special effects, but no one wants to watch them because the stories and acting are so awful. The same can be said for the music that is now sonically flawless and utterly unlistenable. Libertarians cannot address this issue at all. The only people who can do this are conservatives.

Gaining the world can never compensate for the loss of our souls. What causes dissatisfaction comes down to happiness. Material prosperity should make us happy. It doesn't. Only the few figure this out.

I figured this out when I was a teenager in the 1980s. I don't know why I got it when others didn't. Clearly, reading the Bible put this into my head. The effect of it was to make me eschew lifestyle inflation which I have done to the present day. I don't care to buy or own much because I know those things don't make you happy.

Sunlight and Shadow. Winslow Homer 1873

As a thought experiment, I like to compare my present life at 50+ to my life at 15. When I was 15, my relaxing activities were reading books, listening to music on the radio or cassette deck, and watching movies and TV shows on cable or videocassettes I got from the rental store. Today, I still read books, listen to music on the radio and the CD player, and watch movies and TV shows on the DVD player or on free streaming. The only fundamental difference between today and yesteryear was that we cancelled cable in favor of the internet. My pleasures remain fundamentally the same except they are more plentiful and cost less today than they did in 1985.

What I have not done is buy expensive toys, new cars, a bass boat, a beach house, and a whole bunch of things I have never cared to own. I have always lived a life that was materially superior to royalty from a century ago. What royalty had was status. I have never had status, and I have never cared about status. This is why people would rather be a king shivering in a castle than a blue collar guy with central heat and air.

There has never been a better time in history to be a nobody than in the USA today. The problem is that everybody wants to be a somebody. If they can't be a somebody, they will settle for more expensive pleasures as a consolation prize. When these things fail to satisfy, they double and triple down on the errors as they run up their credit cards and spend themselves into foreclosure and bankruptcy.

The solution to the problem of lifestyle inflation is to learn contentment. When you are content, you find that you have more than enough for your needs. How do you find this contentment? You won't find it reading an Ayn Rand novel. You find this contentment in religion. God is the only satisfaction for the empty heart. Once you put God on the throne of your heart, everything else in life finds its proper place and becomes more enjoyable.

How America Lives, Ed and Amaline. The Ladies' Home Journal, 1948.  

Once upon a time, I told Mrs. Peasant that I would give her a materially better life than the one she had, but that no one would envy her. I kept that promise, and no one envies us. Her great gift was her ability to enjoy the non-material satisfaction that life brings when you know the Lord. Her capacity for this enjoyment is greater than my own.

The Noble Peasants don't care what is happening with the Jones family. We don't envy them, and we certainly don't compete with them. They think us to be poor, and we are happy that they think this way. It saves us from spending on things to impress them when we don't even like them.

I watch the Jones family struggle with their expenses and lament their inability to escape living paycheck to paycheck. I think it is a sad way to live, but they are not interested in the solution. I have never met anyone interested in the solution. If they were interested, this blog would be more popular than it is now.

I have learned to just be grateful to God. I am grateful for Him supplying our material needs, but I am even more grateful for Him teaching us how to live with contentment in our peasant lifestyle. More money never solves the problem because the lack of money is not the problem. The problem is bankruptcy of the soul. We call them the good old days because people used to know the things that have been forgotten.

Thank you for reading!

Moonlight, Winslow Homer. 1874

Mrs. Peasant's Homemade Coffee Can Flower Pots

 

An Old Woman Holding a Flower Pot.
After Frans van Mieris the Elder (1635–1681)

When the world wearies

and society fails to satisfy,

there is always the garden.

MINNIE AUMONIER

Somehow, Spring is almost here. I have lots of flower seeds, and no pots to start them in. Luckily, I had some metal coffee cans and some old paint. This project isn't the most amazing or creative which is precisely why I want to share it. Gardening is supposed to be fun. I kept telling myself that while making these pots. When did gardening become so serious? When did gardening become so expensive?

When I would garden on my balcony at our apartment, I never felt ambitious. Gardening on my tiny balcony felt fun. Growing was rolling the dice, experimental, and nothing but joy when ANYTHING grew. Now that I have a large yard, I have bigger ambitions. I have lost that sense of wonder and awe of creation. So, in the spirit of using what we have and enjoying gardening poorly, let's make some coffee can pots! 

You will need: 

-a metal coffee can (save the lid for the bottom)

-a hammer

-a large nail

-newspaper or paper bags

 -acrylic paint

-a paint brush

Both IGA brand coffee and Chock Full O Nuts use metal cans.

These sweet paper butterflies were a gift and have wildflower seeds in them.

Is there anything more nerdy and fun than a good old fashioned experiment? I am doing an experiment to see which method is faster for growing sweet potato slips. I have two sweet potatoes sitting in a jar of water and two potatoes in soil. I'll let you know the results.  I planted my Christmas gift wildflower seeds from a dear friend. I am starting Mission Yellow Marigolds seeds, too. I am also using up old flower seeds. I had a very old pack of coleus seeds and snap dragons. They may or may not be any good. I intend to finally use them up and uncover that mystery. Everything I am planting should come up within 7 days. If they don't come up, then I have enough time to start new ones. 

I encourage you to use what you have lying around for pots. Start some old seeds that you've had forever. Maybe start an experiment. Lets get back to gardening that isn't so serious. Try to have a little fun, relax, and enjoy the process. After all, my friends half the stuff will be a failure. So, let's enjoy gardening poorly. God bless you and your gardens. Thank you for reading!

In Praise Of Old Pickup Trucks

Pick-up truck above Calumet River Wall, 1973

City boys got pickup lines. Country boys got pickup trucks.

UNKNOWN

When boys are boys, they like to play with toys, When boys become men, they still play with toys except the toys make more noise. This sounds like a bad nursery rhyme except this fairy tale is true and tragic. Men who never grew up buy toys to drive around. Men who did grow up give up those toys and drive old pickup trucks.

A Toyota pick up truck, Sonoma, California. 2025 

A sports car is a toy. Men buy these to impress women and each other. Other men choose a Jeep which is an expensive toy they like to take off-road and flip over in remote places. Other men with Jeeps will come to his aid and assist in rescuing the Jeep. This will be a bonding experience for them. It sounds ridiculous to me.

Soap Box Derby, Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh, NC, July 30, 1940

Other men will buy pickup trucks except these shiny new trucks cost a fortune, are way too big, and drink up a lot of gas and diesel. I call these trucks "redneck limousines." Men buy these toys to pull their other toys--boats, RVs, ATV trailers, etc,

A real man is a working man. He drives an old pickup truck. It can be a compact truck like an old Toyota, or it can be a full size truck like a square body Chevy from the 70s and 80s. The main thing is that the truck is not a toy or a redneck limousine. It is the vehicle of a working man who needs to get work done. It isn't driven to impress or to play. It isn't a toy. It is a tool. Tools are what divide the men from the boys.

The working man is not a boy. He does not drive a toy. I am sad to say that the boys outnumber the men these days.

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But, when I became a man, I put away the things of a child.

1 CORINTHIANS 13:11 DOUAY-RHEIMS

Thank you for reading!

Julius Dilbeck, retired miner in his pick-up truck. Clairfield, TN 1970

Mrs. Peasant's Diary for Ash Wednesday 2026: Worldliness, Overthinking, And What Happened To Conversation Hearts?

Child reading. Jessie Willcox Smith 1905

And seek not you what you shall eat, or 

what you shall drink: and be not lifted up on high.

For all these things do the nations of the world seek. 

But your Father knoweth that you have need of these things.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his justice, 

and all these things shall be added unto you.

                   LUKE 12:29

All the information, all the choices, all the opinions, all the ideas and tips leave me feeling sad. Can there be a point where tons of information becomes a terrible thing? I think I am information-ed out. My father sold encyclopedias, and he loved to answer my questions with "Well, look it up." I find even answering a simple question today on the internet to be difficult. Having to sort through hundreds of answers is tiring. Most of the time, after I research a topic I am even more confused. Try looking up how to grow a tomato. You will find a Masters Degree worth of reading material on how to grow a tomato. I just give up. I sort through hundreds of reviews to buy something on Amazon. I scroll through endless options. I see the whole world's issues. There is just too much of everything.  All of the news and information and ideas becomes super distracting along with all of the hours of time I waste on worldly things. I'll spend more time finding a pair of socks online than reading my Bible. I used to grab some at Walmart, and they'd last 8 years. It is getting harder and harder to not get sucked into the world and the things that are fading away. I am getting older. Why should I care about this or that? 

Carlo Maratta (1625-1713) (follower of) - The Madonna Reading

I am glad it is Lent. We can cling close to the Lord and focus on him. It is a chance to be less attached to this world and permission to ignore all of the noise. The world has always been a wreck, but we can actually hear all about it today. We hear every story and every update for every tragedy in every state, in every country, and the whole world. When I hear about a tragedy, I pray. When you love someone and you really want the best for them, all that matters are the eternal things. I can barely care about people I know as they deserve. How can we care about billions of people? My heart is just too small. 

Sweet Hearts Candy, Scott Ehardt 2005

I am still wondering what the hell happened to the little boxes of Conversation Hearts? I couldn't find them this year. I tried googling the answer, and it went nowhere. Now, we need AI to decipher the answers from the sea of information slop. I have a hard time decluttering books because they quickly answer my questions even after all these years. 

May the Lord be in my mind, on my lips, and in my heart. Thank you for stopping by. God bless you this Lent. 

Christ in the Wilderness - Ivan Kramskoy 1872

Mr. Peasant On Garden Speed

Emile Claus - The Old Gardener 1885

Everything that slows us down and forces patience, 

everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. 

Gardening is an instrument of grace.

MAY SARTON

I don't move fast anymore. I am a traumatic brain injury survivor which has diminished my energy to levels seen only in centenarians. I have tested my work limit, and it is 1 hour and 40 minutes. I don't go to that level because it will cost me a couple of days trying to recover. I have learned to keep it at one hour per day. This allows me to do another hour the next day. I have learned from the brain injury websites and forums to always remain under your threshold. The brain grows and recovers from repetition like practicing scales on the piano not like lifting weights at the gym.

For some reason, we have an internal taskmaster driving us to be more productive. I have had this taskmaster my whole life, and I would obsess on getting things done. Speed and quantity are what mattered most. I don't see anything wrong with this because productivity is the seed bed for prosperity. The problems come when you are no longer as productive as you were in your prime. Everyone slows down. Slowing down is not the same as stopping.

Hermann Kern, Old Man Shelling Peas 1880

Garden speed is the speed old people have as they putter in their plots. The work is never finished, but things get done at a leisurely pace. There is no clock to punch. The nature of gardening forces this leisurely pace of labor. If you are someone used to city and corporate life, this downshifting of the gears is a difficult adjustment.

What happens when you apply city speed to the garden? You rapidly become exhausted and end up accomplishing very little. This is true if you are able bodied and not suffering from old age and injury. Ultimately, gardening is a cooperative effort between God, you, and Mother Nature. Your part of the partnership is to put together the conditions for garden success. The rest is waiting to see what comes out of the ground.

The biggest fruit that the garden produces is patience. A lot of time passes between the sowing of the seed and the harvest. It isn't a factory turning out X number of widgets each hour. Garden speed forces you to calm down and live with the seasons. Do a little bit each day, and you end up with something good.

Thank you for reading.

An older man with two children and a dog, sitting in a garden. 1890 Canada 

What Mrs. Peasant Learned In 2025

Gustave Courbet. Poor Woman of the Village 1866

If every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, 

spring would lose its loveliness.

-SAINT THERESE OF LISIEUX

Mr. Peasant and I both agree 2025 has been one of the worst years we ever had. We were happy to say goodbye to 2025. Praise the Lord, even in bad years no time is ever wasted. In no particular order, here are a few things I learned in 2025. 

1. FOLGERS IS HORRIBLE COFFEE 

We all want to save money on coffee, but don't waste your money. I am not a coffee snob, but I had to throw the Folgers can out. We can no longer afford Cafe Bustelo.  The hipsters have gotten a hold of the Bustelo, and the price has gotten too high. To save money, we have been drinking Maxwell House and Food Lion brand coffee. I think our new favorite is Chock Full of Nuts when it is on sale. 

Maxwell house coffee newspaper ad 1921

2. NO MORE CANNED TOMATOES

The quality of food at the grocery store keeps plummeting. I have finally had enough of wasting money on canned tomatoes that taste like tin! I am now using a jar of pizza sauce as my vegetable soup base. 

3. NO MORE MICROFIBER 

Microfiber smells bad. Even after washing, the microfiber quickly sours and retains a funky smell. I have replaced our microfiber cleaning rags with 100% cotton wash cloths. I also threw away a stinky microfiber bathmat. Now, I place a cotton towel on top of our polyester bath mat with a rubber bottom. The cotton towel is easy to hang up to dry and wash. The bottom mat keeps us from slipping. 

4.  LINE YOUR AIR FRYER WITH PARCHMENT

I cut a circle of parchment paper the size of my air fryer pan.  I place it in the bottom of my air fryer pan, and it saves me time cleaning. The liner collects any drips and you throw it away when it gets bad.  Amazon sells liners already cut to size.

5. ELDERBERRY AND HAND SANITIZER COMBO

We are very grateful to have not gotten sick this flu season. We take a table spoon of elderberry syrup everyday. We also have been careful not to touch our faces. We carry around travel instant hand sanitizers and use them often. We have limited our trips out to what is truly necessary. We have also decided to refrain from receiving the Blessed Sacrament. We make a spiritual communion at Mass and will return to sacramental communion once the flu season is over.

6. HOMEMADE OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES

In our opinion, a homemade oatmeal raisin cookie is our favorite cookie in the whole world. We prefer it over a fancy chocolate chip cookie. I know. I know. Please hear us out. We certainly love ALL cookies. But the oatmeal raisin cookie is overlooked nowadays. We want to give it the praise it deserves. Here is the recipe we use. We substitute with flax egg and Country Crock Plant Based olive oil margarine to make it vegan. (Earth Balance browned too much in this recipe. We prefer the Country Crock.) And if you are feeling extra lazy, make them into bars!

Quaker Oats ad, New York Amsterdam News 1977

7. MURDER, SHE WROTE  IS A TREASURE

Jessica Fletcher is my old lady female style icon. I love her clothes, her home in Maine, and her grit. This cozy eighties murder mystery TV show has been my nightly companion.  I recommend it as a perfect way to escape for an hour or two. You can watch all twelve seasons for free on Tubi.

8. CHRISTMAS CARDS ARE NOT DEAD

I am happy to report that Christmas cards are not dead. Although the price of stamps are up, people have not abandoned this thoughtful practice. We received more cards this year than any other year. It fills my heart with so much joy. I love this simple and inexpensive way to say I'm thinking of you. I love the handwriting and the love inside. I also love displaying them throughout the house. 

Child with Christmas Card, Alden Finney Brooks between 1840- 1932

9. LIFE IS SHORT

We have lost many loved ones this year. I have been thinking about time and how fast it goes. I want to slow it down as much as I can. I feel the shine of this world slowly fading. I want to walk closer with the Lord. And I've been thinking more and more about Heaven. Soon enough, our day will come, and we will be called home.

10. MY FIRST ADVENT

This year, I was denied my typical Christmas pleasures. Mr. Peasant didn't have an appetite for food and wasn't able to watch any Christmas movies. These two silly things were what I thought Christmas was about. Christmas was belittled to feelings of nostalgia, foods, and comfort.  Another blow was my Magnificat magazine got lost in the mail. I was so glad I saved a December and Lent magazine just in case. I listened to Sensus Fidelium every night. I learned about every feast day and every passage from this season. I learned that Advent is a penitential season like Lent. I thought about our Lord's humility in coming to save us as a little baby. I decided that this season was about me and God. I started thinking about what gifts I could give to the Lord. I thought of the poverty of the Holy Family in the stable. I was being prepared spiritually. I am grateful for my accidental Advent.

11. CHRISTMAS BEGINS ON THE 25TH

Without the treats and the music, it didn't "feel" like Christmas. Then, on Christmas Eve, we went to Mass at 5pm. It was the family Mass.  We packed into the church like sardines. Our church was covered in incense and screaming babies. The children's choir sang Hark the Harold Angels Sing like the Charlie Brown special.  And it hit me during the Mass that it finally felt like Christmas. I learned that Christmas starts the 25th of December and continues until the Epiphany on January 11th.  Those are the twelve days of Christmas. And if you sent your cards late or still have your tree up like me, you are fine. There is no rush. You can keep celebrating Christmas until the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord on February 2nd. I intend to keep on learning about Advent. I also intend to really get the most out of Lent this year.

I hope you have a peaceful and happy 2026. Lord willing, we will continue to grow and learn even through our failures. We are praying to remain content and small. Thank you for stopping by. God bless you in the new year. 

Decluttering Tip: Find Out Who You Really Are

 

I can put on a hat, or put on a coat,

Or wear a pair of glasses or sail in a boat.

I can change all my names

And find a place to hide.

I can do almost anything, but

I'm still myself inside.

I can go far away, or dream anything,

Or wear a scary costume or act like a king.

I can change all my names

And find a place to hide.

I can do almost anything, but

I'm still myself,

I'm still myself,

I'm still myself inside.

MR. ROGERS, I'm Still Myself Inside

I have run the gambit of perfumes in my life. I think it started with Love's Baby, Primo body spray, Malibu Musk, and then Sunflowers. Do you remember how strong Sunflowers was? I've also had the fancy department store stuff in my 20's. I went to Bath and Body Works with my very patient sister. I needed a new lotion and spent over an hour sniffing 70 different bottles for the right one. The one I liked the best was fresh linen. Now that I know myself, I realize my favorite scents are Suave strawberry shampoo (smells like Strawberry Shortcake dolls), a plain Dove bar soap, apple cinnamon Renuzit cones and Bounce outdoor fresh dryer sheets. Who I am is not Ja'Dior but actually dryer sheets. Knowing yourself can save you so much time and money. 

We are influenced to think we need to try something new. We have to update and reinvent ourselves. I think if you are over the age of 30 you know the scents you like. You've probably liked them always. You know you. And if you truly don't know your favorites, here are some clues that will help you find out who you really are.

What you really wear is always in the laundry basket, and is worn out with holes. This is the outfit, style, color, and fit that you really like. 

What you really eat are the items that you never throw out, never get freezer burn, or left to rot. A frozen bag of green beans or peas, grapes, tomatoes, wheat bread, or almond milk don't last very long in our house. That isn't the most exciting spread, but this is who we are. What you really eat are the things you are constantly running out of. These are things you always grab every time you are at the store. 

Once you get to know yourself, it helps you stop wasting time. 

1. WHAT YOU LIKE VS. WHAT YOU LIKE DOING

I like to eat complicated dishes, but I don't want to cook complicated meals at home.

I like to see elaborately decorated Christmas homes but I don't want to mess with the production of decorating my home like that. 

When I do something, I want that something to be easy. I know that about myself. If it is not easy, I won't be doing it very often. Garfield is definitely my spirit animal. 

2. ARE YOU MORE MARTHA STEWART OR GARFIELD?

I think generally speaking there are two types of people: Garfield and Martha Stewart. Martha Stewart types live for the details. They have a high drive to create the perfect thing. We all love these people and partaking in their splendor. I think our online world overly highlights the spectacular Martha Stewart types and vilifies the simple folk as lazy bores. Since I am a Garfield, I can't speak much on the Martha Stewart types mindset. This post is mostly for Garfields.

Ask yourself some questions. Do you like upper level things or basic things? Do many finishing touches feel extra special  or overwhelming to you? Do you enjoy the details enough to put in the added effort? Is a complicated way worth it?  Or, do you look for a simpler way?

MARTHA STEWART TYPES:

The Dinner Party, 1911. Jules-Alexandre Grün

Do you like all the small details of something? Do you like elaborate decorations, meals, and gifts? Do you like elegant spaces and many options? Do you like to go big on projects or ideas? Do you enjoy making things just right? Do you like to stand out with your fashion style, house decor, or projects? Do you have a sophisticated palate? Do you like to change things up every year? Do you grow tired of things quickly? Do things bug you if it's not what you envision? Are you constantly thinking of a new idea, place, restaurant, activity, or product to try? 

If you answered YES to these questions you are a Martha Stewart type.

GARFIELD TYPES: 

Evening Spell (After Dinner), 1900. Elin Danielson-Gambogi

Jon strip 28 April 1977

While the Martha Stewart type may find ways to elevate a recipe, an outfit, or a room with lovely details and finishing touches, my Garfield mind is always thinking about how I can make something easier and simpler. Garfield is definitely my spirit animal. I like things simple and easy. I find something I like and stay happy with it. I think of myself as easily content not lazy. I have no desire to chase the next thing. I like rituals and nostalgia. I'm 80% ritual and 20 % novelty. I could eat lasagna everyday and not get tired of it. I know some people who won't eat leftovers the next day.  I get overwhelmed easily with elaborate stuff. I love a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I think Ben and Jerry's ice cream has too many things in it. If you are a Garfield type like me, you can easily declutter....   

1. ITEMS THAT ASK TOO MUCH OF ME

-Recipes with crazy ingredients, multiple steps, crazy appliances, complicated preparations. Recipes that if they don't turn out I would have wasted a lot of time, effort, money. Recipes that have to be done just right.

-Books that are over 300 pages long, that I need a dictionary to read, that are way too scholarly for me, or stories with a lot of characters to remember.

-Albums with only a few good songs so you have to skip songs.

-TV Shows that will leave you in suspense for 7 years. I only watch shows that are stand alone episodes like Murder, She Wrote.

-Anything that involves complicated payment systems, logins and passwords.  

-Too many decisions, or options. Researching an Amazon purchase can drain me. Why are there 200 can openers?

-Things that are very delicate, precious, irreplaceable or fragile. I got rid of all our glassware. I was dropping them or knocking them over and spending hours picking up shards of glass and worrying about stepping on glass. I ended up buying plastic diner tumblers. The problem is solved, and I never have to worry about it again.

-High maintenance plants, systems, and clothing. High maintenance furniture or objects that are hard to clean or dust. High maintenance rituals and meals. Skin care routines. Exercise programs, budgeting or calendars.

-Are you forgetful? Maybe houseplants and clutch purses aren't for you. I only wear cross body style bags for fear of sitting it down and forgetting it. 

-Are you clumsy? Maybe the delicate plates and high heels aren't really you. It's okay. I got rid of all our glasses and now use only plastic cups.

2. CLOTHES. WHERE ARE YOU REALLY GOING?

Do you have too many fancy clothes?  How many times a year would you dress fancy? Do you have clothes you love but would feel too uncomfortable to actually wear out? Are you the same person or size you were when you bought the items 15 years ago? Do you want to be noticed or does it make you feel uncomfortable now? Do you want to iron and go to the dry cleaners? Is it age appropriate?

3. HAVE YOU CHANGED? DO YOU HAVE LESS ENERGY OR TIME? WHAT SEASON OF LIFE ARE YOU IN NOW?

Think about the meals that you and your family like that are easy to make. Think about the meals you make that are a real pain in the butt. Does anyone really like them? Can you scale it back to the most essential parts?

Our first Thanksgiving married, Mr. Peasant and I made a blended feast of all of the foods we were used to having. It was quite a spread! Over the years, we have scaled it back to the core foods that are non-negotiable and wouldn't be Thanksgiving without it foods. This is a fake turkey cutlet, canned cranberry sauce, stuffing with mushrooms, and green beans. (Lovely bonus, but not crucial. Mashed potatoes and gravy, pecan pie bites or yams. This is our Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter meal uniform. It is super easy to make and inexpensive. We love it. 

Things I am currently figuring out ways to make it easier....

How to make changing ceiling light bulbs easier. Easy light fixtures to replace the bulbs without a ladder and a prayer. Easy to prep and freeze vegetables to grow. Easy to maintain landscaping. Easy bread recipe. 

4. THINGS YOU ARE AFRAID TO USE  

Are you scared to use it, eat it, wear it, make it, or try it? This could be a pressure cooker, a power tool, a recipe, or a racy outfit. I decluttered my Chinese herbalism books with weird recipes. Would I really trust ordering herbs online in packaging in a different language? Other things you may be afraid to use including weird spices, toxic cleaners, a medicine, beauty products, old tupperware, bug poisons, or that expired can of food you are afraid to actually eat.

5. THINGS THAT CREATE MORE WORK

Some items can create more work for you. Think about what items are frustrating and eliminate them. Here are some examples of things I've gotten rid of:

-I switched from deodorant sticks to roll on deodorant. I no longer have to scrub out the white gunk from the armpits of my shirts. 

-I try to always buy dark colored hand towels so less white lint on my dark clothes. I like to wash everything together in one load.

-I threw out my polyester microfiber bath mat that always stunk after getting wet once. Now, I only use a folded cotton towel on top of my rubber bottom bath mat. I can throw it in the wash easily and hang it up to dry after each shower. It never smells.

-I stopped using a liquid bug killer with a pump sprayer for around the house. I used to have to wear a face mask, goggles, long sleeves, and gloves. I sweat my butt off in the summer. Now, I  only use bug granules I shake around the perimeter of the house.  So easy!

I hope these questions will help you weed out the clutter in your life. Having less stuff to manage can help lower our stress. Even removing just one thing a day will quickly add up. We have a staging area where we place potential items to declutter.  That way we can really think about it. This isn't a race. You can do it intentionally, slowly, and thoughtfully. Thank you for reading. God bless you in the new year.

Be the Best of Whatever You Are

If you can't be pine on the top of a hill

Be a shrub in the valley but be

The best little shrub by the side of a rill

If you can't be a woods be a tree

If you can't be a highway then just be a trail

If you can't be the sun be a star

It isn't by size that you win or you fail

Be the best of whatever you are

Be the best of whatever you are

MR. ROGERS