Frugal Defined

Webster defines frugal as "careful management of money." In Tagalog, being frugal is a virtue called masinop--eliciting images of a barrio or village mother carefully mending her children's clothes and socks, so that they can last another schoolyear, or the same mother's recipe for recycling the day's cooked rice into fried, sweet "pop rice," just to extend what others would normally throw away already.

Aside from carefully managing money, being frugal to me is getting our hard-earned and hard-saved money to go all the extra miles to the gallon. Versus being cheap, being frugal means why buy a black Nike shirt for our badminton tournament for $45, when I found a wonderful black Danskin cotton-lycra blend in Walmart for $7??

My husband laughs at me for printing on "fast draft" mode. I nag him to turn the lights off when he isn't using them. We quarrel because he has habit of switching the airconditioning on and then leaving the room. He likes to get the unlimited cellphone plan for a big monthly bill. I got the prepaid plan and watch my minutes. I have to get him to understand that being frugal is a conscious choice versus a compromise. And that even when we have money, I will still be frugal.

In the States, dubbed the "throw-away society," I'm not sure if it is easy or hard to be frugal. At my kids' school, I chanced them upon lunchtime, and well the bell rang, the schoolkids just tossed their hardly touched sandwiches and milk into the trash! If only I could catch all those cheese quesadillas and bring to the kids I know in the Shaw/EDSA crossing! I instructed my daughter to carefully wrap her half-eaten sandwich and put it back into her lunchbag. I assured her that someone at home will surely eat it. Bothered by the throwing of food (my lola used to warn me that one grain of rice wasted equals one year in heaven--but of course, my motives were more mature than that),I remember seeing many of our poor back home, eating off the trash.

At the same time, because there are so many things you can re-use, it is easy not to
spend too much and make-do. Drying up markers can be dipped in water for another round of usage. The better quality disposable plastic cups can be washed after a party to be used in a picnic or as play things for the kids. And all that white paper to be shredded in my husband's office, he brings home so the kids can use as drawing paper for their art scribbles.

I will have to extend frugal to carefully managing resources to conserve the earth. I am staunch about composting kitchen waste into the soil conditioner, yielding an organic garden. I pack my kids' lunches in re-usable tupperware containers and jugs so that we don't waste ziploc bags and contribute to more garbage. The left-over adobo becomes adobo flakes for breakfast. I have learned countless recycling recipes.

I am also the designated "doggy-bag" taker. When we go out to eat, I bag anything that is left over from the super-sized portions. People snicker sometimes, some feel it will save me from cooking yet another meal. In Manila, there is no problem finding a street-child to take the doggy-bag. Here, you can't just give it to the homeless man under the traffic light. He will demand that it is hot. And he will sue you if he gets a tummy ache.

Whatever, I just cannot throw food away. I teach my kids a valuable lesson (even if they keep whining) by not buying them new toys often. They learn the value of patience and of appreciating what they have. Many say that a person who has everything is often unhappy because he cannot appreciate what he has. My kids learn how to play with berries and leaves for play cooking. They learn how to share and how to wait, which is not common here--where you get what you want right now--because your parents are guilty and give you whatever you want.

My grandmother is 92 years old and she is in great health, with 20-20 vision. Everyone asks her her secret, and she says "simple living" all the time. I know that she managed her resources well and lived within her means, even is she is quite wealthy. I guess, that's it: she is wealthy beyond money, too. I believe that if everyone managed their resources more carefully and efficiently, there will be less hunger and poverty in the world. I also believe that kids that are taught how to be frugal will be more emotionally mature and better citizens of our planet.

But wait, I better get my girls a new set of markers--sobrang luma naman yata itong mga 'to!

Frugal eating means a buffet

When you are frugal, you make sure everything is worth it--specially eating out. I helped my mom and her husband sell their car in Craigslist.org and as a bonus, she treated us out to lunch. We chose China Buffet in Concord, legendary for its more than 150 food Chinese, Japanese, Italian, and continental selecations--from sushi, an unbelievable fruit and salad bar, chinese favorites (sweet and sour pork, general's chicken, kung pao chicken, dimsum and gyoza), roast beef, italian goodies like pasta sauces, stuffed pasta shells, pizza, calzones. But I zeroed into the seafood display and piled myself a platter-full of fried crabs in salt and pepper, and some shrimp in garlic. Yipee--specially because I went back three times!

This was a good time as I knew exactly what I wanted and didn't get disoriented with the abundant display. Many times, the sheer sight of all that food is enough to overwhelm me to lose my appetite. Well, not when you are frugal--the experience should be worth it and more, remember?

The food was just so good! And there were so many Pinoys around, parang nasa Cabalen. "Anong masarap?" said one. "Damihan mo yung roast beef!" said the other.

My sons attacked the Chinese food and then went back for the Italian. Ah my sons, laging lugi ang buffet anywhere in the world sa kanila. And if I could remember what they got for dessert, ice-cream sundaes (make your own), pastries, sago, jelly, cakes, . .But I was busy licking my fingers! Was the food fantastic or is it the fact that we just don't eat out often enough to be this thrilled?

Here in the States, there is no pressure to finish your food or else pay double price--like in Manila. But then, the boys are trained to get only what they can finish, and what a nice lesson, I thought. reinforced by Manila buffets. At least, in our table, there was practically no wasted food left-overs.

Well, the buffet's price is nothing to rave about, specially since my Manila friends rave about the P100 all-you-can-eat breakfast buffets in Eastwood. China Buffet will have to do for now.

It has been our life aim to bring the dealer down, as it were, when it comes to buffets. Even in Manila, we don't pile rice or soda to distract us. My dad used to call my boys the "first team sa kainan." "Lugi sila sa atin," said my son.

"Okay lang," I said. I am sure the restaurants can afford a few big eaters. But the most enjoyable part was the coming together and seeing how much my mom pampered her grandkids on this sunny day; where everyone was in a light and happy (albeit hungry!) mood.

Frugal Reading

Ranking high up on my creative entertainment list are trips to a used bookstore. My favorites are Half-Priced Books in Berkeley and Concord. That's my mom amidst the books at Concord.

The first time I entered HPB in Berkeley, I was so dazed and excited, I felt like a 10-year old kid in Disneyland. I didn't know where to start! Though the books were in pristine condition and they were systematically organized, I had to keep closing my jaw lest I drool all over myself. There were books that were controversial, some wala lang, some I have been wanting to see in National Bookstore for a long time. Finally, I gravitated towards my favorite sections: Religion, Philosophy, and Psychology. I grabbed maybe 6 books and sat on a small stool by the corner and began scanning.

The downside of having not enough time to scan the books led me to buy some, which I did not intend. But then, 'it's half-price!' I told my frugal self, and consoled myself that I was not in Barnes and Noble. So I paid for my used purchases: Searching for God (knows what!) and (hard bound) A Life With Purpose (The Story of Reverend Rick Warren) for $4.98 each. Okay na, even if you convert to pesos. Oh, but the best buy were the on-sale kiddie books I got for my 2 girls who love to read, 50 cents each!

Hurrying back to pick up the kids from school, do homework, fix dinner, tuck the kids in for bedtime, I finally found time to scan the books more that night.

The rewarding part of being frugal is enjoying the fact that I got a good deal, that I am reading books that cost double in Barnes or Borders. (Although buying there will be another story and just as rewarding, too--depends on the book.) Knowing that I stretched my money an extra mile--I got books for me and for my kids,too-- is important to me at this stage of my life. And there are many ways to acquire what you want without breaking your financial plan.

Surely, the best things in life are free, or half-priced!

Being frugal is an enjoyable exercise in creativity.

Free Kiddie Concerts

monica and selena enjoyed free kiddie concerts--and were featured in the papers, too!




The beauty of writing for the local paper is that I find out about good deals and activities to do. I took my kids to the Saturday concert series for kids sponsored by the Antioch Arts and Cultural Foundation. Here in the USA, they make sure the families have many things to do on week-ends. It is the mission of the Arts and Cultural Foundation to propagate arts and culture in the community.

This is the initial year for the kiddie concerts but the all-age concerts have been around for more than 10 years,” Foundation CEO, Diane Gibson-Gray said. “The concerts are free and the kids get to interact with the artist at such close range, it’s fun.”

My kids went up on stage with the other children to make animal sounds and move to the beat of the many kiddie songs. Selena wore a chicken headpiece and Monica wore the cutest corn-row wig I have ever seen. To see them confident and learning while having fun was the biggest highlight.

This is what is so interesting (and progressive, if you will) in the States. If you are creative enough, there's so much to do without spending a lot. Attending the kiddie concert sure beats hanging out in the mall, where you are sure to spend and sure not to learn much. Attending the free concert ranks high up there with visiting the library, the bookstore, and the park.

The second biggest highlight was that the girls were featured in the Contra Costa Time, Antioch News! I also got to meet my idol photographer, Tue Nam Ton, carrying a hi-tech NIKON, versus my small tourist-y camera. Considering he was from THE biggest newspaper in the county, he was very friendly and generous. He sent me many pics of me and the girls and gave me wonderful tips when taking pics, "just point and shoot!" being the most logical.

Many of the people here in the States keep to themselves. There seems not to be enough time to be kind and talk to others in a connecting level. My belief that there are many kind and wonderful people everwhere in the world has been reinforced when I met Tue Nam. He is then a real idol.

Bread!

In Manila, there is a bakery in every corner. It is a custom to have the local "Pan de Sal" with coffee for breakfast. People line up to buy a bag of bread as early as the crack of dawn. There are also sweet rolls, cheese bread, cupcakes, "pan de coco" (coconut filled), lipstick and ube breads, and "kababyan" (sweet muffins).

It was while I was driving around town that I followed the familiar freshly-baked bread smell. The vanilla and butter aromas led me to a Mexican bakery here in Oakley--the Panaderia La Michoacana. It seems that bakeries are popular in Mexico, too. I was led to their showcase with rows of colored and festive bread and pastries in unusual shapes and texture. For 50 to 60 cents a piece, I was giddy over 30 varieties of sweet breads like the conch-shaped “conchas,” horn-shaped “cuernos,” cream cheese and jalapeno-filled “bollios,” or the brown-sugar cookies shaped liked pigs. I also found my favorite churros filled with custard, chocolate, or strawberry, doughnuts, muffins, bisquits, pink cookies, apple or pineapple-filled empanadas, and bread pudding, among the yummy selection.

So I piled a couple on a tray and sampled Mexican-style breads. The churros were a treat, different from the ones we buy from the Disneyland carts. They are heavier and sweeter and the fact that they were custard-filled was heaven!

The pink cookies had the taste and texture of polvoron, how interesting. The empanadas, though, were bready, not flaky, like I am used to.

Overall, it is a discovery that I will put on my list. I have to go back and try the other varieties. For the price and the exotic experience, Panaderia La Michoacana is an overlooked gem of a bakery.

Free Preschool

In Manila, my children started going to preschool or play school at age 3. It was a privilege to start them early and I took it for granted that giving them an early start was just a given. Kids in Manila start preschool at 3, Kindergarten at 4 and Prep at age 6.

In America, preschool is very expensive. Public kindergarten starts for kids aged 5 so they can go to 1st grade at age 6. If you are not creative, you child will just have had one year of preschool before first grade.

Here in our small county, there is a free preschool program sponsored by the local YMCA and the proceeds of the Contra Costa County First Five tobacco funds. I believe that those who go to preschool have a better chance of finishing college and they also do better in school. So I took my youngest, Monica, aged 2 1/2 every Tuesday morning. The once-a-week program was just right for her. They started with Free Play, usually in a play kitchen with a toy microwave and sink that looked real, complete with realistic sounds. Then they had Art, under Teacher Ruben, (an artist from Oakland)where he taught young chubby hands coloring, cutting, pasting, and finger-painting. They even had a free snack of cookies or crackers. Nutter Butter was Monica's favorite.

Teacher Maria gathered them for "sports," which was stretching, bending, learning the rudiments of jumping rope, catching/rolling/kicking a ball. When the weather was nice, the kids ran around in the park or they played games like ring toss and lawn bowling.

Teacher Amy then brought them back in for Music--singing songs, with bells and tambourines tapping to the rhythm, dancing with scarves, marching, dancing with changing partners--probably the first interaction Monica has had with other kids.

Monica was tentative at first. But she enjoyed preschool a lot and she has learned that kids come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and colors. They also have different temperaments, language, and culture. And it was wonderful that she adjusted to them right away. Shy at first, I watched her confidence blossom, even getting the guts to sit on Teacher Ruben's lap!

This program may have been free but I did not notice. With the quality of teaching and commitment, and the materials they freely allow the children to use, it is up to par with very expensive and private preschools in Manila.

I am so glad we joined the program. We look forward to the next season's module.

Check out the First Fiveprogram to marvel at their commitment to the children's preschool welfare.