Parsnips and Parsimony

[DoodleBop2]

I want to live such a fulfilling life I see how long I can take to use a roll of paper towel.

[dahell]

I want to live such a fulfilling life I see how long I can take to use a roll of paper towel.

You know, I’m not saying my way was right. But I remember saying with baby wipes and my first.....I’ll use as many as I need. If that means I spend an extra $15-$30 on an extra box or two over his entire life, so be it! I get you can’t do that everywhere in life. And people are free to choose their level of comfort in frugality. But, I just don’t have time for that. Nor do I care if I’m being honest. (And paper towel is actually something I do hate buying but I still do.)

[DoodleBop2]

Paper towel is a rare purchase here and for years we cloth diapered and we didn't buy baby wipes for 4 years. So now I give myself a bit of a break and think 4 boxes of wipes a year or so isn't bad. It's the way they go about talking about being frugal which seems so off-putting. Maybe the date of the paper towel is like the snail's pace challenge and they truly can barely keep up. It just seems so odd to harp over toilet paper and to eat freezer burnt chicken to save money yet be at yard sales so often.

[weed]

That Snail's Pace challenge drives me insane. I couldn't live like that with so many jobs unfinished. Art is very very methodical, but he is SO slow to get around to doing things and he never seems to finish a job. Part of that, of course, is because he has kids hanging off him every minute of the day. He never gets a break like Janelle does.

[dahell]

Paper towel is a rare purchase here and for years we cloth diapered and we didn't buy baby wipes for 4 years. So now I give myself a bit of a break and think 4 boxes of wipes a year or so isn't bad. It's the way they go about talking about being frugal which seems so off-putting. Maybe the date of the paper towel is like the snail's pace challenge and they truly can barely keep up. It just seems so odd to harp over toilet paper and to eat freezer burnt chicken to save money yet be at yard sales so often.

EXACTLY! I totally agree. Other people just do it. They might share their choice/journey but they definitely do their odd “humble braggy” thing, don’t they. Off putting is the right term. I guess I’m used to working hard and having a husband that works SO hard. It seems like a full time job for them to constantly “hustle” with their food bargains, rummaging, 31, Watkins, eBay, etc etc. It feels like one good go at Art’s job and maybe they’d have MORE time giving up all the side crap. Sorry for the ramble.

[weed]

They honestly have no idea what real life is like. They live in a dream world and every little thing is blown up out of proportion to be "so hard" or a "crazy day". They will often talk about the crazy traffic when there are simply just a few cars on the road. Heaven forbid that they might ever experience real peak hour traffic. They live in a bubble of their own making and don't ever poke their heads out of it, so their kids think it is normal as well. I fear for those kids ... will they ever become normal or succeed outside their own little fantasy world? I think that Charity is in for one rude shock if she ever makes it to nursing school (which I doubt).

[dahell]

They honestly have no idea what real life is like. They live in a dream world and every little thing is blown up out of proportion to be "so hard" or a "crazy day". They will often talk about the crazy traffic when there are simply just a few cars on the road. Heaven forbid that they might ever experience real peak hour traffic. They live in a bubble of their own making and don't ever poke their heads out of it, so their kids think it is normal as well. I fear for those kids ... will they ever become normal or succeed outside their own little fantasy world? I think that Charity is in for one rude shock if she ever makes it to nursing school (which I doubt).

Their “crazy day” declarations drive me crazy too. I mean, most people with larger families just accept that their lives are a little “crazy”. And that’s just their normal. If EVERY day has been a crazy day, they should be used to that by now then. They say it every video.

[DoodleBop2]

I've probably said it before but they seem to do so much more to avoid work than if they just worked. If Art had a good 30 hours dedicated to working at the shop, getting in more business, maybe going on mobile repairs they'd probably make more than the hours and hours they spend doing eBay and re-selling yardsale stuff. It all seems to boil down to Janelle really doesn't want to do anything if Art works she'd have to mind her own kids and gasp probably homeschool them.

[DoodleBop2]

Paper towel is a rare purchase here and for years we cloth diapered and we didn't buy baby wipes for 4 years. So now I give myself a bit of a break and think 4 boxes of wipes a year or so isn't bad. It's the way they go about talking about being frugal which seems so off-putting. Maybe the date of the paper towel is like the snail's pace challenge and they truly can barely keep up. It just seems so odd to harp over toilet paper and to eat freezer burnt chicken to save money yet be at yard sales so often.

EXACTLY! I totally agree. Other people just do it. They might share their choice/journey but they definitely do their odd “humble braggy” thing, don’t they. Off putting is the right term. I guess I’m used to working hard and having a husband that works SO hard. It seems like a full time job for them to constantly “hustle” with their food bargains, rummaging, 31, Watkins, eBay, etc etc. It feels like one good go at Art’s job and maybe they’d have MORE time giving up all the side crap. Sorry for the ramble.

I caught a video of another frugal low waste YouTuber and she claims to get up in the morning and think about all the plastic in landfills and why they buy used. Alright cool girl if that's your thing but that seems unproductive. It seems people who are trying hard to show living a lifestyle actually do a disservice to the lifestyle they seem to think everyone should adopt.

[weed]

Poor Charity sitting on the front porch mentally adding up her 15c for each chestnut she shells and sells. She will have to sell one heck of a large amount of nuts to make enough for nursing school.

[dahell]

I've probably said it before but they seem to do so much more to avoid work than if they just worked. If Art had a good 30 hours dedicated to working at the shop, getting in more business, maybe going on mobile repairs they'd probably make more than the hours and hours they spend doing eBay and re-selling yardsale stuff. It all seems to boil down to Janelle really doesn't want to do anything if Art works she'd have to mind her own kids and gasp probably homeschool them.

Yes exactly!! They seem to pride themselves on being so crafty and resourceful but it’s like “working to avoid work” or something. I’ve been home for many years (except a tiny 2-4 hr a week cleaning job) but my husband works dang hard and then he’s done. He doesn’t even do side work anymore unless he’s helping someone because it’s just not worth his time (and he probably wouldn’t make close to his actual pay anymore). I really don’t think it’s a great example to their kids imo.

[dahell]

Paper towel is a rare purchase here and for years we cloth diapered and we didn't buy baby wipes for 4 years. So now I give myself a bit of a break and think 4 boxes of wipes a year or so isn't bad. It's the way they go about talking about being frugal which seems so off-putting. Maybe the date of the paper towel is like the snail's pace challenge and they truly can barely keep up. It just seems so odd to harp over toilet paper and to eat freezer burnt chicken to save money yet be at yard sales so often.

EXACTLY! I totally agree. Other people just do it. They might share their choice/journey but they definitely do their odd “humble braggy” thing, don’t they. Off putting is the right term. I guess I’m used to working hard and having a husband that works SO hard. It seems like a full time job for them to constantly “hustle” with their food bargains, rummaging, 31, Watkins, eBay, etc etc. It feels like one good go at Art’s job and maybe they’d have MORE time giving up all the side crap. Sorry for the ramble.

I caught a video of another frugal low waste YouTuber and she claims to get up in the morning and think about all the plastic in landfills and why they buy used. Alright cool girl if that's your thing but that seems unproductive. It seems people who are trying hard to show living a lifestyle actually do a disservice to the lifestyle they seem to think everyone should adopt.

I LOVE your attitude on it. There’s something we all could be doing better at probably. We can’t all do all the things all the time.

[DoodleBop2]

I've probably said it before but they seem to do so much more to avoid work than if they just worked. If Art had a good 30 hours dedicated to working at the shop, getting in more business, maybe going on mobile repairs they'd probably make more than the hours and hours they spend doing eBay and re-selling yardsale stuff. It all seems to boil down to Janelle really doesn't want to do anything if Art works she'd have to mind her own kids and gasp probably homeschool them.

Yes exactly!! They seem to pride themselves on being so crafty and resourceful but it’s like “working to avoid work” or something. I’ve been home for many years (except a tiny 2-4 hr a week cleaning job) but my husband works dang hard and then he’s done. He doesn’t even do side work anymore unless he’s helping someone because it’s just not worth his time (and he probably wouldn’t make close to his actual pay anymore). I really don’t think it’s a great example to their kids imo.

It seems to be common among these YouTubers who have a similar lifestyle. They all seem to have large families so I wonder if they'll be able to help all the kids as much as Art was helped.

[dahell]

Were they really calling their road trip a honeymoon? Why? No shame in never having had a honeymoon but what were they calling it that? I am so much more noticing Janelle’s use of “MINE and MY” lately. She really does say it a lot. And, annoyed by the way Art brags about knowing the gender of the baby when it’s born, he practically yells in the van “we’ll find out what it is when it’s born!!” Big deal, I’ve done both. It doesn’t make anyone’s choice better or worse. I enjoyed not knowing usually but who cares? Don’t get so defensive. Lol.

[DoodleBop2]

People who are very strictly won't find out the gender seem to be so smug about it.

[weed]

I couldn't understand why they were calling it a honeymoon either. It seemed very strange to me. No problem with never having had a honeymoon, but why call two days away on a short road trip one?

I think that the issue of not knowing the sex of the baby is for more views down the track when it is closer to it being born. It really annoyed me how they went on and on about what to name the last one and even took polls from their viewers, then when Lillian was finally born they choose a name that they had obviously decided on way back ... being a family name of one of their relations. It was very clear that the whole "what should we name the baby?" was a set-up from the beginning. They will do it again, even though they would probably have kept those lists from last time too. Personally, I could also never understand how they settled on Lydia and Lillian in the same family. They seem so close to me, but to each their own I suppose.

Janelle refers to everything they do and have as "me" and "mine" instead of "we" and "ours" ALL the time. She is the centre of her own world, for sure.

[weed]

So they are now going to do another decluttering challenge and get rid of 1000 items during the month of October. I sure hope that we are treated to a view of the third floor yet again in all its glory. I'm sure by now it is stuffed full of junk yet again which they will attempt to go through. They will .. once again .... tidy up those rooms only to let them get into disarray again ready for the next time they do this. I really don't know why they bother as they can never seem to keep anything in its right place.

[Guest]

My bet is that they’ll count bits of trash, broken hangers, and old boxes as part of their “1000 items.” Buckle up; these wild folks are going to make trips to “the recycler,” analyze some puzzles, and stare blankly into space as reality drifts further and further away.

[dahell]

Oh geez, 1000 items in a month. I think they let things go for so long, panic and then think “we need to do something drastic!!” What they really need is to stop buying crap. Stop allowing things in. And set up some very good routines.

[weed]

I think they enjoy the "drama" of it all.

They really are beyond help.