A nice surprise

She looks well to the ways of her household...
[Pv 31, 27]

One of my favorite authors, Tracey McBride, has a website! Actually, three of them: Frugal Luxuries, Frugal Luxuries by the Seasons, and Frugal Luxuries Foods.

Many of you may remember Amy Dacyczn, author of the Tightwad Gazette, as the face of frugality in the early nineties. While she had many good ideas on saving money to reach financial goals through gradual changes, some of her more radical ideas were mocked by the public. I strongly support Amy's work, and think she was just too far ahead of the times. Fifteen years later, I have seen some of her ideas, like Freezer Soup, in mainstream publications like Better Homes & Gardens.

Tracey McBride has a slightly different approach to frugality. She believes in transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary, to "live content with small means...to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion."

Here is my favorite of Tracey's ideas for saving money & enhancing your life:
Enhance the Ordinary. Serve even the humblest meals attractively. Bean soup with cornbread looks charming when garnished with parsley and the cornbread served on its own saucer, with a pat or swirl of honey butter. The same holds true for beverages. Our dinner table often features a pretty glass or silver pitcher filled with ice water, and garnished with a few citrus slices.