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By the author of the FREE online course Growing Self-Sufficiency: The Whole Picture
Yes, my fellow Frugalites, I am no longer what one might call “young.” In fact, I celebrated my 54th birthday this year. To be honest, I don’t mind growing old in this youth-obsessed society. I would not trade the wisdom I have gained for anything! That’s right, not even for knocking a few years off my grand total.
However, I am noticing more challenges in my life, even though I am really still pretty young. A serious health challenge this year got me thinking about how I will deal with homestead chores in the years to come. I thought I would share a few of my big and small challenges related to aging and how I’m dealing with them in ways that save me cash!
Frugal Moisturizer and Lip Balm in One!
One way that I can tell that I live in a youth-obsessed society, is that there are a lot of products available to try and stop aging. A LOT! And a lot of medical procedures designed to stop aging, or make me look younger. I believe it is worthwhile to seriously question this. Not just because it would save you money, but because a lot of the advertising for these products is designed to make people who are undergoing the very natural process of aging feel bad about themselves.
Once a person accepts that, yup! I’m going to have wrinkles and nope! I’m not going to botox them, things get really thrifty. I don’t need any fancy skin creams with scientific ingredients designed to burn off a layer of my skin. I use just one moisturizer, and sparingly at that!
I use natural shea butter, which I buy in a decidedly UNglamorous plastic tub from a discount home store that has a high-end toiletries section. I will be honest and share that I’ve had oily skin most of my life, so my skin isn’t too dry yet. Once in a while (maybe once every couple of weeks), I’ll put some of this around my eyes before I go to bed at night. I keep a smaller container of the shea butter on my bathroom counter.
I also use it for lip balm! One time, I was short on my homemade lip balm (almond oil, beeswax etc.) and I used the shea butter in a pinch. When I realized how good it worked, and that it would knock one job off my homestead list, I was sold! One tub lasts me well over a year and costs less than $20. Oil of Olay eat your heart out!
Thrifty Hair
Yes, my hair is going grey. When I see photos of myself, sometimes, I feel that it doesn’t really look like me. Thankfully, I always had thick hair, so I still have lots of hair. For the guys in my family, not so much.
Because I’m an herbalist and believe in going as chemical-free as possible, I will not dye my hair. I think it’s important to admit that, even me! I have been tempted a time or two. My grey hair is such an obvious and undeniable sign of aging. It isn’t celebrated in our society. Just take a walk down the hair dye aisle at your local drugstore and you’ll see what I mean.
So, because I have thick, curly hair that doesn’t really need washing, I have been using the same bottle of hair care products for around 10 years. (Yes, they are still good!). I wash my hair very infrequently, which is better for dry curly hair. Liquid castile soap also works, especially with an apple cider vinegar rinse! I get my hair cut twice a year by a stylist who is a friend of my cousin. He gives me the “family” rate of less than $20 for my cut. So, my annual hair care budget is literally less than $40. (I tip him with homemade jam or other home-canned goods.)
Herbal Health Care for the Aging Body
I currently take no prescription medicines. I make my own herbal medicines from the plants on my Half-Acre Homestead. When I faced a serious health challenge this year, I needed a tincture of a plant that didn’t grow on my land. I didn’t hesitate to order it and several others to support my healing.
I eat a very clean diet, with very little processed food. At this time, my food is my medicine, and my joints are doing well. Overall, my health is quite good. I will continue to observe what my body might need and add any tinctures or teas that might help. Oh, yes! I almost forgot! My memory isn’t what it used to be. I think I might need a little Gingko Biloba. Thankfully, I have a cousin who has a Gingko tree that I can collect some leaves from.
Clothes that Flatter the Aging Figure
Once I went through menopause, that was it…all calories now attempt to deposit themselves on my waist. I don’t think that there’s too much that I can do about this! I eat sweets sparingly.
Not too long ago, I gave up my favorite thrift store find of all time. These days, I live out in the country. Right now, I’m wearing baggy jeans overalls with a blue plaid shirt. I love the practicality and comfort of dressing in the country. If I need to dress up a bit, I have some beautiful items I’ve been collecting slowly at the local church-run thrift shop. There, a dress might cost me $3. A shirt? $2. I only buy and keep items that I actually wear. Given the low stakes of my investment, if an item doesn’t work out, I’m happy to bring it back to them and re-donate it. My favorite find this past year? A full-length pure silk pink and black tank dress fully lined with silk. The cost? A mind-blowing $3.70!
Frugal Help When Needed
When I faced my health challenges this year, it was like a dry run for my future. I couldn’t plant the same garden I wanted to. Many homestead tasks were impossible and had to be delayed. It was frustrating as heck and I didn’t like it!
In retrospect, this was a helpful experience. Why? Because I realized I needed to build a relationship with some locals who could help me out when I needed it. So, I’ve reached out to a local handyman who does odd jobs. I’ll see how he does on a few low-stakes jobs and assess his skill and compatibility with my style. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll try another one. I’ve realized that it’s better to start now to build my support network. I’ll also look into help for snow removal and lawn mowing so I get a sense of what I would need to budget. Do I wish I could continue to be a homestead superwoman forever, hauling and shoveling thousands of pounds of gravel per day, just like the good old days? HECK YA!
However, reality (my aging body) has spoken. I think it’s much better to get prepared than to be an ostrich and stick my head in the sand. Sure, I still trade favors with my friends, but many of them are much older than I am.
I have an older aunt who has been a great inspiration to me. She has continued to live independently in her own home well into her eighties, even though she has limited mobility. Her supports? A young neighbor’s son, a good friend nearby, her housekeeper, and myself. By building this great network for herself, she has done very well and hasn’t had to spend a ton of money, either.
The Golden Years of Frugaldom
Yes, there are challenges related to aging, but it doesn’t have to cost you. Could you see yourself trying any of the thrifty tips offered here? Do you have one you can share with us? What are some things that ended up costing money as you got older? Please tell us in the comments below.
About Colette
Colette is passionate about sharing her knowledge of thrifty living and self-sufficiency. She has developed her skills in self-reliance living in the suburbs, the city, and more recently, on her own Half-Acre Homestead. Colette lived five years completely off-grid and without running water in an eight by 24 foot tiny home while designing and building her own 18 by 24-foot eco-cabin. Her website, Half Acre Homestead is attracting followers from around the world who want to become more self-sufficient. Colette invites you to stop by the Homestead and check out all of the great resources including the practical How To Guides, A Tiny Home Resource Center and her organic gardening stories on her blog. She shares her wholistic model (body/mind/spirit) for achieving self-sufficiency in her Free Course, “Growing Self-Sufficiency: The Whole Picture.” Stop by the Homestead today to register free of charge!
8 thoughts on “Growing Older on a Budget: Tips from an Aging Frugalite”
Excellent points! At 44 I’m not quite there yet but I’m beginning to see how my body doesn’t recover quite how it used to. I hear that one of the most important anti-aging things you can do for your skin is to avoid sun damage, whether via sunscreen or long sleeves and a good hat. So it seems to me that a really good hat might be a very frugal way to go! I have a broad brimmed hat that was originally a military design and the shade from it is excellent. Now to remember to wear it!
I can’t overstate the importance of good nutrition and staying active, including stretching and core exercises to improve stability. Those items make a huge difference as we age so I’m glad you mentioned them. These two things do so much for preventing the need for maintenance medications. So does taking care of the teeth. Losing those decreases the ability to take in high quality nutrients and increases the risk of being dependent on others as we age. I’ve already lost too many but am not doing too badly at keeping the rest. (weak enamel and poor brushing when young were my issues.)
I do want to mention that when I’m talking about good nutrition I’m not referring to expensive supplements any more than you are – just eating lots of whole foods including vegetables and fruits will do so much, as well as generally reducing/avoiding highly processed junk foods. I was talking to a coworker the other day and she was lamenting how she can’t live without pills every day, how she wishes she knew what it was like without that. Then she talked about how she rarely cooked and mostly ate frozen dinners and such. Now, I’m no exemplar, but it gave me food for thought as I was preparing dinner that night. I have basically one pill, which I could live without if I absolutely had to, and I attribute that to having lost a fair amount of weight and mostly eating whole foods. Note: I know that there are folks with chronic conditions that have nothing to do with lifestyle. Even so, healthy living can help with that. So it’s not hopeless!
Love your articles as always. 🙂
Hi Redbranch, As always, I appreciate your kind generosity to take the time to share your thoughts with the community. I’m definitely with you on the hat: I got a fairly wide-brimmed straw hat at the local thrift store. As it doesn’t completely cover the back of my neck, I tied a silk scarf on the back. As an added bonus, this helps keep the biting flies away during that pesky season. When I’m out for long periods of time in the sun, I add some sun block to my nose. With both my grandmother and mother having had skin cancer, I find this to be a worthwhile investment, even if others sometimes wonder about it, as it isn’t very “fashionable” to plaster your nose with white paste. ha ha.
Like you, I eat a pretty clean diet. Once in a while, I will eat something processed, but very rarely, as I am quite sensitive to the chemicals in those foods. Eating, for example, something like a “fake” milkshake at a fast food restaurant will literally find me waking up in the middle of the night with severe joint pain! It makes me wonder how many folks are in pain and aren’t aware that they could be sensitive to these chemicals in their fake food. I do my best to spread the word and help everyone who is interested. Thanks again for your positive support of the Frugalite community!
54 is not old. Take that from one who is 20+ years your senior.
Hi There, Not So Free, Thanks for your comment. Yes, I do acknowledge that I’m really on the beginning of this journey in the article. My awareness around being prepared for aging was highlighted when I dealt with a serious health issue this past year, so it is on my mind. My great grandmother lived independently and alone well into her nineties while carrying water from the neighbouring farm and hoeing her own vegetable garden. So, my aspiration is definitely to age like her! Wishing you well on your own aging journey!
Your grandmother is likely younger than my grandmother (or all of my grandparents). They spent *a lot* of time outside (farming, gardening, working) but did not have skin cancer (even the one that live to be 95). Climate was a lot better then. My dad has had a few “suspect” spots removed. Grew up in the era of take your shirt off, get sunburned, peel and get it over with. Farm work needed to be done. Sunscreen did not exist. One of my kids used to complain about my “rules” for swimming outside. Now she thanks me.
Female metabolism starts slowing down well before menopause sad to say. If one is so inclined and can afford it, reasonable HRT is an option. And even if you weigh the same after menopause, it ain’t in the same places (kids or no kids). Work the best with the hand your dealt.
Hi Selena, Thanks so much for you thoughts. I am so proud of my great grandmother’s legacy. I aspire to live well into my 90’s in style, so to say, as she did. I do agree that the hard work of farming definitely helped her live the way she did. Overall, I am very happy with my lifestyle on my homestead. That being said, a serious injury this year was a wake up call to be prepared for the future. So glad to hear that your children are now so thankful for your rules about swimming outside! I think it is a great motto to always do our best with the hand we are dealt. Wishing you the best!
I’m letting my hair go gray. I just have no desire to try and upkeep a color job. I’m also makeup-free most days and the skin on my face has become so dry. I’ve started using Vaseline on my face and so far it is really helping. I only need a very tiny amount. I suppose my only regret so far is my health. I’m a walking medicine cabinet now, and I’m only 49. Heart disease and Type II Diabetes. I was genetically doomed for this, it would seem, but had I known that when I was younger, I would have been much more vigilant about my diet and staying active.
Hi Mandy, Thanks so much for sharing. Like you, I don’t want to keep up a colour job, and the chemicals involved do concern me. I’m sorry to hear that you face challenges with your health. You are still relatively young, and there is much that you can do related to diet and exercise. I wish you the best on your journey and every success!