This morning, my husband lost his job. His company folded, and although he’d been in management with his company for ten years, his boss told him to lock up the store and go home. Now. No notice, no severance package. Such are the times, I guess. In all honesty, we were in shock. I spent most of the morning in a flurry of activity, planning, making calls of the practical sort, getting in contact with my old boss to see if I could pick up some hours at the library I used to work at.

Shortly after lunch, which I skipped-- too busy to think straight, much less be hungry--I let Zoë, our dog, out for a quick run in the back yard. Even though it was a rainy day, it felt good to be outside. I looked around at my freshly tilled flowerbeds and small veggie garden, where my peas and radishes were just peeking their heads out of the dark soil, and I felt rich. I started to smile, then cry. Zoë looked at me in concern and pawed my leg, leaving a trail of wet mud on my jeans. I laughed and rubbed her dark head.
“Ah, Girl. It’s going to be alright. Go long!” And I hurled her favorite ball to the far end of the yard.

Times are what they are. Everyone’s talking about it. And I’m not going to beat that dead horse here. However, I am going to talk about how we, the mothers (forgive me for seeming to exclude any dads reading this, this all applies to you too), can keep a family going in plenty and with dignity. Please know that I’m not speaking at all of “making do”, “sacrificing”, or “living cheaply”. Let’s really live now, and know that the best of things, the irreplaceable things, are not at all connected to money. Let this be our time to thrive, not merely survive.

Take an honest look around. Sometimes, we think we need to buy more and more and more to be happy, when we really have everything now we could possibly need. I don’t know about you, but our family has so much stuff, junk, and clutter shoved into every possible storage area of our house. Our garage is crammed so tightly that you need to edge sideways to get out the door. And don’t get me started on the basement/playroom.

Here’s what we’re going to do: head down there, and when you open the door to wherever you keep your clutter, don’t hyperventilate, and don’t try to do it all at once and get in over your head. Slowly and gently, start excavating the cave. (You think I’m being a bit to dramatic here? You haven’t seen my garage.) Think of clearing a box or two a day. Make it a fun project to share with the kids. Drag one box to your living room, if you’re brave and think the mess that comes from the box won’t make a big mess, and go through it with your kids. This is a fantastic way to spend a rainy afternoon. The kids will find toys, and to them it’ll feel like Christmas. You’ll find older toys, maybe art projects, maybe some photos a few years old. It’ll be a wonderful trip down memory lane.

So now that you’ve got this stuff recovered from the abyss (!), what are you going to do with it? Here’s what: be ruthless. Get the four boxes and a trash bag....
Box #1 is for charity. Put anything in here that is still in pretty good shape that you can’t use anymore. After you’ve put everything in here, take it immediately out to the trunk of your car, so the next time you are out, you can swing by the local Goodwill or Salvation Army, and drop it off. If you put it back in your garage, you’ll only be tripping over it until winter.

Box #2 is for a rummage sale. If you are so inclined, everything goes in here that you can sell at your annual yard sale. It might be a good idea if you get out some stickers and price it now, this will be less work to do later, and less work later means the chance that you’ll actually have a yard sale will be greater. If you are not the yard sale type, then label this Box #1b and throw it in the trunk to be taken to your local charity.

Box #3 is for fixer-uppers. This box will contain the following: jackets that are missing a button, watches that have broken bands, cracked knick-knacks that just need a bit of glue, and the like. After you fill this box with things you really intend to fix, put it in your work room, kitchen, or wherever you do your crafty things. Don’t put it back in your basement or garage or you’ll forget, trust me! If you don’t get these things fixed in a month, consider tossing them. It’s better to let them go if you’re not going to repair them, you don’t want a fresh wave of guilt every time you see your fix-it box.

Box #4 is for Keepers. This is for things with sentimental value only. For me, this would be Charlie’s Buzz Lightyear doll-- I mean action figure-- or Libby’s Beanie Baby name Gracie. You’ll give these things to your kids someday. The items that bring a smile to your face and a tear to your eye. Seal this box and keep it somewhere safe. Now, corral the kids and get them to put away the awesome things they found. Here’s my only rule: they have to be put away now. I send them upstairs with all their re-found toys and everyone’s happy. Finally, to finish pick up whatever’s left in the box and trash it. Break the box down and recycle it. Now fix yourself a tea with honey and relax. The kids will be playing with their “new” toys for a little while.

GARDEN
Get dirty. There’s nothing like growing your own food, I have to say. It frugal, its fun, and it’ll sure give you something to do over this growing season. It’s the perfect time of year to plan a vegetable and herb garden. Make sure to throw a few berries in there for good measure.

Here’s my recipe for growing an awesome garden--
Know what to grow. First of all, you have to have an idea of what you want in your garden. Here’s how I decide. I grow two types of plants: Those that are just better right from the garden like tomatoes, corn, and strawberries and those that are expensive to buy and very cheap to grow--leeks, raspberries, black berries, snow peas, lettuce greens. Herbs also fall under this second category. When deciding what to grow, keep in mind the size of your family and their tastes in food. Don’t do what I did and grow six zucchini plants for a family of four. Let me just say it wasn’t pretty.

Mulch like your life depends on it. Because even though your life doesn’t, your plants' lives do. I’m a newspaper mulcher, and proud of it. I lay down eight sheets of newspaper onto my garden and flower beds, and cover it with six inches of mulch. Weeds don’t stand a chance, and I don’t have to spend my summer watering. Yes, mulch costs money, but the investment won’t compare with having beautiful bushels of snow peas in a couple months. You can gather newspaper from others in your neighborhood, and at times can get mulch from your local County Extension Office quite cheaply or even free.

Let the garden be the fun. I know what you’re thinking, my kids will never go for this, but trust me, they will. As the days grow longer, after school and on the weekends take the kids out to the garden. Let them watch and help you work, they’ll feel a sense of owner ship with their garden, especially if you can mark off a little portion of it for them to grow something they love. Think of it, everyone outside 'til dark laughing and playing together in the garden. Sure beats spending Saturday at the mall.
Share the wealth... I don’t have a lot of land, and many suburban and urban families are in the same boat. Find a like-minded mom in your area, and share seeds. I don’t have the room to plant eighty red onion sets, so give some to the mom down the street. Perhaps she has some extra spinach seeds that she doesn’t have room for. Once the harvest starts coming in, you could organize a crop share in your neighborhood. Almost any crop you could grow in your garden could be shared with another family. Hey, it’s a great way to get rid of those extra zucchini this September.

Next issue, we’ll explore the art and science of thrift store shopping, plus more ways to make this the Season of Plenty.

Laura Sweet is an artist, mother and entrepreneur residing in Southeast Pennsylvania. She lives with her husband, four beautiful children, Shiloh, the killer kitten and Zoe, the naughty dog.