I have to confess something to you all. I have given up on making our bread.
It just isn’t working for us. We don’t eat it quite fast enough so it goes stale and ends up getting wasted. I also feel like I am spending all my time making bread, even with the bread maker.
The choice has been made to buy the store brand all natural bread. It’s about a dollar more than the artificial dyes and preservatives loaf I used to get. It is also about 3/4 of the size. But I feel like it is worth it to spend a little more. Better for my family to eat and less stress on me to always make sure there is bread.
I generally have a lot going on. Taking care of Abby and the house, making most of our own food, working on Abigail’s Attic, working on random house projects that need doing (still need to get going on painting the hallway and finishing refinishing the kitchen table), and random other things. Then this time of year where we are coming into lumberjack season, I will be busy with that.
Something had to give and bread making was a source of stress for me. It is perfectly fine to say “This is something I would like to do for my family but I just can’t swing it.”
I was feeling guilty over having to give up but really, it isn’t a big deal. I do my best to be frugal in most every area of life and I’m trying to feed my family healthier food. To give up on making our own bread, is not a life or death issue. It’s pretty minor really. The grocery bill will be all of $5 more each week. That is doable.
What is your “making bread,” that one thing that you just can’t do even though it is a money saver, healthier, etc? Whatever it is, it is okay to say “I can’t do this.” I hereby give you permission to give up. 🙂
April says
mine is making all meals from scratch. Just dont have the time but I want to.
Julie @ Loggers Wife says
That one is pretty easy for me just as I dislike the taste of prepackaged food. One thing I try to do for those days where time is short or I just don’t feel like it is have ready made food in the freezer. I’ll make extra American chop suey or chili or whatever that is easy to just make extra and I will freeze it.
Heather@My Kansas Life says
I’ve given up on always doing things the more difficult (and frugal) way. For example, if I can’t hang laundry out on the line to dry because it’s late and I forgot to wash the baby’s diapers…that’s okay. Or, if I don’t have time to make homemade tortillas, it’s okay to go without or buy some at the store. I still hang laundry on the line and make tortillas, but I don’t have to do it the hard way all the time. It’s okay to take a break!
By the way, I applaud your decision to stop making bread. I still make ours much of the time, but I, too, have decided it’s okay to buy it at the store sometimes.
Julie @ Loggers Wife says
I sometimes, like yesterday, don’t get the laundry done in time so I have to use the dryer. I am learning to not feel guilty about it. 🙂
Tanya says
You know the funniest thing, I read this post when you first wrote it, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since then! I just wanted to let you know that it’s encouraged me. I guess the Lord sent it my way to help me. 🙂
The week that we got back from vacation, I give up on making completely homemade meals and using cloth diapers. That gave me some time to get unpacked and get the house back in order. 🙂 I purposefully bought some easy things for meals (like already-made bbq pulled pork) to give myself extra time.
Julie @ Loggers Wife says
I’m glad it encouraged you! I think we sometimes just need someone else to tell us it’s okay to take a break.
I’m finding that this week, I’m just existing. I’m doing easy meals, using disposable diapers a lot. I’m just so wiped out, that I don’t even care that I’m not doing things the way I normally do! I forgot how draining lumberjack season can be.