Economising In Community

[Aya Sophia]

A thread for all the stories you may have about the charming, inimitable, amusing, creative, and astonishing ways in which a house of Religious (or diocesan seminarians!) economises, both for reasons of practicality and in adherence to Holy Poverty.

An item I posted in the "bathing" thread:

I know of a community in which, in the 1970's, the Depositrix purchased, with the Prioress' approval, an enormous lot of soap. She got a terrificly low price on cases and cases and cases of large, heavy bars of very basic, unpleasantly scented soap the color of pea soup. Today, forty years later, bars of this soap are still at every sink in the monastery!

Edited September 28, 2011 by Aya Sophia

[Nunsense]

Actually this thread could have been part of the Convent Adventures thread, but here we are anyway, so I will repost this one from the bathing thread

[quote]Yeah, the economy thread! I go for it! At one convent we had this horrible waxy toilet paper in the toilets - and it turned out that they had boxes and boxes of it in their store room - they had gotten it all cheaply and had enough supply to last about 30 years! [/quote]

[TeresaBenedicta]

This morning we didn't use our napkins unless we absolutely had to because we're running low on 'em. (Our end of the table also got reprimanded lightly because we were so loud... three of our novices are leaving today for the Junioriate, so we were sharing stories and laughing and...well... we're a loud group already... oop!)

[Nunsense]

I completely forgot the 'real economising' of the toilet paper convent... because of the horrible waxy paper in the toilets which no one wanted to use, we were each given a roll of softer TP to keep in our cells. Each day we were supposed to tear off what we thought we would need to use, and put it in our pocket. This was referred to as 'pocket paper' and doing it this way ensured that each sister would use it sparingly because - to get a new roll, one had to ask for permission for it! And if we ran out of 'pocket paper' during the day we could use the waxy stuff, but otherwise we were supposed to try to avoid using that (so instead of having a 30 year supply, I guess they really had a 60 year supply!).

[faithcecelia]

Hmm, this isn't such a funny story but here goes.

After clothing I was in charge of the veg (+all sorts of other bits) for the community. The gardener had brought in the last of our own carrots, which would have been considered, for normal people, completely inedible. I spent a whole morning going through tray after tray of orange slime and just about managed to find enough solid carrot to make a portion (tho by then they tasted pretty minging anyway). It was a vile job and by the end of the morning I could feel myself turning green. Then my NM came into the kitchen just as I was finishing up and told me to be quick clearing up so the community didn't see how much I was 'wasting'. I must admit my thoughts at that moment were not particularly holy and I would have very much loved to have presented certain members of the community (you always know the one who would have complained about the waste) with a big plate of orange slime for dinner!

Edited September 28, 2011 by faithcecelia

[Nunsense]

[quote name='faithcecelia' timestamp='1317220102' post='2311661']
Hmm, this isn't such a funny story but here goes.

After clothing I was in charge of the veg (+all sorts of other bits) for the community. The gardener had brought in the last of our own carrots, which would have been considered, for normal people, completely inedible. I spent a whole morning going through tray after tray of orange slime and just about managed to find enough solid carrot to make a portion (tho by then they tasted pretty minging anyway). It was a vile job and by the end of the morning I could feel myself turning green. Then my NM came into the kitchen just as I was finishing up and told me to be quick clearing up so the community didn't see how much I was 'wasting'. I must admit my thoughts at that moment were not particularly holy and I would have very much loved to have presented certain members of the community (you always know the one who would have complained about the waste) with a big plate of orange slime for dinner!
[/quote]


Ah yes, food economising! One day I ate an apple by cutting it into pieces and leaving the core. In the kithcen later I heard some sisters talking about who could have possibly wasted so much apple (the food we didn't eat we put into these rubbish bowls on the table and these were emptied and cleaned after the meal). I knew they must have been talking about me but didn't understand why until my NM later told me that we don't cut out the core, we eat it and spit out the seeds! Okay.......

[faithcecelia]

Oh goodness! Thankfully I never came up against that one.

Oh there was a time when we had spinach for dinner and halfway through my NM who I sat next to noticed me put a bit into the little bowl. She raised her eyebrows so I moved it a little to show her the well cooked caterpillar I had discovered She later told me she was extremely impressed at how discreet I had been, just getting rid of it then eating the rest of the spinach without a second thought.

[cmaD2006]

[quote name='faithcecelia' timestamp='1317223139' post='2311685']
She raised her eyebrows so I moved it a little to show her the well cooked caterpillar I had discovered [/quote]

But ... you didn't eat the protein. How dare you throw it away?

Edited September 28, 2011 by cmariadiaz

[carmenchristi]

ahhhh.... I'm afraid to comment on this thread!!! How about washing and re-using plastic wrap?

[faithcecelia]

[quote name='carmenchristi' timestamp='1317235474' post='2311774']
ahhhh.... I'm afraid to comment on this thread!!! How about washing and re-using plastic wrap?
[/quote]

I thought everyone did that? And freezerbags etc? Thats so normal to me it never crossed my mind to mention it!

[brandelynmarie]

[quote name='nunsense' timestamp='1317219345' post='2311654']
I completely forgot the 'real economising' of the toilet paper convent... because of the horrible waxy paper in the toilets which no one wanted to use, we were each given a roll of softer TP to keep in our cells. Each day we were supposed to tear off what we thought we would need to use, and put it in our pocket. This was referred to as 'pocket paper' and doing it this way ensured that each sister would use it sparingly because - to get a new roll, one had to ask for permission for it! And if we ran out of 'pocket paper' during the day we could use the waxy stuff, but otherwise we were supposed to try to avoid using that (so instead of having a 30 year supply, I guess they really had a 60 year supply!).
[/quote]

I have done "pocket paper" when I used to go to rock concerts. There never was any in the port-a-janes!

[quote name='faithcecelia' timestamp='1317220102' post='2311661']
Hmm, this isn't such a funny story but here goes.

After clothing I was in charge of the veg (+all sorts of other bits) for the community. The gardener had brought in the last of our own carrots, which would have been considered, for normal people, completely inedible. I spent a whole morning going through tray after tray of orange slime and just about managed to find enough solid carrot to make a portion (tho by then they tasted pretty minging anyway). It was a vile job and by the end of the morning I could feel myself turning green. Then my NM came into the kitchen just as I was finishing up and told me to be quick clearing up so the community didn't see how much I was 'wasting'. I must admit my thoughts at that moment were not particularly holy and I would have very much loved to have presented certain members of the community (you always know the one who would have complained about the waste) with a big plate of orange slime for dinner!
[/quote]

I totally get the wanting to serve orange slime to the sisters who would complain about waste . But what on earth could you do with it? Puree it? I doubt you were allowed to create a carrot casserole with brown sugar & little marshmallows to disguise the slime .

[IgnatiusofLoyola]

[quote name='brandelynmarie' timestamp='1317240236' post='2311826']

I have done "pocket paper" when I used to go to rock concerts. There never was any in the port-a-janes!



I totally get the wanting to serve orange slime to the sisters who would complain about waste . But what on earth could you do with it? Puree it? I doubt you were allowed to create a carrot casserole with brown sugar & little marshmallows to disguise the slime .
[/quote]

Carrot cake? But probably not because it would be the wrong texture. In a British book I read recently one of the characters made "carrot pudding" (something like plum pudding), but I don't know if the "carrot slime" (Is that a technical term?) would be the right texture or taste for that. Somehow, I'd assume that a carrot that was that "far gone" might also be going bad and be unhealthy.

[faithcecelia]

[quote name='IgnatiusofLoyola' timestamp='1317241128' post='2311838']

Carrot cake? But probably not because it would be the wrong texture. In a British book I read recently one of the characters made "carrot pudding" (something like plum pudding), but I don't know if the "carrot slime" (Is that a technical term?) would be the right texture or taste for that. Somehow, I'd assume that a carrot that was that "far gone" might also be going bad and be unhealthy.
[/quote]


I would not subjest even the moaners to carrot slime, its where it is sooooo gone off that it has completely liquified, makes me shudder to even think of, All it was good for wag going back into the ground, as all our food waste did,

[brandelynmarie]

Yeah, it's bad when veggies are so far gone that they dissolve in water .

[OnlySunshine]

[quote name='faithcecelia' timestamp='1317236203' post='2311779']

I thought everyone did that? And freezerbags etc? Thats so normal to me it never crossed my mind to mention it!
[/quote]

My dad washes the large freezer bags we use at home. The only time we throw them out is when they start looking nasty (when we've put something oily or greasy in it) or when they start getting holes.

[OnlySunshine]

Like I mentioned in another thread, the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal are BIG on economizing. They try to reuse everything they can so it minimizes cost and keeps them in line with the poor of the community.

When I visited them in January 2010, I noticed that they kept virtually every plastic container they had to store left over food in the fridge. It was funny seeing them pull out everything for lunch and dinner and placing it on the little island counter in the middle of the kitchen. I also remember washing wire racks that they had cooked meat on (I think it was pork or something), that had little bits of meat and skin left on it from cooking. Rather than throw it away, we put it in the sink and scrubbed the bits off. It was penance trying to stand there scrubbing every little bit off. I remember looking at my hands when I was done and thought they looked like prunes.

The Sisters are big on not wasting food, either. When we served in the soup kitchen, there was quite a bit of leftover beef stew and mashed potatoes so that is what we had for lunch when clean up was over. The only time we had freshly cooked food was when we went to eat dinner at the postulants' house. We sat around this large table, family style. It was so nice! I love those Sisters so much.

I cannot remember much economizing while I was with the Carmelite Sisters of the Divine Heart of Jesus unless you count them using lightly perfumed soaps and bath stuff given as donations that they would not buy themselves.

[LaPetiteSoeur]

Chinese food containers are the BEST for storage of cookies, pasta, anything really! SAVE THE CONTAINERS!

[carmenchristi]

[quote name='faithcecelia' timestamp='1317236203' post='2311779']

I thought everyone did that? And freezerbags etc? Thats so normal to me it never crossed my mind to mention it!
[/quote]


Really? When I first visited the community I was in shock to see that the sisters washed plastic wrap. I mean, I could understand re-using plastic bags that just had bread in them, but the cling-wrap stuck on the wall over the sink to dry was just too much for me! I'm glad that the plastic wrap re-usal is now only limited to really clean stuff that doesn't require washing!

How about re-using coffee grinds or tea bags more than once? That's another one that shocked me, but again just another individual's idea that somehow became a rather common practice.... again abolished! Thank God, because the second time around the caffine is no longer effective! And I'm no addict.

Edited September 30, 2011 by carmenchristi

[HopefulBride]

[quote name='faithcecelia' timestamp='1317223139' post='2311685']
Oh goodness! Thankfully I never came up against that one.

Oh there was a time when we had spinach for dinner and halfway through my NM who I sat next to noticed me put a bit into the little bowl. She raised her eyebrows so I moved it a little to show her the [b]well cooked caterpillar[/b] I had discovered She later told me she was extremely impressed at how discreet I had been, just getting rid of it then eating the rest of the spinach without a second thought.
[/quote]

Cooked Caterpillar?? eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwww but how wonderful that you were so discreet and obedient to continue eating it. Yeah I would have screamed.

[InPersonaChriste]

[quote name='HopefulBride' timestamp='1317392393' post='2312806']

Cooked Caterpillar?? eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwww but how wonderful that you were so discreet and obedient to continue eating it. Yeah I would have screamed.


[/quote]

Ive eaten grosser things. At least it was cooked eh?