What’s the difference between frugal and just plain cheap? I hope you can tell me.
I have a favorite purse. It’s not too big, it’s not too small. It’s a purse that would suit Goldilocks: it’s just right.
Into this happy fairy tale, a sad note must be interjected. The straps kept coming off of this nearly perfect purse. It seemed like too much work to try to sew them back in, so I used large safety pins for a while. Clearly I’m not driven by fashion.
Let’s switch to Cinderella. Like Cinderella’s shoe, the safety pins just did not want to stay and would occasionally pop off. And there would be my purse, on the floor looking sad. And with no handsome prince to pick it up, either.
I could order a replacement. The purse was less than $30 after all. But why should I throw away my Goldilocks purse just because the straps were like Cinderella’s shoe?
I went to a shoe repair store and asked them how much they’d charge to sew the straps back. They’d do it for $15. Very reasonable and only half the cost of buying a new one. Of course I did not agree to this reasonable cost. Why should I pay them $15 when I could still find a way to do it for free?
The purse wouldn’t fit under the foot of my sewing machine. I’d have to sew it by hand. I asked my husband to punch a small hole through the leather strap and the purse so I could fit a large needle through with extra tough thread. We are now in the Shoemaker and the Elves story, if you hadn’t figured it out, with my husband playing the part of one of the elves. I had to play the part of the other elf, the one who did the actual sewing. Those elves are completely underrated – it’s hard work. I’ve only completed one strap and the repair job looks ugly. Regrets, I’ve had a few.
Frugal or just plain cheap? You decide!
Sigh…I’ll probably pay you $15 to delete this in the morning.
Lynniebeemuseoday 
Suggest that he “pop rivet” the strap back on. If he doesn’t have the gear I have one I could lend.
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He has a riveter but not the right size and the purse (all layers) was too thick for the rivets that he had. Thanks for the suggestion, though! I failed to mention that step in the story.
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Sounds like a difficult situation. Perhaps your handbag will find a home on the Island of Misfit Accessories. No one knows how they make their way to the island. One day its will just be gone. 🙂
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Ha ha ha!! I hope they all end up in the next version of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer too.
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I would say you are being creative, hardworking and frugal! Keep enjoying your wonderful purse! My younger daughter just made her “ideal” purse a few weeks ago out of some leather scraps she had, including the straps. She made it all by hand. I understand that at our age, our fingers, thumbs and wrists just don’t work that well anymore, so you can be proud of your use of the sewing machine. Now you have a purse that not only works well for you, and you have a story to pass on as well.
Frugal is NOT a four-letter word! Being frugal is usually being wise.
Thank you for sharing the photo of your lovely purse!
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Gee, thanks, Julie! My mom was very frugal so I come by it honestly. 😊
Unfortunately I was not able to use the sewing machine since the purse wouldn’t fit so I’m doing the work by hand. That’s why I took a break after the first strap. Like you said, at our age many body parts don’t work as well. But I’ll finish the work soon!
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