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Frugal Living Lessons from Raising 12 Kids (and a Mason Jar of Baking Chips)
When you’re raising and feeding 12 children, frugal living isn’t a trend or a choice—it’s just how life works. You learn quickly that you can’t shop like everyone else. You plan, you stretch, you improvise, and you think outside the box every single day.
Candy bars were pretty much out of the question in our house. Buying individual treats for 12 kids added up fast and disappeared even faster. Those were saved for truly special occasions—birthdays, the Fourth of July, and a handful of rare celebrations. Everyday life called for something more practical.
My solution? Baking chips.
Chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips, vanilla chips—whatever was on sale or could be bought in bulk. There was always a mason jar in the pantry filled with them. When the kids wanted a treat, each one got a handful or two. It wasn’t fancy, but it worked—and they loved it.
That one mason jar stretched further than a box of candy bars ever could. The chips could be eaten just as they were, add to cookies, or melted, spread out, and turned into homemade candy bars. Sometimes I’d mix a few kinds together and suddenly it felt like something new without spending an extra dime.
Frugal living teaches you to use what you have in more than one way. It’s about choosing things that serve double duty, last longer, and don’t blow the budget. That mason jar wasn’t just about sweets—it was about making smart choices that still felt generous.
Looking back, I realize how many lessons were tucked into moments like that. You don’t need excess to create joy. You need creativity, intention, and a willingness to do things differently. When you’re feeding a family of 12 children, every small decision matters—and those small decisions add up to a life well lived.
Sometimes frugal living looks like sacrifice. Other times, it looks like a mason jar in the pantry and kids happily reaching in for a handful of something sweet.
And honestly? That felt like abundance. 🍫
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