Frugality

I really want to be frugal. I really respect anyone that is frugal and good at not wasting money and other things. But, it is so hard for me. It seems like our whole life is so wasteful. When I think of frugality, I think of both of my sets of grandparents. They were all so good at being frugal and not "needing" all the luxuries in life even if they could afford them. I hope for my sake that some of that skill is genetic.
For one of my frugal pursuits for the year, I'm going to go to some gardening classes offered in my stake. It's an 8 week course taught by a professor of gardening. We had a garden two years ago and I loved having all the vegetables from it, but we weren't so good at weeding or harvesting and I think a lot was still wasted. But, I did can tomatoes and they lasted me all winter. So, if I could learn a bit more I think I can really maximize our yard's potential and really plant things that I know we'll use. I think just by going to the classes, it will get me thinking and planning for it long before we need to plant, so we won't miss it like we did last year. Plus if I could learn how to take care of our fruit trees, they could be doing a lot better too.
I'm really excited. It always makes me happy to do frugal things. But, not just for the money that it saves. I think there's a sense of pride that comes when eating food you grew yourself. Or using furniture you built yourself. Or fixing something that could be thrown out. Or finding a new use for something.
Hopefully I'll get better at it over the years.