In my house it
was called not wasting anything that could still be used, and if you did, you
heard about how hard it was to make the money to replace the item and why it
was important to save time, things and money.
The
generations that have always recycled laugh when they here of the new
movement.
In the “old
days”, things were used until they were not repairable or reusable for the
original purpose or a new invented purpose.
Many of the new and improved items that are used today are grown from
the imaginative, bright and free thinking minds that were taught to utilize
their brains as well as what they have to work with and make it better.
At a very
early age, the concept that all things have a purpose and should be used to
their fullest application was standard.
Children were taught that when they received a needed or wanted item, it
was to be cared for, because one didn’t know when they would get one again if
it was used up or abused. And remember,
children mimic our actions, so if you throw away and buy new instead of
repairing and reusing, this is what they learn, we all should try be a good
example.
Outgrown
clothing was either passed to another or the buttons and zippers were removed
and used for another project and the material cut and sewn into something
usable. Dresses were shortened into blouses and pants were cut off and hemmed
for summer shorts. Handed down furniture
items were refinished and used in different rooms for different purposes
depending on our mood. Leftover food
could be made into a different type of dinner and you weren’t even aware that
you had eaten the same food two days ago.
Believe it or not, we washed and saved used aluminum foil for another time
and use. At a time when ice makers were available but rare, we saved milk cartons (heavy card board) and filled them with water to freeze for ice chest use on a trip. We even save spoonfuls of left
over vegetables to be used in soup at the end of the week. Some of the items I still use in my kitchen
are over 40 years old and still have a good life expectancy. As my daughter points out, some of the items
are outdated and have been replaced with “cooler” advanced features, but as
long as the one I have works for my needs, I will continue to use it. In today’s economy, there are two newer type
items that I recommend for every home, a dehydrator and a food saver so when
you find items you normally use on sale you can buy in bulk and dehydrate or
freeze the items for future use and current savings. The throw away era has diminished due to
costs mostly, but I think the younger generations are also realizing that the
old stuff is built better, works longer and is easier to repair.
Most of the
homes I visited including mine had one car and one television and we shared them,
therefore we were very conscience of taking care of the item because if we
didn’t, we lost. And when we were
allowed to borrow the car, we supplied the gas for our adventures, so not only did we
appreciate the loan but we were more conscience of the miles driven due to the
cost of fuel ($.35 gallon). Today, there
are some great shows on television that teach us how to buy, refurbish or
repair older usable items, cars, homes and unique ways to decorate with thrown
away items and they are good shows to watch as a family.
When we
purchased a home or car it was to be owned for a long time so we took care to
maintain it and utilize all of the potential of each. Your home should be large enough to house
your family and small enough for you to afford the upkeep and overhead. Your vehicle should be large enough to take
the family on a road trip but small enough to be economically affordable for
your income and lifestyle.
Whatever you purchase should leave room for saving a portion of your
income for unexpected emergencies (of course emergencies are always unexpected).
Good jobs
with benefits are harder to get today and there are very few occupations where
a person remains at the same job until retirement so insecurity is the norm. Plan ahead, save something for the future,
whether it is a vacation, retirement, education or repairs, good or not so good, something will happen
and the savings will be appreciated and give you peace of mind.
Wishing you a great,
productive and lucrative 2014.
Mary M 1/4/2014