A great "common sense" article to start the week with... if only it were common practice to think this way.
This is a rhyme from another time: Use it up, Wear it out, Make do, or Do without. This is appropriate for our times. In this simple phrase are the ideals of simple living, self control, environmental awareness, recycling, frugality, love and respect for others, and contentment with what you have.
In harder times, when income was minimal and supplies of anything hard to come by, it was a necessity to do over clothing to get the best use of the remaining parts. A woman's dress that had become frayed at the edges and seams would be cut down for a childs' dress. Favorite sweaters that may have become frayed at the elbows had leather or corduroy patches sewn over them, or were unraveled and the yarn re-used. A skirt whose hem had to be let down for a growing child, could have the faded hem line disguised by a strip of lace or ribbon, or a ruffle added for length. Men's shirts got new collars and cuffs. A blouse that may have had a stain in the lapel area could have an applique design or embroidery sewn over it and made into a new looking blouse. Perfectly good socks with a tiny hole were darned, or new feet knitted to the tops, which usually don't wear out for a long time.
1. Use it up: You work hard for your money, so does your spouse. It shows respect to each other to get the best frugal use of your income. Wasting as little as possible, finding a second or third use before discarding something, puts that respect into play. Respect for each other, It is a very important part of a partnership.
2. Wear it out: See the above paragraph.
3. Make do: Look around and find a use for what you already have before going out and purchasing new. Tell yourself you don't have money to spend (and you probably don't). Cereal boxes can become gift boxes. Or pretty storage boxes covered with fabric. The clear plastic containers that cookies or donuts come in from the grocery store can become a seed starting miniature greenhouse. A mans work shirt, with the sleeves and collar removed, can be sewn into a shopping bag.
4. Do without: There is a saying that Happiness is wanting what you have. Being content with what you have already accumulated and not wanting more "stuff" in your life, takes away the driving greed that has become so prevalent during the last 2 or 3 decades. It removes the stress of the "gotta haves" and all the maintenance that goes with owning those "haves". There is peace in owning only what you need and use.
