You'd think I was raised during the Depression, by the way I scrimp and reuse as much as I do. I'm not sure where this part of my personality comes from, but it's so unconscious that I find I do it without even thinking.
Maybe it was the type of lifestyle I noticed when visiting my grandparents when I was a kid- both sets of grandparents grew up on farms during the 1930s and 40s and neither family had alot of disposable income, so they either reused, or did without. My grandmothers always had rubberbands looped around their kitchen faucets taken from around the Sunday newspapers, foam trays washed and reused from the hamburger packages they bought at the grocery store, and quilts made from old clothing. Very little was thrown away.
Some people may laugh or look down at this way of living, but I admire the self discpline that it took. Most young people today would just go out and buy new- and they are just as quick to throw it away when it no longer serves its purpose or looks good. My grandparents were good stewards of their money and of their possessions, and they never seemed to want for anything, because their "wants" were so simple.
This same generation raised large families on very little, and still didn't drown in debt or live off of credit cards, and their children all knew the value of a dollar.
Let me clarify this- Being Frugal is Not the Same As Being Cheap!! I am a great tipper, we tithe to our church more than we can sometimes afford, we give to charities, support fund raisers, ..you get my drift. But we don't WASTE when we can avoid it, we value what we already have, and we do this so that we have freedom from debt.
I try to pass on that frugal mentality to my children, and I emphasize how important it is to be good stewards of their possessions. To teach the lessons of "Waste Not- Want Not", we make use of many strategies around our home and farm that save either money, time, or resources. I hope that by posting some of our methods that it can help others become better Stewards as well.
See you next Frugal Friday!!
Michelle
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