Monday, September 22, 2008

Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without!

I grew up hearing this phrase over and over again. I always thought it was a quote from Brigham Young, but when I googled it – it was not clear who said it. It really doesn’t matter - the philosophy is so good.

Although I try, I do not necessarily live by this credo in all aspects of my life, however, these are a few that I am most proud of:

My Car: I drive a 1986 Volkswagen Jetta. That’s right, it is 22 years old. I was 8 when this thing left the factory (yes, do the math, I am turning 30 this year, ugh!) I love the thing. Not because it doesn’t have AC, not because it squeaks when I am backing up, and not because it shakes after I first start it until it warms up a little (although these features have become endearing). I love this car because it is paid for! We have owned it for about 2 years, we bought it from one of my coworkers for $1,000 and have only had to put $200.00 into it since we have owned it (the blinkers and windshield wipers quit working – kid of a necessity). Our goal is to keep it going until we have our third child (someday) and must upgrade to a minivan.

Food: So, I don’t have a perpetual soup container like Amy Dacyczyn of the Tightwad Gazette, but I do strive to use up what I have. If I have extra/leftovers of something I like to see how creative I can be by using it. If I have some soggy vegetables in the fridge, I might throw them in a quiche, soup, or casserole. Leftover mashed potatoes are turned into “Mashed Potato Hot Dogs” (side note: this is something that came from my husband’s side of the family – although I wasn’t a big fan at first they have sort of grown on me. You split a hot dog down the middle, scoop some mashed potatoes on top, cover with some grated or sliced cheese and broil at 400 degrees until the cheese melts).

Shoes: I have a pair of Nike sneakers that I love. I love them so much that I have glued the soles of them back together at least 3 times. They are so comfortable, they still work, and they really don’t look all that bad.

My Broom: I bought a broom at the dollar store when I was single and living in apartment. We just surpassed out 8 year anniversary and the broom is still going strong. My secret – duct tape!

How about you – any great “Use it up!” stories?

2 comments:

Lori said...

Car: My car is a 1999. It has been paid off for almost 2 years. I cannot bring myself to buy another car because mine still runs. The AC may not work and it may have an oil leak and some other cosmetic problems but it still runs, and thats all that matters to me

Food: I have been keeping veg peels and the unusable parts in the freezer for a while now so that I can make my own stock. I am hoping to do that this weekend.

Nancy said...

I had to laugh as this could have been one of my own posts! Make do with what you have - our vehicles are paid for, our only focus now is to pay down 3 credit cards and then we will only have our mortgage. We have 8 horses & 5 dogs so we have an extended family where we have to watch what we spend. I think I have read Amy's books so many times I could quote page and paragraph but they have helped.

We do not buy trash bags as our feed that we purchase for our horses comes in heavy brown kraft type paper so we use those for trash bags (better for the environment) and we use the empty dog food bags for trash as well.

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