Growing up I didn’t have the excess of my kid’s generation but of the generation past my parents. They always enforced not to be wasteful and I always took it as being so constraining and not necessary. That was a kid’s point of view. The great depression was over so why was I having to give up things. Well I’m so glad they taught me these lessons and that I remembered them. I know how to save money and live more eco-friendly thanks to them. Boy does that come in handy now. At this point in time we need to watch our wallets and our planet. Here is what I learned:
Fix it – If you can fix it don’t trash it and buy a new one
Adjust the thermostat– well we didn’t have central air but in the winter if I was cold I put on a sweater and in the summer we wore summer
clothing because it was hot and there was no air conditioning. Winter keep the thermostat at 67 or 68 and in the summer don’t go below 70.
I didn’t live in a barn– I grew up in a house with doors and they were meant to be closed to keep in that warm air. So don’t leave your doors open like a barn door unless you actually have one and it should be open.
Storing leftovers– we always used the glass containers food came in. Washed them out and used hot water and vinegar to get the labels off. We didn’t buy plastic ones. No plastic to seep into our food and do us harm and the containers were already paid for.
Lower Cost Meats– Buy those cuts and cook them slowly in a crockpot. This saves energy too.
Make it from scratch- my mom is a great baker and cook. She can open the refrigerator and make a meal out of anything on hand. I’m so glad she taught me that one! Making your meals yourself with ingredients that cost less and knowing what you are eating is a gift. I’m guessing you don’t have all those extra chemicals, preservatives and food dyes around to cook with. Make your own food.
Dish Towels– Don’t use a paper towel when a dish towel could do the job and not end up in the trash.
Newspapers– we recycled them into logs for our winter fireplace (would love to have that cool device I used to make those logs)
TV off– there were only 3 main channels and couple of upper channels that all went off at midnight. (OK I’m showing my age) There was no remote control so there was no vampire electricity because there was no sleep mode for appliances. We didn’t spend hours with the TV on or a computer (no pc’s) using extra electricity.
Clothes Line– In the summer we hung our clothes out to dry with clothes pins.
Now many of you may still practice these lessons and if you do I would be proud. If not I hope this has reminded you that we all have choices to make. Don’t be concerned about what we don’t have in life but what we do have and how we can save what’s around us. This will save both your money and our planet. We need to take care of our world so our children can inherit it. Be mindful of how you live, your children are watching. It might take a while to sink in like me, but it will.
Thanks Mom and Dad
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