Use It Up, Wear it Out or Do Without & Going Back to Basics

Use It Up:   Don’t toss it out!  Reuse it!

I don’t toss leftover or food scraps in the trash can nor send it down the garbage disposal (don’t even have one).  Instead leftovers get ate for lunch the next day or taken by dh to work with him for his lunch.  Scraps along with yard waste (we don’t use pesticides or weed killers), chicken coop cleanings (aka straw and droppings) get put into the compost pile which eventually gets used in the gardens.

I repurpose items for use in my home.  Empty jars and other items that are often just thrown into the trash by many homes can be used again for storing things whether it’s rice, beans, leftovers, or whatever. 

If you get too many, recycle them at your local recycling drop off center. Help the environment!

 

Wear it Out:  Mend it or buy it used!

We don’t rush out and buy the latest fashions.  I couldn’t even tell you what they are!!  Instead we buy from yard sales and thrift stores with the exception of socks and underwear must be bought new.  We sometimes will buy new shoes (clearanced when possible) if we can’t find what we need at a yard sale or thrift store. Often times though I find shoes for the children  for next to nothing that I will buy and then store away in their “To Grow Into Totes”. I will do clothes like this too.

Try to fix something before tossing.  I once used bread ties to “wire” a laundry basket back together in one spot because  a couple of the slats had gotten broken. 

Learn to sew whether it’s just enough to mend something, darn a sock, or put a button back on.  I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to a local thrift store and found good clothes in the “freebie boxes” that was only missing a button or had a seam that popped open that could have easily been mended.    More than likely someone got rid of that item because they didn’t know how to sew a button on or sew period in order to fix the seam. You don’t have to have a sewing machine to do either of those repairs. A simple needle and matching thread along with a pair of scissors will suffice.

 

Do Without:  Do you really and truly need that?

My family is seen as weird by some because we don’t own a television, dvd player (other than the one on dh’s and my laptops), or other gadget that goes along with the television. 

We don’t use credit cards anymore nor do we even own one for that matter. Never again will we go down that route.  If we don’t have the cash for it, we won’t buy it.

Ask yourself before you buy something, “Do I really need this"?”  Often times, people make impulse purchases that result in items they truly could have lived without.  Do you have a “keep up with the Jones” mentality?  Thing get out of it!!  You need to do what is right for your family not what someone else is doing for theirs!

 

Back to Basics  How did our ancestors ever survive?!

Many people are shifting their “gotta have it all mentality” and are truly looking to get back to the basics.  They are decluttering their homes and donating to thrift stores such as Goodwill that helps people with disabilities as well as others.  They are taking a step back and examining their lives which to many as I’ve been reading all over the net are not fulfilling as they wanted them to be. More stuff does not bring happiness.

They are Stockpiling whether it’s food they have bought for change by shopping wisely with coupons or they are stocking their pantry with food grown with their own hands then home preserved.

Many are getting back into the swing of Gardening.  Many are new gardeners with their first garden being put into the ground or maybe it’s their second or third. While others are seasoned gardeners who have decided to kick it up a notch and grow more thus stockpile more.  Some of those gardeners are going back to the basics of organic gardening like those years gone by and even putting heirloom vegetables into their gardens.  Some are even saving seeds from the plants they grow.

Of those gardeners, old and young alike are turning to the age old art of Home Preserving through canning, dehydrating, and even freezing their surplus.  Some may even barter their excess for items they couldn’t grow, couldn’t can enough of, or just to barter in general for items such as venison, pork, or other meat.  Which by the way, bartering is also an age old art that is making a comeback.

 

So no matter what stage of life you are in, you can learn to live within your means.  Just get creative in what you have and how you use it. Declutter your home of the excess and help those less fortunate.  Repurpose items within your home or recycle them.  Barter for items you need when possible. Learn to sew.  Learn to garden where you if possible and home preserve what you can.   One person can make a difference, even if it’s in your own home.

For more ideas on filling your pantry cabinets, see this post: Groceries For a Family of 9 on $500 or Less for A Month