Using things to death

23 February 2008 31 views 6 Comments

photo by aussiegall
carnival glass
We live in a throwaway society. We’re so wasteful that people known as freegans (www.freegan.info), an anticonsumer environmentalist group, can salvage and survive, by choice, on what mainstream consumers discard. While they’re often criticized as being extreme or downright nasty, I couldn’t disagree more. I think it certainly reflects the amount of waste generated, and I’m pleased these items aren’t simply tossed and going into landfills. Maybe to you it’s garbage they’re sifting through, but there’s more to it. They’re making a statement that goes against materialism and overconsumption. In a way, freegans are like soul cousins to tightwads. We both simply prefer to take advantage of the full usable life of goods.

Many frugal discussions on my forums (www.frugalvillage.com/forums) include topics such as using items to death. It’s interesting to note the camaraderie among like-minded members. It gives me hope that we can make a difference. In order not to appear fanatical by carrying on about global warming, waste and poverty, I’ll share a bit about wearing out common goods. I’m doing so to show you that if there’s not a little frugality in you already, there easily could be. Why? Because it’s simply the right thing to do.

LINENS: From comforters to towels, frugal-minded folks are holding onto these items until they’re threadbare. It does my heart good to hear from one reader who has a 31-year-old comforter and another who has 27-year-old towels. It’s not uncommon for these items to be used as rags for many years after their original purpose. While there isn’t anything wrong with buying new, if an item has plenty of life in it or needs only a simple repair, there’s no true need to toss it. What happened to this type of thinking?

CLOTHING: Remember when cutting jeans into shorts, patching them and then making them into quilts once they were unwearable was common sense? Winter coats weren’t bought every year. Shoes that were worn out were used for outdoor work until they literally fell apart, and who had more than a dozen pairs? Clothing was bought as needed.

KITCHENWARE: Dishes and flatware were once passed down to children when they moved out. Now it seems everyone wants brand-new and everything immediately. They’ll buy plastic this and that and toss and buy new on a fashion whim. While some appliances are wonderful for convenience, I can’t stop shaking my head at the gadgets that are available. However did we get by without hot-dog and hot-cocoa makers?

I don’t want my children to think I had to walk uphill 10 miles to school in a snowstorm, but I do want them to understand what is good enough. We have better use for our money such as saving or sharing it, and because I want my children to care about their impact on the environment, the economic state of our country and our humanity. What a concept!

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6 Comments »

julieb said:

Alot of truth in this article. I remember my neighbors looking at me oddly when I picked two sets of draperies out of their garbage can. (I had their permission of course) I didn’t see old draperies I saw new bags for groceries. It took me an enjoyable afternoon to make the totes and have been using them for two years now. They are sturdy and wash beautifully. My neighbors trash is my treasure, funny though they still think it’s trash. What will it take for people to understand that we can be better stewards of our money, our enviroment and our time?

# 23 February 2008 at 6:52 pm

kim said:

I am 33 and people my age think it is odd that I’ve had the same dishes and dishtowels for 12 years now. I bought quality from the beginning, I would love to pass my collection down to my granddaughter some day

# 23 February 2008 at 11:55 pm

Daisygirl said:

I was completely horrified this year when I was getting quotes on have the zipper replaced on DD7’s winter jacket. $20! Then I found a brand new winter jacket for $12! It was a bit of a dilemma, and I went ahead and bought the new jacket to save the eight dollars. But at that price, face it, how long is this coat going to last?

Sadly society sets us up for things to be disposable by putting out non-quality merchandise. I think it is up to us to buy better quality in the first place. I know next year, if new coats are needed I am going to purchase some that are guaranteed (a store here has a guarantee that their items will not develop holes, broken zippers, etc during the first year after purchase).

# 24 February 2008 at 8:14 am

Amy said:

My boys wear hand-me-downs from cousins and friends and they are just fine. The clothes they are wearing have been worn by boys for the past 10 years and they are still going strong. I don’t believe we’ve ever actually bought either of the boys any clothing!

As for myself, my clothes are hand-me-overs or bought used. I have 8 pairs of jeans that I’ve gotten throughout the years from my sister-in-law. They still work for me, and when they start to wear through, I either patch them or make shorts.

Our furniture is almost all used and it still works for us. We take care of it and it looks nice, but we didn’t have to spend gajillions of dollars, and the old owners didn’t fill up space in the landfill when they bought new furniture.

A little ingenuity and a little time and there is no reason why you have to buy new things.

# 24 February 2008 at 12:32 pm

shells said:

When you are finished with your old towels, linens and blankets you can donate them to your local Humane Society or animal shelter. The animals don’t mind worn out linens with holes in them!

shells

# 28 February 2008 at 2:46 pm