Even before recycling was popular, my grandparents practiced it. My widowed grandma (photo on left) saved everything, and I do mean everything. She made a string ball on which she rolled any extra pieces of twine she found. You never knew when you’d need a piece to wrap something. She reused the colorful patterned cotton bags that held flour bought from the store for dishcloths or aprons.
My mom continued this tradition of recycling everything. When we cleaned out her house after her death, we found many little bottles filled with used paper clips, rubber bands, and safety pins. More than she could ever use in her lifetime.
My mom continued this tradition of recycling everything. When we cleaned out her house after her death, we found many little bottles filled with used paper clips, rubber bands, and safety pins. More than she could ever use in her lifetime.
No need for a garbage disposal, extra leftovers or scraps from the table were saved to feed the dog, cat or the chickens. Worn out clothing was recycled as rags or cut into patterns to be pieced together to make a quilt top, clothes for younger family members or strips to weave a rug for the living room. I think my grandparents’ frugality came out of necessity after surviving the Great Depression, and because there was no welfare system or social security benefits available.
Widowed with five young children to raise, my grandma had to work outside her home. Hard physical work was her lot in life as she only had a sixth grade education: taking in laundry, cooking for boarders, washing dishes, ironing, and assisting the local doctor on maternity cases. If she didn’t provide for her family, no one else would. Her oldest daughter Esther (photo on right), out of necessity, became the babysitter for the family while grandma worked.
My other grandparents always had a garden and some chickens. Grandpa hunted deer and other wildlife for food while grandma made their bread, bottled fruit, made jam, corned beef and sauerkraut, and filled their root cellar with garden produce stored for the winter. Able to sew their clothing and mend anything, they followed the pioneer adage: use it up, wear it out, make do or do without.
Grandpa was frugal and careful about always saving a little for a rainy day. He saved his money in the local bank until he had enough to buy a new car or any other expensive purchase, then he paid cash. Can you imagine us doing that today? They didn’t have credit cards but lived frugally and recycled all they could. We would do well to follow their example.