I'm a saver and a user. In the 70's we were recycling glass jars. I kept all my good ones. Now my daughter wants them, as she is canning lots of stuff from her garden. A lot more people are getting into gardening and canning again.

I read yesterday that vinyl records are coming back. The companies have a hard time getting enough vinyl, and the machines are old and worn out; but they are making new records and selling new record players.

Everything old is new again.

As far as rotary blades go....I have learned that I get three times as much use from OLFA than any other brand...especially Friscars. They cost more but they last so much longer. I'm not affiliated with that company in any way, just a happy customer!

I try to squeeze every little bit out of each item, but you are so right; there comes a time when an item needs to be pitched. As DJ said, I tend to hold on to stuff and I'm running out of room to store it.

Oh what a topic. I need to get over 'saving everything as I might have a need for it sometime". My daughter and grandson spent about an hour here on July 4th. Later she said 'Mom, do you really need all this stuff?"
so I went through some stuff and gave her a box and told her it was the beginning of my purgging!
BUT I recently spoke with a good friend about my stuff and she is giving some of her stuff to the local battered womens shelter. So I am having soooo much fun - collected clothes, blankets, kitchen things and puzzles, pencils, crayons, paper, notebooks etc. While doing this I am imagining the children having fun with what I really do not need anymore. AND I will end up with less clutter and more room for my quilting ha

I am happy to be thrifty.
 

I did not grow up in the depression but have experienced poverty first hand. Yes I was a working poor parent. Even though I had a full time job, and sometimes a part time one as well making my dollars stretch from the first of the month to the end of the month was a challenge. I had children to care for. While I had family who were as helpful as they could be, they were as financially challenged as I was. It was not a matter of hoarding as much as making what you had useful as long as possible and then finding a recycled use for it when it was being phased out. I still snip off buttons and zippers from well worn clothing and reuse the fabric in some way. Now that I am retired I still live on a limited budget but have no complaints. My home may be small and a bit worn, but it is cozy and welcoming. My décor may not be coolly elegant but it does reflect who I am. My meals may be served on a chipped plate from the thrift shop but a simple meal served with care, even if it is only just beans and fried spuds, is as nurturing as a gourmet one on fine china. Ice tea served in a jelly jar tastes as refreshing as one in a crystal glass. Yes I do reuse jars as glass ware. Sometimes I will even buy my jam with the jar in mind. My children are grown and have much more affluence than I. Still good for them they are leery of careless debt and remember fondly how grandpa always gave them their hair cuts when they would come to visit. I remember how much my MIL would teach me about use and re-use. Once someone thinking to be generous gave her a big bag of old used double knit pants. Remember those awful things? Well she took that bag of ugly, cut them up and made patchwork covers for the seats and backs of her old kitchen chairs. They looked pretty good as well.
So now when I find a way to up-cycle or re-use an item, and save a dime when I do, I think fondly of Emma and all she taught me by example. So go and replace your stuff when ever it gets a bit worn. Surround yourself with new and trendy, I am happy with my thrifty ways, and so far none of my friends and family have complained about my handcrafted gifts.

Jan thanks for the kick in the pants -- your comment about 'scraps' -- I need to just toss some of this cheap, thin fabric that I inherited --- I have been hanging onto it for what????

I was talking about gettibg rid ot things like:

the iron that shorted out that one is keeping " because the cord is still good"

I totally agree that some of us need to be a lot more frugal than others.

Have you tried washing with borax, odoban or white vinegar yet? If you are not able to get the smell out, what will you do with those fabrics? Will you still keep them?

TO Clarify = ONLY if it is YOUR blood and YOUR spit. :)

Ok that's it, When I go home from work, I am going to do sme major de-cluttering! Now, what to do with it all?