My Grandmother used EVERYTHING until it was gone. I,to the dismay of my children, tend to do the same. I am 52 years old, and while we weren't poor in the true sense of the word, lived frugally ..... ie growing our own food, canning and freezing, wearing homemade clothes. To this day, I recycle everything, old furniture can be refinished, clothes can be remade, garden veggies are canned and frozen.I never considered it living "green', it's just the way I chose to live. My children, on the otherhand, seem wasteful to me.