Too Thrifty?

I like to use things up, get every bit of worth out of them and maybe more if I can--most of the time.

I snip buttons off of old, useless shirts and pop them into my little compartmentalized button box.

I use my worn/torn tennis shoes for my summer garden shoes--not sure how the ground-in dirt from the holes helps my socks but I do it anyway.

I save fabric scraps for quilting (just used quite a few pieces from a dress of Dana's that I made over ten years ago on Keira's quilt).

I pass clothes down from one child to the next and have learned that there comes an age where I need to keep the wardrobe rather lean because the following sibling will either not appreciate the hand-me-downs, be embarrassed to wear someone else's 'signature' item, or feel grossly out of style by what was worn centuries ago(or was it really just 2 years ago?).

Thankfully, my children under the age of about 14 are fairly oblivious to the source of their clothing supply and will wear whatever they put their hands on (and often look like they're wearing 'whatever'--I don't claim to be a fashion enabling mom, although I really do wish I had a little more aptitude for it).

I was folding the laundry this week and set aside one of Gabe's long underwear shirts. It's been a much used addition to his one piece fleece jammies during our season of freeze. But he's outgrown the shirt and the world here is thawing so the shirt's usefulness is at its end. I considered its destination. No one to pass it on to here, mama's with brand new babies don't want/need to hang onto used clothing for years waiting for baby to grow into it, and I think it's beyond being called "gently used".

But I STILL have trouble throwing it out! Why? Because I remember paging through a catalog of natural babywear for my daughter who had over-sensitive skin and seemed to develop rashes from everything. At that time in my life I could have counted on one hand the number of new items of clothing I'd purchased for any of my children and the "all cotton, all natural, infant thermal underwear" were definitely pricey by my standards.

I bought the set, 19 years ago. It worked wonderfully for Dana, as well as for Troy, Shane, Bryce, Owen, Lisa, and Gabe. I got my money's worth and some wonderful memories worth. And now that I've recorded it I feel so much better about parting with it!

One last look.....