Day 19 - Second life

My grandmother lived through the Great Depression. For several years, she and her family had nothing. They had to scrimp and save and stretch every resource. This affected her for the rest of her life, even when she had money enough to live well.

She’d scrape the butter off its paper with the edge of a knife, leaving nothing behind. Food was rarely thrown away. She’d darn the holes in everything that could be darned—socks, slippers, jeans. She owned the same pajamas for forty years.

She had a hand-cranked machine that could roll newspapers into tight logs, which she burned in an old metal stove in the middle of her living room. Often times, it was the only thing heating her house. Her storage system for leftovers consisted of margarine and Cool Whip containers. Many of her drinking glasses were formerly jelly jars.

Margaret was an expert recycler. Practically everything had a second life.

Over the next 81 days, I’m going to save lots of items I’d normally throw away, and see if I can find alternate uses for them. I’ve already begun storing the kids’ craft beads and buttons in egg cartons. If you have any tips, I’d love to hear about them.

Tip for Day 19 – Be creative. Find a second life items you’d normally throw away.