![]() Most of us don’t have these kinds of systems set up. What systems, if any, do you have in place to make sure that older food gets eaten before newer food does? What happens when you have leftover food from a meal? How is leftover food from a meal eaten out dealt with? Forty percent!!Ĭan you imagine what would happen if we all started eating everything in our refrigerators on a regular basis? Most American kitchens are extremely wasteful.Īmericans waste 40% of the food that is grown for us. “Use it Up, Wear it Out, Make it Do or Do Without” in Your Kitchen We’ll just cover the two most wasteful rooms today: The kitchen and the bathroom. If your home is like most Americans, you’ve got cabinets and closets full of things you don’t use. Start in the kitchen, then continue through each room in your home and take inventory. Next, take some time to look at each room of your home. Stop all discretionary spending for a period of time. So, just how do we overcome this consumer-driven lifestyle? ![]() One or two clicks on a phone app, and your purchase is on it’s way! Most of our spending decisions aren’t because we need something…Īside from our discontentment, living in this digital age makes it incredibly easy to consume. The point that I’m trying to drive home (pun intended) is this… What if you kept your current car until you had 300K miles on it? And maintained it meticulously so that it would last that long?! What if you swore off paper napkins and paper towels? What would your grocery bill look like if you committed to eating/preserving every morsel of food that you already have, before it went bad? ![]() How much less money would you spend if you wore every shoe and piece of clothing until you had completely exhausted it’s usefulness?Īfter repairing it several times? (My husband re-soles his dress shoes several times before letting them go). What if you didn’t buy any new books until you had read every book you already own? Primarily, because we have a choice in the matter. Well, the fact of the matter is that most of us do not do those things. I think of using up that last bit of catsup in the bottle, or adding water in the shampoo bottle to make sure you get it all out.īut what about other commodities like appliances, clothing and cars?ĭo we use our appliances until they can no longer be repaired?ĭo we wear our clothing until it’s unwearable? Then make the scraps into quilts?Ĭould we drive our cars until they were virtually scrap metal? Synonyms include: Absorb, consume, burn, deplete, devour, drain, exhaust, expend. The term “Use it up” means to “ exhaust of usefulness or use“. When was the last time you completely “used something up”? So, let’s break this mantra down into it’s four maxims and examine each one. The principles of “Use it Up, Wear it Out, Make it Last or Do Without” are incredible principles that, when applied, can keep you out of debt and on good financial footing. ![]() How can we apply the timeless principles of this mantra to the consumer-driven, instant-gratification culture that we live in today?Ī fundamental truth that governs people’s belief systems and guides the decisions in their lives. Popularized by Calvin Coolidge, shortly before his death, this phrase was a modified version of the English saying “Eat it Up, Wear it Out, Make it Do, Do Without”.Ĭoolidge was complimenting the English ways of thrift and frugality and so promoted it to his own country, during WWII and The Great Depression.īut did you know that this mantra is still just as powerful and effective today? This phrase was responsible to helping people to get through one of the most difficult periods in American history. Do you remember the mantra from The Great Depression “Use It Up, Wear it Out, Make it Do or Do Without”? ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |