Saving Money: Tightwad Genes Run in My Family

My grandparents were all born around the time of the Great Depression. This probably explains why they all seem to have lived by the old adage “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without.” My Grandma Mary actually made re-using things an art form. 

Growing up, I remember Grandma saving disposable cups, plates, and utensils - rewashing them and using them again. At Christmas - every year - Grandma would bring out a special trash bag for all of the wrapping paper, boxes, and ribbons that everyone had removed from the gifts. This particular trash bag never met the trash man or the burning barrel. 

Everyone in the family knew that Grandma would press out the pieces of giftwrap that were large enough to be used again. And we would all see the same paper, ribbons and boxes year after year until they would disintegrate or someone would sneak them into the bottom of the trash can. I have a feeling that when I was 10 I unwrapped presents wrapped with ribbons and paper from my first Christmas! 

Grandma reused everything and did not believe in waste. My Grandpa, in fact, has been known to drag home numerous items found in junkpiles, trashcans and roadsides. When I was a little girl, I used to love family outings with my Dad known as “junking.” Junking entailed driving around along backcountry roads hunting for junkpiles - illegal landfills where locals threw their trash. 

Believe it or not, I got a lot of good stuff growing up from junking. I remember assorted Barbie toys, clothes, shoes and other treasures. The most fun was the digging through the junk to unearth a true diamond in the rough. I never thought this was weird and I thought all kids went out junking with their Dads.