Thrifty Thursday

When I was five years old, my Grandma Bean came to live with us. She seemed ancient to me at the time. Today I realize she was just a couple of years older than my hubby is now!

Grandma taught me many things during the next 10 years. One of those things was how to be thrifty with what others might normally throw away!

Grandma saved jelly jars for glasses...

 

...does anyone else remember these? They would come filled with your favorite jams or jelly in the super market, and after finishing up the last drop of jelly in the jar, you washed them and put them in your cupboard. Before long, you would have a whole set of these glasses! And should you ever break one, simply purchase another jar of jelly the next time you went to the grocery store to replace it!

 

Grandma also saved plastic bread bags....

 

 

Bread bags were perfect for putting left overs in. Or to wrap a sandwich in for school. Or to pack toiletries in your suitcase, in case of leaks, or to freeze vegetables after the harvest in your deep freeze, even as shoe bags.  Empty bread bags could be used for a dozen different things!

 

Grandma saved those bread ties too!

 

 

Twist ties had a dozen uses as well! They could be used to tie the plastic bag that held your sandwich for school. [We didn't have zippered sandwich bags back then!] They could be used to tie your shoe bag closed. To tie a pony tail in a pinch even!

 

Grandma's favorite item to recycle was....

 

...aluminum foil. Just one use for that sheet you tore off? Heck no! If it wasn't too dirty, you'd wipe it off, and smooth it out, and fold it neatly and put it in the drawer for another day to use!

 





And another thing...

 

...those pencils NEVER get too short to use! You saved those stubs, because you never knew when it might come in handy!!!

 

Today we would say that Grandma recycled. Before she ever heard the word recycle! Back in those days it was simply being thrifty.

 

And my Mama was another thrifty person! But that's a tale for another day.