In the WWII era of Victory gardens, saving kitchen grease, and donating scrap metal for munitions, the frugal slogan “Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, or Do without!” became a nationwide mantra.
Oh, how that has gone out the window today! Instead of using things up, we buy multiples in every color, style, model, and flavor. Instead of wearing things out, we throw them out (or they collect dust in our closets). Instead of making do, we make a fuss about how rough we have it. Instead of doing without, our credit cards are maxing out.
Our frugal forebears would be appalled by our wastefulness.
Getting back to our roots by learning to “Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, or Do without!” will challenge our current frugal (or not-so-frugal) habits. While we won’t all go to the same extremes to save a buck, learning to work with what we have and not be wasteful can help us all to be more frugal.
Let’s take a look at what we can learn from this frugal mantra and how we can apply it to our current situation and upcoming purchases.
Use It Up
My kids are always amazed at how I can always squeeze one more blob of toothpaste out of the tube. Leaving the near empty bottle of shampoo upside down always nets another day’s hair-washing. With the help of a spatula
Whether it’s food, toiletries, or another limited resource, we probably all have room for improvement when it comes to “using it up.” Maybe it means keep the fridge more organized so produce and leftovers aren’t wasted. Maybe it means making an extra effort to teach kids to not let their eyes get bigger than their stomachs. Freezing leftover vegetable scraps is great for stew. Pressure cooking chicken or turkey bones makes great broth. Getting in a better habit of “using it up” will save us money and help us raise a less wasteful next generation.
My grandma is a frugal role model for me. Not only does she make use of everything as it was originally intended, she is a champion of reusing and repurposing things. While I spoil myself with nice food storage containers
Wear It Out
On their 50th wedding anniversary, my grandparents posed for a picture with the refrigerator (still working!) that they received as a wedding present. It’s still going strong out in their garage. It’s pretty safe to say that none of the fridges we are using today will be around in fifty years!
With most current appliances and electronics being built for for a shorter expected life span, it shouldn’t be too hard to “wear it out.” On the one hand, manufacturers really “just don’t make ’em like they used to.” On the other hand, how often do we replace something because we lack the self-control to hold on to “just fine” when new models and updates keep rolling out.
When it comes to clothes, my in-laws are the epitome of “wear[ing] it out.” When their clothes start to show significant wear, they are designated as clothes for working in the garden or other dirty tasks until they are completely demolished.
It’s understandable that not everyone (including me) wants to wear all of their clothes for decades until they are absolutely threadbare. There are lots of frugal alternatives for clothes, from passing them onto a friend or donating them to a thrift store, to selling them on ThredUp, eBay, or locally.
Make It Do
“Need” is a very relative term. Almost every time that we (myself included) say that we “need” something, we would probably be fine without it. Sometimes we just might have to be a little more creative when it comes to a work-around. Not only does making it do build our character, we’re also saving money and getting ourselves closer to our financial goal.
My grandma’s antique fridge that’s still keeping food cold after 60+ years, lost its handle a decade or two ago, but that wasn’t a reason to get rid of a perfectly functional fridge. With a skilled hand and a screwdriver, the door pries open just fine.
Just to be clear, I’m not saying that you never buy anything new (or new-to-you). What I am saying is that too often we don’t exercise any restraint or creativity when we “need” something. Next time you “need” something, try to think of how you can “make do” with what you already have!
Do Without
Even considering the things we all cut out in the beginning of the Frugal Fresh Start Challenge, we really don’t “do without” the way our grandparents had to, or most of the world still does. We’re pretty spoiled. Considering you’re reading this on some electronic device, probably in your own home, vehicle, or workplace, I feel safe including you among the spoiled.
If we’re worried about keeping up with the Jones, going without will make us miserable. Focusing on our blessings and considering all we do have makes going without easier. Going without can be good for us and good for our kids. Are there some luxuries that you normally buy or were planning to buy that you could do without?
Challenge—Day 17
Give a second thought to upcoming purchases that are on your “to buy” list. Think about how you are managing without that item now. How can you “Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, or Do without!” Could you make it do or do without until you reach the goal you set? Could you hold off and make that purchase part of your celebration for reaching a milestone?
- What are some of things that you are intentional about using up or wearing out?
- How have you made do or done without?
- Do you have a grandparent or frugal role model who exemplifies this frugal mantra?
That saying is an old New England proverb. It predates WWII and the Great Depression. New Englanders have probably been using it since colonial times.
It is all in what you value. I drive an older 2008 car with 200,000 miles on it because it is a very fast, good looking sports car. A brand new one wouldn’t offer a much better experience, it would drive about the same. But we also have three vehicles for two people because I can’t pull my boat or ATV behind a sports car. Yet we reuse ziplock storage bags. We are frugal where it doesn’t limit our lifestyle but not where it does.
Yes! I love this! It’s all about your priorities!
I’m reminded of a woman I knew at church who said her aunt, who lived on a farm, saved all of the strings that sewed shut the ends of feed bags and pet food bags. When she got enough, she crocheted them into sturdy pot holders. They were so pretty, and yet so practical. I always thought that was such a clever idea. She didn’t make them into useless doilies — she gave them a job to do! I admire that kind of innovation.
Wow! That’s amazing! My MIL saves the strings too, but she hasn’t made any pot holders out of them (as far as I know)!!
It’s funny as I was reading this post in fits and starts while at my job. One of the off times (work times) I was jiggling the toner cartridge in the copier to get the last bits of dry toner to use up the most of it. It’s a thing I do. Learned from my SAHM who always taught us this phrase (from her mom growing up in the Depression). My kiddo (11) brings me his worn things – from shoes to backpacks to blown out knees on pants to be fixed, sometimes things are carefully fixed so that no one would even know it was repaired, other times it is visibly mended as a statement piece. I rotate through 3 pairs of shoes – Birkenstocks for summer wear, thick tall snow boots (MN) and Blundstones. The quality of my purchases allow for years of use. My “word of the year” this year is “Use it or Lose it” – I’ve chosen that word of the year before as well – I’m blowing through my yarn and fabric stash (I make all of our socks and all of my clothes from thrifted fabric and yarn) because somehow I acquire fabric and yarn faster than I can make things of it. And even if it is free or nearly free, hoarding it does cost me a certain amount of quality of life somehow. Enjoying your presentation of this topic.
That’s awesome that you make so much! I think using up your stash is a grear idea. And I’m totally with you on hoarding free stuff. Even if it doesn’t cost you money, it costs space and some sanity if it’s cluttering your house.
Love the motto. We are probably the only family left in America that doesn’t have a flat screen tv. We have a huge, fat model that was my grandfather’s. I inherited it from him when he died in early 2002. It still works! It’s our only tv. We don’t have cable, so just use it for videos/dvds we get from the library.
I still have two coats my parents bought me in the late 1980’s, but they are classic cut. I live in southern California, so they don’t see too much use.
Both our cars are 2001/2002 era and run great. I had my first car (toyota corolla) for 15 years (and it was two years old when I bought it. My husband is great about doing regular maintenance, and it helps a lot.
We make it do in our little house (1260 square feet) with five children. No one has much room, but we carve out little areas. We opt for clutter free gifts (like money for Disneyland tickets or zoo memberships) to keep from overflowing our space. It isn’t what most families in America do, but it works for us.
I love this Teresa! You sound a lot like us! 🙂
Last Christmas we bought our first TV ever (after 12 years of marriage and 5 kids). We don’t have cable either. I remember at a well-child checkup the dr asked if our kids had TVs in their bedrooms. I told him that we didn’t have any TVs at all! He said we were probably his only patients who didn’t have TVs in bedrooms
I agree that clutter-free gifts are the way to go! 🙂 And old cars without payments are what we opt for too!
I started to read this with interest but after a few moments some “Subscribe and Get The Guide” thingy popped up on the right. I can’t get rid of it, except by sigining up for it. Bummer. I thought I might read more of your site and bookmark you but with that thing and all the advertising, I’ll just go read my hard copy of The Tightwad Gazette, a classic.
I love the ideas in here. One way where we try to do without comes to buying appliances for the kitchen. We have very limited space and no blender or fancy pans for specialty food items, but we make do. I figure that I get a good arm work-out in too by whipping up cookies or mashing potatoes.
I love this! I always say this! Plus ” If you make due-you never go without!” I do a lot of these things already. I do a lot of sewing…reuse all fabric. I don’t use paper products . So I reduce waste. I recycle and upcycle. I also do a lot of repurposing. I make all my own household items from curtains to scatterrugs. I still darn those darn socks that wear out in the heel and toe…
So many things to enjoy doing!
I will admit I am a tad bit of a miser when it comes to money and very frugal I’ve been told.
I don’t buy a lot of clothes and when I do I go to thift shops…after all I live a cabin life and the animals in the woods don’t seem to care what I wear! Except for footware- I believe in good solid footware.
I patch the elbows of my work shirts on the inside before I use them- turn collars and resew when they get worn. Take the buttons off and sew up the front in some of my shirts for cutting wood or using power tools—-so much safer than a button up. Jeans I put patches on the inside of the knees before using for work- they last so much longer this way and when they wear out they become scatter rugs or something else….it’s so much fun to reuse everything! Old t-shirts become my shopping bags…or rags of course.
I don’t have a TV -I use my computer to watch movies – my brother lets me use his hulu and netflix accounts. Share the internet so it only cost me $10 a month. I buy groceries in bulk-I can and do freezer meals too. It all adds up quite a bit so spending so much less…cans can become bread bakers,candle molds ,soap molds not to mention tons of other things .
I also like to be very organized it saves so much time….after my husband died being a single parent of 8 children I learned how to be organized ,to be frugal and how to repurpose many things. Working a full time job and managing a household wasn’t easy at times but we made it work. it taught me how to make sure my children and I never went without.
I just love this post!
Thanks for sharing your tips and experience Cherie!
I love this site and the great comments! Invention is the mother of necessity ( or is it the other way around?!) I love finding ways to reuse and extend the life of anything from darning socks and jeans to drying our unused bread and blitzing into crumbs. My parents taught me to conserve as much as I could and the attitude of frugality has extended to my husband and kids who also look for ways to reuse or make do. I recently went on a sewing frenzy where I turned an old pair of my husbands cargos in shorts and used the cut off to make a pair of shorts for my son, I also turned an oversized polo top into basketball styled shirts for son. My 12 yo daughter had quite a few outfits that she had outgrown but did not want to part with so we jointly redesigned each piece to come up with new outfits. A lot of fun and challenging !!!
That’s great that you grew up with a frugal attitude! And how fun that you’re repurposing clothes for your kids!
I think my Mother won the prize for “reuse”. When the collars on Dad’s shirts became worn, Mom removed them, turned them, and sewed them back in where they belonged. When necessary, she cut off the long sleeves and fashioned the shirt into one with short sleeves. When Dad could no longer wear them, she cut out the fabric that was still good and made a shirt for my younger brother. If still in wearable condition, this shirt got passed down. When it finally could no longer be worn, she removed the buttons (saved them, of course) and cut the shirt apart, to be used as a dusting cloth or a rag. She was a great role model for me.
Turning worn collars is easy. Try it if you haven’t already done so.
That’s awesome KT! You’re mom is one creative and resourceful lady!
These are great reminders. Following!
I love this! Thank you so much for sharing. I just began a Friday series on ways to reduce, reuse, recycle or upcycle and repurposed.
I always feel so inspired when I see posts like this.
Thank you for sharing and inspiring others. (I also like watching your debt go down).
Thanks Tina! That sounds like a great series. It is really neat to see the many different ways that things can be repurposed!
Like many others here I am cutting my toothpaste, shampoo etc packages open to really get out the last of it. I consider myself in the “fairly frugal” category as we do not waste a lot of things, repurpose what we can, don’t change appliances on a whim and I have quite the small wardrobe for a fashion blogger, but we aren’t hardcore. However I always like reading new tips on how to save and make better use of what you got. People are so inventive 🙂
I think cutting your toothpaste tube may be your ticket into the “hardcore frugal” category! 🙂
Best shoes ever! My next project is to sew up a couch cushion to extend the life of our couch. I figure it’s not worth getting a new one at this point because my kids seem to think that “no jumping” means more jumping…
Your kids too? My kids don’t comprehend the not standing/jumping/climbing on the back of the couch thing either. Consequently we also are in need of a repair!
Directly after reading your excellent post first thing this morning, I emailed shoe buy (dot) com to cancel the order I had placed for some new sneakers the night before. I just got a new pair in August. What was I thinking!??? Thanks for the reminder!
You made me smile Susan! Way to take initiative and put this into practice right away! You can put that money straight toward your goal! 🙂
Don’t just squeeze the last of the toothpaste out of the tube – if you cut it open, there is at least 3 days’ worth of toothpaste hiding in there! I cut off the very bottom, then slice it up the side. The amount left inside varies by the toothpaste brand, but it still makes me chuckle to get an extra day or two out of the tube! (I’m easy to entertain!)
Awesome Kelli! 🙂
Thanks for having this series of posts, Stephanie! I look forward everyday to seeing what topic you’ll be covering next. Nice work. 🙂
Thanks Stacey! I always enjoy reading everyone’s comments and ideas.
I really love this post. It’s so easy to get lazy and not think about those last two pieces of bread in the loaf, or to not squeeze the last bit from the toothpaste bottle. Thank you for the timely reminder!!
I need to remind myself because I get lazy too! 🙂
I’m guilty of buying something in multiple colors. I received a sweater for Christmas and loved it so much I bought two more in different colors primarily so I can pair each one with one pair of pants and get different outfits with them. However, I do keep clothes for a loooong time and still wear things from 10-15 years ago. I learned this from my mom who like your in-laws wears a threadbare jacket that my now deceased brother had in the 8th grade! Had to laugh about the Cool-whip storage containers…..my mom fits that description exactly. Twist ties, aluminum foil and holiday wrapping paper all get reused over and over. I’m not that extreme, and because for years I never felt we could afford really nice things, now that we have the money, when I buy something, I make sure it is really nice. And guess what, most things that you pay more for actually do last longer. There is truth in the old saying “you get what you pay for.”
If it’s something you really like and use all the time (like your sweaters), you shouldn’t feel bad about buying multiple colors of it. What’s wasteful is buying a bunch of something you don’t really need or use ‘just because’.
My mom would always save wrapping paper too! When I find something that fits well, that I need and it’s a good price I buy multiples too. I wear things for years too.
My kids laugh (and sometimes groan since they are teenagers) at my frugal behavior. I wash and reuse kitchen zipper bags for bread. I scrape enough peanut butter out of the “empty jar” for a sandwich. I also cut plastic liquid detergent and shampoo bottles in half and use a spatula to scrape the rest of the soap out of them. The contour of the bottles often makes it difficult to get out all of the soap. The shampoo bottles often have enough trapped shampoo to last for a week or more! I found a work-around for $8 to connect our old television to a new DVD player. We waited about 18 months from the time we considered upgrading. In the end, we spent about $150 less on the television we bought after waiting and doing a little more research than we would have on the one we considered when I found the $8 adapter at the appliance store.
I love it Karen! What a great example for your kids. I bet they’ll do the same thing when they’re on their own and have to pay for everything!
Since I’m a full time homemaker, I wear my “around the house” clothes and save the good clothes for when I leave the house. I rarely buy clothes and have had the same pair of sneakers for 3 years, and they still look great! Recently, our microwave door started to crack, so we put a sign reminding us to open the door from the top of the handle. Well, the crack worked it’s way to the inside of the door, so rather than replace the microwave we found a replacement door online for a lot less.
Great post, I love reading the comments, also.
Me too Cheryl! I think my robe will wear out before any of my “nice” clothes do!
It’s so funny you did your post on this. When my husband and I first starting working on our debt- I googled around for money saving tips. Reading about people’s attitudes back then and how much they went through made me feel frankly ashamed of our generations since. I am definitely scraping everything out of every tube now!!
Yes! When you look at the way they lived a couple generations ago, you really see how much we take for granted!
I have had the same pair of shoes for three years I dont go clothes or shoe shopping for the fun of it. I am buying new shoes this week because of a leg injury I need better support. Right now I am doing without a lot but that isn’t by choice. While I can purchase a lot on Amazon and have it shipped there are a lot they won’t ship to military addresses and the local economy just doesn’t have it car seats for example and yes we have them but had to bring them back with us. I actually have two pieces of furniture that I got from my grandfather and great grandmother. A cabinet was used in my grandfathers workshop but I have used it for years and just take cardboard to create a back in the configuration I need. I also have an old speaker case my great grandmother used as a little chest.
Living so far from “home” has got to be challenging Megan! It definitely gives you a different perspective. PS-I’m glad you have car seats! 🙂
Love this posting! I have had that slogan on my fridge for a couple years as a reminder of what should be important in our lives. For Christmas my 15 yo DD made a wooden sign in her machine woods class at school with that very slogan. She said she know how important it was to me and the wooden sign looks much nicer!
Blessings!
Betsy in MN
That’s such a cool and thoughtful gift from your daughter! 🙂