THIS IS A RANT!! TURN BACK NOW IF YOU AREN'T PREPARED FOR AN EYE FULL" Let's talk "waste"... what makes us determine something is no longer useful?
Recently Scott found 3 magazine holders in a neighbors trash... they were still taped together as they were when purchased - with labels and price tag still attached. They were horribly dirty from being stored for a long period of time but still usable. Scott brought them home to me and I cleaned them up and have put them to work in my Hobby room. Do you see anything wrong with them?
I have to wonder... have we gotten so lazy it's easier to buy new than clean something up? I once went out with a guy that had a 2 bedroom apartment but the second bedroom was for his "dirty" clothes... he never did laundry just went and bought new clothes... I would have hated being THAT landlord when he moved out. YIKES!And THANK GOD that relationship failed!
When Scott tries to repair something he has to search and search for parts as no one locally sells replacement parts. Often times he has to search online to find the part he needs.... and order them in from across the country.
We've GOT to get back to making items that can be repaired by the owner. Cheaply made garbage that can't be repaired is just garbage... where the Devil are we supposed to put all this crap that will NOT biodegrade in any foreseeable future.
I don't know... being raised by my Grandma who had raised her 9 children through the Depression on a dairy farm I learned early on ... YOU DON'T JUST GO OUT AND BUY A NEW! Fix EVERYTHING a least a dozen times before you even start thinking about buying new. Hand down clothes.... "make repairs until the patches won't hold patches".
And then there are those cleaning products I will NEVER understand... SWIFTER! WHAT THE HELL! You use it once or twice and pull the pad off and toss it away. And those toilet brushes you use ONCE and toss. WHAT!!!! Come on people... REALLY!?
Great blog Becky, Yes we do live in a disposable world these days. I recycle/upcycle so much now. Did you know this month is Buy nothing new month"and I have decided to make the pledge.
ReplyDeleteBecky, I feel the same aggravation! The corporates know they are selling us JUNK that will only last a short time..because of GREED... come back and buy more-MORE! Hogwash...in our home we fix and repair what we can..or buy used....that is how we roll...The GREEDY CORPORATIONS can bite me.. I will fix it, buy used or go without! We still have what some call an outed TV..WHY?..the TV still works and we have a repair shop in our lil town ...My PC I'm using right now is used ..I can upgrade it....~~"peace" of mind~~ that is what I strive for on a daily bases..just living with what is right...hence name of blog...
ReplyDeleteRant away Becky you hit the nail on the head:) B
ReplyDeleteThe computer I am currently using was gifted to me from a neighbor. The hard drive was failing. I bought a used hard drive for $50.00 and loaded Linux on it. I am very happy with the machine. This is no slug either. An Intel quad-core with 6 gig of ram. I will probably use it for 5 or more years.
ReplyDeleteA great post thanks Becky!
ReplyDeleteOh I feel what you are saying big time here, Becky. It is frustrating and appalling.
ReplyDeleteWe had to start an event here at the college during the week that students move out of the dorms because of this throw-away attitude. See, the students were just throwing everything away. Furniture, brooms, clothes, books, mirrors, suitcases, towels, canned/boxed food, printers, bedding, TVs, etc. It was absolutely unacceptable. The Green Group (of which I am a part) would go dumpster diving afterwards to salvage things we could for donating to goodwill-type stores. Now we just have collection points for all the stuff they don't want to move. Seriously, I think some of them buy new stuff every year rather than have to box up and move it.
I guess when so little is made with any real value, is all mass-produced as cheaply as possible, it is easier to see it as disposable.
Good on you and Scott to save those magazine racks from being made into garbage without ever even having been useful. I am not ashamed to have pilfered perfectly good things out of my neighbors trash.
I hate to see things wasted and or thrown out and not given to someone who Could use it. I was at a store today and was floored at what the lady behind me was buying. She was buying a thing the size of a toaster that its only purpose was to heat baby wipes in!!!!!n course she was buying the packages of perfumed baby wipes to use in it too. Grrrrr!!! !!! !!! What is wrong with wash clothes you buy or make from used clothes you have around the house that you no longer need? Do they ever need to be heated???? What a silly world we live in!!! We reused and repurpose all we can and pass on what we can't. It makes us use our brains and brawn too! :) We buy or find practically everything we ned used. Our home is truly Our home as we do not buy the cookie cutter things you see sooo many of all over. Sarah
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