My Grandma Bern grew up in the depression.
She saved e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g!
She put cookies in a saved ice cream container. She kept them in what we called "the cold room". It was my Uncle Ed's bedroom. It was a very small room off the dining room. I don't think it was heated. My brother and I used to sneak in there and get a cookie now and then. Grandma didn't like us to have treats between meals. That's a rule I should have kept with!
She saved margarine containers, milk cartons, and any other thing she could pack food in and freeze or put in the refrigerator. She canned a lot of food and had a very large garden.
She kept years of magazines stacked against the wall in one of the bedrooms. That was fun for us as kids. We'd spend time thumbing through them when we visited.
Sometimes, when we've been through hard times, we even save things we don't need to save. I've been guilty of that. I still am, I suppose. I still have "clutter" to "declutter". But, not saving is not always bad. Sometimes, I find that I have saved just the thing I need to work on a project or to fix something. The key is keeping it organized so that I can find it.
Happy Monday!! I think there is definitely a need for a healthy balance. I is nice to have things we may need but then again having too much can take over. You are right, organization is a must of those extra little things we save.
ReplyDeleteI think my grandmother was very similar to yours. She was an adult in the great depression and never trusted banks after that. My mother grew up during the depression, and she was always frugal.
ReplyDeleteBlessings and hugs,
Betsy
The golden rule seems to be if you throw something away you will need it within a week or two.
ReplyDeleteAbout 10 years ago I gave my son's toy sword away to a charity shop as he was in his mid-teens and had never really played with it when he was a child. I didn't know why I had kept it so long. Two days later my husband's boss announced that the company's Christmas party was to be at a Medieval manor house and everyone was expected to go in fancy dress. We had to go and buy another toy sword!
Oh, what a sweet memory to sneak in with your brother for a cookie at Grandmas. 💕
ReplyDeleteMy own mother was like that. She saved everything. It was hard cleaning the house out and my brother ended up doing it because I had 4 small kids and lived 1000 miles away. Great memories of your grandmother and sneaking cookies....lol....xo Diana
ReplyDeleteI love your stories of your grandma💛🤎🧡
ReplyDeleteI used to throw everything away and keep almost nothing. I had to realize I was being wasteful. I agree, organization is key.
God bless🌻🍂🍁
I think we jumped off the same star you and I.
ReplyDelete