My mom loves empty peanut butter jars.
She not only uses them for storing food leftovers but also for storing all manner of miscellaneous belongings throughout her home.
I have noticed something about people who have lived through hard times and/or grew up in the post-Depression years and that is that they don’t toss things out as quickly as we younger folks do. They are proponents of the famous quote by Boyd K. Packer, “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.”
As I was thinking about this subject this morning, I found this article where the writer says:
When I was a child to be frugal was one of the highest virtues.
Gifts were carefully opened, hands delicately loosening the tape so the wrap could be neatly removed and folded to be used again. A ball of string graced our kitchen cupboard; it was made up of hundreds of shorter pieces tied together. Thanksgiving week we were never done with the turkey until soup had been made off the bones. Catsup bottles were always turned upside down to coax the final drops out, and even then the residue was rinsed out, the last diluted juice added to a meatloaf or spaghetti. Nylons were never thrown out because of holes: small runs were stopped with clear nail polish, larger holes mended with special nylon thread colored to match the various stocking shades.Cotton and wool socks were stretched over a worn out light bulb and darned to prolong their use. Egg shells were saved to crush and spread in the garden soil. Rags were precious, to be used, spread with mentholatum, to wrap sore throats; or to make rag rugs; better cloth was cut up and used for quilt squares. Printed chicken feed sacks became skirts, flour sacks became underwear.
My parents taught me some good lessons in frugality and I’m thankful Steve learned the same lessons.
For example, the lid on our stainless steel garbage can recently broke and we weren’t sure it could be fixed. However, after pondering the problem for a while and trying a few solutions that didn’t work, Steve persevered his way right into a solution. Saturday afternoon, he took the whole thing apart, added a few pieces from Ace Hardware and the garbage can works like new. (Which is amazing, considering it is ten years old.)
At any rate, getting back to my original point, I became the happy beneficiary of one of Mom’s peanut butter jars about twenty years ago when I was needing something in which to store my meager collection of sewing supplies.
All of these years later, the items inside the jar get very little use (I don’t sew beyond hemming and button-replacing), but I still smile whenever I see the jar because it reminds me of mom and her thriftiness and her impressive array of peanut butter jars.
And on the subject of sewing–the hardest part of sewing for me is threading the needle. Once I’m past that point, I’m golden. Does anyone have any tips for non-aggravating needle-threading?
Last week, my daughter-in-law’s mom wrote a great blog post about the joys of cleaning and organizing her home, especially now that it’s just her and her hubby living there. (It’s the first time they have lived alone in 34 years.)
I read her post and nodded my head all the way through it because I’ve been doing the same thing myself.
Last Friday, I spent some time organizing cupboards and cabinets in our bathroom. Is it just me, or is anyone else ever amazed by just how much stuff is stashed away when you start digging into the deepest, darkest corners of your house? How is it possible that I have cough syrup that is four years old?!
An important lesson I learned during Friday’s cleaning process was not to allow myself to get distracted. I had originally planned on putting down some shelf paper during the clean up but quickly realized that it wasn’t a good use of my cleaning time.
I was also tempted to go through some stashed away make up/make up tools and qualify each item but I realized that was also something I could do later.
The point of my day was to clean up and clean out; if I had taken either of the two detours that presented themselves, I would have never finished my task.
The whole time I was working, I kept on getting the feeling I was being watched. And I was!
Summer was on our bed and had pointed herself in my direction so that she could keep a careful eye on all the proceedings. Love that pretty girl of mine.
Steve and I were having lunch recently when the subject of cutting grilled cheeses came up. After 35 years of marriage, I had absolutely no idea that Steve preferred to cut his sandwiches on the diagonal.
I usually cut mine horizontally.
I hope that the two of us can move beyond this major difference in our marriage!
Sarah is home for a couple of days since her school is closed for Martin Luther King Day. It’s always lovely to have her pop in for a visit. (But not quite so lovely when she has to pop back out.)
She cooked dinner for us on Saturday night, using this easy and delicious recipe.
Put three boneless breasts in a crock pot.
Add an envelope of dry ranch dressing mix and 3/4 jar of buffalo sauce (17.5 ounces). Sarah likes Sweet Baby Rays over Franks sauce because it’s not as hot.
Cook in crock pot on low for about 6-7 hours (Some recipes say to add 2 T of butter at end of cooking time.)
Shred chicken and serve on toasted rolls or buns, adding remaining sauce, if desired. (This could also be served over baked potatoes.)
After Sarah’s month-long stay at home over Christmas, I went up to her room the day she left and sat in her chair for a few minutes, just to remember the visit and give thanks for this sweet child of mine.
As I sat there, my attention was caught by a card on her little table.
I picked it up and saw that it was her appointment reminder for a follow-up breast ultra sound in June.
It occurred to me that I would much prefer not going to my daughter’s room and seeing cards for medical appointments. She has had plenty of those in the past three years: an ENT visit, speech therapy, hearing aid tests, hearing aid fitting, an echocardiogram, two colonoscopies, four wisdom teeth removed, two breast ultrasounds, and a breast biopsy.
Not my favorite choices of activities for her but so thankful that so far, each medical procedure has given good results.
As Sarah heads back to college tomorrow and the future that stretches ahead of her, there is no telling what appointment cards and other tests might await her down the road. But today we celebrate good health and (on January 10) the 14th anniversary of her bone marrow transplant.
Fourteen years of pure gratefulness . . .
What about you?
Does anyone still sew?
Do you have an official sewing kit, or are your supplies just thrown together like mine?
What do you remember your parents (or grandparents) doing that showed their thriftiness?
And most importantly, do you cut your sandwiches on the diaganol or straight across? 🙂
I just cleaned out my bathroom cabinets and drawers yesterday! A huge bag of trash was the result! Old makeup, expired medicine, old hair products. It felt so good to purge!
Melinda,
The purge feels great right after doing it and ESPECIALLY great the next morning when you open your bathroom drawers and cabinets to get ready for the day and see all that space and orderliness. Ahhhh . . .
Judy,
I agree with you completely. I’m not sure how it can be that things long lost can suddeny become important s soon as they are given (or thrown) away!
And yes, I am also amazed at how quickly empty drawers and closets seem to re-fill themselves. My goal in this season of life is to work hard at making sure that doesn’t happen.
Wish me luck!
It seems when I am in a cleaning-out, throwing-out mood, I find things that have not been used in years and believe will never be used again. Well, wouldn’t you know, it is often not long before I wish I still had them.
The other thing I find interesting, is that over time the closets and drawers magically fill back up.
To add to the Great Sandwich debate: my daughter like hers cut into quarters–vertically and horizontally so there are four pieces. My sons both like diagonal.
JLB,
I never even thought about the “quarters cutting” when I wrote this post.
I do remember doing that for my kids when they were little because it was easier for them to pick up. I’m glad you reminded me of that so I can pull it out again for the grandkids.
I don’t sew at all. If slacks are too long, and they usually are at 5’0″, I take them to an alterations person. I do have a sewing box where I have thread etc but it rarely gets used.
On the subject of grilled cheese sandwiches, I don’t typically cut mine at all.
Many years ago, my aunt was moving from a smaller town to Springfield, MO. She is officially a hoarder in my opinion. Since she was a widow, several of us had gone to help her get ready to move. This was probably around 1985. Her husband had been gone since 1973. Before he passed away, he worked at a grocery store. He would bring displays home, usually made of cardboard. She still had several of those in a shed. She also had chicken wire. Well, my cousin and I disposed of the chicken wire and I don’t think she has ever forgotten that. Mind you, she didn’t have chickens but she might need that for some unknown reason. Her favorite saying was “save that, we might need for Vacation Bible School.”
Phyllis,
LOVE the Vacation Bible School line! And I love that your aunt was always thinking of the children and teachers involved in that wonderful program. A woman after my own heart. 🙂
That face on Summer, so precious!
Buy some self threading needles. They have a notch at the end that you pull your thread through to the eye of the needle – no need to try and get the thread through the eye. They work great! Just before I came to your site I ordered a thread organizer box from Joann.com. I have two quilts I plan to make (my first attempt to make a quilt). Just bought a new sewing machine in September, as I was having problems with my Mom’s old machine. Got a heavy duty Singer without computerization and no fancy extras other than it is self threading. I haven’t sewn much in years but I did make my wedding dress and veil in which the headpiece was wired and had like six layers of satin, lace and interfacing.
Always diagonal, I think the look more appetizing!
I too, remember my grandfather having a bunch of those baby food jars tacked to something in his garage for organizing his stuff – his garage was so clean and organized! Like you, I tackled some upper kitchen cupboards last week. Ugh, found something that expired in 2000!
Kari,
I’m glad I”m not the only one who found old stuff in my cabinets. I’d say something from 2000 could definitely be considered a little old-ish. 🙂 Isn’t it such a great feeling to get back into the furthest corners and clean them out? Ahhh . . .
Your wedding dress and veil sound amazing! You have definitely found at least one of your gifts in life. I am in awe!
I sew about as much as you do and actually, your sewing kit is more organized than mine. As far as the great sandwich cutting debate we are a house divided. One daughter prefers vertical (we call it doors) my husband and other daughter don’t care, and I prefer diagonal (we call it triangles).
Sue Ellen,
Doors and triangles–I love that!
Whoever would have thought that people would have strong opinions about which way to cut but it sounds like they sure do!
My mom still sews. She is an amazing seamstress and made my wedding dress 25 years ago. I am talking about a dress with a 4 ft train. I picked out the top from one pattern and the bottom from another and she put it together. 🙂 I do not sew. Not even buttons. I willingly pay my sister-in-law to do that.
Now, the sandwich cutting thing is a subject that we were talking about on the weekend. When I was in grade school, my brothers and I took sandwiches everyday for lunch as we were bus students. My mom ALWAYS cut them across the center. Sort of how you do except that instead of a vertical cut she always did horizontal. I didn’t like them diagonal as in my little mind, the halves of the sandwich always looked bigger with the exception of salmon sandwiches and then I wanted it cut diagonal as I felt there was more sandwich that way. 🙂 One day while making my husband’s sandwiches for work I cut them the way that my mom always cut them and when he came home he told me that I ruined his sandwiches by cutting them that way and that they don’t taste the same unless they are cut diagonally. I always cut diagonally now.
Mel,
That made me smile when your husband said cutting the sandwiches diaganolly made them taste different. I think for most of us, our sandwich cutting preferences go back to how they were cut for us when we were children. And it just seems like “our way” is the right way. 🙂
Your mom sounds like an amazing seamstress, epecially combining two patterns for a wedding dress. I can’t even imagine!
Mom too, saved her baggies and dad made her a little board with pegs on it to stand them on and let them dry 🙂 We also had to save the aluminum foil. I am not a sewer but I do have a plastic box that is pretty broken but it has thread and needles if I need them. I thought they made safety pins to hold clothes together, ha!
I cut most sandwiches on the diagonal, but if its going into a bag it gets cut horizontally so it fits in the bag. They do still make glass baby food jars, I have some in my basement to make a craft, (cough, cough) I am not crafty, ha! So nice Sarah was able to be home a couple of days again, That chicken sounds delicious, and anything is good if someone else makes it, I think.
Wendy,
After reading some of the comments yesterday, Sarah looked it up online to see if they still make glass baby food jars and you’re right–they sure do! They are such a nice size for doing so many things with even (in your case) eventual crafts. 🙂
How thoughtful of your dad to make your mom a board with pegs for drying her sandwich bags. That is a lovely picture of marriage.
I don’t sew either except for the necessary button issue or tear. I have an tin old container for my meager supplies. Mine was from my grandmother. After she died in 1995, I confiscated her little tin box. To everyone else, it was nothing special. It had a photo on the top of the Queen Mother, King George VI and their two little girls, Elizabeth and Margaret. I have a fascination with the royal family, unlike anyone else except my Grammy, in my family. Every time I use that tin it reminds from whom I came. The picture has since rubbed completely off but I know it was there.
Sandwiches? Always vertical and I have no idea why. Diagonal is ‘fancy’ haha. I’m plain.
Glass baby food jars are the only things I remember my mom reusing. I wish they still made them.
For the needle threading dilemma try a needle threader, works great!
Lesley,
I love that you use a sewing box given to your by your grandmother and that it has such wonderful memories associated with it. It’s nice how we an keep our grandparents in our lives through some of our precious possessions.
And you will be happy to do know that glass baby food jars are still made; we did the research yesterday! 🙂
I’ve been pretty good about not letting ‘stuff’ accumulate ever since we gutted out kitchen and remodeled it. We did, however, clean out behind out basement bar this weekend. Oh my. Seriously old, DUSTY stuff! SO, SO glad to have that done!
I still sew (and have a huge cabinet, 2 sewing boxes and thread organizer on the wall) but not as much as I used to. I love to do it and my biggest sewing accomplishment is that I did an entire wedding party many years ago: 5 bridesmaids dresses (fitted, knee-length black satin with puffy white organza short sleeves….aaaacccck), two flower girl’s dresses and two little boy ring-bearer jacket and short sets. I was really proud of myself but super glad to have that done!
My mom always saved the aluminum foil to re-use….flattened it out and folded it. Also, the plastic bags: washed and dried and re-used. And we can’t forget the last skinny sliver of soap that got mooshed and stuck onto a new bar. And yes, I do all of the above too! 🙂
LeeAnne,
Sewing for an entire wedding party? I can’t imagine how much time that must have taken you. I guarantee you were the proudest person at the wedding, watching people walk down the aisle in things YOU had created. Amazing!
Glad you were able to git rid of your seriously old, dusty stuff! Isn’t it the best feeling?
I am usually pretty good about cleaning stuff out but since I fell and broke my hip in Sept., I have become a little lazy about it, i am embarassed to say I was finally cleaning out my refrigerator on Saturday and actually found a bottle of dressing with an expiration day of 8/15, it is not dressing I use and I really hope no one else did either! My former mother in law grew up in a family of five kids during the depression and I remember her ALWAYS folding and re-using aluminum foil, she said it was one of the scarcest things during the depression and the war and she just automatically saved every piece.I aso remember using nail polish to stop a run.
Dale,
You’ll be relieved to know that I have found salad dressing even older than that before!
It’s interesting what your former mother-in-law said about aluminum being one of the scarcest things during the Depression and war. I never knew that. That sure explains why people of her generation are so careful about reusing foil.
The writer of that paragraph really hit it on the nose. When my parents were moving from their 5 bedroom home – 2 story – to a single story home, mom had quite the collection of jars. Right now I only have a couple pint jars I use for my loose change and take the change to the bank and use the money for vacations. My sewing is limited to hemming and sewing on buttons, or maybe a tear, here and there. Right now I have a small basket on my dryer that I have threads and needles, scissors, tape, shaver( for those pillings on sweaters or wherever) stitch witch dry for hems that come down, jewelry glue, etc. it has come in very handy on laundry day. I don’t like clutter, so I am a basket person and last year I cleaned out my bathroom drawers and makeup baskets. Found a bottle of Ibuprofen from 2001′ guess that could be tossed, huh! Have way to many lipsticks of same color, will have to work on those next.
That word is Stitch Witchery. Dislike when it changes and I’m not paying attention.
Sharyn,
I guess spell checkers don’t often see the words, Stitch Witchery! I will have to look that up and see what it is–I’ve heard of it but don’t know much about it.
I love your idea of saving up coins and putting them toward vacation. Even small amounts can realy add up over the course of year or two!
Stitch Witchery for me was used to hem up a skirt. You put it in between material and iron it. Very helpul if you don’t have needle and thread. Have had it for many years, so not sure if they make that any more, but am assuming there is something else to take its place.
I have two sewing boxes–one plastic that is years old in which I now keep craft supplies and a newer tapestry one in which I keep sewing “stuff.” I hen, sew buttons on and sew together cross stitch Christmas stockings. My machine is not easy to thread and I have never enjoyed it as much as my old Touch and Sew Singer which finally gave out. Would like to get a simple Singer just for straight stitches and not all the fancy stuff. My Mama used to wash out storage/freezer bags and reuse them. We cut sandwiches both ways depending on what we are using them for. It is easier to cut them like you do to bag for events because they fit snack size bags. So glad Sarah got to visit again. Enjoy your postings and ? forward to them.
Ann,
In regard to your sewing machine, sometimes simple, basic tools and machines are so much better than the computerized, complicated ones, aren’t they? I know exactly what you mean.
So glad you look forward to and enjoy my posts; that’s very encouraging.
Yes, I have sewn since I was 10 when my mom taught me. I used to make clothes, but now mostly quilt. My sewing supplies are scattered in drawers of my sewing cabinet, and a bag that I take to my quilting group, and here and there around my sewing room.
I learned about the same thriftiness as you did, aside from darning nylons and the feed sacks (although my mom did talk about that from her childhood) living in the city I don’t think I ever saw a feed sack. With panty hose-if we got a run in one leg we cut it off and paired it with another pair that had one leg. Wasn’t the most comfortable but it worked. I still practice a lot of thrift as I hate to throw anything away. Find a use for it and use it all up!
I prefer to cut my sandwiches on the diagonal and my husband does both depending on what type of sandwich it is-mostly he prefers a straight cut. It is convienient when packing a picnic as we can tell whos sandwich is whos without having to look inside.
Patti,
I had heard of that tip before about using two “good” legs from two pair of panty hose and always thought that would be the tip I would be most likely NOT to use. Just getting up one pair of pantyhose is enough of a job; I can’t imagine wrestling with two!
I LOVED your tip about cutting sandwiches two different ways to make them easier to tell apart when packing for a trip or picnic. I will definitely remember that!
Hi Becky, Iced inside in Iowa today. I “mend” and also have issues threading the needle. I have a needle “threader” doesn’t work with the tiny needles. Always try to keep needles threaded with basic colors so when I ‘m in a hurry don’t have the frustration at that last minute. When I was 10 joined 4H. For Christmas my grandmother gave me a sewing box. The older cousins got Kodak pocket cameras, go figure. The “box” has moved around the country with me and lasted longer than my 4H years. (Bet the cousins don’t have those cameras.) My sewing box is stuffed with supplies I might “need” someday, as I too grew up with parents & grandparents who lived through the depression and kept everything for reuse. Due to recent job reductions we are growing more produce and preserving more. I save containers and attempt to use the same style for individual produce so at a glance I know what’s inside. We also have a compost bin and I no longer feel guilty when produce doesn’t get used before it goes bad. Turn it into “black gold”. Lastly, so happy to read that after 35 years you are still learning new things about Steve. I’ve been married 23 years and felt guilty when Al tells me something I thought I knew about him but really didn’t. BTW I cut diagonal better to dip in my tomato soup.
Karen,
Hmmm. I had never thought of a diagonally cut sandwich being easier to dip into soup. Good point!
I love the thought that you are still carrying that sewing kit from your grandmother while your cousins doubtlessly still don’t have their cameras. How special to be able to have a part of your grandmother still with you.
And yes, one of the great parts of marriage is still learning something new about one’s husband, even after many years together!
Becky – to thread your needle very easily you need a needle threader which is just a thing that has a wire pointed loop on the end – it goes right into the eye of the needle and since it is bigger it is easy for you to put your thread through it – then you pull the wire back through and your needle is threaded – they come with a pack of needles – since I don’t know the name you can see that I do as much sewing as you do – although I do piece quilts by hand – I used to make all my children’s clothes but that was 40 years ago. Love the pix of Summer watching her mama work
Becky,
Thanks for reminding me of the needle threader. I remember using one years ago but had completely forgotten about it. That should make my job so much easier; I will pick one up this week.
What a great act of love to make all the clothes for your kids. I admire that skill greatly!
Until I moved my sewing machine to MN it must have been over ten years since I used it. Since then it has been used to mend some of Bill’s clothes and to make drapes for the basement Windows. I brought my living room drapes when I moved and just cut them down to fit. I guess that is pretty frugal.
Cindy,
Good for you for cutting down your drapes from California and making them fit your new place in Minnesota. That was a great act of thriftiness, plus you got to bring a little of your old life with you which must be a comfort.
Glad that sewing machine of yours is getting a workout!
CeCe,
You are so right about people using those jars for storage! Seems like I remember seeing pictures of lids attached to the underside of a shelf and then people would screw the jar (filled with all the things you mentioned) onto the lid. Pretty nifty!
And I have no idea if baby food still comes in glass jars. It’s been a little while since I’ve bought any. 🙂
Remembering baby food jars? Do they still make baby food in jars? My Grandfather use to have his workbench lined up with baby food jars with different size nails, screws and tacks.