Somehow, today’s safe and simple tip of keeping sheets and towels doesn’t seem so exciting to me. Keep your sheets and towels? Why wouldn’t you do that? And why in the world is that a green tip?
If you live in America, it’s not surprising to you that it’s hard not to be materialistic. In fact, if you’re not affected by consumerism you’re definitely swimming against the culture.
Everywhere you look, advertisers and retailers are enticing you to buy more. Update what you already have to find satisfaction.
I’m not afraid to break it to you – these are materialistic lies used to convince you to buy more.
As long as your belongings are in usable, who says you need something new? If your car/television/refrigerator/fill-in-the-blank still works, why feel pressured to upgrade?
Your budget and your financial stewardship will benefit when you resist the temptation and keep using what you have.
Image courtesy of stockimages/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
What happened in my bedroom
For me, sheets and towels fall into this category. Last week I shared how I reuse bath towels – I have bath towels to reuse because in the midst of my materialism I bought a bunch of new towels I didn’t really need. (Like them? Yes. Want them? Yes. Need them? Not at all.)
Since I’ve been facing my own personal spending issues and trying to be greener, I’ve adopted the old Depression-era saying, “Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.” In the past year I’ve especially tried to live by that phrase when I’m tempted to buy something new.
And this winter, I was pleasantly surprised to see this saying come to fruition in my home. I was in the middle of changing sheets, and as I spread the bottom sheet on my bed, I heard a huge “R-R-R-RIP!” Shocked, I looked to see what happened, and there it was: a rip that went from the top of the sheet almost to the bottom.
At first, I was disappointed because these were my favorite sheets. And then I remembered why they were my favorites – I bought them as a blushing bride more than a decade ago. My husband and I had gotten so much use out of them they finally wore out.
I thought about our other sheet sets – we had received the rest of them as wedding gifts. They still looked like they were in good shape, though, so we’re continuing to use them. And, we bought one other sheet set to replace the favorite ones that ripped and are now used as paint dropcloths.
By avoiding the temptation to replace all of our sheets with new sets – just because – I’ve been able to use what we have, save money, and reduce our consumption. The practice is very green because my shopping trips are reduced (that saves my use of gasoline) – and if everyone would use what they have until they truly need something new, it would also cut back on production and waste.
The bottom line
Theoretically, it’s very easy to make the greener choice to use what you already have until you absolutely need to buy more. Try it with your bed sheets. Try it with your bath towels. Then start trying it in other aspects of your shopping – like clothing, accessories, and dinnerware.
Talk back
Is the practice of “using it up, wearing it out, making it do, or doing without” a blip on your radar? If so, what has come easily for you? What’s difficult?
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My kids are now using the same sheets I used as a kid. I keep them until they are so torn and ratty they don’t resemble sheets anymore.
The other day I found an old Peanuts “Happiness is being one of the gang” pillowcase from my childhood … and it’s now in the rotation for my children’s pillowcases. :)
great post! i had to laugh because i have some luscious towels i bought about 16 years ago and they are almost in tatters and i refuse to give them up. after my toe got caught in one and i fell over in the bathroom, i decided to demote it to the laundry room, but it still isn’t gone!
That is too funny! I typically forget how old things are until I’m using them and they start to seem worn out. When I stop to think about how long I’ve actually owned something, I’m shocked. (I think a pair of 25-year-old socks are finally wearing out.)
I have so many towels, but I did not buy them all! My grandmas college roommate worked at a towel factory and you could go to the factory second store and buy towels by the pound! Everytime my mom would take grandma to see her friend they would go. You’d have to dig around in the piles to try to make matched sets. But mom, grandma and Leila were thrifty shoppers and would dig forever to find them. Now, I’m the owner of their frugality and perserverence!! But that has been many years since those trips and over the lady couple years, they are finally wearing out in spots. So, I have done this with those towels: cut off the torn spots and re-hem if its at the edges, if bigger tips, cut them down to napkin size and use at the table as napkins, cut them down to a dish drying size, or my fave–cut them down to about a 10-12 inch square, then see two together with a big X from corner to corner to hold them together. I keep them in the kitchen. When there’s a spill, grab one, soak up the spill or wipe up the floor, then toss in the washer–no more paper towels!
I love your towel story, Tammy! I bet your grandma and Leila would be thrilled that you’re still using them. :)
And I love how you repurpose them into smaller, handier towels. I bet they work great compared to paper towels!