Mom and Dad divorced when I was three years old.
Right away I knew things had changed.
Dad wasn't around.
We no longer lived in a pretty little cape with a shiny swing set and wonderful little wading pool.
We had moved to an apartment with walls that seems to be made of thick, hard cardboard and not wood and plaster.
Mom made sure we always had fresh clean clothes (we each had a few sets of outfits).
We never went to bed starving.
But, we went to bed a little hungry some nights because our meals were "small".
This let mom stay within the budget for groceries (it was $100/month).
We didn't ever go away on vacation (few folks did then).
But, because we were 40 minutes from the ocean, when it was hot out, we'd get to go to the beach.
We loved those trips! The three of us children understood very early on that we would not receive funds for cars, college, etc.
This also included helping with cost of weddings and down payments for first homes.
What ended up happening was, each of us learned quickly how to become good savers and a little thrifty.
We started out at 25 cents a week for allowance (for making our beds daily).
When I was about 8 or 9, I was able to save up for a bicycle.
I picked one out in my favorite color, purple, It was a spider bike with a white banana seat.
It cost $7 dollars.
Boy, did I enjoy my bike! I would wash it and wax it and even "Noxon" the fenders, handle bars, spokes and rims.
It looked and ran like new for many years.
That early lesson about saving money, spending wisely and taking good care of that which was purchased continued though my teens and early twenties.
We had Marshalls and TJ Maxx close by when those two retailers began.
So, we'd go there first anytime we needed clothes or gifts.
Items I wanted which I couldn't get there, I'd wait for a sale or and end of season markdown with the hope that they were still available.
This was how I got my first boiled wool jacket.
It's a coach length with 6 bright silver buttons.
I can still remember its original price was $120.
And, I got it for $69! That was 30 years ago.
And I still wear this jacket! It's a little worn here and there, especially around the elbows which I have darned.
It actually looks new if you don't look at it too closely! And many people still compliment me on it! I continue to wear it because it's still really pretty and I still love it! Also, I am not able to replace it.
For some reason, companies today don't tend to make these any more.
And when they are available, the overall thickness of the wool is nothing like before.
You can actually see light through it easily.
This is not the case with my jacket.
When my fiancée and I were planning our wedding, when it came to deciding on a china pattern, I asked him if we could use what my grandmother had given me right after my grandfather has passed away.
It was Richard Ginori china that they bought in Italy about 25 years earlier.
It's a beautiful pattern in white, light blue and Florentine gold.
And because my grandparents used it on holidays and when they were entertaining friends, it had tremendous sentimental value.
A new set of china would not have sentimental value coming out of the gate, at least not like that.
Even though the year was 1989, before it was "in" to be "green", I was happy that we were able to use and not add to china that already was available in our household.
We did the same kind of thing with the silverware! In 1992, we bought our first home.
We had no money for anything and even had to sell a vehicle to qualify for the house loan.
We were going to convert one of the bedrooms into a study and had planned to put my antique Hekman desk in there.
I didn't have a chair that would be appropriate for it though.
Then I realized my mother had given me a Lyre back chair that my great grandmother had created a wool needlepoint seat for.
The chair had been in my mom's damp cellar for a few decades.
And, as a result, there was a lot of mold on and in it.
I dried it out, disassembled the seat, washed the wool needlepoint with Woolite (the water was black!), refinished the wood and reupholstered the chair.
This chair is so lovely so dear to me.
I am so glad we restored it.
Everything in life is a balancing act.
I am not trying to say that you should never buy anything new.
You might just try to begin to insert this challenge when thinking about a purchase, "Is there a way something we already have could be repurposed (or possibly restored) instead of us buying something new?" You could surprise yourself.
And, you may even appreciate what you end up with more than what you would have bought.