While it’s true that we live in a throw-away society, it doesn’t mean we have to be part of it. I don’t know how many times I buy something at a thrift store that I liked and it had a missing button or the hem came down. I bought it and changed all the buttons and fixed the hem and had a new dress. But if the original owner had just taken the time to mend the dress she wouldn’t have had to get rid of it. A spool of thread and a needle is way cheaper than a new dress. Caring for what you have saves money more than most people think.
People don’t take care of their things anymore, instead if something breaks down like the TV, the printer, the computer the first thoughts are to throw them away and get a new one. My father used to fix televisions, stereos, record players and other electronic devices as a hobby in the garage. His friends used to ask him all the time to fix their television when it broke down.
My aunt used to take in people’s clothing to tailor. She sewed buttons back on, stitched hems in place, restitched seams that ripped. And even reinforced children’s clothing to make sure that children didn’t wear out their clothing so fast. But today everything is backwards. If a little boy wears out the knees of his jeans, his mother throws them aside and buys new, instead of reinforcing the knees of all her sons jeans so he gets longer wear from them.
When I buy a piece of clothing I read the washing instructions, if it has to be dry cleaned (dangerous chemicals), I don’t buy it. If I can wash the garment on delicate that’s okay. Many times I am the one who does the laundry so knowing what items should air dry and which can be tossed in the dryer will also help to preserve our clothes.
This goes with everything we buy. When we buy a car, we are careful to not get scratches on it. We don’t eat in the car. We maintain the regular oil changes; we wash it properly. Why? Because it cost us a lot of money and we want to keep it good running order so we will have it longer. Why don’t we have this attitude towards other things we purchase? Clothing, furniture, electronics, appliances, children’s toys, books, the list is endless.
A challenge for all my readers the next time something breaks down on you, get it fixed first. If your clothes get a stain on them, read up on how to remove the stains before tossing the garment aside. If you car breaks down, call a mechanic. If your television goes on the fritz take it to a repair man. If your washer breaks down, call the May Tag Man.
We need to change our demeanor from it’s broke and useless to I can fix it or it can be fixed.
When we’re sick or broken down we don’t want the people in our lives to toss us aside, we want them to help us get healthy again.
Wellness My Way 