The Saviors of the Earth have discovered "repurposing"

[CamoDeafie]

@gmerkt ; do you ever go out to Chehalis? There's supposedly a big flea market by name of Yardbirds but their site was last updated 2016, and their FB page last updated 2021

 

[monks]

The Saviors of the Earth have discovered "repurposing." It makes my laugh. I grew up with this concept. It was and is a way of life. My parents grew up during the Depression, when I was a child in the 1950's we were still living by that credo. And never stopped.

The Saviors probably don't get a newspaper, so they don't know the many uses it has after reading. But those trees in the forest don't fall in vain around my home. We still get two newspapers, I rarely put any in the recycling.

I've been engaged in a big tree project lately. Of course, all the big stuff gets split, carried and stacked for burning. But the little stuff ("Short and Curlies") have a section of their own; fire doesn't care what shape the wood is, it all burns. Not even the sawdust gets wasted. It either gets used for fire starting, or it goes on the ground to make trails or for compost.

The light switch on the wall is there for a purpose. You leave the room, you turn the light off.

Mrs. Merkt and I aren't exactly poor. But we hate to waste. And we hate to pay high prices. We are no strangers to the Goodwill Outlet store, the DI store, or St Vincent de Paul. Value Village is too upscale. Mrs. Merkt doesn't think twice about buying a second hand clothing item she likes. Yet there are some people who think this is absolutely not to be done. "Someone else wore that." Yeah, so, you run it through the washing machine and all sins are forgiven.

I often stop at Habitat for Humanity before I got to Home Depot or Lowe's.

Mrs. Merkt drives the "new" car, it's a 2012. I drive the next newer one, and it's a 2006. Yet our vehicles get proper maintenance. Because in the long run, that saves money. Cheaping out on vehicle maintenance will come around and bite you on the bee-hind.

One reason my marriage to Mrs. Merkt has endured for almost 49 years is because we are so well matched on this matter. But I am no true cheapskate, because I love giving money and things away to my family members. For one thing, being thrifty allows me to do it.

So I guess buying used guns is no big deal, huh?

You sound like one of those tree hugging hippies! Just kidding. I'm not as old as you but I'm not young anymore and I had a dad who saved everything, good or bad. Man was it a lot of work cleaning up after he died! I tend to collect stuff and that taught me a lesson so I clean up occasionally and throw something out or donate it to save my kids a gigantic headache/fight when my time comes. My wife and I aren't lower class, but we come from lower class and have learned to stretch a dollar while raising our kids. We subscribe to the buy once cry once theory and tend to spend more on a higher quality item and then just keep it for good. It's worked out well and we have collected a lot of items over the years that friends don't have because they bought cheaper stuff. I also don't have guilt throwing a disposable item in the trash because I don't buy disposable items! My wife still shops at GW and I'm there occasionally as well. Cars are usually bought new, but we keep them and our 2012 Impala will be my youngest daughters in three more years when she starts driving. I can say in my time on this earth one thing I have learned is less really is more. I am not a minimalist by any means but I've discovered its a total PITA taking care of a lot of stuff, especially if you value what it took to get that stuff and we do. We live rural so things like a tractor and riding mower, etc is must have. If we lived in town I wouldn't have any of tyhat stuff and I'd probably be happier (except for having neighbors that don't moo). I am leaning my things out though, giving things to my kids as they need them and my purchasing is going down as I have most things I could need or want.

 

[gmerkt]

There is the monthly Polk County Flea Market, and I believe Eugene has a twice a month thing called Piccadilly Market? Not sure if Portland has such a thing. But there are Antique Malls with a similar vibe (vendor spaces for reselling), most famously in the town of Aurora. My brother and I run a space in Engelberg's Antiks in Salem.

Around here, the swap meet action that I was aware of is dead. In King County, there was a major swap meet at the Midway Drive-in movie, that's been gone since about 2004. In Snohomish County, there was the Puget Park Swap meet at a drive-in movie theater, it's been gone for a long time now too.

There is a distinction between swap meets as I've known them and antique malls. The swap meets were dynamic, ad hoc, extemporaneous experiences. With lots of one time sellers with random and unique stuff to let go of. And of course some "regulars." The antique malls, those tend to be fairly static offerings.

There is a swap meet of sorts at the Tulalip Indian reservation. I went one time years ago, it was a complete joke. The use of the name "swap meet" there is inappropriate.

 

[gmerkt]

Man was it a lot of work cleaning up after he died! I tend to collect stuff and that taught me a lesson so I clean up occasionally and throw something out or donate it to save my kids a gigantic headache/fight when my time comes.

My grandmother (mom's mom) saved everything. Even caps from toothpaste tubes ("I'm going to make checkers sets out of them someday").

We subscribe to the buy once cry once theory and tend to spend more on a higher quality item and then just keep it for good. It's worked out well and we have collected a lot of items over the years that friends don't have because they bought cheaper stuff.

We still have many furniture items that we bought as newlyweds. On lay-away, because we didn't have any credit. Some of those things are close to 50 years old now.

I can say in my time on this earth one thing I have learned is less really is more

My missus says "happiness comes from within," so no matter how much stuff some people have, they are still gonna be unhappy. It's a fact that when we leave this earth, we take nothing with us, somebody else gets it.

 

[Provincial]

My goal is to prepare our offspring to succeed in life. Rather than money, my measure is health, happiness, and security.

Money is but a tool to advance those measures, but not absolutely necessary.