A Reminder of How Wasteful Our Generation Was!

Pepper said:
Ahem. And here I thought you fell in the drink.........or a vat of beer! :love:
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Honestly it gets on my last nerve this keyboard. The weird thing is that it all looks ok as I'm typing, so of course I don't change anything, then much later I'll read it again..and it's all garbled.. I just don't get it.. :unsure:
 

Just plain me said:
www.butterbin.com

Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the older woman, that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.
The woman apologized and explained, "We didn't have this green thing back in my earlier days." The young clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations."
She was right -- our generation didn't have the green thing in its day.

Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were truly recycled. But we didn't have the green thing back in our day.

Grocery stores bagged our groceries in brown paper bags, that we reused for numerous things, most memorable besides household garbage bags, was the use of brown paper bags as book covers for our schoolbooks.

This was to ensure that public property, (the books provided for our use by the school) was not defaced by our scribbling's. Then we were able to personalize our books on the brown paper bags. But too bad we didn't do the green thing back then.

We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But she was
right. We didn't have the green thing in our day.

Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throwaway kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy-gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that young lady is right; we didn't have the
green thing back in our day.

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana.
In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us.

When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.
Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that
operate on electricity. But she's right; we didn't have the green thing back then.

We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of
buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn't have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a
computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 23,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest burger joint.
But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then?

Please forward this on to another selfish old person who needs a lesson in conservation from a smart-ass young person.:sentimental:
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Plus when we mailed a package, we wrapped it in the brown paper bags we got from the grocery store.
 
Butterfly said:
I dimly remember my mother had a mangle. We weren't allowed anywhere near it, but it flattened the sheets and stuff like that? Some kind of ironing device? I have a very dim memory of it being a big contraption (but then I was very little) and had a top part that came down on the bottom part, or something like that and it got hot. Is that what you are talking about? Or is my memory way off?
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It pressed the water out of the laundry
 
One notable practice I seldom see today that harkens back to the past, was using and reusing things until every last drop of use was pinched, squeezed, and wrung out of whatever it was that was being used, then and only then was it retired from it's original service/duty, only to see it put to use in another area or application.

Today so much is tossed and replaced at the first sign of wear, and/or when people get tired of it.
 
I remember packing those brown paper grocery bags when I was a checkout chick (no offence) 50 years ago
The only problem with them was when they got wet they collapsed
I wish the supermarkets would re-introduce them
The brown paper was a good quality and could often be reused to cover school books
When we go shopping we bring reusable bags some with silver linings to protect frozen goods
My mother was born during The Depression in South Australia and everyone made use of everything
until there was nothing left of the original item to reuse
Another thing we did and sometimes can still do is repair our items and I often rewired plugs or sockets myself
However these days it is often cheaper to buy a new 'item' than to repair it which is a sad state of affairs
 
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peramangkelder said:
I remember packing those brown paper grocery bags when I was a checkout chick (no offence) 50 years ago
The only problem with them was when they got wet they collapsed
I wish the supermarkets would bring re-introduce them
The brown paper was a good quality and could often be reused to cover school books
When we go shopping we bring reusable bags some with silver linings to protect frozen goods
My mother was born during The Depression in South Australia and everyone made use of everything
until there was nothing left of the original item to reuse
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Peram. What I loved about the old thick, heavy-weight brown paper grocery bags, is that they could stand all on their own, so placing groceries in them was easy, and amazingly enough, I recall helping to unpack groceries on a hot summer day where meats, cheeses, ice cream, milk, and other perishable things were all packed in one brown paper bag together, and surprisingly enough, all remained relatively cool for a good amount of time after... enough time to transport the groceries home and get things into the fridge or freezer.

Speaking of using things right to the end, and then some... I still have flannelette diapers leftover from my baby days in our house (youngest was born in 1992) that are still in service to this day. They make for the best darned general purpose household dusting/window washing/cleaning cloths any homemaker could ask for.
 
Aunt Marg said:
Peram. What I loved about the old thick, heavy-weight brown paper grocery bags, is that they could stand all on their own, so placing groceries in them was easy, and amazingly enough, I recall helping to unpack groceries on a hot summer day where meats, cheeses, ice cream, milk, and other perishable things were all packed in one brown paper bag together, and surprisingly enough, all remained relatively cool for a good amount of time after... enough time to transport the groceries home and get things into the fridge or freezer.

Speaking of using things right to the end, and then some... I still have flannelette diapers leftover from my baby days in our house (youngest was born in 1992) that I still use as general purpose household dusting/window washing cloths.
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@Aunt Marg I still have some old flannelette sheets my now 42 year old son (he is my youngest) used when he first
started sleeping in his 'big bed'. They have now been cut up and I still use them as dusters or washcloths.
 
peramangkelder said:
@Aunt Marg I still have some old flannelette sheets my now 42 year old son (he is my youngest) used when he first
started sleeping in his 'big bed'. They have now been cut up and I still use them as dusters or washcloths.
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You know Peram, flannelette, if you invest in the good quality stuff, wears like iron and lasts forever, but sheesh, has it ever gotten expensive.

I have a bundle of leftover baby blankets and crib sheets (all flannelette), and everything is still in perfect useable condition with a ton of wear left in it.

I loved all things flannelette when my kids were babies and little, because aside from it being easy-care/no-fuss (simple wash and dry)... it was soft, warm, absorbent, and lasted forever.
 
Aunt Marg said:
You know Peram, flannelette, if you invest in the good quality stuff, wears like iron and lasts forever, but sheesh, has it ever gotten expensive.

I have a bundle of leftover baby blankets and crib sheets (all flannelette), and everything is still in perfect useable condition with a ton of wear left in it.

I loved all things flannelette when my kids were babies and little, because aside from it being easy-care/no-fuss (simple wash and dry)... it was soft, warm, absorbent, and lasted forever.
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Yes @Aunt Marg and flannelette rarely needed ironing
 
peramangkelder said:
Yes @Aunt Marg and flannelette rarely needed ironing
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So true... an after-thought more than anything (if you will) for the fussy homemaker if she so choose to.

Out of the washing machine and into the electric tumble dryer or outside and onto the line. Easy wash, easy dry, easy care.

Pyjamas, crib sheets, baby blankets, diapers... all flannelette, and all was promptly taken down off the line or out of the electric tumbler when dry, promptly folded, and tucked-away in the 9-drawer nursery room dresser and 6-drawer upright.

The only thing I always left out was a dozen flannelettes (diapers) which sat folded and stacked on the dresser top next to the crib. Referred to it as the "daily dozen".

Peram. What did you do when it came to nappies and storage in your home? Did you keep a daily supply of folded nappies out, as in stacked and ready to go (conveniently near the crib or changing area), or did you fetch clean nappies at every change from inside the dresser?
 
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Frugal and thrifty...

Rather than toss out a perfectly good, useable pair of rubber pants with mileage left in them (aside from having a worn out elastic waistband)... out came an extra set of didy pins at change-time. 🥳

Cropped, and dating back to the early 1990's

P1040072 (14).JPG
 
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Aunt Marg said:
So true... an after-thought more than anything (if you will) for the fussy homemaker if she so choose to.

Out of the washing machine and into the electric tumble dryer or outside and onto the line. Easy wash, easy dry, easy care.

Pyjamas, crib sheets, baby blankets, diapers... all flannelette, and all was promptly taken down off the line or out of the electric tumbler when dry, promptly folded, and tucked-away in the 9-drawer nursery room dresser and 6-drawer upright.

The only thing I always left out was a dozen flannelettes (diapers) which sat folded and stacked on the dresser top next to the crib. Referred to it as the "daily dozen".

Peram. What did you do when it came to nappies and storage in your home? Did you keep a daily supply of folded nappies out, as in stacked and ready to go (conveniently near the crib or changing area), or did you fetch clean nappies at every change from inside the dresser?
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@Aunt Marg sorry for the delay in answering and yes I did keep a supply of folded nappies in the babies room
right next to the change table where the child lay strapped in when being changed
I used towelling nappies exactly like flannelette but made of good quality fine towelling material
We had 2 large nappy buckets which had soaking solutions ready to clean off all manner of nasties
My daughter (the eldest) used to love lifting the lid off the nappy buckets and trailing her fingers in the water
I was horrified when I first saw her doing this but she was fine and the soaker did not harm her skin
When my 2 were babies tumble driers were in their infancy here in Australia and we could not afford the huge cost
with only one of us working at the time and me a 'Stay At Home Mum'
We had a cabinet drier very much like this one which had 12 rungs for the washed nappies and then I turned it on
It would take about an hour and the nappies would be ready to be folded for later

Unknown.jpeg
 
peramangkelder said:
@Aunt Marg sorry for the delay in answering and yes I did keep a supply of folded nappies in the babies room
right next to the change table where the child lay strapped in when being changed
I used towelling nappies exactly like flannelette but made of good quality fine towelling material
We had 2 large nappy buckets which had soaking solutions ready to clean off all manner of nasties
My daughter (the eldest) used to love lifting the lid off the nappy buckets and trailing her fingers in the water
I was horrified when I first saw her doing this but she was fine and the soaker did not harm her skin
When my 2 were babies tumble driers were in their infancy here in Australia and we could not afford the huge cost
with only one of us working at the time and me a 'Stay At Home Mum'
We had a cabinet drier very much like this one which had 12 rungs for the washed nappies and then I turned it on
It would take about an hour and the nappies would be ready to be folded for later

View attachment 139762
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No apologies needed, Peram. A busy time of year it is.

Keeping a daily supply out and ready was definitely the way to go. Having all at arms-reach made for quick changings.

Re: diaper pails, I had two in service as well... one for wet-wets that sat in the baby room, the other for dirties which sat in the bathroom.

That cabinet dryer looks like a wonderful compromise between an actual tumble dryer vs an outdoor clothesline.
 
My mother used the back of envelopes to write notes on. They were all over the house. Even when I bought her notebooks, she still used those envelopes. It wasn’t just her, I later noticed other people her age did the same thing.

I admit that I used to haul old letterhead out of the recycling at work for my notes.

Waste not, want not.
 
Jules said:
My mother used the back of envelopes to write notes on. They were all over the house. Even when I bought her notebooks, she still used those envelopes. It wasn’t just her, I later noticed other people her age did the same thing.

I admit that I used to haul old letterhead out of the recycling at work for my notes.

Waste not, want not.
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Jules, I use the back of monthly bill envelopes to jot stuff down on and to make my shopping lists! :)
 

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