Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

One of my favorite sayings is "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without." That hits on many areas of living that I find important.
"Use it up" reminds us that we shouldn't be wasteful. A big pet peeve of mine is parents loading kids plates up with food and then the kids eating maybe 1/4 of it. That is just training kids to be wasteful. Being wasteful costs us more money. I also like the idea of "Use it up" from the green standpoint, I don't like the idea of just adding more and more junk to landfills.
"Wear it out" makes me think about clothes. In our country clothes are so very easy to come by and fashion changes making us want to be constantly updating, I like the idea of actually wearing stuff out. We need to get out of the mentality of just buying things because they are cheap (not buying is even cheaper) and the thought that "I deserve something new". Some ideas for being able to wear clothes out. 1. Don't have to many. If you have just a limited number of shoes and clothes that you really like- it is easier to actually wear things out. 2. Get things that you really like and that follow a trend not a fad. You don't want to buy things that will be out of date already next year. 3.Remake things that you don't use as they are. With this you will need to be creative and be willing to just try. It is not really that hard.
"Make it do" There are times when I really want to replace something -yucky cookie sheets, a broom, a purse, a car etc. Then I ask myself: "Do I really need that or can I make do?" Usually (but not always) the answer is: "I can make do". You can save yourself a ton of money if you are willing to "Make it do".
"Do without" This area calls for some creative thinking. It can be a very fun hobby to do without if you get into it. Often times want you want might not be what you really need anyway, or you can use something else other than what you originally thought you needed. I recently needed a new swimsuit. I wanted one that was very covering and that I and my husband found attractive. Swimsuits of that nature were very expensive so instead of buying I used some old clothes that had been given to us and made my own instead. It worked better than buying anyway.
I enjoy challenging myself to "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without" . I find it fun and my kids are learning to enjoy it too. I can be frugal and green and be a good steward with the money and earth that my great God has given to me.