Back in the day, there were basically two options when something you owned no longer worked:
- fix it yourself
- have someone else fix it
Notice that in both cases the item was repaired. Conventional wisdom of the day was not, “Toss it and buy another.”
Instead, you took good care of what you had and chose to repair, rather than replace, the item when needed.
Today, things aren’t really made to last any more and I think that is sad.
If the faucet was leaking, (usually the husband) would get out a wrench and make it stop.
If your shoes were looking shabby, you took them to a repair shop where they were polished and reheeled.
No matter what broke or no longer worked, it was fixed, whether it was a vacuum cleaner or a fence.
Both of my parents (grandparents) were born around the Great Depression. My papa was born in 1925 and my mom was born in 1932. Needless to say, they both knew how to make the most of what they had and didn’t throw anything that could possibly have another use away.
I’d like to bring just a little bit of that mentality back en vogue, wherever it makes sense.
Though sometimes when it gets really, really busy, I have to admit we use paper plates!
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Just four days left in our series, can you believe it?
I was thinking the same thing a day or so ago. I wish things lasted longer, like batteries. Energizer doesn’t even seem to live up to it’s marketing. But maybe this recession will force corporations and businesses to think in terms of quality again instead of cutting corners.