Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without!

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.” It might just be time to bring this mantra out and dust it off for a new generation. We live in a time where we have more “stuff” than ever before, but less savings and less security. Maybe it’s time to recommit to being frugal and waste not. 

Use it up! Melissa Lawson can scrape every microscopic ounce of peanut butter out of a jar. I’ve seen it done. It’s amazing how long we can stretch what we already have. Every penny we save adds up over time.

Wear it out! Our fridge is 15 years old, the light hasn’t work for at least ten years, and every shelf is duct taped or super glued together. It is barely hanging on, but it still keeps our food cold, so we carry on. 

Make it do! With most of our kids approaching teenage-hood, we often run out of food long before it’s time for another grocery run. We’ve decided to just get creative and make do with what we have in our pantry or food storage. And surprisingly enough, we have all survived our “creative” dinners. And we have even duct taped a few pairs of shoes together to insure they finish the season. 

Do without! I think this can have the biggest impact if we are willing to make the sacrifice. Maybe it’s time we reevaluate what are needs and wants are. If our grandparents were able to live a happy life without it, maybe we can too. We have been a one car family most of our married life and believe it or not we have never felt like Cable was luxury we could afford. Everyone’s situation is different, but I do believe we all can find things to cut out and by so doing, gives us the ability to put a little extra into our food storage. 

My grandma was a widow and lived in Rose Park, a small house filled with furniture that she bought second hand. Honestly I don’t think anything she owned was new. Her clothes, books, furniture were all second hand. I remember she always bought plain yogurt, because it was cheaper than the ones with the fruit on the bottom. She would flavor the yogurt with a teaspoon of orange juice concentrate.  She lived off her Social Security, which gave her very little. But she had a basement full of food storage. She lived that mantra, “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without”. And because she did, she was able to be prepared and live with the peace and security that comes from obedience to the counsel of the prophets. 

Doctrine and Covenants 59:21 says, “And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments.”

I  believe that gratitude is the key. Being grateful for what the the Lord has blessed us with, as little as it may seem, will guide our choices. If we are truly grateful we will not waste what we have and we will not be so focused on unnecessary “stuff”. It’s the start of a new year, so let’s be a little more grateful, a little more obedient and we will be closer to our self-reliant goals, be prepared and at peace.