Disposable, not here!!!

[Skinny rooster]

I was watching market place on the cbc and they mentioned something I knew long ago. A lot of donated clothes ends up in landfill. They were talking about the way people treat clothes as disposable, buy something to wear to a party and then never wear it again. I am not going to go into how hypocritical young people and movie stars are these days with saving the planet while promoting this disposable culture. I was thinking about my favorite clothes, how old some of my stuff is and I bet you guys have the same funny stories since {EVERYONE} here is really sensible and extremely smart... lol.

For instance, last night I slept in one of my first sweatshirts. I got two sweat shirts for Christmas when I was 15!!! Oddly that birthday number is now reversed (51 ... oh well). Last year I had to throw the other one out, there was nothing left. My mother gave them to me and got them a little on the big side so I could grow into them, I never grew up so they still fit. I have lots of favorite coats, sweaters, some shirts that are over 20 years old. Pants don't last because I wear them on the farm once they get worn looking and eventually all my pants lose a fight with barbed wire or a nail sticking out somewhere. I kept a lot of my dad's stuff like shirts, coats, wool socks that fit me etc. My dad being like me had a bunch of shirts still in the packages, they are my size.

What about you guys?

[Killerbunny]

On the farm where my AUnt and Uncle worked in Scotland the "Rag Man" would come round and pick up clothes that were beyond help. You got paid x per pound!

[scottishpet]

:wagon: Back home when I was a wee bairn in Scotland in the northern highlands we had the rag and bone man who used to come around the streets. (funny he still used a horse and cart....even in 1972) He collected rags just as you described Killerbunny, but he also took bones that would be ground for bone-meal. But those were the days folks cooked three meals a day and ate at home. We did not get rubbish pick ups, everything was recycled, and your own kitchen waste went into compost. Even in town folks at least had a window box with some salad veggies and herbs in it. Or you gave the scraps to the person who had a huge garden or had a pig at the end of the lane. Many folks had 3 or 4 chickens even in town, or raised pigeons for meat. So there was not garbage, there was a burn barrel, for the garbage I guess but the ash even got used so it had a purpose and an end use as well. It was not a disposable culture. Different mindset I guess, because if you did not have a use for it, you knew of someone who could use it and you made the effort to give it to them...but most often your own family used almost everything. But then again, it was a time and place where you did not have a lot of "extra" anything, you made do with what you had and your felt blessed. Happiness was not found in shopping malls, but in honest hard work and life lived with loved ones.

[Killerbunny]

Yes their tiny tied cottage holds fond memories for me. Outhouse at the end of the chicken run. This was outside Drummore on the Mull of Galloway.

[Epona]

Hey, our outhouse when I was growing up was attached to the far side of the chicken coop....and that was in Ontario. We're Ukranian....wonder if we've stumbled on a social norm of the past. As for clothes, I've stuff from when I was in high school. My mom and grand mom were great knitters. I treasure those garments as worn as they have become! Anyone here a rug hooker? We never toss anything that is a wool or wool blend garment. Make for great rugs.

[Skinny rooster]

Everybody used and reused things over and over, especially our grandparents, I don't think it matters where you came from. All scrap food went to the dogs, cats and pigs.

Sometimes I think time flies by so quick that we don't realize. For instance, my running shoes are so comfy, they are still in good shape but they look really bad. I was disappointed in them because I paid a lot for them. One day I was looking at some old photos of a trip I took about twelve years ago, in it I'm wearing the running shoes I have now, I just forgot how long ago I got them, no wonder they look worn out, I think I got my money's worth out of them lol.

[windwalkingwolf]

I hate, hate, hate shopping, especially for clothes. I wear the bejeebus out of mine; sew seams, patch rips, replace elastics, buttons, zippers, etcetera. I don't use a dryer so everything gets very sunfaded. I'm clumsy, so everything also gets paint marks, bleach marks, tar, coffee or other stains When they get ugly enough, a d I've got enough articles built up, I treat them to a batch of fabric dye in hopes of getting a bit more time out of them. I'm sure I look like a hobo :P and I don't care. When it's beyond saving it gets repurposed as shop rags or brooder box floor and eventually burned. I refuse to buy anything that's 'dry clean only', and if I'm gifted something with that label, it goes in the washing machine. Most things survive just fine With the exception of underwear items and boots, I buy clothing second hand. Boots are repaired with Shoe Goo until there's not enough left to repair.
If I had the time to spare, I would totally tan my own leather and weave my own cloth. Not just because I hate shopping, and because I'm very cheap frugal, but because it takes a disgusting amount of fossil fuels to produce factory made clothing, and I'd rather go naked than have to get a second mortgage to buy gasoline and propane.
Oh who am I kidding? I'm cheap, I might as well wear it proudly

[thejonesboy]

On the farm where my AUnt and Uncle worked in Scotland the "Rag Man" would come round and pick up clothes that were beyond help. You got paid x per pound!

:wagon: Back home when I was a wee bairn in Scotland in the northern highlands we had the rag and bone man who used to come around the streets. (funny he still used a horse and cart....even in 1972) He collected rags just as you described Killerbunny, but he also took bones that would be ground for bone-meal. But those were the days folks cooked three meals a day and ate at home. We did not get rubbish pick ups, everything was recycled, and your own kitchen waste went into compost. Even in town folks at least had a window box with some salad veggies and herbs in it. Or you gave the scraps to the person who had a huge garden or had a pig at the end of the lane. Many folks had 3 or 4 chickens even in town, or raised pigeons for meat. So there was not garbage, there was a burn barrel, for the garbage I guess but the ash even got used so it had a purpose and an end use as well. It was not a disposable culture. Different mindset I guess, because if you did not have a use for it, you knew of someone who could use it and you made the effort to give it to them...but most often your own family used almost everything. But then again, it was a time and place where you did not have a lot of "extra" anything, you made do with what you had and your felt blessed. Happiness was not found in shopping malls, but in honest hard work and life lived with loved ones.

We used to have a Rag & Bone man come around on his horse and cart every month. My mum used to send me out into the street with a shovel to get the horse poo for her roses. Our Rag & Bone man had a Manchester accent not Scottish :D

[baronrenfrew]

US currency is cotton not paper and the cotton is from used clothing. https://www.cotton.org/pubs/cottoncount ... rrency.cfm

the problem is the "quality" of clothes we buy. blue jeans are half the cotton weight they used to be.

I wear clothes until they are "farm only" and then they are rags for the garage.

[WLLady]

Hey i resemble the farm only comment....even when i am at work. Jeans are worn new to work then for farm and then for painting mucking etc til finally they just have to go. Then the leftover parts are cut into rags or made into cat toys or used as oven mitts to lift the maple syrup boiling pan off the fire....my aunt would also make quilts out of strips of old worn jeans and flannel shirts. I still have clothes from 25 years ago...and if i have a wedding or funeral well i have 1 nice outfit. Lol. Yep....i hate having to ditch an old pair of comfy jeans....