Old Teabags

Old Teabags
By Therese Guy
August 2009

I just love the new commercials that show people trying to save money in this economy. One such commercial has a woman driving up to a gas station and while her car fills up, she uses the window squeegee to wash her entire car. Another one shows a woman refilling a catsup bottle with the little drive through packets.

My parents grew up in the depression, so I was taught frugality early on. But, thriftiness was never at the expense of decorum. For instance cleaning your plate was expected since there were others less fortunate. (I really, really, wanted to give my liver and onions to the less fortunate!) That said, a popular trend in my childhood neighborhood was to put newspapers up on your windows in the winter to keep the cold out. According to mom, that was tacky, if there was a draft you just put a sweater on.

If you were a boy you got a paper route by age twelve, if you were a girl you started babysitting. Pop bottles were collected from roadsides and redeemed for pennies at the store. The money we earned then went to the things we coveted like a transistor radio or the newest 45. (Record for you youngens, we did not have ipods.)

We did not eat out and soda pop was a rare treat. I did not feel deprived, ever. Our summers were filled with activities fueled by our imaginations. Tents were made from old sheets and clothespins tied to chain-link fences. Go-carts from lawn mower motors and wagon wheels found at the local dump. Make shift stages held circus acts to air guitar band performances. Fun did not require great wealth.
Well, as we grew up we were known as the boomers. That was because after WWII there was a great boom in the population growth. Also in the economy, so our standard of living increased. With that comes a skewered sense of needs.

We believe we cannot live without the newest x box game, or the Pampered Chef slicer dicer (Even though you can slice vegetables with a regular paring knife.)
Perhaps dad cannot watch the game on anything smaller then a 90-inch screen?
And of course don’t even expect your teen daughter to live without text messaging.

Well to keep the story short, economic stability comes and goes. Here we are back to the scrimp cycle. Here I am this evening enjoying my cup of tea. The tea bag has been used three times and the sugar pocketed from the last restaurant I went to, but, oh, it is still such a sweet treat at the end of a hard day. No cable, but I did get a great book at the Library earlier and my teen daughter actually sat down and told me about her day. Wonders never cease. Ut Oh my bra strap broke. Well for that sense of decorum my mom taught I guess in this case I will spring for a new one.

And everyone out there stressing about how to take your date out for a meal, relax just hit all the grand openings in your neighborhood this weekend, they serve free food! Last, but not least, have a sense of humor.