The title has been our mantra for years and years.  We have lived by it in order to save money but also to reduce waste.  We generally reuse anything we can and avoid buying new things for as long as possible.   This applies to everything from bedroom slippers to cars and even roofs on houses.

I have repaired our roof many times while I see a lot of neighbors just paying to have new roofs put on.  I spend ~$30 on shingles and a few hours of time.  I just have trouble letting go of the $4k-$5k on a whole new roof.   Plus, my repairs work fine….I do realize at some point however, it will need to be replaced.  I just want to hold out, “If I can replace the roof once, when everyone else did it twice in the same time frame……”.

It’s time for new slippers?

The avoidance of buying new stuff has left us with some pretty ragged wares.  I’ve had old sweatshirts and faded hoodies that have lived long past their time.  I have shoes held together with screws and cars held together with glues.

It has however allowed us to take the money that would have been spent on new items and put it into savings or investments.  We have found that it is much easier to do this when you have a purpose, ours being to move to Puerto Rico, rather than to just do it because.  This purpose also complicates things.  Get a new car before moving?  No way!  Get new slippers?  Will we even need them in PR?

We do eventually replace things, it’s just that we use it up and wear it out.  We try to make it do and we try to do without.   If all else fails, we bite the bullet and get a replacement.  On sale.  With a coupon.

We are planning to get new carpet for our house (it’s 11yr old carpet) but this isn’t for us per se, we are going to turn our house into a rental when we move.  As an investment we can justify the cost.  Weird huh?   We often times will spend money on something we aren’t even going to directly use ourselves!

Time for a new car?

Even with my car I am thinking about just getting a new motor (make it do).  It leaks oil, the valves make awful sounds and the transmission has a bad 3rd gear (I have to shift into 4th before going into 3rd).  I just don’t want to spend anything on it.  I also want to see it hit 300k.  My mtn bike had 24 gears when I bought it 14 years ago but now only has 2 usable gears…lol.

In my mind I attribute this method of thought to the depression era, or what I think the depression era would have evoked in people’s spending habits.  Hence the saying. I also don’t think we would be this way (or to such a degree) if we didn’t have our Puerto Rico dream. Puerto Rico gives us a purpose and so even when it is a sacrifice, it doesn’t feel like it because it is a goal with a purpose.  I once heard it said and believe it: “Goals without purpose are empty of meaning, while having a purpose can give meaning to any goal.”

I came to the conclusion the other day that I haven’t just been doing this with our stuff.  I have been doing it with my own body and mind.  I have used it and used it and put it to work for hours and hours without sleep and expected it to just do everything I throw at it. I have used it up, worn it out, made do and then lost my memory and so had to do without (for a while, now it’s back thankfully)!

So even with this mantra, we may have worn it out too. Sometimes we have to be willing to try new things as well. It’s all about balance. For me, I needed this time to rest and rejuvenate.  I wish roofs on houses could get fixed with just a little relaxation and rest!