Too long for a comment...

To follow Missy's article up, Frugal Living in the WWII Generation, I would like to leave more than a snippet attached to her comment board. This was an excellent piece to include, and I think our blog actually beat the media over-coverage on this one!

I definitely agree that this style of living should be part of everyone's life somehow--as it looks, at least here in the States, we're going to have to incorporate complete re-use techniques in the near future anyway. Luckily, Missy and I have been exposed to this sort of thinking our whole lives, so it comes easily.

A good point, though, is that there's really nothing wrong with owning a DVD player or any "fancy" electronic device--it's learning how to fix it when problems occur and not throwing it out or sending it away for a cost. Television sets and radios were considered high tech during the first few years of general availability, and those frugal citizens eventually figured out how to repair them. Perhaps it would benefit our generation and beyond to actually find out about our electronics. But then again, TIME to learn is a problem with this day and age...cost of living raises haven't been seen in awhile, people work more, yet prices for everything in life are on the rise! Nonetheless, someone has to know how to fix it...if a repair person comes to the house for a cost, or it's sent away to a shop...

In other words, maybe a good start for our generation is only buy what you know you could somehow figure out how to repair on your own. And if you're unsure of your capabilities, either find friends who do know how...or get used to the reality that you may not have the knowledge and do something about it!