My mother in-law washes aluminum foil and reuses it. She will also dry and reuse paper towels if they were only used to soak up water.

Had an Aunt who used to "split" 2 ply toilet paper. She would unroll what she needed, and leave the unused ply on a small cabinet next to the toilet to use the next time. I think all of us who had grandparents, aunts or uncles who grew up during the depression years can share stories like these.

I knew a guy that would buy camping equipment and take his family to Colorado.

When they got ready to come home he would take it back to Walmart.

He said that was for gas money home.

He did the same thing with a lawn mower too. a new mower every month.

My mom does the same-- parents were raised with post WWII Europe rationing. Also reuses ziplock bags and saran wrap.

We always opened our Christmas presents carefully unsticking the tape to not tear any of the wrapping paper so she could re-use it next year.

Saved all bacon and pork drippings

Saved all the aluminum, including the aluminum from yogurt cup lids

I just started making some of my own soft plastic lures, and was going to buy a cheap microwave for the garage. I then remembered that my folks save everything. Sure enough, they had three extra microwaves in the attic--I took the oldest one that was in our house from 1984 to 1989. It still had the owner's manual and instruction booklet inside in perfect condition. Also relieved them of a table to support the microwave and pour the plastics.

I know a lot more poor people who reuse disposable stuff than I do wealthy people.

Didn't we cover this already wth the Sears thread? Pick out kids clothes from the catalog from the 70's, and I had them. Most kids had Nikes. I had Sears tennis shoes that would last about a week before they would come apart. Tuffskins, shirts that were made out of 80 grit sandpaper. I had it all. I asked for Dr Pepper. I would get Dr Diablo. We all had to share one pat of butter at Lubys because they charged for it. I can't eat oatmeal to this day. It was cheap.

Dr. Diablo ...

Iron on patches to fix the holes in the knees of your Sears jeans? Fake converses that, as you said, lasted a week. My mom saved the margarine tubs and we used them as regular bowls. She saved things that had no potential for reuse "just in case".

Great thread. I thought I was cheap, but I have nothing on these older folks.

I don't consider my family cheap, I just think they were raised to use stuff until it was unusable. I find myself doing it too. Instead of trash bags for small trashcans, I use the plastic bags from heb

I fixed the tilt release on my old outboard with a coat hanger and a bolt. Used it like that for years.

I think there's a difference between being frugal and being cheap. And a difference between cheap and stealing (buying camping equipment, using it then returning it is theft).

My family was a lot like some of these stories. My grandmother saved butter tubs, reused wrapping paper, cut coupons and held the line up at the store and so on. They were depression era folks and grew up poor farming cotton and wheat. I remember my grandad telling me a story when he gave me my first 22 rifle. He said when he was a kid he asked his dad if he would buy him that 22 at the dry goods store. His dad told him he would love to but couldn't afford it. It was less than two dollars. These habits continued on after they got wealthy in the 60's and 70's in the oil bidness. I dropped a couple of pennies once and acted like I didn't see it. My grandad got really pizzed and made me pick them up and then came the lecture. In about 1993 my grandmother asked for a new car. Grandad told her no, she had a new one. Her 1979 Lincoln Town car they bought new in '79 has around 21,000 miles on it and he considered that new. He finally caved in and bought her a new one. I still have a lot of cheap habits myself. When they passed all us grandkids were wondering how the money would be split up. I was given all the fishing gear and guns, and a few million dollars went to the Baptist church and TCU. Nobody in the family inherited any money. My useless cousins were pizzed.

I re-purpose my bass soft plastics. I cut them down and catch crappie with them. I haven't bought a crappie body in a couple of years now.

and brilliant too!