A Penny Saved (1.12.2011)

One day I found two of my boyfriend's T-shirts had gaping holes in them. One near the belly, the other under the pit. So I pick them up, grab my sewing kit and fray-check and get to work. I quickly realize that the one with a hole near the belly will never be worn again in public, so I put it aside to focus my efforts on fixing the hole in the other, when a commanding voice from behind booms, "Stop wasting time; just throw them out!"

I hesitate, threaded needle and shirt pit in hand. It seems aweful to throw out a shirt that except for a hidden hole (which is totally fixable) is stylish and fully wearable. But they're not my clothes, so I discard the both of them. But as I hold the shirts over the open trash can, I heard my grandmother, "waste no, want not." Rather than buy new "rags" from Home Depot, why not use the 'holy' T-shirts and give them an honorable death?

I watched my grandmother fix minor tears and flaws in garments for years until they finally gave up and then were reborn as everything from dishrags to waxing clothes. Those 'tricks of old,' I once rolled my wide eyes at don't seem quite so bizzarre anymore.



A penny saved is a penny earned.

Swiftly grabbing the scissors, I deftly hacked the condemned T-shirt into reasonable sizes for cleaning, stuffed it into a ziplock baggie and stored it in a wire rack under the sink. Just as quickly, I suchered the other shirt's pit, folded and tucked it neatly back into his drawer, thinking "He'll probably see it later and thank me for NOT throwing out one of his favorite T-shirts." All of this seemed as 'normal' to me as it seemed 'abnormal' to him.

We have been used to being able to purchase and simply discard items when they are no longer useful to us. The idea of reusing and repurposing has become as foreign as eating grubs. Yet I always remember my grandmother saying little maxims like "the fool gives feasts, the wiseman attends them" and "the borrower is a slave to the lender."

Two weeks later, I was washing the breakfast dishes and admiring the cardinals and sparrows as they  feasted on seed from the feeder outside. "OK. Give me a hug and a kiss. I'm going to meet John and Chris for bit and watch the game." Turning around, I see the shirt I fixed and replied, "Oh you're wearing the shirt."

He gave me a puzzled look and replied, "Of course. This shirt is great. Why wouldn't I?"