So, back to the second element of our Depression era slogan — wear it out.

Wearing things out — using them until they have no more serviceable life — isn't very popular nowadays. Ubiquitous advertising trains us to desire the new and improved, not the tried and true.

Many items are designed in such a way that they cannot be repaired or renewed. I recently purchased a child's toy that comes with a battery already installed. The battery cannot be replaced. When it dies, a key element of the toy's usefulness is gone. In other cases, repairs are so complicated and technical that they require specialists, sometimes making repair more expensive than replacement (unless you count the resources used for the new product and the ones that go to the landfill.

And even when things can be repaired, people may not bother. I find that people are surprised by the fact that I darn socks. I have a horrible habit of putting holes in the toes. I'm not going to throw out a perfectly good sock when I can just darn the hole. (When the sock is no longer perfectly good, it gets repurposed as a dustcloth or cleaning rag. It doesn't get tossed while there's still life in it. I once had a lovely sweater that developed a huge hole in the elbow. The hole was too large to permit darning, so I had the sweater repurposed with short sleeves. Now, huge stains that won't come out? Those send you to the rag bag or trash bin.

We need to get into the habit of mindful trash — before you throw anything away, ask yourself if it can be repaired, repurposed, recycled, or rehomed (donated). If it can, give it a new life and wear it out!