My mom was a child of the Depression. Growing up she would wash out tin foil and bread bags to reuse. “Why - I've been recycling before that word was even invented!”
Cleaning out her very nice home after she died - we ended up throwing out about 20 sheets of clean used tin foil stashed in the drawer under the oven. Along with old butter containers and such that she used for left-overs.
For years my mom and dad had a very nice second home. Mom would always plan out the last few weeks before heading down there what meals they would have (using the left-overs in the freezer) so she wouldn't have to throw anything out.
I'm always very ashamed when I throw out a half-full container of something that is way past its expiration date.
In the early fifties bread was wrapped in double wax paper. Finish the loaf of bread, shake out the crumbs, fold the wrapper in half, slice down the middle with a knife, wrap four sandwiches. Eat sandwich at school hours later after no refrigeration.
I hope that she left you a little extra-something in her will!
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She was an artist. She left me a couple of painting I liked.
My aunt, born in the ‘20s, inherited millions of $$ from a single man she helped when he was elderly. She had no idea he was wealthy. He had made his money inventing something for a Fortune 100 company. She still washed out and re-used sandwich bags (not Zip-Loc bags; they were too expensive!), and tore paper napkins in half.