Frugal Soulmates: Product Lifecycles

I started reading blogs a while back because I was in search of Frugal Soulmates. I only have one at work. I did have a frugal friend for a while, but I'm afraid she was frugal by necessity: she moved when her chronically underemployed husband got a lucrative job as dean somewhere. She is, as far as I can tell, frugal in name only.

My search coincided with the financial meltdown and frugality blogs were everywhere. Now not so much. We keep hearing about frugal fatigue. Financial pages report that consumers are a-spending again. Some of the frugality bloggers have hit it rich and a certain--I don't know--energy has seeped out of their blogs, which are going through the motions.

There are still so many blogs I love. And I was gratified to discover that the editor of Architectural Digest lunches on peanut butter sandwiches, same as I do. Now I've learned that some people don't replace products as quickly as they used to. Even sock darning is back (not by me; I am a non-sewer).

So check out this article: from the rich guy who doesn't replace his Jaguar as often, to the woman trying to rescue a blouse with soy sauce (overkill imho), to the people who keep their computers a bit longer than they used to: these are my people. Are they yours?


My history: a computer bought from now-defunct Swan company that lasted for almost 20 years (!), replaced because of lack of memory; our 1998 Toyota Camry, our "new" 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid; a few pieces of furniture that we bought for temporary use---in grad school. Oops. We tend to keep things too long.

Mr FS bought a shirt at Marshall Field's in Chicago when we were there for a job-hunting convention in the early 1980s. It finally started developing holes a few years ago and has become a rag. Mr. FS also has wool dance tights on which he spent a pretty penny when he took a dance class in Nice circa 1977.

I'm using my grandmother's linen dishtowels though they are more hold than towel.

From big to small, I love using things up--sadly, we use very little up nowadays.

What's your longest-serving object?