August 10, 2008 
I recently read an article by Barbara Brown Taylor (a favorite preacher of mine), which made comment of a segment on NPR. This segment of “All Things Considered” asked people to write in with comments on how they are coping in this period of economic downturn.
Some of the comments took me back to my childhood and earlier days when my family was young and we just simply “did more with less. ” I remember buying canned foods without the labels on the cans. This provided a smorgesboard of delight as meals might offer more than one kind of canned fruit.
I remember going without paper towels because they were too costly and old socks and underwear made great rags! Cloth diapers worked just fine although they were a lot more work, and they dryed nicely on the clothes line —- even in winter!
A dinner at McDonalds was a real treat, not a daily occurrance, and a sack lunch of peanut butter sandwich and piece of fruit was the norm. I remember Santa Claus coming to town and gifting us with a sack which contained an orange, some peanuts, and ribbon candy. Birthday and Christmas presents were few, and usually only what was needed. We didn’t have more than one pair of shoes at a time. There were only two television sets in my town, and the community gathered at one of two homes to watch the Rose Bowl Parade. Most families had only one car, and the rest of us walked or took public transportation.
At the same time, as a child, my family attended church every Sunday. The first child in the family to be dressed and ready for church got to get the pledge envelope out of the desk drawer, and put $1.00 in the envelope. We they looked around for three quarters — one for each child — to be dropped with care into the offering plate. What a wonderful day it was when my Dad got a raise, and we were able to put $2.00 into the envelope each week. No one seemed to notice that we wore the same clothes every Sunday!!
Do you have memories of “doing more with less”? They would be fun to share, and might provide a laugh or two. They might also help us all to remember the difference between “needs and wants” and to thank God for the real abundance of our blessings.
I look forward to your ideas and memories!
Deacon Susan
