I need to vent. Is that okay?

1. I'm tired or reading how there is not enough food to feed the world. That there are to many people and all that jazz. Not here mind you but perhaps some here buy into that.

I got chickens because we throw away ALOT of food. Right now there are some rolls going to the chickens. I just gave away a bag of Garlic scapes because I know they will go bad. (if not given to the chickens).

From what I can see there is plenty of food to go around. It's just not going around.

2. I'm tired of reading about the high cost of food. Give me a break! How much of what we buy or grow, this household, is wasted. That's money that could go elsewhere.

FYI, if you buy something and don't like it, throw it out. It's not likely your taste buds will change. Why put it in the fridge? I think every fridge should come with a disposal in the back. That way as stuff makes it's way to the back of the fridge it falls in and gets ground up and is gone. Fridges are too deep anyhow. I'm short and have had to be pulled out a number of times. My legs just kicking and me yelling for help. If stuff goes to the back it stays there.

3. Are we the only ones who have too much "Stuff"? Toys everywhere. Clothes and shoes everywhere. Baskets of kids clothes.

Why are people buying kids clothes? We just came back from Texas with hand me down clothes. Clothes that are NOT needed! Is there anyone else who will take "free" clothes? They are not free. They are a burden to moms and dads everywhere. Those who have wash, fold and STUFF them into drawers, boxes, closets and under the bed!
Toys? I'm sick of toys. I hate them. Why is money spent each Christmas on kids? Mind you nothing gets tossed. Just more and more piles of kids toys. Next year, spend the money on toy BOXES. Hundreds of them. So the toys can be shoved out of the way. Where they will sit and sit and die!
Maybe the reason kids hate to pick up because it's an all day job.

The guy who created Legos should be shot. At least with an old Lincoln log it could be recycled in the fireplace. "Mom have you seen my Lincoln logs?" "Oh I'm sorry kid, I got cold last night and used them in the wood stove. You should have picked it up." Can't do that with Legos.

4. Do you collect cleaning products? I say the stores who sell this poison should be required to take back the unused and unopened bottles and cans. Yes, I suspect there are cleaning products that are bought and forgotten only to have new stuff purchased. For pete sakes why are people still buying "grammas" cleaning products? Today I tossed out a steel wool pad. Again! Pots and pans are not the cast iron of days gone by. You can not use them on Porcelain stove tops, non stick pots and pans or glass casserole dishes. Steel wool pads scratch the surface and help food to "hold" on so you have to scrub harder and harder. Unless of course the dish just disappears.
Perhaps if we are not using up our cleaning products we're not cleaning enough. Just don't say that to your spouse. Today's sofas are not that comfortable.

While they may call them "hardwood" floors, they are not the hardwoods of your grannies day. You could scrub those things on your hands and knees and they'd shine. These new "laminates" are non lasting. The floor in front of our dishwasher is warping and shrinking. We've only had the dishwasher for a little over a year. Who knew?
That swiffer wet jet is nice but the juice leaves streaks on our floors, and you have to dust EVERY day or the duster won't pick up much.

5. Which brings me to my next peeve. Do you have too many dishes for your cupboards like we do? Good Lord those mugs lose their glaze. Toss them out. When you see coffee stains "after" washing it's because the glaze has worn off and perhaps lead from the clay is leaching through. At my age the memories of Greece are long gone, just like the glaze on the mug I brought back as a souvenier. It has to go. FYI don't buy cheap mugs unless you like lead in your coffee. Perhaps when you feel like you can't get the lead out, you really can't.

6. How about spices? Do you know they don't last forever. Date them if you must. So you know they're nothing but non flavoring dust. Did you know salt can lose it's flavor?

Yes you can organize but organizing things you don't need, only give your more room for more stuff you don't need. Do you think the wife would get mad if dragged one of those big garbage cans on wheels behind me as I cleaned? I can hear her now. "Honey have you seen my other flip flop?" FYI, just cuz they're made out of leather does not mean they're not flip flops.

Okay, I've cooled off now. Can't say I feel better cuz when I open the office door, I'll see piles of toys and baskets of clothes and cupboards with too many dishes. I'll live I guess. Until I hit the garage.

Love ya,

Rancher, slightly insane, Hicks.

ROFL!

Why are you throwing away old clothes? In my day (lol) we took worn shirts, dresses and slacks and made quilts and braided rugs! Another 50 years of use! Scraps can be used for doll clothes or make small bags and fill with corn, add a scrap of plywood saved from the last building project and you have a toss game.

Empty dish detergent bottles are squirt guns. Laundry detergent bottles with the bottoms cut off+rubber ball= ball toss. Old tennis racket+ old netting= butterfly net. And on and on.

Those worn out pots and pans became water and feed bowls for the animals ( none of that silly Teflon stuff then).

Those old mugs can be used as small planters or broken and placed in the bottom of a planter for drainage.

Leftover food becomes the next days soup. Even if you don't like it, add enough other stuff and it can't be tasted. Or add it to hamburger for fortified meat loaf.

Wish I could say I was old, I just grew up with parents raised in the depression. We "made do". (and by the way, I was always fourth or fifth in line for the clothes, they were only a year or two from coming back in style when I got them, making me a trendsetter!)

Did you spend a lot of time listening to Andy Rooney?

Thanks for the tips. I can use them.

I should have explained. I'm making jam today, yes I cook. The cupboards are so full of dishes, there are toys all over and I'm just plain tired of the mess. DD and her fam. live with us and I just am having a time of it. She's got three bins of clothes to go through sitting in the dinning room. Toys in the livingroom. AND she just bought new clothes! I am a big advocate of donating.

They're supposed to be saving money for a trailer to put on the lot that his parents own. How can they save when they keep spending money on "stuff" they don't need? There is more to the story of course.

I grew up poor too. So that might be the reason for my frugalness. I had a friendly neighbor lady once tell me, "it's one thing to be poor, it's another to be dirty". Only thing I can remember her saying.

DW sews clothes for the GKs, but we don't need quilts. This younger generation needs some poverty. Then they might not be so wasteful and lazy.

DW is too passive. She won't speak up or take my side.

I guess my point is. What do we really NEED? I always say we have more wants than needs.

I'll get over it I suppose.

Take care,

Rancher, at the end of my rope, Hicks

I understand 100%. I heard the same things growing up.

Might explain why I'm no longer married. "Stuff" gets in the way. At some point in the last 50 years, values change, what's important changed. You are not alone. There are people that think the way you do.

I was actually being humorous in my reuses, although I have done them all. I lost many of the things made from scrap a number of years ago, lost everything, basically. What "stuff" do I miss most? Those items made with love from scraps. Every scrap of cloth held a memory. It all had a history. Still have my blocks from my childhood though. OK, not so much blocks as left over pieces my dad threw in a box at the end of every project. He's been gone 28 years. Make memories your kids will remember.

Happy Father's day.

I'm glad you're not into material things Rancher.

Funny story. I had a load of "runna crush" delivered for our drive. My GD spent a great deal of time playing in it. Making divits she called her bird houses. She was upset when it got spread out. I may order another just to let her play in it. It wasn't much of a pile but enough to keep her entertained.

As I've always told people when their children jump in mud puddles, "it's their job!"

Side note, jumping in a puddle is fun at any age. Children need to explore. I salute you for letting them be kids!

It's sad how much parenting nowadays is hand the kid the iPhone. Or other electronic device.

Granted there was a lot of TV babysitting going on when I was younger too I'm sure.

Lol had a friend of mine calling out a friend of his for having a "white trash" kiddie pool (he was only partially joking I think) cause she had a kiddie pool she tossed a turkey baster and frosting kit in there as pool toys for the kids.

Come on you buy a toddler a fancy toy they'll spend the time playing in the box! Let them use their imaginations!!

(Says she who has no children lol so yes take what I say with a grain of salt)

My kids were raised without TV, and cell phones and electronic games. My daughter has a 2 year old who loves to play in puddles, dirt piles, hunt for worms and bugs. He likes to be able to see minnows swimming in a stream. He watches birds and butterflies and loves fire flies. She posted a video of him splashing in a puddle. I showed it to some friends at work. All the young mothers were appalled that she would let him get dirty! There was a picture of his proud little self showing mom a night crawler! One of the girls said she would paddle her boy if he picked up a worm.......

Kids aren't allowed to be kids anymore. One thing my kids learned was if they wanted a new toy, they had to donate one that they already had.