Waste not, want not has been part of my 81 year old life. I learned at a very early age to never wast; eat everything on your plate; learn to utilize everything; save for a rainy day, etc. Although I've been accused of being frugal and cheap, I manage to live comfortably with much less money. By keeping to my principals, I eat better than most people who have much more money than I. Take this example: I save chicken bones from my past dinners and when I have accumulated about 2 chickens worth of bones, I make a robust broth. This is what most people throw away. I learned this a long time ago when restaurants would throw away the chicken wings; I got all the wings I wanted because my father was in the restaurant business. I learned they mad a hearty soup. Today, the price of chicken wings is $2.00 a pound. How do you think the soup companies make their soup? They use the parts of the chicken that remains after processing; the same parts that most people throw away. Because of my frugalness, me and my family enjoy a high standard of living. I have old appliances, tools that are over 30 years old, but still in good condition. Why do I have to toss it in favor of a new shiny one that will not last a year. People throw away at least half of their income just to be "fashionable" or in "keeping up with the Jones'es", or for convenience sake.

Of course waste not, want not is the enemy of companies that make consumer goods. To make money, first you have to create a market and that is done by making things that have a limited life. Henry Ford learned that early on when he introduced the model T. Because it was so reliable, owners kept them and didn't buy a new one. He realized if his car was "too" reliable, he would soon go out of business for lack of new sales. That has been how manufacturing has gone ever since; don't make it last too long.

I once knew a man who was so frugal that he had the first nickel he ever made and had squeezed it so hard that the Indian was riding the buffalo!