Ken and I use things until they break. We don't believe in waste. We've tried to live materially simple lives. We have always lived within his salary and have never had credit card debt. The only debt we have ever had in the past was a mortgage on our homes. We try to pay everything else in cash since we know that debt makes us a slave to it.
We were given a used dryer from my parents when we moved into our own home and it died just a few years ago. It was over 30 years old. Unfortunately, they don't make things that last anymore. That dryer was made with no plastic parts, unlike most things today. We bought the washer and dryer we have now on Craigslist since old things work better and longer than new ones. When we got them, we could tell they had rarely been used but they have both worked great for years now without any trouble.
Outside in front of our home sits a 1984 diesel Mercedes. We don't drive it much since neither of us drive much any ways. Ken uses it to park at the airports on trips and our children will use it when they need it.
Our refrigerator just broke last year and it was over 20 years old. When we went to buy a new one, they told us they are only made to last 10 years now. This was disappointing. You would think as time went by things would be getting better and longer lasting than cheaper. {If you know of any manufacturer who makes things to last a long time, please let me know!} We do have two Miele vacuum cleaners that have lasted for as long as we have owned this home! They are GREAT vacuum cleaners; highly recommended.
When we bought this home we have been living in for almost 20 years, I wanted floors and countertops that would last a long, long time. I chose wood flooring for most of it since it is my absolute favorite and lasts a long time. Besides, carpeting is very toxic and made from all man-made chemicals. The lady who sold it to us told us we would need to get it refinished every five years or so. We have never had to refinish it yet and it looks great! Our countertops are Corian which does crack if hot things are put onto it {unfortunately, I found out the hard way} but it was way cheaper than granite or something similar. Since the flooring was expensive, I didn't want to spend more money on the counters.
Most of our furniture was hand-me-downs from my parents or bought on Craigslist. I don't mind things to stay the same. I have no desire for a showcase home; I want mostly comfort, uncluttered and neatness! We bought an organic mattress many years ago but it was too hard so we went to Costco and got a memory foam topper. It has been great and we have never needed to buy another one since! I bought all of our living room furniture {two couches, a coffee table, two end table and two lamps} from Craigslist for $600.
We have never gotten a new car until our old cars bite the dust. During President Obama's car deal, we got $5,000 for an old Mercedes that wasn't working anymore. In order to get the money, the car had to be able drive on its own to the dealer. Steven was barely able to drive the car the short two miles to the dealer. Thankfully, it was close since the car kept shutting down on him and was about ready to quit! We sold our old station wagon to a man who loves these kind of cars. It needed a new transmission and was always giving us trouble. As the man drove away in it, the car was clunking away yet he waved to us with a big smile on his face!
When we do have to replace something that has broken, we try to buy a top quality item without all the bells and whistles since these are just more things that can break. We try hard not to waste money on things so we can use our money for saving, giving to our church along with missionaries and helping others when they are in need.
Let your conversation {lifestyle} be without covetousness;
and be content with such things as ye have:
for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Hebrews 13:5
