I’m always proudly saying that I ain’t a lady;
using common phrasing to accentuate my case.
my inverted snobbery precludes accepting charity,
but includes buying products from second-hand shops.
a foodmarket foray finds me tracking down the labels
saying BOGOF, half price, got to go today,
but still I am careful, mustn’t be too wasteful;
don’t want to find myself throwing food away.
I never buy newspapers, new toys, war paint;
they serve little purpose and they clutter up my space.
you could call me cheapskate, pennypincher, skinflint,
and it may be true but I’m not devoid of taste;
most of my possessions are of sovereign quality;
I shop with care so not a penny goes to waste.
It’s not that I am clever; I don’t claim to be original,
there are plenty of others who shop in this way.
the ecology’s in trouble, and I dispise the economy,
so I heartily hope these numbers grow every day.
The Daily Post #Original
Making it write 
Count me in … I too am something like that. 🙂
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Yes! You’re my favourite kind of person 🙂
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I could have written that. This is me but I buy war paint every so often.
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I haven’t worn it since I was fifteen except a few times when I’ve had too much to drink, and thought it was funny to smear someone else’s lipstick over my cheeks and eyelids.
Have you ever used 24 hour lipstick? 🙂
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I wish I could join in your gang of originals…. The cultural differences are too pronounced. Here, we share stuff only with family and pass on the ones everyone is tired of to those less fortunate. Ours is a young economy still in her arrogant and wasteful phase. We’re taking baby steps in reducing wastage on other levels though.
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But you pass things on – that’s the important thing. I don’t see India as wasteful. Am I missing something? What about those people who sort through the rubbish and pull out anything useful to sell for recycling or re-using?
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It’s the attitude that leans towards wastefulness. Like ordering more than you can eat. Like investing tons in jewellery. Like my wedding outfit that cost a bomb and I have no other
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*no other place to wear it. Yet, spending that amount seemed a necessity to satisfy the society’s expectations. The weddings are a huge wasteful event in itself… Etc
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I’d forgotten about the ostentatious celebrations. At least marriages are more likely to last over there. In this country, weddings are getting more showy and expensive. The average wage in the UK is £26,500 per year, (I live on just under 25% of that amount). The average cost of a wedding is £24,000. Couples start marriage in debt, as they often have to pay for it themselves. Over 4o% of UK marriages end in divorce.
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My son used to live on the edge of a nice part of Boston. Furnished an apartment just walking down the street!
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I’m impressed. You can pick up some amazing stuff at the priveleged end of a city. I’ve dipped into the occasional skip in my time. I once found a beautiful sofa and a brand new carpet about 3 x 6metres. I gave it to a friend who lived in a large room with a bare floor. She had little furniture and no money.
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Yup. He had no money and small apartment, but found the same, carpet and sofa. And he was just starting out. Now he’s going to be fifty next year and has a family. Can’t believe how time goes.
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When I was a child I was told that life was short, and when I grew up, time would fly by. There seemed no logic in it. I didn’t believe time could could pass at a different speed for an adult than a child, when we all move at the same pace.
But it does.
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Time, being an artificial construct, is mostly perception. Einstein said, “An hour sitting on a bench with a lover will seem like a minute; a second with your hand pressed to a hot stove will seem like an hour. The “shorter” our span of awareness, the slower time seems to pass. To a man in jail looking at release in 3 years, it will seem like a 30 years wait. If you want it to end, it seems to never end. If you want it to last, it seems to blink by. Perception.
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I found that out when I was in labour. One thing I felt sure of, during labour, was that it would never, ever stop. Then it did, and I was holding a baby.
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Way to go, Jane. And your article reminded me of this old Barbra Streisand song…
Father has a business strictly second hand
Everything from toothpicks to a baby-grand
Stuff in our apartment came from father’s store
Even clothes I’m wearing someone wore before
It’s no wonder that I feel abused
I never get a thing that ain’t been used
I’m wearing second hand hats
Second hand clothes
That’s why they call me
Second hand Rose
Even our piano in the parlor
Daddy bought for ten cents on the dollar
Second hand pearls
I’m wearing second hand curls
I never get a single thing that’s new
Even Jake, the plumber, he’s the man I adore
He had the nerve to tell me he’s been married before
Everyone knows that I’m just
Second hand Rose
From Second Avenue
From Second Avenue
No
Songwriters
GRANT CLARKE, JAMES HANLEY
Read more: Barbra Streisand – Second Hand Rose Lyrics | MetroLyrics
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Wasn’t Barbra Striesand great, back in her heyday. So funny.
I always loved the two lines about Jake the plumber, but other than that I didn’t know what she was complaining about. Where I come from, clothes were passed around until there was nothing left of them. Then we became a greedy consumer society. It’s good to see so many people going back to the old ways.
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I try to do my bit, but not as dedicated as you Jane!
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It’s easy for me. The only shops I like are charity shops – and, of course, I work in one.
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What a wonderful contribution of self to the environment around us.
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