Thrift and Order

I believe that thrift is essential to well-ordered living.  ~John D. Rockefeller, American industrialist, business magnate, and philanthropist

If John D. is correct, then that explains why I’m so naturally organized.

My late dad used to say he could send me to the store with a dollar, and I’d come back with 95 cents!

Some would argue I just didn’t find anything to buy. Truth is, I pinch pennies until they holler.

Always have.

My parents were little kids during the Depression years, and they passed along to me the value of thrift. As American religious leader Boyd K. Packer said, “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.”

So this weekend — when the stormy weather forced me off my computer — I tackled a long-overdue project and came away feeling pretty pleased.

First, I had these tiny plastic bags in a dresser drawer:

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I didn’t count how many, but there must have been hundreds. I took this photo after I’d been opening them for a solid half-hour.

Inside the baggies were buttons of all sizes, shapes, and colors.

Blue ones, red, purple, green, gold, white, black, tan. Large, medium, tiny. With four holes to attach them or just one on the back.

They’d been taking up space in a dresser drawer for years. You see, spare buttons used to be attached via a small bag to a price tag on clothing.

Manufacturers must have thought the buying public would rejoice over getting something extra, especially when the buttons had a unique appearance.

I obviously bought in. You never really know when you’ll need a button.

Sorting them brought to mind some favorite pieces of clothing from years gone by, too.

In addition to the buttons, I had this:

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It’s a square tin box with a lid. My flute teacher gave it to me filled with homemade fudge one Christmas, and I figured it might come in handy for something once the goodies were gone.

I hated that it was simply collecting dust.

Then I got the idea of putting these two together — my very own button repository!

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Sure, I could have bought a sewing box or something, but why, when I already had what I needed?