don’t like to throw tIings away until it is absolutely necessary. My first car was a hand-me-down that had been through both of my older brothers. It had a reworked engine in it and worked wonderfully for me for a few years. My first television had belonged to my parents as did my first computer and first cellphone. It seems that the days of hand-me-downs is fading.
New devices that are slightly better than what you have comes on the market and you find you need it. But what do you do with the old one? So many people just throw them away. I like to get as much use out of it as I can.
In my closet sits my laptop. It finally quit on me after several months of misbehavior. While I was typing the screen would suddenly go black and I’d have to restart it. While researching it would suddenly shut off and turn back on. It got to the point where it wod not allow me to connect to the internet. I reset the computer back to factory settings and that worked for about a month and a half. Then it needed to be done again. Through resets and restore point the life of laptop was dragged out longer. Now it waits until I can get it in to a repair shop.
My old phone was given to my daughter who decided she she didn’t need a phone yet. My Nook is with my brother who is going to replace the cracked screen for me. I like knowing that I or someone else can get more use out of it.
Hand-me-down devices are all over my place. My kids got an Xbox last summer. It had belonged to my brother. My kids love it even though it does not always connect them to the internet like it is supposed to.
Have you ever taken a less than perfect second hand item and give it new life?
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It seems so wasteful to junk something if it still can be used. We have an old laptop that the kids can play with. They aren’t going to accidentally delete anything I need on that one.
I like repurposing things too, but knowing something could be turned into something else makes it hard to get rid of anything. 🙂
Which reminds me I’m supposed to be boxing stuff up for the thrift store. 🙂
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I have similar thoughts — thinking / hoping that something can be useful elsewhere instead of junked.
An old printer needs only a new drum, but the drum unit costs about 65-70% of a new printer. So we got the new printer. If I could find somebody who could re-drum the old one I’d let him have it for $10.
Most of my driving life, I drove hand-me-down vehicles. It was satisfying (in one sense) to stretch the life of Car X and Car Y and Car Z — but sometimes those same vehicles become money pits. I guess that might be my topic on Hound Day tomorrow.
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In our area we have a site called Freecycle. People post things they want to get rid of as well as things they’re looking for. Everything, as the name suggests, is free. I haven’t looked for too many things there, other than a specific issue of a magazine and a few things I couldn’t find in the stores, but I have managed to get rid of a LOT of stuff there – furniture, small appliances, even old magazines and lots of clothing and an old laptop. It’s nice knowing that it’s going to someone who wants and needs it.
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My father was an electrical engineer.He put some of the first radar into planes during WWII for a major aviation contractor near Washington, DC.Soon after, he found that he had a real knack for televisions when they came out.We always had THE worst sets, ones that only my father could keep running…basically on life support! I’ve owned one new car in my life.The ones I drive now belonged to my son. We trade around a lot of equipment and appliances in our family.
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