Where in the World Isn't Bob Saget?

[englanddg]

Old habits are hard to break. My grandparents came from the Depression, and some of their frugal ways were ingrained in my mother.

My mother refused to use plastic baggies for our sandwiches that we took to school. Instead, we only had wax paper, that was folded around the sandwich. But here's the best part--we had to shake off any bread crumbs, fold the wax paper, and bring it home ever day. She'd use it for the whole week. At the end of the week, she'd throw out the wax paper.

Now, as kids, we were mortified being the ONLY kids in class that had wax paper, when we took our lunch out of our lunch bags. All the other cool kids in class had plastic baggies AND could throw them out every day.

I partially agree with this, and I don't.

My mother, to this day, wastes money left and right on things she deems "worthy". She says flat out she is part of the "waste not, want not" generation of her parents, and yet, all that means is that she excuses her consumption and holds onto things she probably doesn't need to.

No one I knew growing up cared if you packed lunch or not. It wasn't really a social issue. Dunno where you did...but, this seems a bit of a manufactured memory, frankly. I went to 10 schools in 12 years all over the country, no one gave a flip where my sandwich was from or what it was wrapped in.

 

[MinnieM123]

I partially agree with this, and I don't.

My mother, to this day, wastes money left and right on things she deems "worthy". She says flat out she is part of the "waste not, want not" generation of her parents, and yet, all that means is that she excuses her consumption and holds onto things she probably doesn't need to.

No one I knew growing up cared if you packed lunch or not. It wasn't really a social issue. Dunno where you did...but, this seems a bit of a manufactured memory, frankly. I went to 10 schools in 12 years all over the country, no one gave a flip where my sandwich was from or what it was wrapped in.

Nope, it wasn't a manufactured memory. I recall being embarrassed about the wax paper. Kids don't like to be different from other kids--especially young kids. In reality, the other kids may not have cared, as much as we felt "different" about it. As an adult, this would never be an issue!

 

[englanddg]

Nope, it wasn't a manufactured memory. I recall being embarrassed about the wax paper. Kids don't like to be different from other kids--especially young kids. In reality, the other kids may not have cared, as much as we felt "different" about it. As an adult, this would never be an issue!

Guess I didn't give a flip about "being different"...

I did want to "belong", but it was mostly to get other kids to leave me alone, and it never, once, had anything to do with brown bagging lunch or wax paper.

 

[MinnieM123]

Guess I didn't give a flip about "being different"...

I did want to "belong", but it was mostly to get other kids to leave me alone, and it never, once, had anything to do with brown bagging lunch or wax paper.

Glad to know that you were a self-confident kid! It obviously served you well, as you grew up into a strong adult.

By the way, nice to hear from you--I haven't noticed you around much lately on the forum. Hope your summer is going well.

 

[Nemo14]

I might be known for washing and re-using plastic cutlery. In my defence, I buy the really expensive stuff that is even dishwasher safe.
I wash and re-use where I can, but if 90% of them get thrown out at any particular function, I don't even bat an eye.

My Baba used to re-use bread bags and milk bags. She used wax paper for everything. Probably had never purchased a roll of tin foil or a box of Ziplock bags in her entire life.

Growing up, we never had plastic wrap or aluminum foil. As most of you know, I grew up on a farm and we raised our own cows and pigs for meat. We had special freezer paper that we used for wrapping up the various cuts of meat before freezing them, but other than that, we used Cut Rite Wax paper for everything. I rarely use wax paper now, but when I do, it always reminds me of my childhood.

Old habits are hard to break. My grandparents came from the Depression, and some of their frugal ways were ingrained in my mother.

My mother refused to use plastic baggies for our sandwiches that we took to school. Instead, we only had wax paper, that was folded around the sandwich. But here's the best part--we had to shake off any bread crumbs, fold the wax paper, and bring it home ever day. She'd use it for the whole week. At the end of the week, she'd throw out the wax paper. (Fridays were always tuna salad sammie days, because tuna made a mess on the wax paper, and it made sense to her to give us tuna on the last day of the school week.)

Now, as kids, we were mortified being the ONLY kids in class that had wax paper, when we took our lunch out of our lunch bags. All the other cool kids had plastic baggies AND could throw them out every day.

See, if you went to school with me and my siblings, we would have hung out together!

 

[NYwdwfan]

Yeah, wrapping paper gets thrown in a garbage bag as soon as it's off the gift. My grandma on my mom's side used to save and wash plastic forks and spoons, too. She would also wash out plastic Ziploc bags and reuse them, even if they had messy/liquidy contents.

My MIL walked and fed my dogs when we were away and I put the food in labeled ziplocs to make it easier for her. She left the baggies on the counter because she wasn't sure if I wanted to reuse. She washes/reuses everything.

Nope, it wasn't a manufactured memory. I recall being embarrassed about the wax paper. Kids don't like to be different from other kids--especially young kids. In reality, the other kids may not have cared, as much as we felt "different" about it. As an adult, this would never be an issue!

Oh how times have changed - my kids came home requesting I put their snacks in plastic containers because the other kids gave them flack for using disposable and not recyclable packaging.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I partially agree with this, and I don't.

My mother, to this day, wastes money left and right on things she deems "worthy". She says flat out she is part of the "waste not, want not" generation of her parents, and yet, all that means is that she excuses her consumption and holds onto things she probably doesn't need to.

No one I knew growing up cared if you packed lunch or not. It wasn't really a social issue. Dunno where you did...but, this seems a bit of a manufactured memory, frankly. I went to 10 schools in 12 years all over the country, no one gave a flip where my sandwich was from or what it was wrapped in.

Kids will manufacture drama even when it doesn't exist, but, that doesn't make it any less real to them. I know a young lady who turned 40 this year and is still upset because her Mother packed PB&J sandwiches that they were forced to eat while sitting on a bench in Magic Kingdom back in 1985. She is still sure that everyone was laughing at them for packing a Peanut Butter lunch for a place like WDW. She will feel the, self manufactured, embarrassment even today.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Old habits are hard to break. My grandparents came from the Depression, and some of their frugal ways were ingrained in my mother.

My mother refused to use plastic baggies for our sandwiches that we took to school. Instead, we only had wax paper, that was folded around the sandwich. But here's the best part--we had to shake off any bread crumbs, fold the wax paper, and bring it home ever day. She'd use it for the whole week. At the end of the week, she'd throw out the wax paper. (Fridays were always tuna salad sammie days, because tuna made a mess on the wax paper, and it made sense to her to give us tuna on the last day of the school week.)

Now, as kids, we were mortified being the ONLY kids in class that had wax paper, when we took our lunch out of our lunch bags. All the other cool kids had plastic baggies AND could throw them out every day.

My mom usually put our sandwiches in plastic bags but occasionally if she ran out she would wrap them in plastic wrap or waxed paper. I wasn't a peanut butter and jelly fan so our sandwiches were usually deli meat. Every couple of weeks though there would be a special sandwich, at least I thought it was special. The special sandwich was a Bacos (usually the generic brand, not even real bacon bits). I loved this sandwich and it was such a treat to get it. About six years ago my mom and I were talking about it and come to find out it was her desperation sandwich. It was what she sent when she was out of deli meat and she was embarrassed to send us to school with it. She had no idea I loved it so much, she said she wished she had known how much I loved it because it would have saved her a bunch of money to send it more often!

When hubby and I got married he was miffed at the things I would save and reuse. Like I would save twist ties, empty jars and bread bags to reuse, in fact one of our first married tiffs was when he threw away all the bread bags I'd saved. His mom hadn't done anything like that. So he had a little learning curve as to why some things could be reused. He still prefers to just discard things instead of trying to repair or fix things. I grew up with the save, fix and reuse and he grew up with discard and get new. So I guess it is all how we were raised.

 

[JenniferS]

My mom usually put our sandwiches in plastic bags but occasionally if she ran out she would wrap them in plastic wrap or waxed paper. I wasn't a peanut butter and jelly fan so our sandwiches were usually deli meat. Every couple of weeks though there would be a special sandwich, at least I thought it was special. The special sandwich was a Bacos (usually the generic brand, not even real bacon bits). I loved this sandwich and it was such a treat to get it. About six years ago my mom and I were talking about it and come to find out it was her desperation sandwich. It was what she sent when she was out of deli meat and she was embarrassed to send us to school with it. She had no idea I loved it so much, she said she wished she had known how much I loved it because it would have saved her a bunch of money to send it more often!

When hubby and I got married he was miffed at the things I would save and reuse. Like I would save twist ties, empty jars and bread bags to reuse, in fact one of our first married tiffs was when he threw away all the bread bags I'd saved. His mom hadn't done anything like that. So he had a little learning curve as to why some things could be reused. He still prefers to just discard things instead of trying to repair or fix things. I grew up with the save, fix and reuse and he grew up with discard and get new. So I guess it is all how we were raised.

I love the Bacos sandwich story. It brought a tear to my eye.

 

[englanddg]

Kids will manufacture drama even when it doesn't exist, but, that doesn't make it any less real to them. I know a young lady who turned 40 this year and is still upset because her Mother packed PB&J sandwiches that they were forced to eat while sitting on a bench in Magic Kingdom back in 1985. She is still sure that everyone was laughing at them for packing a Peanut Butter lunch for a place like WDW. She will feel the, self manufactured, embarrassment even today.

You can inform her that another, nearly 40 person, had similar embarrassment with water bottles and packed sammiches (though mine were bologna and mustard ones on store brand white bread) at WDW. (not a joke)

People certainly did laugh at us...oh wait...no one gave a damn.

 

[acishere]

 

[Nemo14]

View attachment 155716
View attachment 155717

Awesome!

 

[~Experiment 626~]

Hello Bob Saget searchers. Hope you all are having a magical Sunday.

 

[JenniferS]

No one I knew growing up cared if you packed lunch or not. It wasn't really a social issue. Dunno where you did...but, this seems a bit of a manufactured memory, frankly. I went to 10 schools in 12 years all over the country, no one gave a flip where my sandwich was from or what it was wrapped in.

I sort of know how old you are, but I have no idea how old @MinnieM123 is. Maybe your experiences are different because of an age gap.

There are seven years between me and my youngest brother, and sometimes I listen to him tell stories and it's like we didn't even grow up in the same house. When I was 12 for instance, my brothers were 11, 7, and 5. My mother was just returning to work now that her baby was in school full time. We owned one car. Money was tight, but we made do.

Fast forward to when my youngest brother was 12, and it was a whole different story. I was 19 and had moved out. The next brother was away at school, and never did move back home. There were only two kids left, my mom was working full time, two cars in the driveway, and my parents were flush with cash.

I remember the weekly trip to the grocery store yielded one bag of cookies and one 4-pack of Laura Secord pudding - for four kids! Apples were Macs, purchased in a 5-lb bag, subject to bruises and nicks.

My youngest brother remembers the cupboards flush with cookies, pudding cups, fruit cups, and great big huge, shiny waxed Delicious apples.

Same house ... same family ... seven years difference.

 

[~Experiment 626~]

I sort of know how old you are, but I have no idea how old @MinnieM123 is. Maybe your experiences are different because of an age gap.

There are seven years between me and my youngest brother, and sometimes I listen to him tell stories and it's like we didn't even grow up in the same house. When I was 12 for instance, my brothers were 11, 7, and 5. My mother was just returning to work now that her baby was in school full time. We owned one car. Money was tight, but we made do.

Fast forward to when my youngest brother was 12, and it was a whole different story. I was 19 and had moved out. The next brother was away at school, and never did move back home. There were only two kids left, my mom was working full time, two cars in the driveway, and my parents were flush with cash.

I remember the weekly trip to the grocery store yielded one bag of cookies and one 4-pack of Laura Secord pudding - for four kids! Apples were Macs, purchased in a 5-lb bag, subject to bruises and nicks.

My youngest brother remembers the cupboards flush with cookies, pudding cups, fruit cups, and great big huge, shiny waxed Delicious apples.

Same house ... same family ... seven years difference.

I am the 2nd youngest of 5 siblings. My oldest brother is 58 and 5 years older than me, than my oldest Sister is 56, my next Sister is just 1 year older than me(we are the closest), than there is my younger brother who is 2 years younger at 51.

 

[Wrangler-Rick]

You can inform her that another, nearly 40 person, had similar embarrassment with water bottles and packed sammiches (though mine were bologna and mustard ones on store brand white bread) at WDW. (not a joke)

People certainly did laugh at us...oh wait...no one gave a damn.

Yes and all the while, we never had our sandwiches stored with ice packs. There were just at room temperature until we ate them and somehow we never got food poisoning.

 

[englanddg]

I sort of know how old you are, but I have no idea how old @MinnieM123 is. Maybe your experiences are different because of an age gap.

There are seven years between me and my youngest brother, and sometimes I listen to him tell stories and it's like we didn't even grow up in the same house. When I was 12 for instance, my brothers were 11, 7, and 5. My mother was just returning to work now that her baby was in school full time. We owned one car. Money was tight, but we made do.

Fast forward to when my youngest brother was 12, and it was a whole different story. I was 19 and had moved out. The next brother was away at school, and never did move back home. There were only two kids left, my mom was working full time, two cars in the driveway, and my parents were flush with cash.

I remember the weekly trip to the grocery store yielded one bag of cookies and one 4-pack of Laura Secord pudding - for four kids! Apples were Macs, purchased in a 5-lb bag, subject to bruises and nicks.

My youngest brother remembers the cupboards flush with cookies, pudding cups, fruit cups, and great big huge, shiny waxed Delicious apples.

Same house ... same family ... seven years difference.

My sibling/sister is likewise 7 years younger than I. And her millennial shallowness drives me up a wall.

30 years old and can't file her own taxes (she finds them too complicated, so my mother does it on her behalf), still can't pay her own bills (relies on our parents to support her lifestyle, which she demands...for example, can't just have coffee, it must be Starbucks coffee!)...

List goes on.

Call me a curmudgeon, but at 18 I was offered a choice. Go to college (which I did, but not for a few more years) or move out and get a job to pay my bills (which I did at 18).

I think you are right, that extra 7 years completely warped the cash flow of our parent's generation, and as a result, completely warped the expectations of significantly younger siblings about what lifestyles they could, and should, afford.

 

[JenniferS]

I'm watching The Odd Couple (the original) and Oscar is telling a female doctor that his specialty is "sardines on raisin bread toast, with ketchup", and I thought - not even @englanddg can make that taste good.

 

[JenniferS]

Yes and all the while, we never had our sandwiches stored with ice packs. There were just at room temperature until we ate them and somehow we never got food poisoning.

Egg salad. Made at 7:30, eaten at noon.
That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

 

[englanddg]

I'm watching The Odd Couple (the original) and Oscar is telling a female doctor that his specialty is "sardines on raisin bread toast, with ketchup", and I thought - not even @englanddg can make that taste good.