Use it up,

Wear it out,

Make it do,

Or do without!

Those were words to live by in the ‘60s and they followed me into the 21st century. We ate everything on our plates, even cabbage salad which was tough. We wore our clothes until they were worn out or too little. Getting a “care package” from Janice Jones was a highlight in my life. Her hand-me-downs were like Christmas. And we wrote on the front and the back of each page in our notebooks at school. I specifically remember Mrs. Morgan pointing out the importance of not wasting paper. That frugal lifestyle carried over into our married life, but now frugality has taken on a whole new meaning.

Once you are a Grandparent frugality refers to energy and has nothing to do with finances. The goal used to be balancing the checkbook. Now, it is balancing energy and what needs doing.  Often, my energy is used up by lunch, and I’m totally worn out by dinner. If I want to do something active in the evening, I better tone it down during the day. The Good Life for us Grandparents is all about getting the most mileage out of the energy we have! So, here’s my new mantra:

Pace yourself,

Be wise,

Sleep and move,

So, you can energize!