Nothing to Wear
We are in the time of an economic crisis, and old survival tricks that we practiced once might become needed again.
I remember, how we “strengthened” pantyhose from instant running: we either boiled or froze them. You might think, “Pantyhose? Big deal!” For us, Russian women, pantyhose were a very big deal. The cost of one pair was seven rubles seventy kopeks with the monthly salary of 120 rubles. Imagine paying for a pair of pantyhose over 6% of your monthly income! Proportionately, it is around $180 or even more per pair. Then, you will be afraid to even open a package…
Sometimes Americans criticize Russians for not smiling as wide as Americans do – try to smile when you are out of tooth paste or tooth brush or both, and you can’t buy it anywhere. Again, we had the solution: sometimes we brushed our teeth with a finger with baking soda on it. It worked!
Lipstick… that was tough. But have you ever noticed how much lipstick is left on the bottom of the lipstick case? At least a third of what you paid for.
Solution? Collect all remaining lipstick out of plastic tubes and put it into a small cup that you place into hot water until the lipstick is melted. Then, you pour lipstick back into plastic containers and cool them in a freezer.
All beauty products are insanely pricy. Try to wash your hair with egg yolk or rye bread – that actually is much healthier than any known shampoo, and there is almost no cost.
The lesson of economic crisis is in simplifying. No wonder I couldn’t find anything to wear – my brains simply refused to process so many colors and fashions and pieces of clothes at once. In Russia, black was black, and I never thought twice before putting on a black sweater with a black skirt. Not in America, where I was told that black was the hardest color to match.
I will never forget Fern Twichel’s testimony. “Lydia, I have a closet full of new clothes with tags. Why do I have to go through all those things instead of doing something valuable before I die?...”
It motivated me to go back to who I used to be – a minimalist.
I packed all extra clothes that I didn’t wear for at least for 6 months and gave them away. I inspired my mother to do the same, telling her about Fern. At first, mama thought I was insane wanting to give up my fancy clothes, but then she got the point. She had to agree that she had too much also.
I looked at seventeen extra-large boxes taken out of the house to be picked up and, suddenly, realized how much money I put into those boxes. How much time I spent shopping for those items that I never even tried. I hope they will make someone happy.
I feel freer and happier. I have fewer things to take care of and I got more time for myself and for my family. I already read three books in a short time. Where did I even find the time? The answer is, IN THE CLOSET: everything I need is now right in front of my eyes.
God created this world beautifully simple but we, people, made it so complex. It is like we are trying to run away from ourselves. So start thinking less instead of more; think egg yolk rather than driving to a store to get pricy shampoo. And do not panic – recession can be really good to get in touch with the eternal, with your family, and with yourself.
Smile! We still have tooth paste…
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