Do you make do?

I intentionally look for older equipment.... it seems to hold up a lot better.

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Moving to that big black hole in the night satellite photo. (also the hole in cell phone coverage )

It's made out of better steel than what you can buy today. Most of the stuff made before WWII, the taps will turn lose with out any lubricant. I routinely use big square-headed bolts for tractor and trailer pins ect. I have some old trailer hitch balls that use the old black carriage bolts as the main pin..still strong. I also like the bolt on pto shafts better than the slide pins...easier to replace bolts and the bolt-up seldom comes lose.
My shop press is so old, it's not even hydraulic, it has gears and a ratchet set up...I don't have the ratchet part...just stick a round wrench handle in it and work it back and forth. I've bent heat treated tractor pins pushing out bearings with that old thing.

Nick loves to resurrect old machinery from fence rows. He feels sorry for it, I think.

When we lived in the 'burbs, he used to save Weber grills from the curb on garbage day. We had quite the collection.

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Je ne suis pas Alice

http://homesteadingfamilies.proboards.com/

My wife and I make do as much as possible but she sways to the penny-wise pound foolish side. In other words, she will stock up on 25 cans of something that no one will eat because it was 25 cents off or drive 20 miles to save $1. I love her dearly for that because my last relationship, she was an absolute spending nightmare.

The problem arises with the kids. They certainly have not learned the making do trait and consider us to be unnecessary "penny pinchers". However, they are almost on their own and realizing exactly what it takes to run and finance a household and have not heard "you guys are cheap" in awhile.

The oldest is now 23, bought a brand new car, new way over her head house, new computer, new phone, new cloths and works for nearly minimum wage. I wish I could get through to her but to each their own. In time I think we all learn the getting by thing. For some it will be a hard lesson. For some it is natural as our parents or grandparents did.

I still remember my uncle teasing my 90 y/o grandfather about straightening nails and keeping them and by gosh, I find myself doing that now. Screws are ---- expensive!