I grew up in a large family of six children, two boys, and four girls, with me being the eldest. Back in the sixties, mothers tended not to work unless they were the only breadwinner. So, my dad worked six days a week with Tuesdays off. He worked a union job and got time and a half or more to work on Sundays. He did not always work Sundays, as he was sometimes in charge of taking us to church.
So, providing for a big family on one salary was hard. Being the oldest, my younger siblings would get my hand-me-downs from clothes to toys. Most of my childhood toys were passed on to younger siblings, so I had none to share with my daughters. But I do have one item from a purchase in fifth grade. I bought a troll with allowance money and I still have it.
But being the fifth oldest grandchild of my Nana, I got some hand-me-downs from my older cousins. I’m sure that was a blessing when my brother and I went to parochial school in Pittsburg. The white shirts from cousins probably helped with the uniform purchases. Of course, our cousins had different colored sweaters and jumpers. The uniforms tended to vary by school and we lived in different towns.
Once there was a pair of blue jeans in the donation box from cousins. Even though they were a size or two too big, I loved wearing them after school and on weekends. I had to use a belt to cinch them up and roll up the legs several times. I was both short and skinny in those days. I’m sure there were other nice things like slacks, dresses, and sweaters. My cousins bought very nice clothes.
Today, my sisters, daughter, and I enjoy checking out previously worn clothes to purchase. It seems a waste to buy new when something still serviceable is available and it keeps clothing out of the landfill. Two sisters and one daughter even sell used clothing online. It’s a new form of hand-me-downs.
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#52Ancestors-Week 49: Handed Down
This is my seventh year working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow (https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/) at Generations Cafe.
I write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or My Trails into the Past. I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways.
This is a great post. Hand-me-downs get a bad rap these days, but you're right, why spend money when something can be reused? I guess I learned this from my mom, and my grandmother, who lived through the Depression and was the child of immigrants. They "reduced, reused, and recycled" before it was a thing! I was the eldest girl of all my cousins, so I guess I lucked out being the one to get the new clothes! My mom was one of those head of household breadwinners, and she worked about 60 hours a week after my parents divorced, usually M-F with part day on Saturday. While she would have preferred to be at home with us kids, she loved her job, and she also loved getting that overtime pay on Saturdays. It helped keep us afloat for sure!
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