Everything has a prolonged life in a Latino household…EVERYTHING. No matter how old or broken something got, your parents were always able to fix, salvage, or reuse it just to make sure you don’t waste a damn thing.
If it’s a liquid, in a bottle, and running low…just add water.
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This is also a reasonable approach if your ketchup is running low.
We literally use every last drop of our toothpaste, even if it requires surgery.
Credit: @jblackstarr39 / Twitter
How else could our parents make sure that there was enough toothpaste in the house for everybody?
ALL leftovers go straight to the freezer because we don’t waste anything.
#GrowingUpMexican abuela had chingos of frozen tamales stored in the big deep freezer
— Lisette (@LisetteOchoa) July 15, 2015
Credit: @LisetteOchoa / Twitter
What else are you going to do when you have 783,645 tamales left over from Christmas?
There is no car problem that can’t be fixed with Google and a weekend.
Credit: Shake Hands With Danger / National Safety Council / okkultmotionpictures / Tumblr
READ: Our Parents Were Recycling Before It Even Existed
No matter how old the car is, tío will make sure it runs for another decade.
Credit: @jake330 / Instagram
Me: It makes a braquata sound when I hit the brakes.
Tío: Bueno, give me a week and it will run like new.
Foil has four steps before it can be thrown away.
Credit: @pinchosycanapes / Instagram
First, it’s a bowl. Then it’s a cover. After that, it becomes a way to wrap peppers going in the oven. Finally it is used as the baking sheet for cookies.
Oh, and paper towels are no different.
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“After you wipe your face with that paper towel, rinse it out y deja que se seque. They are paper towels after all, mijo.” – Latino Dad Logic
Mami knows how to make your pants last till you graduate from college.
Hole in your pants? It’s time to mend your own clothes! Simple Clothes Mending workshop Tuesday 23rd 6-7pm. Only $15! pic.twitter.com/1kCChs1l0G
— Canberra Enviro Cntr (@EnvirCt) April 18, 2013
Credit: @EnvirCt / Twitter
And no matter how much you ask, new pants are rarely in your future.
Unlike everyone else, our hand-me-downs last for generations.
Credit: @thenameismaria_ / Instagram
In fact, if you look in your closet you might find bisabuela’s huaraches.
READ: Things You Find in Every Mexican Kitchen
Food doesn’t get old until it rots and molds.
Latino parents be like pic.twitter.com/mw0ZpTzAhm
— RHO (@rho5223) August 22, 2015
Credit: @rho5223 / Twitter
And even then you just cut off the bad part and still use it for dinner.
And you have this soup at least three times a year.
Credit: @oohande / Instagram
Everything in the fridge — and deep in the freezer — gets thrown into a stock pot and heated into mami’s famous Seasonal Fridge Soup. If we didn’t finish it, those leftovers got frozen for dinner next month.
