In the 1920's, hand-me-downs were a given. In the 1970's, hand-me-downs were an embarassment. Ironically, in some of the most affluent areas of today's cash-choked society, hand-me-downs are in vogue, but for different reasons. Low impact living is all the rage.
I come from thrifty German and English "people", as my grandmother used to say. Really thrifty. During my childhood my parents were always well off, but never did shed their practical, frugal ways. I grew up, finished college, started working, and got married. A few years later we quit our lucrative jobs, sold our house in Northwest DC for twice what we'd paid for it 4 years before, moved to the country, and ran our own business. It wasn't long before necessity called me to jettison my pride and march into Goodwill for clothing and household goods. We raised three children on leftovers, saliva and air, and learned volumes. I became skilled at making a little go a long way, ultimately finding great personal joy in so doing.
Because I appreciate, admire and respect nature, I also believe in low impact living. Grew up in the wooded hills of Long Island with pet racoons, squirrels at my tea parties, walking the quiet beaches, and climbing tall trees. Our family sailed silently through the green waters of the harbor and sound, marvelling at sunsets, massive schools of silvery fish, endless breeze, and cleansing rain. Motorboats were the enemy; smokestacks from the power plant scarred the landscape. Nothing was more perfect than nature. 
So I've spent my life being thrifty, and green, but not in glamorous, culturally-acceptable terms. Today, Leonardo DiCaprio's work in renewable energy, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus' clean-up efforts in Los Angeles, and Ed Begley Jr.'s show "Living with Ed" are bringing the lifestyle to the fore. Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Johnny Depp, Kirstin Dunst, Alannis Morrisette, Morgan Freeman, and scores of others are spearheading their own projects. These media-central leaders have helped to make environmental awareness, conservation, sustainable design and eco-architecture popular. Brilliant designers have made them beautiful. 
While I was never ashamed of a past where I made pillow covers out of thrift store skirts, created my own artwork from scraps, and fed my family "Cream of Refrigerator Soup", any public response was typically a crooked half-smile. Today I talk of these things and I'm trendy; the response is enthusiastic. I'm awesome!
Okay, I'm no expert, but I have years of making silk purses out of sows ears, and I know I'm not alone. 
So join me as I embark on my Queen of Cheap Series, which combines THRIFTY, with PRACTICAL, and GREEN, even (or perhaps, especially) while living in a big city like Washington DC. Off the cuff, I plan to share ideas on Green Staging, Thrifty Business Practices, Purchasing Renewables, Environmentally-friendly Products, raising "low impact" children, and anything else that piques group interest....let's see where that endless energy of fresh wind, and the cleansing Active Rain, takes us on this voyage.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I christen,
Jaynee Acevedo, Capital Style Staging
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