Posted on 08/20/2021 5:51:23 AM PDT by Kaslin
I don't drink milk that we buy in the store. I do use it for cooking and baking or cereal though.
My Grandma and mom had the saying “Waste not want not”.
It works just as well in 2021 as it did in 1881.
While we’re not quite that thrifty, we’ve had a lifetime of practice.
We made the conscious decision before we got married that my wife would stay home with the kids and I would go to work to earn the money for the family. (amazing how that works)
We have always lived modestly and avoided debt. The kids are grown and out but we still live frugally, or thrifty.
My job entails wearing logo’s shirts most of the time so I don’t have to buy much for clothes. When I do, it’s usually from the clearance rack. That’s just how I roll.
Using baking soda for scouring powder is one of the life hacks I learned from my grandma, who grew up during the Great Depression. It’s cheaper and has fewer chemicals. Also, no one thought to make a run on baking soda during the Great Toilet Paper Panic of 2020 LOL.
My mom said a big Christmas was getting a new coat, an orange or two and some pecans. The pecans were from the pecan tree in their yard.
The family had a big garden and they canned a lot.
Mom could sew and would often make her own clothes and some of ours.
She said she used to be envious of one of her friends whose family would by chicken at the store.
My mom said they'd kill their own chicken, clean it and eat it.
We've gotten away from so much of that.
Do our own repairs.
Autos
House
Roof
No cable TV
Fire wood from the property
99.cent body wash/soaps
Bulk items
Plumbing
Apple’s from Apple tree
Pears same
Peaches same
Just buying in bulk and cooking ahead would be a thrifty improvement from eating out all the time. Sewing on an old American-made Singer and making your own patterns from the clothes you already have is a better option than buying flimsy slave-made “fast fashion.” Paying off a house while using avocado green appliances is better than going into debt to decorate.
Most folks aren’t going to boil their coffee, just getting them to use a drip coffee maker instead of going to Starbucks would be a good thrifty start.
One thing does seem likely though, our energy costs are probably going to go up and we will need to cut back in other areas to cover those bills.
I even cut Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. Don't need them.
With YouTube, there is literally no end of content and all of it is free if you can begrudge some commercials. The quality of content on YouTube (and increasingly Rumble) is phenomenal.
A .97 cent bar of Fels Naptha makes a fantastic kitchen cleaner, and in a pinch it can also wash off poison ivy if you accidentally brush up against it, and save you all those blisters and itch.
Thrift doesn’t mean doing things wrong, unsafe, or just dumb. The old expression “penny wise and pound foolish” applies.
I remember visiting my first husband’s grandfather, in the late 1970s. Herb had a large shed built in the backyard. Inside were literally millions of things he had saved, from every usable tool, nail, nut or bolt, bits of string knotted and wound into balls, a random wheel off of something, you name it. Anything he thought could be used again was saved. And he grew corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, rhubarb. All in his city back yard.
And yes, for the clearance rack.... I grew up as one of six children, no dad around for many years, so my mom made most of our clothing, and she could put a lovely meal on the table for $1 or less....
My kids got a taste of living frugally, but it seems that each generation gets a bit further away from learning about being “thrifty”.
Years ago, my wife began planning meals a month in advance. My current has lots of travel. Sometimes it’s only planned a few days in advance.
Even though the kids are out, she still does monthly meal planning and gets mad when I change it due to work travel.
She loves when I’m gone though. She lives on smoothies.
Who has time for that when you need two jobs just to pay taxes to fund the lifestyle of millions of free loaders?
He had actually bought the sewing machine for me to sew the stripes and name tags on his fatigues, which is very hard to do. Later on my eyesight got bad and I had trouble finding the needle hole, so I gave it up.
I and I forgot I knitted myself a beautiful jacket which I still have and wear it after 60 years.
I forgot to mention that my mother was unable to use a sewing pattern, so when she sewed dresses for my twin sister and myself she cut the pattern out without a pattern, however when my sister and I had I had first Communion she hired a professional seamstress.
:)
BOOKMARKED!
Thought you all might enjoy this great article.
I still sometimes sew on my mom’s original sewing machine....an Elna...that has drop in cams!
I now have acquired/collected five machines, or so , but...keep out an inexpensive Brother that has the basic stitches I need....and, needle threader.
What a beautiful story.
You obviously have taken very good care of the jacket you knitted, for yourself.
I’ve never had to sew stripes onto uniforms, but I have sewn plenty of (BS) patches.
Love the part about your dear hubby’s socks and vest. What a treasure of a skill.
Thanks for sharing....and, for posting this story. Reminds me of my grandparents.
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