Frugal Tips From Our Childhood

I came across this article from Money Talk News that talked about how our parents and grandparents were so good at being frugal.

With money, resources becoming more scarce and a renewed focus on green living, it is time to look at some of these forgotten frugal strategies.

See if any of these frugal tips are up your alley. I certainly remember my mom doing many of these!

Be Well,
Anisa

1. Mending…

My mom was always mending something. I still have her sewing box with thread, needles, pins, cushions and more. She certainly taught me this, but I can’t remember the last time I did this.

With the high cost of clothing, it’s time to rediscover this lost art of mending. With just a few sewing lessons and a secondhand machine, you could expand the life of your clothes and keep a few bucks in your pocket!

2. Hang-Drying Clothes…

Before electric dryers, people dried their clothes on a clothesline. Just imagine it, fresh breezes, no energy cost, no filters to clean and no static cling. Even better, hang-drying is one way to make your clothes last longer.

Although strict zoning regulations prevent outdoor line-drying in some areas, air-drying is always an option. If you live in an apartment or condo, consider using a drying rack. Clothes may come out a bit stiff, but a five-minute tumble in the dryer will soften them right up.

This is something I strictly follow wiht my jeans. Jeans will last a long, long time if you don’t throw them in the dryer. And jeans have gotten soooo expensive!

3. Gardening…

Both my parents took pride in their garden. No matter where we lived, we moved around a lot, we always had a garden. We grew all kinds of veggies and while it was work, it really was nice eating what we grew.

To this day I only like home grown tomatoes. There is nothing like biting into one!

The lawn-to-garden movement is giving new life to the old idea of fresh, homegrown food. From windowsill herb pots to neighborhood co-op garden programs, growing our own grub is becoming cool again.

Not sure how to grow great food? Start slowly. Till a small patch in your backyard or start a simple container garden.

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4. Canning…

For rural families everywhere, canning fruits, vegetables and meat used to be a way of life. Food stability through long hard winters was the goal, not saving money.

But canning is a powerful frugal strategy that’s as relevant today as it was 100 years ago. Besides trimming your grocery budget, canning gives you control over what goes into your food (and in turn, your body), and dramatically reduces packaging waste.

Intimidated by the thought of canning? Don’t be. Learning how to can is relatively simple, and the equipment required is usually available secondhand.

5. Salvaging…

Just a few generations ago, people seemed more attuned to the resources required to manufacture goods. As a result, even the humblest items were valued and saved for future repurposing.

From rubber bands to barn boards and from jelly jars to flour sacks, salvage has played an important part in our history, especially during the Great Depression and other times of crisis. Maybe it’s time to reclaim this part of our national heritage and find new ways to salvage what’s around us.

6. Creative Reuse…

Giving new life to an item that would otherwise be destined for a landfill is a powerful idea. Vintage Mason jars can become unique pendant lights, ornate doors can be transformed into one-of-a-kind headboards, and old tires can find new life as classic tree swings.

Opportunities for creative reuse are everywhere; we just have to look with a little imagination and inspiration.

7. Waiting…

Waiting: It’s the simplest strategy of all, but the toughest to stick to. In previous generations, major purchases meant major deliberation. Waiting was the norm, waiting to find a better deal, to determine if an item was a need or just a want, to consider how a purchase would affect our budget.

Today’s easy consumer credit has turned delayed gratification into a quaint, old-fashioned notion. From shoes to smartphones, anything can be an impulse buy. ¨C37C ¨C38CBut there’s real power in hitting the pause button. Building better shopping habits helps us stick to our budgets, achieve larger financial goals and overcome the 24/7 marketing machine that keeps so many people in debt for decades.

In Closing…

I can say that most of these were practiced by my parents and the ones they didn’t do, my grandparents did. ¨C39C ¨C40CWhile all of them may not be feasible for you, I bet you can do one or two!
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