Yes; Grandma was smarter than you about money. Is that a crazy thought? Well … Grandma may not pay bills with a smartphone or trade stocks on her computer — but the fact is she can teach a few lessons about saving money that you can take to the bank:
- Live within your means; only buy what you can afford
- Use credit only when absolutely necessary
- Cook from scratch and turn leftovers into another meal
- Clip coupons
- Don’t replace broken items; fix them instead
- Get out of debt — ASAP!
The bottom line: Of course, Grandma also knows her homemade cookies are cheaper than store-bought brands — and taste better too. Whether she shares the recipe is another matter.
Photo Credit: 5thLargestInAfrica
Having lived through the great depression, my grandparents’ #1 motto was “Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.” They taught it to their kids (my parents) and it’s been passed down, thank God.
I love it, Lauren! What a great saying!
Isn’t it?! I thought about my grandparents yesterday as I hung paper towels to dry; I’d drained some lettuce on them, so once dry they were good to go again, right? :o)
It was a common saying in the depression. I still think it in my head.
I think of Gran every time I reach for a paper towel. A roll lasted about six months at her house! Because she seldom used one, instead she always reached for a rag that she could wash and reuse. And she carefully tore off EXACTLY the minimum size to avoid waste. She did not have a dryer until she was 75. All the kids and grandkids went in together and bought her a very basic model. It took her a while to adjust to having it, and until she was about 85 she felt guilty for wasting electricity every time she used it.
Steve and Debbie: I am confident that once our current credit bubble finally pops, all Americans will out of economic necessity have no choice but to take on the conservative savings-based mindset that our grandparents used to have.
It looks like that’s what it will take. I constantly ask the question, “How much of this terrible mess is my fault?”
Why is it that the wisdom of maturity doesn’t sink in until we get to the point where we admit we don’t know it all? My grandparents were born in the late 1800’s and pretty much lived off the land. Survival required making do with what you had. They died with virtually no money, But then they realized that no matter what was left was going to do them no good in the grave.
My grandparents both grew up on farms in the late 1800’s. They were the most resourceful people I knew.
In my mind, I can still hear the sound of canning jar lids sealing. They were content with what they had, grew most of their own food, and went fishing 5 days a week if the weather allowed. Grandma loved to fish more than anyone I’ve ever met.
Len and Mr. Dave, there was an article listing 25 things that were a regular part of your grandparents lives. I did all but go to the drive-in movie theater. The mosquitos would have eaten you alive, and well umm, only people who were misbehaving went to the drive-in. lol We had to go to the movie theater.
I miss going to the drive-in. When I was a teenager we used to sneak our friends in by cramming them on the floor of the back seat under blankets (since the seats were taken, of course) – and by putting them in the trunk! Good times.
Were you misbehaving?
Not me.
My grandma dried all the clothes in the hot sun on a clothesline. If BVD’s dried on the line didn’t toughen your behind up, nothing would.
When I was about 8, I figured out how to hang jeans so they’d dry with perfect creases in them. No ironing required. Kids today have so much on them. They have to unload the dishwasher. It’s really sad.