Frugal Parents

**Shell** · 04-07-2002, 12:56 AM

Who out there had penny pinching parents? I learned a few tricks from my Mom who had grown up during the depression that is helping me today with my tightwad quest. Mom taught me to cook from scratch, how to can and to take care of the things that I already have. Of course, Mom also taught me to be a shop-oholic but that is another post. What things has your parents taught you about being frugal? Could they pincha penny 'til it screamed?

**yolo** · 04-07-2002, 08:01 AM

My parents were penny pinchers, although at the time I didn't know it. My mother sewed a lot of our clothes when we were small. My grandmother knitted us a hat, scarff, and mittens every year for Christmas to match the color jacket we had that year (and she had a lot of grandkids), my mother taught me how to can, cook from scratch, garden, and make every penny count. My dad is a carpenter, and there were many years that we had homemade gifts. He also provided us with a lot of fish, venison, rabbit, etc. We ate a lot of wild game. So, I guess you could say that both of my parents and also my grandparents taught me how to pinch that penny.

yolo

**crdurham** · 04-07-2002, 07:06 PM

Well, my parents definitly instilled some penny pinching in me although I should have taken more notes....lol.... I grew up a farmers daughter.... we raised our own meat and vegtables..wore hand me downs...most importantly my daddy taught me the value of a dollar..... I have it so much better than my parents had it at my age, but I am still the frugal guru...

All my family is very close and I am glad for the things that my parents taught me!!!

Sorry didn't mean to sound like a Lifetime channel movie....lol..

**Jerseygirl** · 04-07-2002, 09:14 PM

My mom, who is generally as far as you can get from using a penny-no less pinching it-taught me early on that if you have a yard of fabric and a piece of elastic, you can have a skirt.

**CountryMom** · 04-13-2002, 11:34 PM

I would have to say that I learned the most from my depression era grandparents. My grandma specifically. She takes frugal to a new level. She lives on a farm, so I learned all about butchering and canning from her. She also taught me how to cook frugally and sew.

**captclearance** · 04-19-2002, 11:32 AM

I am new to this forum thing, but not new to frugal living. My kid's nicknamed me "Capt. Clearance" years ago. I am careful about what I buy and make each merchant I buy from live up to their word. I craft on the side and look at everything to deside if it may have another use. This goes along with commitments my Daughter and I made to "Save The Earth". My children don't view it as "Cheap" they think we are the most cleaver people around !

**Lori Biever-Launder** · 04-21-2002, 05:57 PM

My parents were the penny pinching king and queen of Ashland, Oregon! We grew up on the G.I. bill and welfare, so we lived on very little. My dad hunted every fall and almost always got a deer. One year he shot a bear in self defense and yes, we ate bear ALL winter. I love game meat of all sorts and still prefer it to domestic meat. We had a huge garden evey summer and I hate to garden to this day since sis and I were the garden slaves. We also froze and canned all our extra produce and picked blackberries each summer. I distinctly remember teaching friends from Vietnam the wonders and trials of picking blackberries along side the railroad tracks in our town.

We wore clothes from the Goodwill, hand me overs (from friends), garage sale finds and made them as well. I still wear a lot of the same type of thing, but since I am plus sized, I have a harder time finding things at garage sales. My boys wear clothes that come from garage sales about 99 % of the time. My parents taught us that it's not a sin to wear used things--wear them with pride!

They also taught us that the library is the very best "free" thing out there. If it weren't for libraries I would have been intellectually starved past the age of six. Whenever we move, the very first thing I locate in a new town is the library. I couldn't live without one!

**CAGmomof2** · 04-26-2002, 05:07 PM

I learned a little bit of Penny Pinching from my Father who became Disabled in 1992!! He has always used coupons to save money!! I always accepted hand me downs because at the time my mom's income was not enough to buy clothes with and pay the bills!! Alot of times we would go without food but the Lord Almighty Always Provided Groceries, CatFood,HouseholdSupplies,Clothes for me, School Supplies, Candy, and everything else that my Parents and I needed at the time!! The other PennyPinching Techniques that I have learned came from my Grandmother who has been teaching me about the Great Deppression!! I am also learning from others and I am teaching myself about Penny Pinching Techniques!!

**homesteadmamma** · 12-08-2002, 11:34 AM

Yes and in fact my dad was what we would call a miser!! He would drive 10 miles to save 5¢.

Were or are your parents frugal?

**heaven** · 12-08-2002, 11:41 AM

My mother still is. I think it was the way my parents were raised though. dirt poor. so if they can save money they do.

**dolphin** · 12-08-2002, 11:48 AM

My Mother is and was frugal, cooks from scratch, made our clothes, still makes some for her or grandchildren. She gardens and cans and freezes.

Dad is the frivolus one. Never much money spent on his endeavors but always more than Mom wanted to spend. He was always bringing home cattle, hogs, and horses trying to save or make money but usually ended up losing and since he drove truck, Mom was stuck doing all the work.

I don't think you can ever be too frugal and I'm glad for what I learned growing up but also wish I had paid more attention so that I would know how to do a lot of things Mom did.

**MJsLady** · 12-08-2002, 11:48 AM

Yes. My mom was a single mom. While she didnt garden or can (had no place to) she did shop sales garage sales, and trash bins.
My sister who I lived with from 10 - 17 did garden and can but would not yard sale as she didn't want some one elses junk and such but bought expensive silver settings.

**debbiepete** · 12-08-2002, 11:59 AM

No my parents were not at all frugal, I grew up in a very wealthy family and never started being frugal till I joined the Navy and didnt make a lot of money.

**Mom23boys** · 12-08-2002, 06:13 PM

No, they weren't, but she has been watching me and all the money I save and has been asking how I do it. She has in the last year, started slowly. She still asks alot of questions, which I am willing to explain. She is trying. DH's mom asks alot too. She is starting to coupon.

**doodlebug** · 12-08-2002, 06:40 PM

Yes, very frugal. My dad could make a penny scream,lol. They had a huge garden and mom canned and froze tons of stuff, she hung clothes on the line even in winter, used a wringer washer, raised chickens for meat and eggs and pigs to butcher, saved the aluminum tv trays to reuse on camping trips, saved mayo jars for stuff, and on and on! Everything was used up, clothes were repaired, all food was eaten or leftovers were served the next day. Even the weeds from the garden were hauled to the pigs to help out with their food bill. The only thing my dad splurged on was having a furnace instead of using a woodstove and only HE could touch the thermostat. Dad always stayed after us about staying in the shower too long, using too much water, turn off a light if you leave the room. We never had a dishwasher, microwave, clothes dryer, etc.
Oh, and my mom considered it splurging if she had a tv dinner for lunch once in a while or had a coca-cola, and she allowed herself a cup of coffee once in a while. We never ate out except maybe a hot dog at a carnival, mom always cooked from scratch. And mom had like three house dresses and two church dresses and that was it!