Waste Not, Want Not

my mother spent like there was no tomorrow ... but both sets of grandparents were very frugal ... i learned from them not mom ....
I get frustrated with my spouse and children as they simply waste more then i think they should .....
cannot find where you put an item they buy another one ....put more effort into looking for it.... i usually get mad and find it while they to go buy another one
 

Jules said:
Many/most of us were raised by parents who grew up in the Depression era and with that went a waste not, want not philosophy of life. Did you adopt their attitudes about never being wasteful?
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Yes, more or less. Both of my parents grew up in and remembered the Depression well, however both were fortunate enough not to have suffered too much.

Until the last year or two I have been fairly thrifty as you say, then I did some calculations and figured out that with my retirement savings I could spend a bit more and probably not run out of money. I am still careful, and by no means rich, but I have allowed myself a few indulgences recently that I would never done before. Top of the list are some of my fishing trips...
 
Jeni said:
I get frustrated with my spouse and children as they simply waste more then i think they should .....
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My wife has this problem with me, started when I started spending a little more. I put it all into spreadsheets making it clear we could afford it. She still isn't completely happy, but says less...

I don't want to leave a lot of $ when I go, and y'all know about taking it with you.
 

Gaer said:
Yes, I don't buy thing I want, only things I need.
There was no plastic wrap for leftovers when I was a child.
We used waxed paper because tin foil was too expensive.

Those who lived through the depression seem to hate old, used things.
but, I love old, primitive antiques. I seem to like old things better than new.
because they have character and memories.
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I still like to use waxed paper! And I feel the same way about old things. A lot of things around today have no personality!
 
hollydolly said:
LOL..I don't think this thread is for me, as all of you who know me to be not afraid to spend money.. :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

However..I grew up in abject poverty while living in the most prestigious area of our city. However behind closed doors.. no-one knew we had nothing on the floors.. we had barely anything in the food cupboards, and we had no bedding.. except old coats .. No sheets no pillowcases.. just a couple of old coats... not even pyjamas. We had no heating aside from one small gas fire in the livingroom.. the windows froze inside in the winter, but there was no money to buy us hats or gloves.. I learned to knit, and knitted scarves at school, but could only do 2, one for me and one for my brother closest to me in age because my mother couldn't pay for the wool that was needed.

We kids went to school with cardboard in our shoes to cover the holes.. ( not the 1920' 30's or 40's.. but the late 60's and 1970's..) we weren't allowed to invite anyone home because they'd see how we lived.. and anyway we'd never be able to afford to let them eat with us for tea...

We never got hair cuts at the hair salon, we never got to go on school trips, because they couldn't be afforded.... I could go on and on, but I suspect there are a few people here who could tell a similar tale..

When I got married, nothing much changed except my surroundings.. My ex was in the Navy just 19 and a rating on the most minimum wage. We had a baby.. . Ex sent as much money as he could but it was starvation level.. just enough for me to buy nappies and milk for the baby.. and he'd be at sea for weeks at a time with his ship ( aircraft carrier).. enjoying good food , and rightly so.. but in the meantime I could only afford to buy eggs and potatoes.. I'd live for weeks on end on every which way to cook a potato and eggs..

Once we divorced when DD was 8 years old, I was left to raise her alone with no maintenance from him at all..not a single penny did he make as a contribution to her upbringing.. so I had to be the best money manager in the land to ensure she never , ever went to school with cardboard in her shoes, that she got to go on school trips, that I could afford all her sports events and musical instruments ( she eventually was able to go to Music college) . and because of that , I went without myself , painting my shoes with gloss paint when they got scuffed because I couldn't afford new...eating the cheapest of foods and so on... no pity party ... but now when you see me tell you I've been out and bought a couple of new pairs of Boots, and a handbag or 2.. you can be darn sure I worked my backside off to earn the ability to do that... but if ever there was a time again when real thrift was needed you can be sure I'll know how to survive.
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I'm one of those few people you mentioned. My mother grew up during the Depression but she didn't have a lick of sense when it came to managing with eight children. She tried, though. As a result I go from being extremely thrifty to sudden bursts of extravagance.
 
My parents didn't have a lot, and I swore I never wanted to be like that. Now, having been careful with money all my life, I'm comfortably retired, but still fairly careful about spending. Mrs. L quite rightly says that we've worked hard for our money and now we should enjoy ourselves. She's right as usual, but sometimes I feel uncomfortable about making big purchases, even though we can easily afford it, or buying things we fancy rather than need.
 
Capt Lightning said:
My parents didn't have a lot, and I swore I never wanted to be like that. Now, having been careful with money all my life, I'm comfortably retired, but still fairly careful about spending. Mrs. L quite rightly says that we've worked hard for our money and now we should enjoy ourselves. She's right as usual, but sometimes I feel uncomfortable about making big purchases, even though we can easily afford it, or buying things we fancy rather than need.
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That’s rather like us. It’s hard to change old habits. We tend to balance it out.

@carouselsilver, we just ordered a new loveseat and chairs a few months ago. It was a balance of quality and price; quality won.
 
Jules said:
That’s rather like us. It’s hard to change old habits. We tend to balance it out.

@carouselsilver, we just ordered a new loveseat and chairs a few months ago. It was a balance of quality and price; quality won.
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Good for you! We purchased a pricier sofa because we figured we'd be sitting on it all the time and why spend on cheap furniture that won't last and probably won't be comfortable?
 
My late mother-in-law grew up in poverty in Kentucky. She married my father-in-law and they moved to Chicago where they both got good jobs, bought a house and had most all of what they wanted and needed. My MIL started buying things. Yard sales, stores...always shopping, shopping, shopping. She filled up the house with boxes of stuff lining the stairs, piles and piles of stuff on the second floor, every nook and cranny filled with something she bought. You had to push things to the side to find a place to put your plate on the kitchen table. There was one spot next to the stove to prepare food. The rest of the kitchen counters had stuff on them. Her refrigerator and freezer were jam packed with food.

Yes, she was a hoarder and I link it directly to the poverty in which she grew up. She had nothing as a child and when she finally had some money she couldn't stock up enough to make herself feel safe. When she died, her children cleaned out her house and I can't remember the number of dumpsters they had to order. There was so much stuff that trying to sort it all out was overwhelming, so out it went.

I wasn't close to my MIL, but I felt sad for her, even today.
 
To each his own. I'm more of a "let the good times roll" sorta guy. My parents were both born before the depression, and my mother became a widow (with 3 kids) in her early 30s. So, waste not, want not, was a way of life for her until she finally remarried 20 some years later. Even then, she felt she had to grow a tomato plant to save a dime or two, even though she and my step father were well off.

For what ever reason, I decided that life was too short to spend it pinching pennies when you had a dollar. So I've never been overly frugal. Lived in some really, really nice houses. Drove a lot of really nice cars. Took some really nice vacations. And, retired early, moved to Florida, and then lived in Hawaii for several years. I'm not broke, but certainly have a whole lot less money, and I am totally okay with that. I enjoyed the "fruits of our labor" when I could still enjoy them. Today, Mother Nature and Father Time have deadened most of my senses, and what was a pleasure 10 or 20 years ago no longer is.

Let the good times roll.
 
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Have never had a new car. Closest I came was a six month old VW super beetle in 74'. Now my newest is 05, and my oldest is 1955. have been thinking about a hybrid, but the initial cost, and the need to buy 5-7k in special code readers, along with having to pay for periodic software upgrades, will probably Keep me from going there, on principal if nothing else. My dad always said a car will never make you a dime, and always take money out of your pocket, hard to argue that one, but he didn't love them like I due. I'd be a little richer if I didn't have my dinosaurs, but I'd be spiritually poorer.
 
I don't by any means believe in wasteful behavior but I will say this...

My father grew up during the Great Depression but he made a nice living later in life. Because of his experience, he was hesitant to spend a Penny. In fact, the endearing thing I will say about my father was that he used to pick up every Penny he found on the floor or coins from a pay telephone. Every time I see a Penny on the floor I think he is telling me everything is okay.

Before he bought anything, he researched and researched again to determine whether it was a good product. We always had to wait, sometimes for years, before we got anything new in our household. I knew he was just making sure we always had the best, but it wasn't easy.

I remember my first car when I was in college. It was a '73 Opel Manta that had been wrecked by one of my father's business partners. He bought it for me and it was a disaster. It wasn't until I got my first job that I got a new car. My father made sure I worked for what I got, and for that I am appreciative.

When he passed away in 2000, there was money left unspent and my parents' furniture was left over from the 60's. I immediately bought my mother new furniture so it would give her a new perspective on life and allow her to move past his death. She kept that furniture until she passed away in November 2021. I always felt it helped to lift her spirits.

I'm not a spendthrift by any means, but I do feel that enjoying life at the risk of running out of money is much better than dying with money in the bank and regretting the experiences you never had.
 
I buy what I want but very rarely waste anything. I don't believe in wasting food so if I feel I won't eat leftovers before they spoil, or just don't want anymore that week, I'll freeze them. I did have to throw away 3 jars of pasta sauce the other day though. Even though the best by date wasn't even close, I stored them on the top shelf in my pantry and they turned a brownish red. They smelled okay but it wasn't appealing. I didn't feel too bad because those were the ones I paid 77 cents for. The ones I stored in my storage cubes near the AC in my living room were fine; things stay very cool there. Now I know to store them there or in the fridge.

I stopped buying fresh vegetables and most fresh fruit because at a point in my life, I realized I don't feel like bothering to wash and cut them up (I hate prep). That being the case, fresh produce use to go to waste. The only fresh fruit I'm buying now is oranges. I gave up on apples. All other fruits and veges that I like I buy frozen.

I'll drain the last drop out of a bottle. If it's detergent, I'll add water to loosen up the last of it. I use a lotion that's so thick it will not pour out of the bottle. I've learned to squeeze some into a jar for easier access. When almost all the lotion is gone, I cut the bottle open with a big knife and scrape the rest of the lotion out. Doing this gives me at least another week's worth of lotion. I saw a report several years ago about a multi-millionaire who saved small pieces of soap to eventually make one big bar. I remember my grandmother used to do that.
 
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OneEyedDiva said:
I buy what I want but very rarely waste anything. I don't believe in wasting food so if I feel I won't eat leftovers before they spoil, or just don't want anymore, I'll freeze them. I did have to throw away 3 jars of pasta sauce the other day though. Even though the best by date wasn't even close, I stored them on the top shelf in my pantry and they turned a brownish red. They smelled okay but it wasn't appealing. I didn't feel too bad because those were the ones I paid 77 cents for. The ones I stored in my storage cubes near the AC in my living room were fine; things stay very cool there. Now I know to store them there or in the fridge.

I stopped buying fresh vegetables and most fresh fruit because at a point in my life, I realized I'm don't feel like bothering to wash and cut them up. That being the case, fresh produce use to go to waste. The only fresh fruit I'm buying now is oranges. I gave up on apples. All other fruits and veges I like I buy frozen.

I'll drain the last drop out of a bottle. If it's detergent, I'll add water to loosen up the last of it. I use a lotion that's so thick it will not pour out of the bottle. I've learned to squeeze some into a jar for easier access. When almost all the lotion is gone, I cut the bottle open with a big knife and scrape the rest of the lotion out. Doing this gives me at least another week's worth of lotion. I saw a report several years ago about a multi-millionaire who saved small pieces of soap to eventually make one big bar. I remember my grandmother used to do that.
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i do those same frugal things Diva
 
OneEyedDiva said:
I stopped buying fresh vegetables and most fresh fruit because at a point in my life, I realized I don't feel like bothering to wash and cut them up (I hate prep). That being the case, fresh produce use to go to waste. The only fresh fruit I'm buying now is oranges. I gave up on apples. All other fruits and veges that I like I buy frozen.
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I really need to stop buying fresh produce too, so much of it goes to waste because I don't like doing the prep. When I was working I'd buy veggie platters, I should do that again except they are SO expensive (but probably if I add up all the waste it would be the same price per veggie I actually eat).
 
HoneyNut said:
I really need to stop buying fresh produce too, so much of it goes to waste because I don't like doing the prep. When I was working I'd buy veggie platters, I should do that again except they are SO expensive (but probably if I add up all the waste it would be the same price per veggie I actually eat).
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Woman after my own heart! I hear ya about the prep. I finally decided I'm at an age where I shouldn't trouble myself doing things I hate. 🤗
 
My parents were from the depression era and yes I did adopt the waste not want not philosophy from them. Mostly with food as I and my husband always told my son to eat everything and we only gave portions that were sufficient.

I do however like to shop, but I am pretty frugal with my shopping habits and like sales.
 
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