I don’t often consider the past to be the “be-all and end-all” of everything. But there are some great things we can learn from the past, and one of those is the ability to live simply and save money.
Our grandparents survived the Great Depression and long rationing periods without ever going into debt.
Here are some great frugal living tips from the past that we should consider bringing back to the present.
Cook Your Meals at Home
Pre-packaged meals, takeouts, and frequent dinners in restaurants can be expensive. You can practice frugality by preparing delicious meals from scratch. By shopping for groceries and planning your meals for the week or month, you can save hundreds of dollars every month that can go into your retirement or investment account.
Explore Free Activities
Explore free activities to find joy in simple pleasures. You could go for a family picnic, organize a pot-luck dinner at home with friends, or play board games with family as you talk. Our grandmas focused more on experiences than material wealth and were content with what they had. That’s something we can replicate to help us save money.
Read More: 45 Fun Things To Do Outside That Will Actually Make You Want To Leave Your House
Repurpose and Reuse Items You Already Have
Grandmas would always find unique ways to repurpose and reuse items they already had before purchasing new things. For example, they could cut worn-out jeans into shorts, use old towels as cleaning rags, or use worn-out sheets for kids’ projects.
Repair Damaged Items
If you’re creative and willing to do the work yourself, you can save money by repairing damaged items instead of purchasing new ones. Fixing broken chairs, sealing leaky faucets, and mending torn clothes can extend the life of these items, saving you hundreds of dollars each year.
Line Dry Your Clothes
Hanging your clothes on a line or drying rack saves you money, as you don’t have to use the dryer often. Project Laundry List shows households can save up to 20% on utility bills by line-drying clothes. You’ll also preserve fabrics by extending their life, which saves you more money in the long run.
Give DIY Gifts
Buying gifts for every birthday, celebration, or season can be expensive. Instead, you can opt to give DIY gifts. They are cheap and thoughtful, and you can always customize them to the recipient’s interests without splurging. Candles, friendship bracelets, body scrubs, and personalized cards are all gifts you can make at home and save a few coins.
Avoid Wasting Things
Most of our grandparents were raised or got their frugal mindset in the Depression era. They embraced minimalism during this period as they had to work with a tight budget and limited access to resources, which meant well spent.
You can also learn to avoid wastage by using reusable shopping bags, reusing plastic garden containers, packing lunch to work, repairing your furniture, finding creative ways to use food leftovers, etc.
