Don't miss our video today! Nothing about modern living is that bad for some of us. One of the reasons I chose the name Frugal Queen is that we live like royalty even if we're on a budget. The house is warm all winter, the bills always get paid, there's always food in the fridge and there's always hot water. When you grew up poor, you didn't l you were at the time. As adults, you realize you've been well schooled in getting by and making the best of what you have.
I hear you. Even with my middle income, I live better than royalty of 100's of years ago. I have antibiotics, flushing toilets, a fridge, an old car and AC/heat. No gold, but lots of physical comfort.
Wednesdays are my favorite. I was completely on my own at 17; we were shown the door, as we graduated high school. I had already worked 2.5 years as a cashier, which money was handed over to the parents for room & board. A couple of weeks after I left, my mother asked how much money I would be sending home. I was embarrassed that there was NO money to send to her. I grew up in a family where the adults were poor in handing out love, and in handling their money - power would get turned off, rent would go unpaid, the fridge would be empty, we did not have sufficient clothing, etc. However, we kept what we did have very clean. * I promised myself that my bills would be paid before I bought food, and I did not own a car until my early 20s. I needed two jobs to make that happen, but I never lost my apartment, my bills were always paid, and I was in excellent health from walking everywhere, and not overeating! LOL. That of course, impacted my ability to socialize - because I was always working, just to survive. I don't know how I could have done that differently - It took me a long time to earn my degree. I learned a lot over time about making-do, fixing things, making my own clothing (it was cheaper then than buying clothes on sale), handling money-there was no discretionary money, I never used food stamps, or accessed any social programs (there weren't many, and I wouldn't have used them, anyway - that is not how I was raised). I didn't complain, because I knew people who had even less than me. * Now, I over react when I see people in the same level of need I lived through until I was 30. That experience has marked my subconscious permanently. I am having to work on stopping trying to save them. They need to learn with hands-on experience, if they are going to have long term improvement. I do donate - but I do it from a distance (anonymously). I always treat everyone with respect. I make NO assumptions who they are based on their life situation. I do not know their story (nor do I want to), and it is not for me to judge anyone at all; certainly I do not judge anyone's worthiness based on whether or not they have money, or if they have obvious problems they are dealing with. I am grateful. I had asked for more than I need, so I could share, and that is where I find myself today, to my own surprise. I am deeply grateful.
Oh my gosh, the flood of wonderful memories came pouring over me, while watching this video. Thank you for that! Growing up being 1 of 6 kids, it was always squeaky tight with money. A pound of hamburger, 6 pieces of bread and a can of tomato soup made a meatloaf for 8. There was always potatoes and another vegetable on the table, and usually a pan of 5 cent pop open biscuits to fill us up. Butter was nearly never in the house, only the biggest tub of margarine, or sticks of it. Summertime we had a glut of rhubarb annually, so we had rhubarb cream pie, lots of eggs and sugar. We also had applesauce for a treat, because grandma and grandpa had 4 big trees, so plenty got canned up. Hand me down clothes we all we had for the majority of my life. Then mom got a full time position at JL Hudson and wow wee we got new clothes that she would get dirt cheap and buy one size up for all of us, and that was Christmas or birthday gift. We rarely got new shoes, well except for me, in 9th grade my feet out grew all of the women in my family. So I got 2 pairs of shoes, and had better take very good care of them. Any boots that leaked, you put bread bags over your socks and then stepped into them. My children had leftovers packed in lunches and a Tupperware container with applesauce that they cranked the food mill on, after we pick our apples. We weren't great at fishing, but we did learn how to hunt. My father did, and I encouraged both of my husband's to, as well as my son's. My first husband watched lots of outdoors programs and got a magazine that talked about the skills needed, and I encouraged his interest. We paid to have the meat processed, until one butcher shop thought that I wouldn't know that I wasn't getting all of my meat. My husband had gotten a massive trophy deer, and they tried to give me 1 brown paper grocery bag and charge me $65. I asked where the rest of it was, and he said thats all. I asked for a manager, he argued that I didn't know what I was talking about. I then made it clear that I would call the police because he had stolen my meat. He laughed, until I walked over to the payphone and picked up the receiver. Then suddenly he said he'd go check. I explained that this was 175lb deer hanging weight, and he better look for many more bags. He returned with a shopping cart full of bags taped shut, labeled with our name. I asked which bag container my tenderloins and back straps (the two premium cuts),he paused, and I said, well then we will go through it all, before I pay you for it. He then goes back to the cooler and returns 2 more bags. The entire time a dozen customers are waiting, and they learned as much about this butcher shops practices as I did. I then took out my cookbook, checked out a picture of beef cuts, long before the internet and taught myself to process deer meat. Necessity is the mother of invention and skill learning. 😊
That, too, is one of my skills-processing a deer. I had forgotten about it, we no longer hunt. Good for you! Telling that butcher that you knew he was a cheat.
I never felt poor growing up because I was warm, and plenty of food living on the farm, and waking up each day to the wonderful aroma of fresh bread that my Mom made every day. She worked so hard feeding our family of 5, plus 2 grandparents and 2-3 hired men as well as the more than occasionally bachelor uncle. Even as a young child I had chores which like any child and later teenager I grumbled about. Poor wasn't even something I considered until I went to school and bumped up against the "rich" kids which existed even in rural Montana, USA. Still, as soon as I couldd I got babysitting jobs ($1 an hour for 6 kids under age 8!) and used that money plus my allowance (for chores, because my parents believed even children needed to have some money) to buy material to see my clothes. Mom always bought the shoes, winter coat, undies and a nightgown. For Christmas we all got PJs as one of our three gifts. When I see things like " Mom didn't work," I wonder who did all the cooking, laundry, housekeeping, grocery shopping, canning of summer vegetables and fruit, canning of chicken and fish, and making birthdays and holidays special. I know I didn't fully appreciate all the work my Mom, and my Dad, did until I was a single parent rearing my own son. Good video. We need to acknowledge how much we have and be grateful for it all. Enjoy your day🌹
Those were life lessons that stick with me to this very day - I raised my 2 daughters on my own and anytime there were sweets or baked goods at work I would always bring mine home and the 3 of us shared it. It's something they never forgot (they're 39 & 41 now). They would be SO excited and it taught them more than one lesson. Since I grew up as poor as dirt, to this day I waste nothing and share what I do have when I can. Thanks for another amazing video Jane & Mike....LOVED it 💜
All 3 of my children plsyed travel sports( volleyball, swim& baseball) I was the mim dragging a lg icechedt on wheels behind me, Mom, im thrirsty, id hand them a refilled wster bottle or sports drink, sluced fruit, cheese crackers, once after the first few swim meets I titaled everythung up, we were saveung a minimum if $100/ meet, there were 2neets a week! My husband was hirrified, until random oeople kept telling him youguys are so smart, you must be saveing a fortune. Well kater that summer we were able to help fund a few mussionaryies!😊!
Born in late 40s uk. One cold tap in the kitchen, no bathroom, outside toilet, no fridge or washer, just an old mangle, old coal fired black leaded range in the living room. Agree with everything you said. Frugality is a natural habit. But central heating, fridge freezer automatic washer and a hot shower is certainly appreciated.
My mom says the same only it was late40s& esrly50s when she was close to10 years old her family moved into a different house, indoor tub, no toilet had outhouse.
This was a great topic. I remember constantly being reminded to switch the light off when I left a room. When mum was strapped for cash before the next shop we would have soup and rice pudding or bread and butter pudding to fill us up. Dad fixed everything from the kettle to the car. And shoes got replaced when your toes reached the end. Entertainment was cheap.... Reading library books or playing out. I have very fond memories of those days.
Hi, our parents made good money, but were quite frugal. I never realized they were frugal because it was just how we lived. They bought a fixer-upper when i was seven. They built an addition on the house that became a family room with a table and chairs, a v-shaped sofa they built (that could be re-configured, that was re-covered by Mom at one point) a full bathroom and upstairs, a master bathroom, bedroom and walk-in closet. I wore my brother's hand-me down Levi's and flannel shirts in highschool. We had a small clothing budget for school clothes. Mom made our school tote bags (thick quilted cotton with handles so we could carry them hanging from our shoulder or from one hand not quite touching the ground). Mom taught us to cook and bake. Dad and Mom insisted we all learn to play an instrument. Our Wisconsin Granparents and uncle taught us to fish and cook fried fish, make jelly when your grandchild picks all the currents off your prized current bush, make a business fixing things, sewing with a sewing machine, ice fishing. My parents taught me the lesson of hard work, spending time at breakfast and dinner as a family, helping anyone who wandered by in a storm, be it snow or lightning, employed the "egg man" until he retired, helped birds they found injured by splinting broken wings and feeding them until healed. Ive learned countless lessons. I am me because of my wonderful family. I have four wonderful kids who are caring. These lessons of hard-work, self-sufficiency, appreciation of others, appreciation of blessings, the kind actions of others and employing kindness in your daily life towards others, always learning and knowing there is more to learn in life...these are just some of the lessons i learned from frugal parents both born in the 1930's in Wisconsin, USA and brought up three kids in Alexandria, Virginia, USA. Thank you for your terrific videos. I'm really enjoying them!
I felt like we went down memory lane with all the frugal activities you stated. I never thought of myself as poor when I was growing up because my parents made it clear that we were not to waste what God has given us. When I was younger, I really thought everyone treated all their items this way. Because we were raised frugally, it is just second nature with us today. Thanks for our journey down memory lane.
I grew up with 7 siblings in the Eighties and Nineties. We always had enough food and everything else. But if I wanted a treat, I needed to buy it myself or wait for a birthday party. I started delivering newspaper and babysitting at the age of 13 and knew the value of money. That makes me very good with my finances. Luckily my husband grew up the same way (but with only one sibling), so we’re on the same page about money. We’re debt and mortgage free in our Forties 🎉
I am super frugal like my Dad. He saw to it that I never wanted for anything because he grew up super poor. Sometimes without even enough to eat. Just watching him build things and mend things and take care of what he had, even when he could afford to buy it again ten times over, taught me to be frugal and generous with what was saved.
Loved today's post! - it was like talking about my own experience. I grew up in Romania in the 80's. Hard communism years, filled with hunger and many needs (no electricity, no money, no hot water...). But we managed, learnt the way of living without any waste and I think I have frugality in my blood for ever. The best part was we did not know we were so poor, we shared everything and people/neighbours were very kind and helping each other. Unfortunately those good people are long gone and now many are very selfish - at least in my part of the world. Great post, Mike and Jane❤
So many truths in this episode for me. We weren't poor, per se, but both of my parents grew up in the Great Depression. The lessons from that time were the norm in our family, and most of those habits have stayed with me. I'll also add that I have worked with non-profit organizations over the years, and I have found that people with the least are the most generous. They know what it's like to go without, and don't want others to have to go through what they have endured.
Summers were simple - running through the sprinkler, playing in the sandbox (my mom made the wooden sandbox, and I remember that we went to the sand bank with empty garbage cans to get sand for free), and homemade popsicles. We went to the library a lot. Going to the movies and getting popcorn with butter was a special treat.
I loved this video!! I am Gen X and I grew up poor although I didn't know it at the time. We didn't even have a twin tub. My mum soaked and washed the clothes in the bath then spun them dry in a spin dryer. We didn't have a washing machine or a freezer until 1978 when we moved house and the previous owner left theirs behind. When I left home at 19 and married someone who didn't grow up poor, we fell into the trap and accumulated much debt to live the lifestyle we thought we deserved. All these years later (divorced etc) I'm finally living a frugal lifestyle that is so rich in everything except money! 🙂
I grew up in Poland in the 80's. We weren't poor per say but times were difficult for everyone. I'm 1 of 4 so we had to be frugal. Hand me downs, sharing room with siblings, reusing bath water, make do and mend were the norm. My dad was a lorry driver and would travel to Germany a lot. I will never forget the smell of oranges he would bring back for Christmas or big packs of crisps and sweets. They were rare treats!
One of the things I like most about your videos is the way it reminds me of my childhood and teen years growing up in a working class household in a small town in Mississippi in the 60s and 70s. What I really remember is how we valued the stuff we did have because there were not endless supplies of anything. I remember the dolls I had because there were three including ONE treasured Barbie doll! I remember how excited I was when the season changed and we got a bag of hand-me-downs from an older relative! I remember looking at the toys and dreaming when we went to TG&Y so my mom could buy a dress pattern . I remember on very special Sunday afternoons going with my dad to the newsstand and getting a comic book. It seemed like treats were valued more because they were so few and far between.
Your comments about fresh fruit brought back memories. Across the road from our 2 room school house in the West of Ireland there was the broad swath if land that belonged to the ancestor of the English who colonized Ireland. At one end was the old mansion, tgen falling apart, and at the other end there was an apple orchard. When school ended we used to crawl under the hedges and invade the orchard filling our satchels with delicious apples which we ate on the way home. In summer the hedges along the road would have blackberries and strawberries which were the best Ive ever eaten. Fond memories of a long time ago.
Born in the late 40’s and growing up in the 50’s I didn’t know we were poor, but we did everything you mentioned, and we still do. Do you remember the chocolate selection boxes?. They were a treat we saved up for all year; a little bit put on hold at the local grocer each week until Christmas when my sister and I got to choose which one we had saved up enough for. Home made clothes, hot water bottles - I can remember the bang when you accidentally kicked the stone bottle out of the end of the bed and it thudded on the lino. Ice ferns on the window panes, and hand knitted sweaters and gloves. Vegetables from the allotment and tiny amounts of meat - luncheon meat and haslet. Fruit was a luxury except for home grown apples and pears. Broken biscuits from Littlewoods. But I didn’t know we were poor!
I grew up as one of ten children. The thing that makes me shake my head is that we didn’ know we were poor. We had everything we needed, one pair of school shoes, hand me down clothes from older sisters, plenty to eat as we lived on a farm etc.. it wasn’t till after I was married and I heard my husband telling someone how poor we were that I realized maybe we were. But I wouldn’t change how it made me view what I have learned from growing up that way. I think I could say yes we did that to everything you mentioned.
I didn’t grow up poor but married at 19 and we had very little for a while. My mom showed me when I was a teenager how much the household bills were and when I first married I quickly became very frugal and have been for 57 years. We have lived below our means and therefore enjoy a comfortable life. It’s a wonderful way of life! Being generous is so important and I’m glad your brought it up. Serving and helping others is our mission. You are providing a great service with your messages. Thank you!
This podcast brought back many memories & I also live like this. Cutting off the bad bits of food, fixing as much as possible yourself, only eating meat half of the week, not every day, mum making our clothes, us kids liking the passed on clothes. You can still live like this today. As a child I don't think we ever ate out. The most we would do is buying fish & chips. Definitely going blackberrying & making jam. That stays with you & I still love making jam. My mum also fried eggs at home to go with chips ! I did the same for my family.
I think our parents not having much in the 60s70s made me appreciate and be frugal with money. A dear old friend used to say to me. Spend a bit. Save a bit but be happy.
So much of what you said really reasonated with me watching your video....I grew up very similarly to yourself. I grew up in Yorkshire until my dad's work moved us south to London. It was very different as we never locked our doors in Yorkshire...we did in London. I never considered us poor as such but my parents were always careful with what money we had. Initially i remember boiling kettles for my bath at 7 yrs old...that didn't last long thankfully and by my teens we did have hot running water. We never wasted food...we ate everything on our plates and we grew a lot of our own vegetables (marrows got very old by the end of the summer...and spinach shriveled to nothing in the pan!) We ate home grown fruits too, like apples and pears and mulberries from a very old tree. We played outside and if we were hungry in between dinner and tea...we had fruit and not biscuits or crisps. Mum always made us porridge in winter and toast in the summer for our breakfasts...that's just how it was. We didn't have meat every day, fish on fridays as my parents were religious...and at least 2 vegetarian meals in the week because money was so tight back then. We drank water or milk, never fizzy pop or squash....and tea when we grew older. We were fit and healthy but we ate just enough and i don't remember ever being hungry, although looking back we did seem to eat very little. Everything was made from scratch and we had a 'chippie treat' like you mentioned maybe once or twice a month if we could afford it. Mum used cash back then, no cards ...so she could see how much of her budget was left for her to spend. My own kids have been taught the same values i was growing up, but i realise how much better off they were than i was at the same age...I guess i was guilty of spoiling them a little when i could because I grew up with very few treats. All I remember is how free and happy I felt growing up...and not permanently attached to some electronic device as they seem to be today.
This was so nostalgic for me. Every one of these were part of my childhood. These arent memories of depreivation they are good memories. Happy childhood times. We were happy with just a couple of toys not a toy room. We played outside not on a screen. One frugal tip i learned from my spanish neighbour is if my baguette has gone a bit stale, run it under the cold tap. Get itgoid and wet then re cook it for 5 mins in a hot oven. Crunchy fresh baguette from a stale one! Peoplehere still share withneighbours. Its normal to come home to a little box of cuttings or oranges. And we share whatever we have too if we bake scones we pip half a dozen on the doorstep of the neighbours in our little street
Jane, loved this video. There were 4 of children in the house. My mom did not work but we always had plenty to eat. She grew up in the depression Era and it carried over in our life. She made my sisters and my cloths all from the same fabric so that she got a better deal. Meals would be stretched to feed all six of us, like creamed peas and tuna fish over toast, Tina noodle casserole. Stuff like that. Our dad would that us to an ice cream at the dairy manor only once in awhile throughout the year. Sometimes he would bring home a treat in his lunchbox and whoever yelle" Lunchbox" first got the treat inside. Us girls all shred one bedroom. My brother had his own. Wr did own a washing machine but we had to hang cloths out on the line to dry. I love doing that to this day. I wouldn't change a thing on how I wad raised.
@@clairekuchel-klassen7103 far from that here, hand made is artisan and commands a lot. Handmade quilts, curtains, children's clothes, household items are very popular
I remember my mom peeling potatoes ever so close to the skin with a knife. I was chastised because I couldn't do it. My peeling with a knife was too thick. So I welcomed the peeler she bought because I was able to finally peel as thin as she did and peeling potatoes was not a chore but a pleasant task. Harmony in the kitchen is a blessing.
Oh my goodness! If you still peel your potatoes, don’t even think about throwing the peelings away! If you wash them thoroughly in salt water, drain them and dry them, save them in a freezer bag till you have a decent portion amount, add olive oil, black pepper, salt, paprika and garlic powder and put in the oven when you use it next for baking, for 15 minutes, it’s fantastic with a glass of wine or beer! It’s a delicacy in our family 😀
I live in Michigan and we still have 10c can/bottle return. I walk my dog in different areas near my home and pick them up . I turn them in when I have a garbage size bag full and get about 12-15$ to help with groceries.
My Dad worked my Mom was a housewife n there was us 4 kids, we did everything u said. We did NOT waste food at all that included dinner, we had a saying in my house about food "take all u want BUT eat all u take". My dad had a small garden on the side of our house with 2 cuke plants 2 tomato plants, n 2 pepper plants n we always seemed to have more than enough for us n gave so much away, same thing with our small apple tree. Kids now a days wouldn't understand, they were GREAT times.
In our house food never had time to go hard/off. In a big family every scrap of food got eaten. Leftovers were unheard of. If you left something on your plate, someone was always willing to finish it for you. I would hate to go back to those days but it taught us to appreciate what was put down to us. 😂
I took am great full that I grew up in a frugal home. My mum was frugal by necessity, I as a young wife did the same. Now I am lucky that I am frugal by choice. Sadly there are lots of young people today who are not even taught about money never mind how to manage it or save it.
Occasionally my mum would buy a Fray Bentos steak and kidney pie. It was shared between 6 of us but mum only had the gravy. I could weep when I think of how hard it was for her.
Today I am wearing my favourite linen tunic that I keep mending, this is day 3, its neither dirty or smelly so three days is fine ,tomorrow will be a clean top. There is only a little spaghetti left from dinner but enough to make a spaghetti frittata tomorrow with salad made from left over veggies as its shopping day ,crusts from home made bread are being saved in freezer until there is enough for bread pudding. when I was young mum and dad would buy one mars bar and slice it to share between 4 of us and Sunday tea was tinned peaches and evap with bread and butter ,yum. In our home, nothing matched, dresses were made and cardigans knitted but we were happy and healthy.
4 Stars! This is my favorite kind of frugal video! About generosity: my dad was the most generous person I've ever known, and my mother was a close second. We never had any extra money until I was about 11 years old, and sometimes money was super tight. We didn't talk about being poor, but somehow I knew not to ask for expensive things. Paperdolls were cheap (a packet was .19 or .29 cents) and I had a few as well as my sister teaching me to cut out my own from the old Sears or Montgomery Ward catalog. It taught me proportion trying to find members of my paperdoll family that were the right size for each other. And to choose furniture and curtains from the housewares section. It was so much fun. Please do more of these......Carla H.
I was born in Poland in The 80s when my parents were still both at university. Times were hard for almost everyone so I didn’t know any different. Sometimes there were power shortages and we also had to wash in a bowl of water placed in the bath, you couldn’t be picky with food as it was hard to get anything in the shops, my mum got good at sewing and grandma knitted everything from scarfs to coats. In the winter I’d get dressed still under the duvet I read lots and enjoyed simple pleasures like radio and tv shows. Life was simpler and in many ways happier. When I was a teen my family fell in some hard times again following my dads serious car accident. He was was out of work for long time and unemployment was very high at the time. That was more difficult to cope with for me as a teen that wanted to do things and have things just like peers. It just shows compassion is a thief of joy.❤
Everything you talked about brings back so many memories of when I was growing up, which, are things I still do to this very day. I only do laundry once a month and hang it all outside on my clothes line. I still remove the mold from jelly and cheese. I've been known to pinch off mold on bread so I can have a sandwich or toast. Never thought of being poor as a child, just had a mother who grew up during the depression and knew how to save, stretch, and make do. It all rubbed off on me.
we didnt realise we were poor but my mom was stay at home parent and dad was a banker which didnt pay well since he wasnt the boss. We had no shower or dryer yet . Us kids had baths on saturdays and did spot cleaning the rest of the week. We had fryed bologna sandwiches and something my mom called flub a dub which was crushed up saltine crackers on a plate with tomato soup thickened with cheddar cheese plopped on it. Those were 2 cheap lunches. Mom was a great baker though and we had homemade bread, cookies, cakes and pies often. She made jelly from a neighbors grapes and rhubarb pie from a neighbors plants. I had 2 older sisters so lots of hand me down clothes, including occasionally dresses my mom sewed when she had the time. I can still remember one time in the mid 1960s her weekly food shopping was $26 and she was shocked it was so much! Mom was a list maker and a budget master and i am too! Love your channel. God bless you.
How I identify with all the things you talked of. I was brought up through the 50s and 60s, the eldest of 7 children in Army camps. I didn't realise we were poor until I made a friend, 1 of 2 children, in a civilian family! A real treat was a piece of shop bought Swiss Roll when I went to tea at my friend's house. I've lived frugally all my adult life because debt had to be avoided
Great to hear about your experiences growing up with so little. We were very poor, and I was often cold & hungry, living in a house with one fire and outside toilet, and we hadthe daily wash in a bowl and sunday bath, too! I have been frugal all my life, I just never called it that. My main lesson was to only buy what I could afford, no credit, and meal planning. Food is one area where I can make a little go a long way, even a pigs trotter can make a large pan of hearty lentil soup!
Whenever Mum made a stew she would always put some aside and the following day she would put a thick pie crust on it and it be served with extra vegetables and thick gravy. There was nine of us kids in the sixties so she had to make the money stretch. Xx
hello Jane and Michael. thank you for all your inspiring videos. This has let me go down memory lane. I was born in the late 50s in communism-Czechoslovakia. We were living in a 2 room flat with a shared toilet in the hallway with the next door neighbors. When I used to go to in the country side to my grand-grandmother with my granny , there was no bathroom in the house, outdoor toilet and she had chickens, ducks rabbits and a goat and a garden full of veggies. She had a huge walnut tree in the yard and I would pick all the nuts off the ground and brake the shells. We would go to the forest to gather old wood for her stove and pick mushrooms and berries for food foraging. those were the best times of my childhood. nothing was wasted and everything was re-used and children's clothes were passed from family to family. I had one pair of nice shoes for school and when I got home from school I had to change into my home clothes. My granny would make my clothes and knit jumpers and hats and scarves for winter months. I have been poor growing up but I have fond memories of the frugal life. I keep the frugal lifestyle now as well, as it makes me happy.
Oh my Jane I loved this video so much, it is so funny how we just kept up all those habits of frugality we saw our mothers, grandmothers ( and greatgrans in my case) practice and how wonderful they are and yes they lived like royalty because of their frugal practise and help people along the way, Anna.
Great video Jane, thank you. I had a lot of shame about growing up poor so I think for a lot of my life I rebelled against it. I certainly did when first earned my own money. I was always responsible though, and paid my bills and made sure I later life mortgage and any loans I had were prioritised. When I found myself a single parent of two boys On low income I always made sure we had plenty of home cooked food and a treat for them on a Friday(a frozen pizza, cocoa cola and sweets😊) I never got treats from my mother who managed the household budget and I felt very hard done by not getting sweets or toys. Sadly we didn’t need to live as poorly as we did. Any treats came from aunts or visitors which was magical. I think that was the reason I made sure my boys got once a week treats. However my big rebellion seemed to be against saving. Although I made sure to have a emergency fund I never pencilled in savings as part of my budget. Roll on the years and the collapse of 2008 happened and I found myself stretched to the limit for many years I swore that when I was debt free I would start to save regularly now approaching 60. 8 years later nothing feels as good as seeing those savings increase. When I’m tempted to buy something I don’t need I now stop and smile to myself and say I could buy that but it won’t give me as much satisfaction as knowing my savings are growing. All my spending is planned and that includes the treats and holidays and for the first time in my life I feel I’m in charge. I used to think I couldn’t save because my income was low but my income is low now so the lesson is mindset is EVERYTHING..
When I was a you g teen,preteen as I grew, my mim& grandmother would sew whst they called rick rack onto the bottoms if my jeans, thereby ectending the length& guveing them the " cool look" as seen in some 1970s TV shows, theyedvtell me, well, last week Cher worre that in herbjeans, yep they were right, a few weeks later some rivh girl woukd show up at school wesring brand new jeans with ruvk rack in them, ir smikey face pstvhes, hearts, whst ever you like!😊
Loved this Jane, brought back lots of memories from my childhood,We used to go to the ice cream man with a bowl and he would fill it and we would share it between all four of us, happy days 🎉🎉
Another wonderful video, Jane & Mike. And generosity. Sigh. So, so true. Generosity is not JUST saved for your family, either. Just a pervasive generosity flows through when a friend of a friend has a need (new baby, lost job, etc). I saw so much generosity through my parents as well. How lucky. I paused at nearly every item, though, realizing how differently my husband and I were raised. It really has created some interesting times for us Heidi in Canada
This brought back many memories! In the 1970s, as a great treat, my grandmother would occasionally take me to a local inexpensive cafe and we would have pilchards on toast. I still enjoy them, but at home these days. I spent my 1970s childhood in home made cotton dresses, which were then passed down to my younger sisters. Sunday tea nearly always included home made jams and cakes. Fond memories.
Growing up in the1970s I watch my fathers mom, a self taught master gardener feed most of her neighborhood (25-30) sdults from her gsrden! My moms Dad did the same with his gsrden, he also had thompson seedless grapes,plums,peaches. He shared with everyone, which in turn had neighors dropping iff any extra whatever they had.😊 every ine helped everyone else.
How delightful Jane. A lovely trip down memory lane. I grew up in the sixties. We were not poor we were what they called comfortable but my parents were very much waste not want not. We had a twin tub, we had baths on Saturdays with clean nightwear after our bath. No central heating whatsoever. My father brought coal in from the coal house. Mum cleaned out the grate every day. No fizzy drinks . Diluted cordial for our elevenses. Loved our treats. Like you we had cheese on toast, French toast, jam tarts. We got a packet of fruit pastilles on Thursdays and Sundays. When I look at my grandchildren wearing Dior perfume / cosmetics I feel they have nothing left to look forward to. They have been to Disney land before they are teenagers. We took the ferry to Wales ! I wouldn’t swap my childhood for theirs. I love these nostalgic videos 🙏🙏🙏
There were 5 kids in my family. My dad worked, mum at home looking after home and us 5. We were not very poor but a big family costs. My mum and dad always told us about the lack of food in the war. My dad often said at dinner: in a restaurant this would cost this much. And he paid off the dentist in installments. Clothes were passed down. My mum sewed some of our (and our doll's) clothes. We also had an allotment, rabbits (i never realised they were not pets) and chickens. On Sunday we kids shared a large packet of crisps after the Sunday walk. I didn't feel that we were not that well off.
This was so interesting! I love seeing how people around my age grew up. I was born in 1970. I wasn't poor but i did learn frugality from my mother. We hung clothes on the line, she monitored electric usage and she also made a lot of my clothes. She was an excellent seamstress so it was fun picking out the pattern and fabric. My father could fix just about anything. I had everything I needed and most everything I wanted, but they did model financial responsibility.
Absolutely loved this video, brought back so many images from growing up. Remember the twin tub and my mum getting us to help as she dashed in and out of the garden with armfuls of washing to hang all around the house as it had rained unexpectedly. We also had "Sunday night bath nights" and balancing to wash in the sink the rest of the week. I was a v v skinny child and my brother, who was 21 months younger, was rather chubby. There is a fab photo somewhere of us, both under 5, sat in my mum's large sink in the kitchen, being "bathed" together. I remember looking forwards to Sunday lunch, as it would be a roast of some kind with pudding, which was often stewed apples or crumble from the Bramley or eating apple trees in the garden, or plums or home-grown rhubarb, but with custard (made with custard powder). Tea on Sundays was cheese or sardines on toast, sardine or crab paste and celery, which I thought was quite exotic! When the fist rhubarb was ready my mum used to head to the end of the garden to the patch outside my dad's shed with a small bowl of sugar, so as dad picked the first rhubarb we could dip it in the sugar. I can still see that so clearly whenever I cook rhubarb, and I now have my own rhubarb patch, one plant came from a neighbour who was digging it out and offered it to me. I have already been eyeing up the blackberry bushes around here, looks like it could be a really good year. And yes to taking packed lunches in the car, we did this over the last two weeks on holiday, had an early start one day so my teen had packed breakfast and lunch, he was quite happy. Had better stop, or I'll be writing pages!!!
Dad hunted and fished, so I learned to skin and clean. He also hd a huge garden, Mother canned everything, baked, sewed. I learned to darn at an early age. I remember cooking our clothing starch and pressing clothes nicely. Grandmother made rugs, quilts , canned and gardened as well. We were always well cared for and happy. Our modest little home was entirely built by Dad. He made cabinetry as well.
Thanks Froogs. My nan had a twin tub when I was a youngster and I remember laughing with her as it 'danced' across her kitchen. Things are more disposable these days,if something is broken the expectation is to replace it immediately. The truth is not many people try to mend it,do without or search for an alternative that you may already have in the home. As a result I learned to look after things. When my nan got her first washing machine she was so happy,she saved up for it and was so excited. Bless her sadly missed.
This was such a lovely video! It made me think of my mom, who grew up extremely poor as the youngest girl in a large family and was the most frugal, ingenious and generous person I've ever met. I've increasingly found myself thinking of how she did things when I was growing up and appreciating her wisdom.
One lesson I have carried with me is "always scrape the bowl, pot or pan". That last little bit could be the bite that fills your belly. My gram used to say that all the time. Pap and Gram fed 11 children, and other family members, through the great depression in the USA during the 1930's. Every bit counted toward filling bellies. I do my very best not waste food. When something has to be thrown away, I think of her and Pap and that time and vow to do better.
When you talked about heating the kettle for washing up, Here in the US. We would call that a bird's bath.😀 I'm going to be 64 years young in Sept. That's what we called it.
When I was young, and I grew up in the 70's in California, we would play outside with the garden hose in the summer. That was all we needed for a bit of a splash or a drink of water. We also did a lot of games with our imagination! No toys needed! We sang, laughed, impersonated adults and were all around silly!
Growing up in Hong Kong, a British colony, we had water heater in the bathroom, so we had hot water for bathing. It’s quite common for average household. We weren’t poor, but we didn’t eat out. Is that a Chinese vase lamp base behind you? It’s so beautiful!
When I was growing up, on Saturday night my mom would take out a blanket , lay it in front of the TV, and we couldn't wait to hang out on it. we felt like it was an island! She'd make popcorn and give us some pop (only on the weekend) and put in a movie (vcr!). The ritual made it special. Not what it cost.
I did not grow up poor, or with a broke mentality, but my grandparents raised me with great mindfulness and frugality, for which I am blessed! I always forget that these are not the "normal" things that the Jones' do, and I'm proud to do them!!
I too had food poisoning once and mine too was from a still popular restaurant. My nephew said he had a jar of jam that had some mold on top ( he threw the whole jar away). There sure is a different mentally in the younger generations. My kids almost always have mounds of laundry that they say they can’t catch up on. They wear something once and toss in the laundry mound. We never realized that monetarily we were “ poor” until we were grown. My Mother was always sharing with others that were needy, even though there were nine of us! It seemed someone was always living with us from one to four extra people!
I live in the east coast of the US and remember growing up not necessarily poor but there was little money left over for "luxuries". We would load up our wagon with soda/pop bottles to the corner store to get a few pennies to buy some penny candies or if we found a lot we got a comic book. I would go with my friend and her father and siblings in their station wagon on trash night to collect the newspaper piles, you had to put your newspaper separately from your trash, he would take it to a guess we'd call it recycling place and was paid per pound. I also remember getting a soft serve ice cream from the "Mr Softy" truck, I would search through my mom's I'll let handbags, the desk, anywhere I could to get the 10 cents to buy one and every day they had a different code that won a free ice cream. It was a big deal to check the bottom of our ice cream cone to find the code! I could go on and on.. Thanks for reminding me
Jumping on to share some lessons I learned growing up in a big family that didn't have a stack of money to burn. There are many, many life lessons and I would not change a thing about these experiences. I learnt that no amount of money can replace the love of your family, that you don't need any money to entertain yourself and being creative in making up our own games has led to a creative professional life! I also learnt that you can always get more money but you can never get more quality time to do the things you want to do in life. I really admire you for sharing your journey and your knowledge and for encouraging others. I now have a full budget with sinking fund for the first time in my 55 year life. Thanks for all you do.
Your photo takes me back my grandad would always boil the kettle up when we went on our holiday by the side of the road. My nan would have made bacon sandwiches how i wish my grandparents were still here. How my nan used to pay for all of uf us 14 in total to go way i will never know. Best times of my life. One Christmas the local vicar came to her house as she was cooking the turkey for Christmas she gave it him. Lucky my mom had a spare one
@FrugalQueeninFrance it's the best way. If only we had it more today. The old uns thought us so much how to live how to work hard and respect for everyone.
Another comment I wanted to make, was that I read so many of the comments and what stands out for me was the hard work and love provided from our parents. The fathers going to work and tending the vegetable gardens and doing the jobs around the house, while the mother was cooking from scratch, sewing, knitting, cutting hair and running the home. Our parents did it all with love and never complained as that was just what everyone should do to run a household and bring up a family. They were very skilled!
I didn't grow up poor so I am learning how to budget and save now and I am learning to enjoy the simple things in life. I also feel more in charge of my life since I started budgeting and tracking all my income/expenses. I helped me to prioritize what is most important to me and stop spending money on things that don't support my life and my goals. I follow a lot of Dave Ramsey's steps and your channel has been my (3x) weekly inspiration.
My mum was an amazing self taught seamstress . She started making clothes for herself. and sister out of wallpaper books ! The as she grew up she made dolls clothes and dressed dolls for competitions quite often winning ! She made most of my baby clothes my christening dress which I still have I will be 70 in August When!!When I was young she made me a kilt out of one of my dad's scarves because they were short of money.
Yes, I grew up poor. I learned to cook with whatever I had. A recipe is just a suggestion. I had a wringer washing machine in the 80s. The clothes were cleaner. I used cloth diapers, I couldnt afford disposable and my baby broke out in a rash from them. Breastfeeding was must and it was always the right temperature. I couldnt afford formula. I did try formula once and no sooner did it go down but came right back up. Thrift store clothes was frawned upon so I called them Sallys dress shop. When your raised poor you learn to be resourceful.
We grew up poor on the farm. But never hungry or dirty. I had my own small basin set up in my bedroom and would heat a small kettle at night to wash from head to toe. In the summer, we'd often go to the nearby river for an evening swim after a hard day of outdoor work and my mother would toss in a bar of Ivory and a dollop of shampoo for a quick wash up at the end. We'd often have a picnic basket as well . So when we got home we could just enjoy our evening. But most of the time we were so tired that we went to bed shortly after we got home. We had a wringer washer and had to carry water from the spring house every Saturday morning. I would bring extra up ahead because I refused to wash more than a load or two in the same water! Mom often would use the left over rinse water to mop the floors.
Just finished watching this one. And your right ways while growing up Stays with you. And I'm sure you know but when cheese molds that's how they age it. Just cut the mold off and it's good. And yes you learn how to sew and fix things. I said when I grow up I will have nothing to do with gardening. Ha. Wish we were able to live in country again and have garden. But there are buckets. Such good eating. Work yes but worth it. As a child couldn't understand how momma and Margie were SO excited and tickled when harvest was GOOD. Now I do. That's money in your pantry. .Oh let me hush and just say again looking forward to checking ALL your tappings. Again Thanks 👍 and may God Bless and keep His hands on you and your family 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
We had to buy some school supplies for the upcoming school year. Growing up, if it was still in good enough condition mom had us reuse it. So I'm having him reuse his back pack, scissors, markers. In fact I went through an old box of my school stuff and found some folders that he can use!
My mother was very frugal, I grew up in a family of 10 my mum had 8 children, I can see her now cutting up a pint of ice cream into 10 slices, and each slice had to be the same size or we would all protest, poor mum, I’m from NZ and we too had to wash in the sink every night and a bath once a week, I can still see the black ring around the bath haha, my up bringing in the early sixties taught me to be frugal and self reliant, I can sew, knit and crochet, but the joke is it’s now cheaper to buy than make things, I crocheted a granny rug last year the acrylic wool cost me $70, luv your videos Jane
Hello Jane and Mike Lovely recipe for leek and potato soup, the finished meal 🥘 looked delicious.😊 In Oz we can find the beef and chicken stock pots but no luck yet with the bacon pots. Potatoes and bacon flavours are made for each other. Hopefully Knorr will read this post and send Oz a supply, useful ingredient. Great video and a lovely presentation🎉
Can relate to all of what you say Jane. I laughed when you mentioned the twin tub. Can remember when we first got ours in the early 70's and me and my mum were trying to fathom out what to do with the hose pipe and panicking at the end of each cycle. It was modern technology in its time. 😆 Yes, I agree with the washing thing and I only put on the washing machine when I eventually have a load. As for chippy tea, yes, that used to be a Friday night treat for us too. Mind you, it's so expensive now. Couldn't believe how much so until I called at my local chippy not long ago. I do think years ago we knew things had to last, unlike today's disposable society. I always remember my mum saying about her own childhood - "we were poor, but we were happy". Thanks Jane and Mike for this lovely trip down memory lane. 🤗
Potatoes chips,cakes,pop. We ate chicken backs and necks for long time ,then we raised chickens and got more meat. Going to my grandma house for holiday and having ham and rolls .what a treat. We canning vegetables out the garden later as I got older . Very poor people.
I was born in the 60's. Six of us in the family. We were four girls. My mom sewed all of our clothes right down to our underwear. We had store bought underwear once we went to middle school. She knew a lady at the fabric store that would save all the best scrap pieces of material for her. Mom crocheted our booties for the cold floor and ponchos and vest to keep us warm in the winter. We had home baked cakes for our birthdays. There were a lot of soups with cabbage that could be stretched for several meals. We had bread with mayonnaise or relish spread for our lunches.
I do the 'birdbath' most days with bath on Sundays and short showers after vigorous exercise. Not only does it save water and electricity but does wonders for my skin. The eczema that plagued me for years disappeared. It was caused by too much bathing and drying my skin out. No more cortIsone cream required.
I'm so glad I found you. I'm caretaker, sister,you name it and for my middle sister, Looking forward to checking ALL your tappings out. We too were raised poor. My sister says I was worse than mother on you'll call fugal living. But when we have say a half cup of something left over I put it in a gallon bag and freeze it. Don't matter what veggies,rice, macaroni,meat. When full put the whole thing in a pot. Makes the Best soup. Anyways Thanks looking forward to watching. God Bless you and your family.
I really enjoyed this video and reading all the comments. I am familiar with almost all of the things you talked about. Grew up with 9 siblings but never realized we were one of the poorer families until I was in high school. But it didn't bother me. We had everything we needed and then some. I used a wringer washer when I was a teenager. My mom used to use the water more than once. The thing that sticks with me the most is to pass things along to someone else who could use it. And to help others whenever you can.
I loved, loved, loved watching this video, it was exactly how we lived when I grew up in the 1960's in Australia, hahaha! It was the way everyone we knew lived and to this day I still live more or less the same. I can live off very little and have a fabulous life, which enables me to live the life I want. One of the things we did growing up was the use of a little water in the home. We used to quarter fill a cup of water and brush and rinse our teeth with that, no running of water to brush our teeth. Thanks for sharing, it was such a trip down memory lane!
Don't miss our video today!
Nothing about modern living is that bad for some of us. One of the reasons I chose the name Frugal Queen is that we live like royalty even if we're on a budget. The house is warm all winter, the bills always get paid, there's always food in the fridge and there's always hot water. When you grew up poor, you didn't l you were at the time. As adults, you realize you've been well schooled in getting by and making the best of what you have.
I spent several years doing my family tree and boy did I realise what poverty was for my ancestors!
We are all wealthy compared to them!
I hear you. Even with my middle income, I live better than royalty of 100's of years ago. I have antibiotics, flushing toilets, a fridge, an old car and AC/heat. No gold, but lots of physical comfort.
Wednesdays are my favorite. I was completely on my own at 17; we were shown the door, as we graduated high school. I had already worked 2.5 years as a cashier, which money was handed over to the parents for room & board. A couple of weeks after I left, my mother asked how much money I would be sending home. I was embarrassed that there was NO money to send to her. I grew up in a family where the adults were poor in handing out love, and in handling their money - power would get turned off, rent would go unpaid, the fridge would be empty, we did not have sufficient clothing, etc. However, we kept what we did have very clean. * I promised myself that my bills would be paid before I bought food, and I did not own a car until my early 20s. I needed two jobs to make that happen, but I never lost my apartment, my bills were always paid, and I was in excellent health from walking everywhere, and not overeating! LOL. That of course, impacted my ability to socialize - because I was always working, just to survive. I don't know how I could have done that differently - It took me a long time to earn my degree. I learned a lot over time about making-do, fixing things, making my own clothing (it was cheaper then than buying clothes on sale), handling money-there was no discretionary money, I never used food stamps, or accessed any social programs (there weren't many, and I wouldn't have used them, anyway - that is not how I was raised). I didn't complain, because I knew people who had even less than me. * Now, I over react when I see people in the same level of need I lived through until I was 30. That experience has marked my subconscious permanently. I am having to work on stopping trying to save them. They need to learn with hands-on experience, if they are going to have long term improvement. I do donate - but I do it from a distance (anonymously). I always treat everyone with respect. I make NO assumptions who they are based on their life situation. I do not know their story (nor do I want to), and it is not for me to judge anyone at all; certainly I do not judge anyone's worthiness based on whether or not they have money, or if they have obvious problems they are dealing with. I am grateful. I had asked for more than I need, so I could share, and that is where I find myself today, to my own surprise. I am deeply grateful.
Poverty is a hard task master
Sell by, use by dates, a suggestion!😊
Oh my gosh, the flood of wonderful memories came pouring over me, while watching this video. Thank you for that! Growing up being 1 of 6 kids, it was always squeaky tight with money. A pound of hamburger, 6 pieces of bread and a can of tomato soup made a meatloaf for 8. There was always potatoes and another vegetable on the table, and usually a pan of 5 cent pop open biscuits to fill us up. Butter was nearly never in the house, only the biggest tub of margarine, or sticks of it. Summertime we had a glut of rhubarb annually, so we had rhubarb cream pie, lots of eggs and sugar. We also had applesauce for a treat, because grandma and grandpa had 4 big trees, so plenty got canned up. Hand me down clothes we all we had for the majority of my life. Then mom got a full time position at JL Hudson and wow wee we got new clothes that she would get dirt cheap and buy one size up for all of us, and that was Christmas or birthday gift. We rarely got new shoes, well except for me, in 9th grade my feet out grew all of the women in my family. So I got 2 pairs of shoes, and had better take very good care of them. Any boots that leaked, you put bread bags over your socks and then stepped into them. My children had leftovers packed in lunches and a Tupperware container with applesauce that they cranked the food mill on, after we pick our apples. We weren't great at fishing, but we did learn how to hunt. My father did, and I encouraged both of my husband's to, as well as my son's. My first husband watched lots of outdoors programs and got a magazine that talked about the skills needed, and I encouraged his interest. We paid to have the meat processed, until one butcher shop thought that I wouldn't know that I wasn't getting all of my meat. My husband had gotten a massive trophy deer, and they tried to give me 1 brown paper grocery bag and charge me $65. I asked where the rest of it was, and he said thats all. I asked for a manager, he argued that I didn't know what I was talking about. I then made it clear that I would call the police because he had stolen my meat. He laughed, until I walked over to the payphone and picked up the receiver. Then suddenly he said he'd go check. I explained that this was 175lb deer hanging weight, and he better look for many more bags. He returned with a shopping cart full of bags taped shut, labeled with our name. I asked which bag container my tenderloins and back straps (the two premium cuts),he paused, and I said, well then we will go through it all, before I pay you for it. He then goes back to the cooler and returns 2 more bags. The entire time a dozen customers are waiting, and they learned as much about this butcher shops practices as I did. I then took out my cookbook, checked out a picture of beef cuts, long before the internet and taught myself to process deer meat. Necessity is the mother of invention and skill learning. 😊
Thanks for sharing your story
That, too, is one of my skills-processing a deer. I had forgotten about it, we no longer hunt. Good for you! Telling that butcher that you knew he was a cheat.
I never felt poor growing up because I was warm, and plenty of food living on the farm, and waking up each day to the wonderful aroma of fresh bread that my Mom made every day. She worked so hard feeding our family of 5, plus 2 grandparents and 2-3 hired men as well as the more than occasionally bachelor uncle. Even as a young child I had chores which like any child and later teenager I grumbled about. Poor wasn't even something I considered until I went to school and bumped up against the "rich" kids which existed even in rural Montana, USA. Still, as soon as I couldd I got babysitting jobs ($1 an hour for 6 kids under age 8!) and used that money plus my allowance (for chores, because my parents believed even children needed to have some money) to buy material to see my clothes. Mom always bought the shoes, winter coat, undies and a nightgown. For Christmas we all got PJs as one of our three gifts.
When I see things like " Mom didn't work," I wonder who did all the cooking, laundry, housekeeping, grocery shopping, canning of summer vegetables and fruit, canning of chicken and fish, and making birthdays and holidays special. I know I didn't fully appreciate all the work my Mom, and my Dad, did until I was a single parent rearing my own son.
Good video. We need to acknowledge how much we have and be grateful for it all. Enjoy your day🌹
In the modern world, I think more and more of us are recognizing the luxury of having pure, fresh, homemade food.
Those were life lessons that stick with me to this very day - I raised my 2 daughters on my own and anytime there were sweets or baked goods at work I would always bring mine home and the 3 of us shared it. It's something they never forgot (they're 39 & 41 now). They would be SO excited and it taught them more than one lesson. Since I grew up as poor as dirt, to this day I waste nothing and share what I do have when I can. Thanks for another amazing video Jane & Mike....LOVED it 💜
Thanks very much
Thanks for sharing your sweet moments with your daughters.
All 3 of my children plsyed travel sports( volleyball, swim& baseball) I was the mim dragging a lg icechedt on wheels behind me, Mom, im thrirsty, id hand them a refilled wster bottle or sports drink, sluced fruit, cheese crackers, once after the first few swim meets I titaled everythung up, we were saveung a minimum if $100/ meet, there were 2neets a week! My husband was hirrified, until random oeople kept telling him youguys are so smart, you must be saveing a fortune. Well kater that summer we were able to help fund a few mussionaryies!😊!
Born in late 40s uk. One cold tap in the kitchen, no bathroom, outside toilet, no fridge or washer, just an old mangle, old coal fired black leaded range in the living room. Agree with everything you said. Frugality is a natural habit. But central heating, fridge freezer automatic washer and a hot shower is certainly appreciated.
My mom says the same only it was late40s& esrly50s when she was close to10 years old her family moved into a different house, indoor tub, no toilet had outhouse.
Growing up in the 50's in Ohio, I didn't know gum came in full sticks! My Mom gave us 6 kids 1/2 a stick once a week!! Talk about a treat!!!
This was a great topic. I remember constantly being reminded to switch the light off when I left a room. When mum was strapped for cash before the next shop we would have soup and rice pudding or bread and butter pudding to fill us up. Dad fixed everything from the kettle to the car. And shoes got replaced when your toes reached the end. Entertainment was cheap.... Reading library books or playing out. I have very fond memories of those days.
Love that!
Hi, our parents made good money, but were quite frugal. I never realized they were frugal because it was just how we lived. They bought a fixer-upper when i was seven. They built an addition on the house that became a family room with a table and chairs, a v-shaped sofa they built (that could be re-configured, that was re-covered by Mom at one point) a full bathroom and upstairs, a master bathroom, bedroom and walk-in closet. I wore my brother's hand-me down Levi's and flannel shirts in highschool. We had a small clothing budget for school clothes. Mom made our school tote bags (thick quilted cotton with handles so we could carry them hanging from our shoulder or from one hand not quite touching the ground). Mom taught us to cook and bake. Dad and Mom insisted we all learn to play an instrument. Our Wisconsin Granparents and uncle taught us to fish and cook fried fish, make jelly when your grandchild picks all the currents off your prized current bush, make a business fixing things, sewing with a sewing machine, ice fishing. My parents taught me the lesson of hard work, spending time at breakfast and dinner as a family, helping anyone who wandered by in a storm, be it snow or lightning, employed the "egg man" until he retired, helped birds they found injured by splinting broken wings and feeding them until healed. Ive learned countless lessons. I am me because of my wonderful family. I have four wonderful kids who are caring. These lessons of hard-work, self-sufficiency, appreciation of others, appreciation of blessings, the kind actions of others and employing kindness in your daily life towards others, always learning and knowing there is more to learn in life...these are just some of the lessons i learned from frugal parents both born in the 1930's in Wisconsin, USA and brought up three kids in Alexandria, Virginia, USA.
Thank you for your terrific videos. I'm really enjoying them!
I envy you your memories!
chrisl418 - I really enjoyed reading about your family life - many thanks
I felt like we went down memory lane with all the frugal activities you stated. I never thought of myself as poor when I was growing up because my parents made it clear that we were not to waste what God has given us. When I was younger, I really thought everyone treated all their items this way. Because we were raised frugally, it is just second nature with us today. Thanks for our journey down memory lane.
Yep, my ex was taught to be a wasteful little puke, pretend we are rich, git mad when I would not play that game.
I grew up with 7 siblings in the Eighties and Nineties. We always had enough food and everything else. But if I wanted a treat, I needed to buy it myself or wait for a birthday party. I started delivering newspaper and babysitting at the age of 13 and knew the value of money. That makes me very good with my finances. Luckily my husband grew up the same way (but with only one sibling), so we’re on the same page about money. We’re debt and mortgage free in our Forties 🎉
Thanks for watching
I am super frugal like my Dad. He saw to it that I never wanted for anything because he grew up super poor. Sometimes without even enough to eat. Just watching him build things and mend things and take care of what he had, even when he could afford to buy it again ten times over, taught me to be frugal and generous with what was saved.
Loved today's post! - it was like talking about my own experience. I grew up in Romania in the 80's. Hard communism years, filled with hunger and many needs (no electricity, no money, no hot water...). But we managed, learnt the way of living without any waste and I think I have frugality in my blood for ever. The best part was we did not know we were so poor, we shared everything and people/neighbours were very kind and helping each other. Unfortunately those good people are long gone and now many are very selfish - at least in my part of the world. Great post, Mike and Jane❤
So many truths in this episode for me. We weren't poor, per se, but both of my parents grew up in the Great Depression. The lessons from that time were the norm in our family, and most of those habits have stayed with me. I'll also add that I have worked with non-profit organizations over the years, and I have found that people with the least are the most generous. They know what it's like to go without, and don't want others to have to go through what they have endured.
That's so true.
Linda, thank you for saying what you did about generosity. Sometimes generosity is mistaken for wealth ...
Summers were simple - running through the sprinkler, playing in the sandbox (my mom made the wooden sandbox, and I remember that we went to the sand bank with empty garbage cans to get sand for free), and homemade popsicles. We went to the library a lot. Going to the movies and getting popcorn with butter was a special treat.
I loved this video!! I am Gen X and I grew up poor although I didn't know it at the time. We didn't even have a twin tub. My mum soaked and washed the clothes in the bath then spun them dry in a spin dryer. We didn't have a washing machine or a freezer until 1978 when we moved house and the previous owner left theirs behind. When I left home at 19 and married someone who didn't grow up poor, we fell into the trap and accumulated much debt to live the lifestyle we thought we deserved. All these years later (divorced etc) I'm finally living a frugal lifestyle that is so rich in everything except money! 🙂
Thanks for sharing your story
You are so right. It is much better to be frugal. You appreciate what you have so much more when you do have it, and you don't owe anyone anything.
I grew up in Poland in the 80's. We weren't poor per say but times were difficult for everyone. I'm 1 of 4 so we had to be frugal. Hand me downs, sharing room with siblings, reusing bath water, make do and mend were the norm. My dad was a lorry driver and would travel to Germany a lot. I will never forget the smell of oranges he would bring back for Christmas or big packs of crisps and sweets. They were rare treats!
Thanks very much for watching
One of the things I like most about your videos is the way it reminds me of my childhood and teen years growing up in a working class household in a small town in Mississippi in the 60s and 70s. What I really remember is how we valued the stuff we did have because there were not endless supplies of anything. I remember the dolls I had because there were three including ONE treasured Barbie doll! I remember how excited I was when the season changed and we got a bag of hand-me-downs from an older relative! I remember looking at the toys and dreaming when we went to TG&Y so my mom could buy a dress pattern . I remember on very special Sunday afternoons going with my dad to the newsstand and getting a comic book. It seemed like treats were valued more because they were so few and far between.
Thanks very much for sharing
Your comments about fresh fruit brought back memories. Across the road from our 2 room school house in the West of Ireland there was the broad swath if land that belonged to the ancestor of the English who colonized Ireland. At one end was the old mansion, tgen falling apart, and at the other end there was an apple orchard. When school ended we used to crawl under the hedges and invade the orchard filling our satchels with delicious apples which we ate on the way home. In summer the hedges along the road would have blackberries and strawberries which were the best Ive ever eaten.
Fond memories of a long time ago.
Glad you did, they needed eating
Born in the late 40’s and growing up in the 50’s I didn’t know we were poor, but we did everything you mentioned, and we still do. Do you remember the chocolate selection boxes?. They were a treat we saved up for all year; a little bit put on hold at the local grocer each week until Christmas when my sister and I got to choose which one we had saved up enough for. Home made clothes, hot water bottles - I can remember the bang when you accidentally kicked the stone bottle out of the end of the bed and it thudded on the lino. Ice ferns on the window panes, and hand knitted sweaters and gloves. Vegetables from the allotment and tiny amounts of meat - luncheon meat and haslet. Fruit was a luxury except for home grown apples and pears. Broken biscuits from Littlewoods. But I didn’t know we were poor!
We didn't know we were poor either
I grew up as one of ten children. The thing that makes me shake my head is that we didn’ know we were poor. We had everything we needed, one pair of school shoes, hand me down clothes from older sisters, plenty to eat as we lived on a farm etc.. it wasn’t till after I was married and I heard my husband telling someone how poor we were that I realized maybe we were. But I wouldn’t change how it made me view what I have learned from growing up that way. I think I could say yes we did that to everything you mentioned.
I didn’t grow up poor but married at 19 and we had very little for a while. My mom showed me when I was a teenager how much the household bills were and when I first married I quickly became very frugal and have been for 57 years. We have lived below our means and therefore enjoy a comfortable life. It’s a wonderful way of life! Being generous is so important and I’m glad your brought it up. Serving and helping others is our mission. You are providing a great service with your messages. Thank you!
This podcast brought back many memories & I also live like this. Cutting off the bad bits of food, fixing as much as possible yourself, only eating meat half of the week, not
every day, mum making our clothes, us kids liking the passed on clothes. You can still live like this today. As a child I don't think we ever ate out. The most we would do
is buying fish & chips. Definitely going blackberrying & making jam. That stays with you & I still love making jam. My mum also fried eggs at home to go with chips ! I did the
same for my family.
I think our parents not having much in the 60s70s made me appreciate and be frugal with money. A dear old friend used to say to me. Spend a bit. Save a bit but be happy.
So much of what you said really reasonated with me watching your video....I grew up very similarly to yourself.
I grew up in Yorkshire until my dad's work moved us south to London. It was very different as we never locked our doors in Yorkshire...we did in London.
I never considered us poor as such but my parents were always careful with what money we had. Initially i remember boiling kettles for my bath at 7 yrs old...that didn't last long thankfully and by my teens we did have hot running water. We never wasted food...we ate everything on our plates and we grew a lot of our own vegetables (marrows got very old by the end of the summer...and spinach shriveled to nothing in the pan!) We ate home grown fruits too, like apples and pears and mulberries from a very old tree. We played outside and if we were hungry in between dinner and tea...we had fruit and not biscuits or crisps. Mum always made us porridge in winter and toast in the summer for our breakfasts...that's just how it was. We didn't have meat every day, fish on fridays as my parents were religious...and at least 2 vegetarian meals in the week because money was so tight back then. We drank water or milk, never fizzy pop or squash....and tea when we grew older.
We were fit and healthy but we ate just enough and i don't remember ever being hungry, although looking back we did seem to eat very little. Everything was made from scratch and we had a 'chippie treat' like you mentioned maybe once or twice a month if we could afford it. Mum used cash back then, no cards ...so she could see how much of her budget was left for her to spend.
My own kids have been taught the same values i was growing up, but i realise how much better off they were than i was at the same age...I guess i was guilty of spoiling them a little when i could because I grew up with very few treats. All I remember is how free and happy I felt growing up...and not permanently attached to some electronic device as they seem to be today.
This was so nostalgic for me. Every one of these were part of my childhood. These arent memories of depreivation they are good memories. Happy childhood times. We were happy with just a couple of toys not a toy room. We played outside not on a screen.
One frugal tip i learned from my spanish neighbour is if my baguette has gone a bit stale, run it under the cold tap. Get itgoid and wet then re cook it for 5 mins in a hot oven. Crunchy fresh baguette from a stale one! Peoplehere still share withneighbours. Its normal to come home to a little box of cuttings or oranges. And we share whatever we have too if we bake scones we pip half a dozen on the doorstep of the neighbours in our little street
Jane, loved this video. There were 4 of children in the house. My mom did not work but we always had plenty to eat. She grew up in the depression Era and it carried over in our life. She made my sisters and my cloths all from the same fabric so that she got a better deal. Meals would be stretched to feed all six of us, like creamed peas and tuna fish over toast, Tina noodle casserole. Stuff like that. Our dad would that us to an ice cream at the dairy manor only once in awhile throughout the year. Sometimes he would bring home a treat in his lunchbox and whoever yelle" Lunchbox" first got the treat inside. Us girls all shred one bedroom. My brother had his own. Wr did own a washing machine but we had to hang cloths out on the line to dry. I love doing that to this day. I wouldn't change a thing on how I wad raised.
My mum knitted all our jumpers
@FrugalQueeninFrance sadly, that is now seen as a mark of shame rather than an act of love. Go figure that mass-produced items are superior
@@clairekuchel-klassen7103 far from that here, hand made is artisan and commands a lot. Handmade quilts, curtains, children's clothes, household items are very popular
I remember my mom peeling potatoes ever so close to the skin with a knife. I was chastised because I couldn't do it. My peeling with a knife was too thick. So I welcomed the peeler she bought because I was able to finally peel as thin as she did and peeling potatoes was not a chore but a pleasant task. Harmony in the kitchen is a blessing.
I learned that skill too
Oh my goodness! If you still peel your potatoes, don’t even think about throwing the peelings away! If you wash them thoroughly in salt water, drain them and dry them, save them in a freezer bag till you have a decent portion amount, add olive oil, black pepper, salt, paprika and garlic powder and put in the oven when you use it next for baking, for 15 minutes, it’s fantastic with a glass of wine or beer! It’s a delicacy in our family 😀
@@Deedeevenice Thank you for such a great tip.
I live in Michigan and we still have 10c can/bottle return. I walk my dog in different areas near my home and pick them up . I turn them in when I have a garbage size bag full and get about 12-15$ to help with groceries.
My Dad worked my Mom was a housewife n there was us 4 kids, we did everything u said. We did NOT waste food at all that included dinner, we had a saying in my house about food "take all u want BUT eat all u take". My dad had a small garden on the side of our house with 2 cuke plants 2 tomato plants, n 2 pepper plants n we always seemed to have more than enough for us n gave so much away, same thing with our small apple tree. Kids now a days wouldn't understand, they were GREAT times.
Thanks for watching
In our house food never had time to go hard/off. In a big family every scrap of food got eaten. Leftovers were unheard of. If you left something on your plate, someone was always willing to finish it for you.
I would hate to go back to those days but it taught us to appreciate what was put down to us. 😂
I took am great full that I grew up in a frugal home. My mum was frugal by necessity, I as a young wife did the same. Now I am lucky that I am frugal by choice. Sadly there are lots of young people today who are not even taught about money never mind how to manage it or save it.
That is exactly how I grew up, but we never thought we were poor!
Occasionally my mum would buy a Fray Bentos steak and kidney pie. It was shared between 6 of us but mum only had the gravy. I could weep when I think of how hard it was for her.
We used to have one occasionally from poundland, they're too expensive now
@@FrugalQueeninFranceI saw a Fray Bentos pie today in our supermarket in the Caribbean and it cost the equivalent of €8.49 !!
You just described my childhood! Only in the U.S.! Our baths were Saturday night so we were clean for church on Sunday mornings. ❤
Love this yes...growing up poor is a privilege
Today I am wearing my favourite linen tunic that I keep mending, this is day 3, its neither dirty or smelly so three days is fine ,tomorrow will be a clean top. There is only a little spaghetti left from dinner but enough to make a spaghetti frittata tomorrow with salad made from left over veggies as its shopping day ,crusts from home made bread are being saved in freezer until there is enough for bread pudding. when I was young mum and dad would buy one mars bar and slice it to share between 4 of us and Sunday tea was tinned peaches and evap with bread and butter ,yum. In our home, nothing matched, dresses were made and cardigans knitted but we were happy and healthy.
4 Stars! This is my favorite kind of frugal video! About generosity: my dad was the most generous person I've ever known, and my mother was a close second. We never had any extra money until I was about 11 years old, and sometimes money was super tight. We didn't talk about being poor, but somehow I knew not to ask for expensive things. Paperdolls were cheap (a packet was .19 or .29 cents) and I had a few as well as my sister teaching me to cut out my own from the old Sears or Montgomery Ward catalog. It taught me proportion trying to find members of my paperdoll family that were the right size for each other. And to choose furniture and curtains from the housewares section. It was so much fun. Please do more of these......Carla H.
Thanks very much
This was brilliant!
Brought back so many childhood memories from the 70’s!
What lovely memories! Thank you for sharing!! ❤
Our pleasure!
I was born in Poland in The 80s when my parents were still both at university. Times were hard for almost everyone so I didn’t know any different. Sometimes there were power shortages and we also had to wash in a bowl of water placed in the bath, you couldn’t be picky with food as it was hard to get anything in the shops, my mum got good at sewing and grandma knitted everything from scarfs to coats. In the winter I’d get dressed still under the duvet I read lots and enjoyed simple pleasures like radio and tv shows. Life was simpler and in many ways happier. When I was a teen my family fell in some hard times again following my dads serious car accident. He was was out of work for long time and unemployment was very high at the time. That was more difficult to cope with for me as a teen that wanted to do things and have things just like peers. It just shows compassion is a thief of joy.❤
Thanks very much for sharing your story
Everything you talked about brings back so many memories of when I was growing up, which, are things I still do to this very day. I only do laundry once a month and hang it all outside on my clothes line. I still remove the mold from jelly and cheese. I've been known to pinch off mold on bread so I can have a sandwich or toast. Never thought of being poor as a child, just had a mother who grew up during the depression and knew how to save, stretch, and make do. It all rubbed off on me.
we didnt realise we were poor but my mom was stay at home parent and dad was a banker which didnt pay well since he wasnt the boss. We had no shower or dryer yet . Us kids had baths on saturdays and did spot cleaning the rest of the week. We had fryed bologna sandwiches and something my mom called flub a dub which was crushed up saltine crackers on a plate with tomato soup thickened with cheddar cheese plopped on it. Those were 2 cheap lunches. Mom was a great baker though and we had homemade bread, cookies, cakes and pies often. She made jelly from a neighbors grapes and rhubarb pie from a neighbors plants. I had 2 older sisters so lots of hand me down clothes, including occasionally dresses my mom sewed when she had the time. I can still remember one time in the mid 1960s her weekly food shopping was $26 and she was shocked it was so much! Mom was a list maker and a budget master and i am too! Love your channel. God bless you.
How I identify with all the things you talked of. I was brought up through the 50s and 60s, the eldest of 7 children in Army camps. I didn't realise we were poor until I made a friend, 1 of 2 children, in a civilian family!
A real treat was a piece of shop bought Swiss Roll when I went to tea at my friend's house.
I've lived frugally all my adult life because debt had to be avoided
Great to hear about your experiences growing up with so little. We were very poor, and I was often cold & hungry, living in a house with one fire and outside toilet, and we hadthe daily wash in a bowl and sunday bath, too! I have been frugal all my life, I just never called it that. My main lesson was to only buy what I could afford, no credit, and meal planning. Food is one area where I can make a little go a long way, even a pigs trotter can make a large pan of hearty lentil soup!
Whenever Mum made a stew she would always put some aside and the following day she would put a thick pie crust on it and it be served with extra vegetables and thick gravy. There was nine of us kids in the sixties so she had to make the money stretch. Xx
hello Jane and Michael. thank you for all your inspiring videos. This has let me go down memory lane. I was born in the late 50s in communism-Czechoslovakia. We were living in a 2 room flat with a shared toilet in the hallway with the next door neighbors. When I used to go to in the country side to my grand-grandmother with my granny , there was no bathroom in the house, outdoor toilet and she had chickens, ducks rabbits and a goat and a garden full of veggies. She had a huge walnut tree in the yard and I would pick all the nuts off the ground and brake the shells. We would go to the forest to gather old wood for her stove and pick mushrooms and berries for food foraging. those were the best times of my childhood. nothing was wasted and everything was re-used and children's clothes were passed from family to family. I had one pair of nice shoes for school and when I got home from school I had to change into my home clothes. My granny would make my clothes and knit jumpers and hats and scarves for winter months. I have been poor growing up but I have fond memories of the frugal life. I keep the frugal lifestyle now as well, as it makes me happy.
That sounds like a healthy life
Oh my Jane I loved this video so much, it is so funny how we just kept up all those habits of frugality we saw our mothers, grandmothers ( and greatgrans in my case) practice and how wonderful they are and yes they lived like royalty because of their frugal practise and help people along the way, Anna.
Thanks for watching
@FrugalQueeninFrance it is never a hardship to watch your videos. It is always a pleasure, Anna.
What a lovely video! Generosity truly has nothing to do with how much money a person has. Thank you, Jane!
You are so welcome!
Great video Jane, thank you. I had a lot of shame about growing up poor so I think for a lot of my life I rebelled against it. I certainly did when first earned my own money. I was always responsible though, and paid my bills and made sure I later life mortgage and any loans I had were prioritised. When I found myself a single parent of two boys On low income I always made sure we had plenty of home cooked food and a treat for them on a Friday(a frozen pizza, cocoa cola and sweets😊) I never got treats from my mother who managed the household budget and I felt very hard done by not getting sweets or toys. Sadly we didn’t need to live as poorly as we did. Any treats came from aunts or visitors which was magical. I think that was the reason I made sure my boys got once a week treats. However my big rebellion seemed to be against saving. Although I made sure to have a emergency fund I never pencilled in savings as part of my budget. Roll on the years and the collapse of 2008 happened and I found myself stretched to the limit for many years I swore that when I was debt free I would start to save regularly now approaching 60. 8 years later nothing feels as good as seeing those savings increase. When I’m tempted to buy something I don’t need I now stop and smile to myself and say I could buy that but it won’t give me as much satisfaction as knowing my savings are growing. All my spending is planned and that includes the treats and holidays and for the first time in my life I feel I’m in charge. I used to think I couldn’t save because my income was low but my income is low now so the lesson is mindset is EVERYTHING..
Thanks very sharing your story
When I was a you g teen,preteen as I grew, my mim& grandmother would sew whst they called rick rack onto the bottoms if my jeans, thereby ectending the length& guveing them the " cool look" as seen in some 1970s TV shows, theyedvtell me, well, last week Cher worre that in herbjeans, yep they were right, a few weeks later some rivh girl woukd show up at school wesring brand new jeans with ruvk rack in them, ir smikey face pstvhes, hearts, whst ever you like!😊
Loved this Jane, brought back lots of memories from my childhood,We used to go to the ice cream man with a bowl and he would fill it and we would share it between all four of us, happy days 🎉🎉
Beautiful simple days
Another wonderful video, Jane & Mike. And generosity. Sigh. So, so true. Generosity is not JUST saved for your family, either. Just a pervasive generosity flows through when a friend of a friend has a need (new baby, lost job, etc). I saw so much generosity through my parents as well. How lucky.
I paused at nearly every item, though, realizing how differently my husband and I were raised. It really has created some interesting times for us Heidi in Canada
This brought back many memories! In the 1970s, as a great treat, my grandmother would occasionally take me to a local inexpensive cafe and we would have pilchards on toast. I still enjoy them, but at home these days. I spent my 1970s childhood in home made cotton dresses, which were then passed down to my younger sisters. Sunday tea nearly always included home made jams and cakes. Fond memories.
Jane, you looked so happy during this post. There must have been some good memories there. Great!
It's easy to wear rose tinted spectacles many years later
Growing up in the1970s I watch my fathers mom, a self taught master gardener feed most of her neighborhood (25-30) sdults from her gsrden! My moms Dad did the same with his gsrden, he also had thompson seedless grapes,plums,peaches. He shared with everyone, which in turn had neighors dropping iff any extra whatever they had.😊 every ine helped everyone else.
Thanks for watching
How delightful Jane. A lovely trip down memory lane. I grew up in the sixties. We were not poor we were what they called comfortable but my parents were very much waste not want not. We had a twin tub, we had baths on Saturdays with clean nightwear after our bath. No central heating whatsoever. My father brought coal in from the coal house. Mum cleaned out the grate every day. No fizzy drinks . Diluted cordial for our elevenses. Loved our treats. Like you we had cheese on toast, French toast, jam tarts. We got a packet of fruit pastilles on Thursdays and Sundays. When I look at my grandchildren wearing Dior perfume / cosmetics I feel they have nothing left to look forward to. They have been to Disney land before they are teenagers. We took the ferry to Wales ! I wouldn’t swap my childhood for theirs. I love these nostalgic videos 🙏🙏🙏
Lovely memories
There were 5 kids in my family. My dad worked, mum at home looking after home and us 5. We were not very poor but a big family costs. My mum and dad always told us about the lack of food in the war. My dad often said at dinner: in a restaurant this would cost this much. And he paid off the dentist in installments. Clothes were passed down. My mum sewed some of our (and our doll's) clothes. We also had an allotment, rabbits (i never realised they were not pets) and chickens. On Sunday we kids shared a large packet of crisps after the Sunday walk. I didn't feel that we were not that well off.
Thanks very much for sharing
This was so interesting! I love seeing how people around my age grew up. I was born in 1970. I wasn't poor but i did learn frugality from my mother. We hung clothes on the line, she monitored electric usage and she also made a lot of my clothes. She was an excellent seamstress so it was fun picking out the pattern and fabric. My father could fix just about anything. I had everything I needed and most everything I wanted, but they did model financial responsibility.
Thanks very much
Absolutely loved this video, brought back so many images from growing up. Remember the twin tub and my mum getting us to help as she dashed in and out of the garden with armfuls of washing to hang all around the house as it had rained unexpectedly. We also had "Sunday night bath nights" and balancing to wash in the sink the rest of the week. I was a v v skinny child and my brother, who was 21 months younger, was rather chubby. There is a fab photo somewhere of us, both under 5, sat in my mum's large sink in the kitchen, being "bathed" together. I remember looking forwards to Sunday lunch, as it would be a roast of some kind with pudding, which was often stewed apples or crumble from the Bramley or eating apple trees in the garden, or plums or home-grown rhubarb, but with custard (made with custard powder). Tea on Sundays was cheese or sardines on toast, sardine or crab paste and celery, which I thought was quite exotic! When the fist rhubarb was ready my mum used to head to the end of the garden to the patch outside my dad's shed with a small bowl of sugar, so as dad picked the first rhubarb we could dip it in the sugar. I can still see that so clearly whenever I cook rhubarb, and I now have my own rhubarb patch, one plant came from a neighbour who was digging it out and offered it to me. I have already been eyeing up the blackberry bushes around here, looks like it could be a really good year. And yes to taking packed lunches in the car, we did this over the last two weeks on holiday, had an early start one day so my teen had packed breakfast and lunch, he was quite happy. Had better stop, or I'll be writing pages!!!
Dad hunted and fished, so I learned to skin and clean. He also hd a huge garden, Mother canned everything, baked, sewed. I learned to darn at an early age. I remember cooking our clothing starch and pressing clothes nicely. Grandmother made rugs, quilts , canned and gardened as well. We were always well cared for and happy. Our modest little home was entirely built by Dad. He made cabinetry as well.
Thanks Froogs. My nan had a twin tub when I was a youngster and I remember laughing with her as it 'danced' across her kitchen. Things are more disposable these days,if something is broken the expectation is to replace it immediately. The truth is not many people try to mend it,do without or search for an alternative that you may already have in the home. As a result I learned to look after things. When my nan got her first washing machine she was so happy,she saved up for it and was so excited. Bless her sadly missed.
This was such a lovely video! It made me think of my mom, who grew up extremely poor as the youngest girl in a large family and was the most frugal, ingenious and generous person I've ever met. I've increasingly found myself thinking of how she did things when I was growing up and appreciating her wisdom.
Thanks for sharing!!
One lesson I have carried with me is "always scrape the bowl, pot or pan". That last little bit could be the bite that fills your belly. My gram used to say that all the time. Pap and Gram fed 11 children, and other family members, through the great depression in the USA during the 1930's. Every bit counted toward filling bellies. I do my very best not waste food. When something has to be thrown away, I think of her and Pap and that time and vow to do better.
When you talked about heating the kettle for washing up, Here in the US. We would call that a bird's bath.😀 I'm going to be 64 years young in Sept. That's what we called it.
Thank you for beginning with generosity! Not only does our world need more of it, it makes both parties feel better.
When I was young, and I grew up in the 70's in California, we would play outside with the garden hose in the summer. That was all we needed for a bit of a splash or a drink of water. We also did a lot of games with our imagination! No toys needed! We sang, laughed, impersonated adults and were all around silly!
Growing up in Hong Kong, a British colony, we had water heater in the bathroom, so we had hot water for bathing. It’s quite common for average household. We weren’t poor, but we didn’t eat out. Is that a Chinese vase lamp base behind you? It’s so beautiful!
It's a £5 lamp I got second hand years ago
You mentioned so many things that many of us have a shared memory of, that's nostalgic & wonderful.
When I was growing up, on Saturday night my mom would take out a blanket , lay it in front of the TV, and we couldn't wait to hang out on it. we felt like it was an island! She'd make popcorn and give us some pop (only on the weekend) and put in a movie (vcr!).
The ritual made it special. Not what it cost.
I did not grow up poor, or with a broke mentality, but my grandparents raised me with great mindfulness and frugality, for which I am blessed!
I always forget that these are not the "normal" things that the Jones' do, and I'm proud to do them!!
Thanks very much
Im on Day 3 with my jeans and jumper. Perfectly fine. No stains and no smell. 😀👍
Exactly !
I too had food poisoning once and mine too was from a still popular restaurant. My nephew said he had a jar of jam that had some mold on top ( he threw the whole jar away). There sure is a different mentally in the younger generations. My kids almost always have mounds of laundry that they say they can’t catch up on. They wear something once and toss in the laundry mound. We never realized that monetarily we were “ poor” until we were grown. My Mother was always sharing with others that were needy, even though there were nine of us! It seemed someone was always living with us from one to four extra people!
Thanks very much
I live in the east coast of the US and remember growing up not necessarily poor but there was little money left over for "luxuries". We would load up our wagon with soda/pop bottles to the corner store to get a few pennies to buy some penny candies or if we found a lot we got a comic book.
I would go with my friend and her father and siblings in their station wagon on trash night to collect the newspaper piles, you had to put your newspaper separately from your trash, he would take it to a guess we'd call it recycling place and was paid per pound. I also remember getting a soft serve ice cream from the "Mr Softy" truck, I would search through my mom's I'll let handbags, the desk, anywhere I could to get the 10 cents to buy one and every day they had a different code that won a free ice cream. It was a big deal to check the bottom of our ice cream cone to find the code!
I could go on and on.. Thanks for reminding me
Thanks very much for watching and commenting
Jumping on to share some lessons I learned growing up in a big family that didn't have a stack of money to burn. There are many, many life lessons and I would not change a thing about these experiences. I learnt that no amount of money can replace the love of your family, that you don't need any money to entertain yourself and being creative in making up our own games has led to a creative professional life! I also learnt that you can always get more money but you can never get more quality time to do the things you want to do in life. I really admire you for sharing your journey and your knowledge and for encouraging others. I now have a full budget with sinking fund for the first time in my 55 year life. Thanks for all you do.
Your photo takes me back my grandad would always boil the kettle up when we went on our holiday by the side of the road. My nan would have made bacon sandwiches how i wish my grandparents were still here. How my nan used to pay for all of uf us 14 in total to go way i will never know. Best times of my life. One Christmas the local vicar came to her house as she was cooking the turkey for Christmas she gave it him. Lucky my mom had a spare one
Generosity never leaves us. We were taught to give to those in need. No matter how little we had.
@FrugalQueeninFrance it's the best way. If only we had it more today. The old uns thought us so much how to live how to work hard and respect for everyone.
You are definitely a kindred spirit. Expiration dates on food is so American and a terrible waste of so much food.
It's a nonsense. Common sense will tell you if the food is ok.
My frugal lesson; I appreciate every single little wonderful thing in my every day life. I don’t think I could ever be wasteful even if I had to
Love that!
Another comment I wanted to make, was that I read so many of the comments and what stands out for me was the hard work and love provided from our parents. The fathers going to work and tending the vegetable gardens and doing the jobs around the house, while the mother was cooking from scratch, sewing, knitting, cutting hair and running the home. Our parents did it all with love and never complained as that was just what everyone should do to run a household and bring up a family. They were very skilled!
I didn't grow up poor so I am learning how to budget and save now and I am learning to enjoy the simple things in life. I also feel more in charge of my life since I started budgeting and tracking all my income/expenses. I helped me to prioritize what is most important to me and stop spending money on things that don't support my life and my goals. I follow a lot of Dave Ramsey's steps and your channel has been my (3x) weekly inspiration.
My mum was an amazing self taught seamstress . She started making clothes for herself. and sister out of wallpaper books ! The as she grew up she made dolls clothes and dressed dolls for competitions quite often winning ! She made most of my baby clothes my christening dress which I still have I will be 70 in August When!!When I was young she made me a kilt out of one of my dad's scarves because they were short of money.
Yes, I grew up poor. I learned to cook with whatever I had. A recipe is just a suggestion. I had a wringer washing machine in the 80s. The clothes were cleaner. I used cloth diapers, I couldnt afford disposable and my baby broke out in a rash from them. Breastfeeding was must and it was always the right temperature. I couldnt afford formula. I did try formula once and no sooner did it go down but came right back up. Thrift store clothes was frawned upon so I called them Sallys dress shop. When your raised poor you learn to be resourceful.
Thanks very much
We grew up poor on the farm. But never hungry or dirty. I had my own small basin set up in my bedroom and would heat a small kettle at night to wash from head to toe. In the summer, we'd often go to the nearby river for an evening swim after a hard day of outdoor work and my mother would toss in a bar of Ivory and a dollop of shampoo for a quick wash up at the end. We'd often have a picnic basket as well . So when we got home we could just enjoy our evening. But most of the time we were so tired that we went to bed shortly after we got home. We had a wringer washer and had to carry water from the spring house every Saturday morning. I would bring extra up ahead because I refused to wash more than a load or two in the same water! Mom often would use the left over rinse water to mop the floors.
I live in America and Ireland. I learned everything in your video today. They were and still are 12:45 Great lessons in life. Thank you .
Wonderful!
Just finished watching this one. And your right ways while growing up Stays with you. And I'm sure you know but when cheese molds that's how they age it. Just cut the mold off and it's good. And yes you learn how to sew and fix things. I said when I grow up I will have nothing to do with gardening. Ha. Wish we were able to live in country again and have garden. But there are buckets. Such good eating. Work yes but worth it. As a child couldn't understand how momma and Margie were SO excited and tickled when harvest was GOOD. Now I do. That's money in your pantry. .Oh let me hush and just say again looking forward to checking ALL your tappings. Again Thanks 👍 and may God Bless and keep His hands on you and your family 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Thank you
We had to buy some school supplies for the upcoming school year.
Growing up, if it was still in good enough condition mom had us reuse it.
So I'm having him reuse his back pack, scissors, markers. In fact I went through an old box of my school stuff and found some folders that he can use!
My mother was very frugal, I grew up in a family of 10 my mum had 8 children, I can see her now cutting up a pint of ice cream into 10 slices, and each slice had to be the same size or we would all protest, poor mum, I’m from NZ and we too had to wash in the sink every night and a bath once a week, I can still see the black ring around the bath haha, my up bringing in the early sixties taught me to be frugal and self reliant, I can sew, knit and crochet, but the joke is it’s now cheaper to buy than make things, I crocheted a granny rug last year the acrylic wool cost me $70, luv your videos Jane
Thanks Tess
Hello Jane and Mike
Lovely recipe for leek and potato soup, the finished meal 🥘 looked delicious.😊
In Oz we can find the beef and chicken stock pots but no luck yet with the bacon pots. Potatoes and bacon flavours are made for each other.
Hopefully Knorr will read this post and send Oz a supply, useful ingredient.
Great video and a lovely presentation🎉
Can relate to all of what you say Jane. I laughed when you mentioned the twin tub. Can remember when we first got ours in the early 70's and me and my mum were trying to fathom out what to do with the hose pipe and panicking at the end of each cycle. It was modern technology in its time. 😆 Yes, I agree with the washing thing and I only put on the washing machine when I eventually have a load. As for chippy tea, yes, that used to be a Friday night treat for us too. Mind you, it's so expensive now. Couldn't believe how much so until I called at my local chippy not long ago. I do think years ago we knew things had to last, unlike today's disposable society. I always remember my mum saying about her own childhood - "we were poor, but we were happy". Thanks Jane and Mike for this lovely trip down memory lane. 🤗
Thanks so much for watching
Potatoes chips,cakes,pop. We ate chicken backs and necks for long time ,then we raised chickens and got more meat. Going to my grandma house for holiday and having ham and rolls .what a treat. We canning vegetables out the garden later as I got older . Very poor people.
You have brought back so many memories xx
I was born in the 60's. Six of us in the family. We were four girls. My mom sewed all of our clothes right down to our underwear. We had store bought underwear once we went to middle school. She knew a lady at the fabric store that would save all the best scrap pieces of material for her. Mom crocheted our booties for the cold floor and ponchos and vest to keep us warm in the winter. We had home baked cakes for our birthdays. There were a lot of soups with cabbage that could be stretched for several meals. We had bread with mayonnaise or relish spread for our lunches.
Thanks for watching
I do the 'birdbath' most days with bath on Sundays and short showers after vigorous exercise. Not only does it save water and electricity but does wonders for my skin. The eczema that plagued me for years disappeared. It was caused by too much bathing and drying my skin out. No more cortIsone cream required.
I'm so glad I found you. I'm caretaker, sister,you name it and for my middle sister, Looking forward to checking ALL your tappings out. We too were raised poor. My sister says I was worse than mother on you'll call fugal living. But when we have say a half cup of something left over I put it in a gallon bag and freeze it. Don't matter what veggies,rice, macaroni,meat. When full put the whole thing in a pot. Makes the Best soup. Anyways Thanks looking forward to watching. God Bless you and your family.
Thanks so much
I really enjoyed this video and reading all the comments. I am familiar with almost all of the things you talked about. Grew up with 9 siblings but never realized we were one of the poorer families until I was in high school. But it didn't bother me. We had everything we needed and then some.
I used a wringer washer when I was a teenager. My mom used to use the water more than once.
The thing that sticks with me the most is to pass things along to someone else who could use it. And to help others whenever you can.
Thoroughly enjoyed this program, it brought back so many memories. 🤗
Glad you enjoyed it!
I loved, loved, loved watching this video, it was exactly how we lived when I grew up in the 1960's in Australia, hahaha! It was the way everyone we knew lived and to this day I still live more or less the same. I can live off very little and have a fabulous life, which enables me to live the life I want. One of the things we did growing up was the use of a little water in the home. We used to quarter fill a cup of water and brush and rinse our teeth with that, no running of water to brush our teeth. Thanks for sharing, it was such a trip down memory lane!
Jane, thanks for another great video.
That top and scarf look great on you!!😁