When I was growing up I remember some of the things that my grandparents used to say. It would be things like “why eat out and pay so much when we can eat better and cheaper at home” or “why pay this or that for a piece of clothing when I can sew you a similar one for the fraction of the cost”.
Truth is that they didn’t always made sense to me then.
My grandparents were and are very frugal. Some of things that they did, I agree with and do myself to this day, and others were too much, even for me. The result of that kind of financial behavior is very encouraging to me, though, as it is easy to see the positive consequences that it brought with it. Because of the things my grandfather started and my grandmother continued, she can until this day live in a comfortable way without having to miss out on anything, maybe apart from the worries!
As I said, when I was small, the things that they said did not always make sense to me. Why not eat out? Clothes that you buy are much more fun than the one you make yourself!
Today, it is a bit different, at least for me. Not that I don’t like to go out (because I do) and not because that I don’t enjoy buying something nice and new, but because I can also see the logic in what they did; that there can be something nice and satisfying in making your own meal or sewing your own piece of clothing.
Here are some other examples:
Price comparisons were my grandfather’s specialty. He had a radar for the special deals in the different shops and wouldn’t hesitate to go out of his way to get a good product for a special price. I am not that diligent but do know more or less where to go to get what in order to stay within our food budget.
Making do with what you have is also something I have learned from them. If you come to my grandmother’s house you will be served a meal and you will be expected to eat. It doesn’t matter if the visit is spontaneous or last minute, she will always come up with a grand meal, using what she already have in the fridge or pantry. This is also something that I try to do and it is really amazing what we come up with making do with what we have!
Air drying the laundry is something I have always done and we have actually never even owned a dryer. Even in the cold winter months, in rain and even when we had two kids under the age of two, we always managed and that is probably why that I, like the generations that came before me, think it is a waste of time and energy.
I think that modern lifestyle and technology has contributed a lot to our lives and made them easier but on the other hand I also think that we can learn a lot from what was and from those who were here before us.
What do you think?
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