in my youth, my parents did not have much income, and could have been considered relatively ‘low-income’, or low-middle income at most .  as a result, there wasn’t much money that could go around for the 4 children in our family.  i learned early on that i should attempt to minimize money-related requests, and instead, find frugal alternatives on my own to have certain needs met.

some of these methods i still use, while others have fallen away by the way side due to diminished time as an adult now, and/or being blessed with a decent income.  however, i’d like to visit some of the approaches i took to see if i couldn’t still use them now, if i no longer do.

fixing what i already have, instead of buying new

i sewed my socks whenever they had holes in them, perhaps since i was 8 or 10.  i wasn’t the best seamstress or anything, but knew the basics with a needle and thread.  the socks fit funny sometimes with the hole stitched up (no patch sewn in), but it seemed good enough for me.

occasionally i still do this, although no longer for socks.  by the time my socks have holes in them, the underside of the sock has worn away and become thin, it’s time for the socks to go.  on the other hand, i do fix up other things, such as holes in my favorite black zip sweatshirt i bought in japan several years ago.  everyone says it’s time for it to get thrown out, but i’m in denial.

making instead of buying new

when i was about 14, ’scrunchies’ for tying one’s long hair, were really in.  one day i wondered why i couldn’t make them myself.  i found some old fabric at home, elastic strips from the sewing cabinet, needle and thread, and made a few.  it was actually pretty fun, and i didn’t need to spend any extra money — only a bit of time.

these days i have been crocheting, making my own arm warmers for instance.  it’s true i buy the yarn brand new, but for about a $2 ball of yarn, i can make a pair of warmers that might cost $10-15 at a clothing boutique!  i don’t mind the time involved in making them, as it has become an enjoyable, therapeutic hobby.

using re-usables, instead of buying new

from school, i would nab piles of recycled paper, colored and white, from the bins in various classrooms and student organization offices.  in this way, i had scratch paper at home, using the back/unused side for rough handwritten drafts of essays, random thoughts, to-do lists, mathematical calculations, etc.  i had a cardboard box (from costco groceries?) under my desk with this reserve.  i cut up paper into four pieces, and they made handy ‘post-its’.

sometimes i would ‘borrow’ my mother’s clothes, so that i’d have something new to wear when i hadn’t bought/received any new clothes for awhile.  she had flashy clothes in retrospect, but i was a pretty eclectic dresser at the time (and still am a bit now).

i still do like to reuse paper, for example taking notes on used envelopes i get via snail-mail.  i also prefer to use my own dishes/silverware at work or elsewhere, so that i don’t contribute to more waste by using plastics to throw away later.  i collect water or odwalla bottles after drinking them, and save them like tupperware, to use them later.

i don’t buy new clothes that often anymore (like i used to in college), and when i do i tend to use the same shirts and jeans for days in a row (with washings in between.. sometimes).  i’ll visit thrift shops to see if i can’t find something there to use, although lately i haven’t been having much luck (not like i need to be spending any money!).  i prefer borrowing books and dvds from the local public library, instead of buying them these days.

making and bringing my own lunches and snacks to school, instead of buying

every morning, i made my own lunch.  i did not enjoy being hungry at school, what with my high metabolism.  i would grab everything i could, making turkey sandwiches, apples, yogurt, danishes, crackers, etc. at home in the mornings.  i saved the paper bags from the grocery stores — we couldn’t afford to pay for packs of paper lunch bags.  was i stealing in taking one or two of the sized #6 or 8 small paper bags?

i have been brown bagging my lunch to work off and on now for at least half a dozen years.  only 2-3 months ago though, has it become a 99% daily ritual.  we go to costco and buy many things like coffee beans and yogurt in bulk to bring to work.  when the SO and i do errands, such as go downtown for some shopping, etc., i’ll quickly throw together some beverages and fruit into a plastic bag in case we get hungry later (so that we don’t have to ‘waste’ money elsewhere).

using public transit instead of cars

i took the bus in my early teen years to school and at times to hang out with friends after school.  i hated that my mom made me late for school 99% of the time.  it’s like she didn’t understand the humiliation i had to go through every morning when i’d arrive to my first class 10 minutes after the bell rang, and everyone was already seated.  so i’d get up extra early, and paid the .25 - .50 cents for the bus in the mornings a few blocks away.

i drove for many years towards the end of high school until sometime in college.  then i took only bus and the subway for a few years.  i then purchased a motorcycle, which was a much cheaper mode of transport.  for a fleeting while, i also owned a new car, but i totaled it in a scary accident, and i learned my lesson about buying new cars from that experience (never again!).

today i only ride my motorcycle to go to and from work daily.  if taking public transit took less than 2 hours each way for me from where i live, i would do it.  as it stands, it takes me only 25 minutes with the bike instead.  it is much cheaper too.

saving up for purchases, instead of using credit

i got a job as a full-time clerical assistant one summer with a small insurance company.  i didn’t know much about credit cards at the time.  i saved money from my paychecks in order to buy a sony boombox, and later, a laptop for college.

ah, this one i have been struggling for so long ever since my introduction to credit cards in college several years ago.  i have been strictly using my atm debit card for about 2 months now, while using the SO’s credit card once, for a pseudo-emergency (my debit card wasn’t working one day).  if i don’t have the money in my checking account, i won’t buy XYZ.

*  *  *

i suppose i haven’t been doing too shabbily keeping up some frugal habits from my younger years.  despite my up and downs with credit cards and debt over the years, deep down inside i’m a frugal person.

how about you?

are your money habits still the same, similar, or totally different from when you were younger, 10 or 20 or 30 years ago?

how might they have changed?

do you think they changed for the better or worse?

what can you do today to save money and minimize debt that you used to do before?

crocheting

it’s interesting that i read this article, make your hobby pay its way, a few weeks ago. the author wrote:

The most obvious income stream is to sell stuff you make. This really only works for hobbies where you make stuff, so it works better for potters and jewelry makers than for people whose hobby is mountain climbing or scuba diving.

i’d love to be able to make money with my recent addiction to crocheting.  but then the question arises:

would anyone actually buy my stuff??

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