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MY KIDS THINK I’M cheap. I tell them, “If I’m so cheap, why don’t I have more money in the bank?”
I learned to be thrifty at the knees of my father and grandfather. During this time of high inflation, they provide me with examples to be emulated. Grandpa never owned a car and kept a vegetable garden into his 80s. He built a loom to weave small rugs made from rags, and then sold them to friends, family and neighbors. When he stopped making rugs, he put the loom into the wood burner to help heat the house.
The roll-top desk made by the author’s grandfather
He made much of what he needed and never wasted a thing. He built beautiful pieces of furniture, such as a blanket chest I still have, and a child’s roll-top desk that I used when I was growing up. His wife was equally thrifty and handy. She would fashion bowls from old popsicle sticks, crafted artificial flowers and sewed her own clothes.
Dad sought bargains and discounts on every major purchase. Until he and Mom started traveling, his only charge card was from Sears, where we purchased appliances, tools and lawn equipment. He bought old houses in the city and converted them into apartments. He and his father were excellent carpenters. They remodeled half of our basement into a nightclub, including a large bar.
Dad used to brag that he rarely replaced the brakes on his vehicles. As soon as he saw a traffic light turning red, he took his foot off the gas and began to coast.
He changed after having a stroke at age 55. It caused enough minor issues that he had to retire from his union job at a factory. Soon, he sold the rental units. Recognizing his mortality, he started spending on expensive vacations, his beloved cottage and a mobile home in Miami.
Unfortunately, despite my thrifty ways and higher education, I won’t be buying any weekend or vacation places. But here are some of the ways I save money:
I’m no Scrooge. I’ve always supported my children in their interests and activities, and certainly in their schools and colleges. Growing up, they had plenty of books, games and videos. We didn’t take extravagant vacations, but I never said “no” to out-of-town camps or sports travel leagues. We paid for Scouts, voice lessons and individual coaching.
So, yes, I may be frugal—but I’m not cheap. I learned from the best.
Ron Wayne spent 26 years working for newspapers in Pennsylvania and Georgia before becoming the editor in the University of Florida’s main news office. During his 10 years working there, he earned his master’s degree in mass communication and taught as an adjunct in the College of Journalism and Communications. Since retiring last fall, he’s enjoyed a simple life, including reflecting on his experiences on Medium.com. Check out Ron’s earlier articles.
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Being Frugal is a lifestyle to be envied, if folks would simply learn. There are many passages in the good book about heeding wisdom.
My old car just two weeks ago got now brake pads with almost 200 thousand miles and I did that in my driveway. A ‘shifter’ car makes it easy to go to neutral before a red light and down shift to slow the car, with no brakes. A person has to be alert though!
But, we don’t want to carry it beyond usefulness. My brother had problems with his liver from a disease. The doctor suggested some specific herbs to help. Ron has the frugal lifestyle so engrained, he would only buy the cheapest from a discount store. Now, if you are skydiving, would you want the cheapest parachute available?
We are best efficient in our money matters early on in life so, later we don’t have to be.
All good training for what is about to be visited upon us First-Worlders. I did find it amusing about parking closer to the exit to save gas – actually I find it hilarious. 🙂
Thanks, Ron, I enjoyed this. A big part of being “frugal”, as you point out, is simply avoiding waste and seeking efficiency. I happen to believe that is a great virtue.
You did learn from the best! We can all learn a lot from that generation. My parents grew up during the depression and that had a great impact on them. As you said, they were not cheap, but frugal.
A couple of examples. We lived in town but still had a large vegetable garden. I helped tend to the garden, and when the crops were ready, Mother would get out the pressure cooker to can the green beans, tomatoes and corn. I still have not so fond memories of snapping green beans. But the vegetables were very tasty during the winter and a lot cheaper than store bought.
My parents would buy a large ham and turkey for Christmas. We would have family and friends over for several meals during the Holidays. It was a festive time and I have great memories of those gatherings. After that was done, out came the meat grinder and we would make ham salad and turkey salad. Mother would save the ham bone for making soup. They did not waste much. The only thing left of the ham was the squeal.
Almost everything done around our house was done by my parents or us kids. That saved us a lot of money and helped instill a good work ethic in us kids, although we did not appreciate it at the time.
That generation could still teach us a few things if we would only listen.