Frugal Friday: Lessons from my Grandpa - Part 2
(My apologies on the lateness in getting this posted; Blogger has been fussy and been refusing to upload pictures or posts for me this week...)
Last week, I introduced you to my grandpa, a hard-working man who knew how to pinch pennies to the extreme! Here are a few more lessons on frugality I learned from my grandpa:
3) My grandpa never went into debt for anything but a house. Back in his day, that was probably pretty normal; debt was not something that everyone just did as a way of life. But I think we would all do well to remember that often working for, saving for, and waiting for something until we can afford it is really the best course of action. Not only will we appreciate it more, we'll also likely save ourselves a good bit of trouble down the road.
One of my favorite stories shared at the funeral was that when my grandpa was a teenager, he worked all Summer long for $2/day in order to buy his first car. I couldn't help but wonder how many teenagers today would do something like that? Isn't it just so much "easier" to get a loan? No wonder so many grown men and women are having financial struggles these days; they never learned in their teens years to wait to buy something until they could afford it.
One of the things my grandpa strongly impressed upon my dad when he was growing up was that you should never go into debt for anything except a house. To this day, my dad has always abided by this principle handed down to him and it was one thing which was a huge help in motivating my parents to work hard to pay off their mortgage early and never get another mortgage again. This example has now been passed down to my siblings and someday, Lord-willing, will also be handed down to our children.
4) My grandpa never wasted anything. If there were every anyone who followed the, "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without," it would be my grandpa. We sometimes chuckled at how long he would make things last--his worn out, holey hats and sweatshirts would never be thrown out until there was not a drop of life left in them--but, in reality, it speaks volumes to how wasteful we've become as a society.
Instead of using something for as long as possible and then thinking of creative ways to re-use it once it is no longer sufficient for that use, we normally just throw the item out and get a new one. I think we would all do well to remember the wisdom of our grandparents and great-grandparents in getting the most mileage out of our belongings.
There are many more lessons I could share that I learned from my grandpa, these were just a few he taught me in the area of frugality. We will all miss him, even his quirky little things, but we are thankful for the opportunity we had to know him, love him, and learn from him during his days on this earth.
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Have a frugal tip to share? Post about it on your blog and then come back here and leave your link below so we can all be motivated and inspired. Remember to keep it family-friendly and to post directly to your blog post, not to your blog homepage. If you don't have a blog, you are welcome to leave your tips in the comments section. Thanks so much for participating!
Last week, I introduced you to my grandpa, a hard-working man who knew how to pinch pennies to the extreme! Here are a few more lessons on frugality I learned from my grandpa:
3) My grandpa never went into debt for anything but a house. Back in his day, that was probably pretty normal; debt was not something that everyone just did as a way of life. But I think we would all do well to remember that often working for, saving for, and waiting for something until we can afford it is really the best course of action. Not only will we appreciate it more, we'll also likely save ourselves a good bit of trouble down the road.
One of my favorite stories shared at the funeral was that when my grandpa was a teenager, he worked all Summer long for $2/day in order to buy his first car. I couldn't help but wonder how many teenagers today would do something like that? Isn't it just so much "easier" to get a loan? No wonder so many grown men and women are having financial struggles these days; they never learned in their teens years to wait to buy something until they could afford it.
One of the things my grandpa strongly impressed upon my dad when he was growing up was that you should never go into debt for anything except a house. To this day, my dad has always abided by this principle handed down to him and it was one thing which was a huge help in motivating my parents to work hard to pay off their mortgage early and never get another mortgage again. This example has now been passed down to my siblings and someday, Lord-willing, will also be handed down to our children.
4) My grandpa never wasted anything. If there were every anyone who followed the, "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without," it would be my grandpa. We sometimes chuckled at how long he would make things last--his worn out, holey hats and sweatshirts would never be thrown out until there was not a drop of life left in them--but, in reality, it speaks volumes to how wasteful we've become as a society.
Instead of using something for as long as possible and then thinking of creative ways to re-use it once it is no longer sufficient for that use, we normally just throw the item out and get a new one. I think we would all do well to remember the wisdom of our grandparents and great-grandparents in getting the most mileage out of our belongings.
There are many more lessons I could share that I learned from my grandpa, these were just a few he taught me in the area of frugality. We will all miss him, even his quirky little things, but we are thankful for the opportunity we had to know him, love him, and learn from him during his days on this earth.
----------------------
Have a frugal tip to share? Post about it on your blog and then come back here and leave your link below so we can all be motivated and inspired. Remember to keep it family-friendly and to post directly to your blog post, not to your blog homepage. If you don't have a blog, you are welcome to leave your tips in the comments section. Thanks so much for participating!
Labels: Frugal Friday
posted by Crystal Paine at 6:00 AM
13 Comments:
I enjoyed reading about your Grandpa. I've kind of done my own private survey on older folks and their frugality in comparison to our generation. I've blogged about it at different times and find it interesting to note the difference between my generation and my grandmothers. Lots to learn and I'm always thankful for the godly examples that the Lord sends my way. Thank you for sharing yours.
Thank you for sharing this, Crystal! (I'm sorry I goofed up my first link. #25 can be deleted.)
Its amazing how when you start learning some of these things it changes the course of everyday action. I have a pair of pants that split this week, normally I would chuck them. Now I'm trying to figure out how to fix them or repurpose.
Great lessons, thanks again!
I agree for the most part although I don't think it's a matter of frugality as to why men like to keep shirts that are worn out, it's more because they think they are comfortable. I don't want my husband or children looking shabby...if it has holes in it then it's gone beyond serving it's purpose and it's high time to get a new one and put the old one in the rag bacg.
I can say "amen" about not going into debt. My husband and I had debt when we married, but within 4 years we were completely out of debt! We are so thankful. Now we only charge what we can pay off in a month. It frees you to do things to help people more and the stress level goes way down.
That was a beautiful post, a wonderful account of your Grandfather. What a great role model! I know that so many of us strive to be like him in regards to frugality. Thank you!
Allie
Learningtobefrugal.wordpress.com
Oops. Can you delete my first Mr. Linky entry? I accidentally added the description to the address field instead of the name field.
Your grandpa was one awesome individual! I try to follow the 'use it up/wear it out' philosophy as best as possible. I've turned old flannel PJs into washcloths and cleaning rags, for example. Your grandpa would probably have laughed that we do 'trash to treasure' mostly for fun these days--back in his time, it was probably necessary!
I certainly agree with the importance of not going into debt, particularly consumer debt. You are right on. However, there are other times when debt is necessary--for example, my husband is in professional school (residency) and I have chosen to stay at home with our three-year-old daughter. While some might argue that it'd be better for me to go to work to reduce our student loans, I would contend that the long-term benefit is greater for me to be at home with her instead of her in day care and me out working. But, we are definitely trying to still be frugal in school (hence my love for your blogs). Just my two cents!
BWei: I would argue that debt is not often necessary; our society has just conditioned us to believe it is. :)
My husband went through law school and I stayed home and we didn't go into debt. It was hard--really hard--and I know that not everyone is blessed to have the savings we were able to have when we went into marriage. However, our story is proof that it *is* possible.
My advice for you would be to live on as tight of a budget as you possibly can and get out of debt as fast as you possibly can after school.
For those contemplating school loans, I would encourage you to be radical and do whatever you can to avoid them at any cost. Be creative before you go to school, apply for every single scholarship you can land eyes on, work as hard as possible, scrimp as much as possible, and save as much as possible so that you can avoid school loans like the plague. We know way too many professionals who have high-paying jobs but are barely making ends meet because they are carrying around thousands of dollars on school loans.
This is why I call myself a pioneer :D We have lived by the same standards as your grampa both as singles and as a married couple. We are now 100% debt free on our farm with lots of money in the bank for future renovation projects on our 100 year old farmhouse. Feels GREAT. I ache for friends with heavy debt burdens and who keep piling it up. (I understand student loans, but not atv, boat and snowmobile loans).
Your stories of your Grandpa walked me down memory lane for my own Grandpa. He, too, would wear clothes until they could no longer be repaired (when we cleaned out his place after his funeral, we found alot of new clothes still in the packages that he had received as gifts - why open a new pair of socks when he could sew up the old ones!).
As far as the debt debate - I would venture even farther and state that even debt for a house is placing your faith in the bank rather than God. Yes, it's hard to imagine not having the 'North American Dream' of owning your own home - but if it is with a mortgage, you don't own it anyway.
My husband and I were both brought up in homes that believed debt was OK (even encouraged); that debt was the only way to make it in this world. We are still digging out from the debt load, but we will never, NEVER, get back into it. With the wisdom that God has shared with us, we hope our daughter will have a much better start in her adult life - and she and her future husband may be able to buy their home for cash! What a revelutionary thought. The key is to place your trust in the Lord, not in financial institutions.
Of course it's hard - debt is the easy way.
So nice to have stumbled upon another Bible-believing-bargain-seeking momma! :-)
And you're a dave ramsey fan to boot! I saw your pic that you got to meet he and Sharon! I've shaken his hand but didn't get to get a pic. :)
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