I got most of it from my Grandma though. She truly was the queen of frugal. She went from a fairly comfortable financial family to a poor one. That didn't faze her and she was able to make a comfortable home from almost nothing. My Grandpa was a veteran of WWII and unfortunately as the men returned home from war they weren't able to find good work or were treated without much respect in the jobs they were able to find; especially the ones who were still dealing with post traumatic stress disorder (which was not a diagnosis back then). Dealing with job losses, job switches, and injuries during the first few years of their marriage, along with a couple babies in just a couple years must have put a big strain on them but my Grandma managed. She wasn't the type to let things get her down for long.
She had 10 children in 17 years time. This was in a day and age when there were no such things as garage sales and consignment shops. She made many of their clothes and patched and mended to make things last so that several children could get use out of it. I can't imagine trying to clothe my three children without the resources of garage sales and consignment shops, much less 10! I remember my Grandma taught me how to darn socks and even gave me a darning kit at my Bridal shower. Unfortunately after several moves I can't locate it. Doing little things like darning socks can save a lot of money, especially in a large family.
Feeding a large family, on a tiny budget, was also a specialty of hers. They grew a large garden, canned a lot, raised ducks and chickens, and made most everything from scratch. I can't even image how much work it would have been to make three meals a day for 12 people, clean up after those three meals, as well as care for the smaller children and take care of the house.
She wasn't just frugal when she was raising a family. She grew up through the Great Depression and had the mentality of "Waste Not, Want Not", which I was reminded of again at her Wake on Friday where several pieces of her artwork and sewing was displayed and the beautiful quilt draped over the coffin that she made had little sayings stitched into it...the above quote being one of them. I'm sure many of her children and grandchildren had seen her save something off of some one's plate, or even take something off the top of the trash to be saved for later. I think she was a bit flabbergasted at some of the excess, or waste, that we produced around her. I don't blame her, as growing up it must have been close to a 'sin' to even throw half an apple away. She saved every little scrap of paper to write notes on or to let the grandchildren color on, never throwing it away until it was completely covered. Even the bowl of crayons is ancient, probably dating back to when my aunts were little girls...well over 40 years ago. Maybe they are even antiques...if a crayon can be an antique, that is. :) She even felt like a bubble bath was an indulgence, and remarked one time how she really did indulge and had several inches of water in the tub! This makes me a bit sad, as I regularly partake in filled tubs of steaming water filled with bubbles and feel she should have had the same right, and yet proud because she stood up for her convictions - she thought it was a waste so didn't do it!
Early in her marriage she even bartered for items that they needed. I doubt I have the whole story straight but there was a bachelor man that lived above a bar who either had a lot of nice furniture or happened along a lot of nice furniture being thrown out in the area. She admired a buffet that he had and so traded him some home baked bread loaves for the beautiful wooden buffet with a large mirror. She also got a large cabinet from him by doing the same. 50+ years later those items are still in her home. Wow, if only we could trade some home baked bread for some quality furniture these days!
I could go on and on but you see my point. Learning from my Grandma about making do formed me into who I am today. I'm not nearly as frugal as she was, but I feel bad using the earth's resources for things that I don't need to. I feel bad having an excess when others around me are going without. I strive to teach my children that the important things in life aren't things.
As my mother once questioned my Grandma when she was a young girl, "Are we poor?" My Grandma pointed around the room...at my mom's younger siblings playing, the warm wood stove, the cookies baking in the oven..."We might not have a lot of money, but we aren't poor."
What a sweet tribute to your grandmother. :)
ReplyDelete