If you grew up poor, what frugal habits have you kept now you're more comfortable?

[OhamIreally]

Mine is that I always buy in the sale. I bought dresses from Monsoon a couple of years ago and paid full price as they were for a wedding DD and I were going to. Saw them in the sale a short while later and returned them and bought them again in the sale (we hadn't yet worn them and the labels were still on) as I couldn't bear to "waste" the difference.
My luxury is that I (pre-Covid) eat out quite a bit but even then I make sure I use vouchers/gourmet society.

Try and buy everything in sales, reduced or used.
Freeze leftovers, off slices of lemon, ice cubes of pesto, leftover sauce etc, slices of slightly stale bread. They’ll always get used in something.
Jacket spuds are a main meal, not a side.
Library first for books
Darning, mending, hemming etc worn out clothes
Only buying shoes that can be resoled for people whose feet have stopped growing.
Only buying wrapping paper that can do any occassion. Plain silver worked well, until I realised it couldn’t be recycled.
Porridge oats rather than branded cereal.
Modest house, modest area = modest mortgage. This has seen us through 2 maternity leaves, 1 redundancy and now CV19.

I would definitely take a full price item back with it's receipt if I saw it on sale 😂 I don't think it's cheeky I think it's common sense!

I agree with out of season shopping @Circletime27... I love shopping in reverse! My dds birthday is in November and she wanted a new swing set..It was 160£ in the summer, in winter it was 45£ and now its back up to 160£ ...oh it makes me feel good! Paddling pools ,always bought in depth of winter too ,most places are giving them away and if you can store them it makes sense to me , the bargains are there to be had!

I've never actually connected this to growing up poor but I suppose it probably is. I hate wastefulness, like throwing out food that's gone off. I try to avoid that happening as much as I can. I think that's a good habit though. I rarely can bring myself to buy clothes in proper clothes shop and nearly always get them from charity shops. I couldn't be one of those of people who updated their decor every year etc, if I buy furniture, I intend it to last. If I do replace something I will try and find another use for the old version or sell it or give it away, rather than throw it away.

I've never been on a water meter, so not sure where this comes from, but I cannot bear taps being left running unnecessarily. My partner often leaves the shower running for about five minutes before he gets in while he faffs around. Our shower heats up quickly so there's no need and it drives me mad. Same with brushing his teeth and the tap running. I can't relax if I hear it. I've also realised from MN that my pre-dishwasher washing up habits aren't the norm. I don't use a bowl or fill the sink, I wash and rinse under running water but turn the tap on and off throughout. I get things wet, then turn the tap off to lather and scrub, then on to rinse. I can turn it on and off quite a few times depending on how much there is to wash. It doesn't take that long but it seems most people either fill a bowl/the sink, or wash under running water without turning it on and off in between.

Finally, I'm scared of going to bed hungry and if we are travelling anywhere I have to bring food with me to have at our destination because I have a real fear of arriving somewhere and not being able to get food. I couldn't eat a meal just before arriving at a hotel and go back to the hotel without bringing some food to have in the room just in case.

Charity shop clothes for me. Cashback, vouchers, 2 for 1 meals and so on.
I do take deep, hot baths. Which still feels like a luxury to me. Had to share baths and then share bathwater as a girl.
I can't imagine not living in a thrifty way.

Never running out of things, it drives my DH mad.

that doesn't make any sense. Once something goes on sale you can only return it for the price it currently is in the shop, if you've just changed your mind. Unless you damaged the clothes yourself so they would refund them full price? Either you're lying or you're a cheeky fucker
That’s very rude and you are wrong. Many shops have a no quibble refund policy and you would get back the amount you paid for it because you have your receipt to prove that.

I’m the opposite. I’m far from extravagant, cycle everywhere and seldom buy clothes etc, but I take great pleasure in sometimes buying something beautiful and unnecessary purely because I grew up from a very young age not even considering asking my parents for the tiniest thing, because I knew there was nothing to spare, and knowing that for Christmases and birthdays I would always get the cheap/ knock-off version of the toy.

Circletime27 : dh is the same. Pil were frugal and mean (no need) and dh and his dbs are now very extravagant. I once saw bil's kitchen cupboard and it was overflowing with 20 different cereals. He said it was a reaction to having own-brand cornflakes for the whole of his upbringing. Dh once had a huge row with mil for going above the line with his cereal portion.

Reuse Christmas and birthday wrapping paper, cut up cards for gift tags.
Look to buy the next supply of washing powder, shampoo, toilet paper, etc when you start the last pack to give enough time to find the special offer.
Fill the oven when cooking to use the heat.
Buy clothes from sale rail of charity shops, accept other people's cast offs. Buy underwear in bulk when in sales and store to replace as necessary. I do buy quality underwear.
Never buy bin bags or bags for life etc - recycle bags - those charity bags that are posted through door are very useful and I keep any bags for life given to me.

And yes to baths, @willowmelangell, especially when we started to live somewhere with a good grey water system, to mitigate water wastage.

Many things ... one teabag for 2 cups of tea, never throw food away, make meals from odds and ends, buy clothes/shoes only on sale, shop around, read lots of reviews when buying appliances, car, etc. Put more clothes on rather than turn heating up, fix up old furniture, recover sofas, mend things, keep cupboards very well stocked. We are comfortably off and eat well, but these habits are part of me and I'm not going to change now (at my age!) I think more people should do these things TBH, there's far too much stuff thrown away these days.

I take stuff back absolutely unused, still in the bag or box in perfect condition if it goes cheaper within the next 4 weeks with the receipt.

We were the last of our friends to have a subscription to anything - be that priority supermarket deliveries, on-demand music, veg boxes, wine cases - but we have just signed up to Netflix during the downturn as a treat.
I still order the cheapest main on the menu when we eat out, especially with friends. I don't begrudge them the steak but old habits die hard.

I meant lockdown - no idea why that changed to downturn.

I grew up poor. I was adamant I wasnt gonna be lol and worked dam hard went to uni and I'm a nurse now band 6. That's what i did.

I also like to spend money that's my worst habit I'm to bloody impulsive and got into debt and then I'm now bloody paying 376 quid I took a loan for to consolidate it. I'm 30 now but that's because I wasnt good with money as family werent. I'm also now saving 100 a month and 300 next as need to save. So other than learning how to spend money not much lol

I always bring a packed lunch for work. I’ve saved quite a bit with this.
I buy, perhaps, 2 or 3 takeaway coffees per year. I really am shocked how much my work colleagues waste on this.
No gym membership. A run round the park is free.
Put a jumper on instead of automatically turning the heating on.

I didn't grow up poor but we were definitely working class. My parents lived within their means and saved hard to give us nicer things- nothing excessive but a holiday abroad once a year, the occasional meal out or day trip ect. That's what's stayed with me- that security is worth more than a massive mortgage and possible debt if things take a down fall.

I always (pre covid) made sure I had plenty of food in. We were hungry a lot as children.

My kids have always had plenty of clothes and pjs, underwear etc. I remember never having enough of those. Mother was a clean freak though, we had to wear damp socks rather than wear them two days running.

The heating runs a lot! I’d rather stick the heating on that a pair of socks. We were freezing all the time at home. If it wasn’t freezing mother was obsessed with having windows open for fresh air. We didn’t need to open the windows for fresh air though. The draft whistled through regardless.

Reading some of these I see its made some careful or frugal. Not me. I’ve always made sure I’ve had stable jobs though. I’ve prioritised stability in my career over prospects.

Cut tubs (mosturiser, etc.) in half to get the remaining bits out. There's always loads more than what you can squeeze out of the bottle.

I have actively tried to get my mindset out of being frugal just for the sake of it.

Buying better made things can make more sense in the long term so just because something is cheap doesn't make it better iykwim. Also experiences matter so again spending money on living life can make such a difference.

However, being from a poor background does mean I plan for the worse situation so now have lots of insurance for when shit happens, savings for a rainy day etc whilst trying to make sure I enjoy the money I now have as life is short.

@cirletime me too, grew up in a freezing house where you wore your clothes to bed in the winter and no hot water apart from an hour on Sunday night, I have scarred legs as I had chillblains from toes to bum. When I was young I always said that my house would be warm. That said I collect fallen branches for firewood, I also mend things and darn, buy second hand furniture, always look for discount codes, gives me great satisfaction although I could afford not to.

I was thinking I don't have a lot, but I suppose I do.
We didn't grow up especially poor, but df did, and a lot of his habits were ranged around saving for the rainy day while it rained. The heating was only allowed on beginning of November to beginning of March-and was set to about 13 degrees. We never ate out-a real treat was stopping at a service station and having something to eat. That would be a pot of tea for the parents, and 1 small fizzy to share between the three of us children, and 1 Danish pasty cut 5 ways. Lights weren't allowed on until really dark, everything was mended only replaced if it was a total write off and a necessity, and if possible bought second hand, money was for saving, not spending-and things were bought to last. Things like I often had boys coats etc because they had to be passed down to my brother.

For us, we eat out a few times a year, the heating goes on when we're cold, we toss up when something needs mending or replacing between time and money.
But:
We don't go abroad for holidays (I've never had a passport), the only new furniture we've bought since we were married (over 20 years ago) was a toddler bed and an office chair, I mend clothes (I quite like darning) and would buy second hand for almost everything when possible, our car is approaching 10 years old, and wasn't new when we got it. I'm not naturally a saver, but I do think before spending, and will not get something because it seems too much money.

All the things others have already said - such as not being wasteful, looking after things until they die (clothes, cars, any tech), reusing stuff and not spending without necessity. Neither of us can pay full price for anything. It just feels wrong. Unless it’s a necessity and no other option. Research every purchase so we get value for money (not usually cheapest option). Hardly spend money on ourselves, but mostly on the children. Debts are paid before anything else. Can’t bring ourselves to eat out - when bill comes to weekly shop. No vices. I have no jewellery other than wedding ring. Have my haircut once a year, if that. I think honestly, we are pretty tight with money, but we live a quality life without being the least bit outwardly showy. So, overall, being poor showed us the value of money as in not having to worry about paying the bills and saving. Hopefully our children will grow up with similar values, although they will not be poor. So shielding them from being poor is important to us too.

@Radn that can’t be right, a refund is for the price you paid. Otherwise you could buy stuff on offer, then return it when it’s back to full price and make a profit!