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.

Same as you I always buy in sale unless I have to buy something immediately(happens maybe once every two years).

I’ve also learned to spend more on important things like education and accountants. I was able to go to a very good private school thanks to a scholarship and it was invaluable. I would not be where I am without it. An economy on education, healthcare, legal advice etc is a false economy.

@Oliversmumsarmy

Does the impact you’re having on the environment not concern you?

My father was an utter asshole growing up. As well as being a penny pincher he had a serious gambling habit. Life was interesting....

My children have several pairs of shoes each, some cheap, some not so. Whatever is best for them, not the cheapest nastiest shite from the market.
Food. All of our meat, eggs and fish comes from the butcher/fishmonger/person who keeps their own chickens. Fruit and vegetables come from the green grocer who I have a weekly order with. I grew up eating pretty much exclusively tinned food begged from the local convent (forerunner to the foodbank) because the food money had gone on the geegees again. While I do have and use tins, I wont have tinned meatballs, fray bentos pies, tinned minced beef or value baked beans in the house.
Heating and hot water. My kids know how to use the thermostat and within reason can crank the heating up. Youngest also has a deep, nightly bath with only them using the water.

Best of all though, my father died a few years ago. My siblings, their children and my mother had an almighty party (these were banned when growing up as well- waste of money). I also made a substantial (think 5 figures) anonymous donation to the local foodbank. Father would have hated the thought of donating to charity (that was a waste of money as well) so I picked the charity that would piss him off the most.

I never think to put the heating on I automatically just put loads of blankets and a jumper on my husband has to put the heating on and I don't know how to use our fire we didn't have central heating as a kid and most winters couldn't to have coal fires all the time.

I can remember having coal fires at home, but only downstairs, so upstairs was bitterly cold, but we had a paraffin heater on the landing so the house reeked, then we got condensation running down the walls and mould, nice to put the heating on now. Our towels were always hard and threadbare, I love the feel of a fluffy towel. I think looking at all these threads that we are all products of a more hardy generation, our parents didn't have much money to spare so what could be cut back on has no doubt influenced us all, I still buy clothes at charity shops but now from choice, love the thought of recycling and saving money in the process. I scrimp on gadgets, no sky or netflix, fancy top of the range phones etc, but to be honest don't feel disadvantaged at all, but I do love to travel, so anything I save goes on that, don't have debt at all apart from a mortgage. My parents thought it shameful to have debt, no credit cards or loans, if they couldn't pay for it we didn't have it, this has stuck with me always

Does the impact you’re having on the environment not concern you

What do you mean impact on the environment?

I spent my childhood in poverty. Everything was incredibly hard even when there was money.

Are you saying I should still live like that? Deny myself and my children a great childhood.

Is every one normally living in sack cloth and ashes not going anywhere, sharing bath water and wearing clothes day in and day out.

One of the biggest impact on the environment is meat eating.

We are vegan

@sam221 it sounds like you've done really well for yourself and have used your experience as a force for good.
Reading the replies there is a similar vein in that parents, whilst continuing to deny themselves, want their children to experience a more comfortable and carefree existence.
My daughter's childhood is worlds away from mine but I am slightly conflicted as she has so much, and I worry that she will not have the work ethic she will need to give herself a comfortable life.

Don’t waste food

I grew up poor but its made me swing the other way - I just spend what I have because I never had it I appreciate spending

Vgtasd

I agree if I want something I will buy it.

Growing up I would ask for the latest toy and never get it till years later when the shops would be getting rid of the stock and it was in the sale.

By that time I would have outgrown it and want something else but would still be told I had asked for it and so should be grateful I got it.

I never ever got anything I really asked for. It has left me with a phobia of people buying me presents.

I really hate it.

I wouldn’t dream of waiting till the sales.
(My mother has played that trick on me).
What ever I wanted was always sold out when it came to the sales

Always waiting for what I want to go on sale, then buy. I rarely ever pay full price. Also, stocking up on essentials when they're on offer.

I didn't grow up poor but I was taught not to waste food. All leftovers are useful for something.

Brought up believing we were poor (and since has caused issues) and ending up a single mum after being financially abused means that I have always aimed for well filled cupboards, charity shopped for clothes (but always out of my own area) and once dd is in bed didn’t put the heating on. Dd has good memories of her childhood but I didn’t realise how frugal we had been until she chatted to her (richer) friends. It took a while for them to understand her childhood but they get it now and realise that they have had a privileged upbringing financially. My dd feels she has had a privileged upbringing for different reasons though - she knows how hard I worked to make it special despite the lack of money, so doesn’t feel hard done by luckily. I’m not bemoaning how other people brought up their children, and yes, if I could have done financially I would have loved to have done similar, but we couldn’t, just a fact of life, but it doesn’t mean she had any less if a childhood for it

DP grew up poor and is hopeless with money, never has savings, spends on daft things. My family were not well off when I was young but we started to have more money for nice things when DM went back to work, had our first holiday that wasn’t either under canvas or with relatives. I’ve got some bad speedy habits but also some frugal ones: hate wasting food, alter and mend clothes if they still have life in them, not bothered about having the latest of anything. I have some savings stocked away as well as a well stocked food cupboard, which is fortunate as DP has no income due to Corona.

My family were skint not poor but money was definitely an issue. It's taken me years to push back against false economy and guilt over spending money on bigger things while also sometimes having to fight a penny pinching mentality over small things. I still have to work on that balance.

But good things are that I'm great at food budget and cupboard cooking, second hand doesn't stress me and i can be very good at saving.

I always clear my plate - I grew up in a house where there was never enough food.

It's not a frugal habit but as a child I hated having the dusty crumbs from the bottom of the cereal packet. Even worse, a mix of the dusty bits with another type of cereal. I vowed I'd never eat them as an adult and I never have.

I love eBay, I have absolutely no shame in buying second hand clothes for me and dc and dc are well dressed for pennies - often in designer clothes so they have what their peers do. I always remember being teased for not having the in stuff. Yes to sales too. Toys as well often second hand bargains.