Quirks from a poorer childhood that have followed you through life.

[Motorwayview]

Inspired by the tight people thread.
No matter how much underwear I have I am always slightly panicked that I'll run out of clean underwear so have been known to handwash and leave overnight to dry. Ive got draws and draws of the stuff now - BUT growing up for a while I had just enough to get by on but only if DM washed them every night. ( 3 pairs knickers) Sometimes we didn't have the 50p for the meter to use the emersion heater or boil a kettle (this was the '70's).
The one that drives DH mad is that I have to use every last drop out of a bottle even if Ive got 3 more of the same in the cupboard ( shampoo ect) .
Anyone else ?

Had to google what they were. My god, what a stupid waste of money and food. Who are the insane people who do this??

Talking about food waste, it really annoys me. Especially on TV cookery/bakery programs where they only "nibble" on the items made, lots of ingredients are glibly thrown away along the way when they go wrong, and you just know the end products are going to end up in the skip once the judges have done their nibbling.

At least in hotels/restaurants with "proper" chefs, you know they're going to minimise waste by proper stock control, reutilising unused raw ingredients into other dishes, etc., simply because any waste comes straight off the bottom line profits, whereas with TV shows, there's a "Budget" for the food costs and no "benefit" in them saving or reducing food use because it's all be bought in advance, in enough quantities to allow for second and third attempts if things go wrong during filming.

this

I add water when shampoo bottle is empty.

I have a box full of gifts bought on offer for when my DC are invited to a party.
I could rarely go as a child as my mum couldn’t afford the gifts. (Single mum). Eventually most stopped inviting me as they knew I/ my mum would turn down the invite.

I also buy gifts for my DC’s birthday and Xmas year round. I kid you not we never had Christmas, and I was lucky if I got a box of malteasers for my birthday. I know it sounds a bit Charlie Bucket… my mum was a Jehovahs Witness at the time so not just money related but all these years later I still feel that sinking plummeting and anxious feeling (out of embarrassment) when I reflect on what if was like being asked what I got for my Xmas/ birthdays. Their look of shock or disbelief when I said nothing. I think this transitioned to ‘I don’t know/ remember’ and into lies. Some quite unbelievable. Most of my things were given by people in the congregation… My mum had a thing about secondhand clothes, and felt they were dirty. But all our toys were given to us and I think all our colouring books, pencils etc too. Sometimes my mum would come home with things randomly from someone she worked with but had never even met us!! I struggled to get my head around that so much, especially new things.

I pretty much only buy (the red/ classic) faber castrll colouring pencils for my children. I had a huge tub of pencils as a child but they barely made any colour and you spent more time sharpening than colouring.

My kids always have sandals/ trainers / wellies. I only had trainers. Still do for myself, as I feel it’s a waste of money….. only have 2 feet and wearing trainers in heat won’t kill me…. but not for my children….

I’m sure there’s other things too… I wouldn’t have even thought to mention using up food which I think has been mentioned by others. It’s just normal to me and I think that impacts you!!

"I add water when shampoo bottle is empty."

We've always squeezed almost empty shower gel, shampoo and bubble bath bottles into the bath water while it's running, taking the cap off if possible and rinsing the bottle out into the water, or squeezing the bath water in and out if not. That way they make suds for the bath, no waste.

@cheapskatemum
Thankyou for your kindness
If judgement day ever happens
I'm going to ask jesus
What I ever did to deserve such parents!

Yes, I grew up hungry and absolutely cannot do any food sharing unless it’s with my own DC.

My kitchen cupboards are full to bursting as I still have that scarcity mindset about food.

The comedian Rob Beckett talks very interestingly about the poverty mindset. I remember him saying that at the beginning of lockdown he was commissioned to write a book, but they only had one computer in the house and they were using it for home schooling and his children keeping in touch with their friends. He planned to write the book at night because he couldn’t bring himself to buy a laptop for himself even though he could easily afford it because they already had one. He knew it was ridiculous but he couldn’t do it.

I cut the toothpaste tube and the tomato puree tube, to get the last bit out. I don't look on that as a quirk. It seems like sense. What's the point of wasting it?

Edit to say I liked that one poster always tries to have embroidery on her underwear.

Not really to do with childhood, but I absolutely hate waste, whereas DH is the opposite. He will run water down the sink for ages, until it gets to the right temperature, whereas if I was wanting hot water, I'll fill the watering can and by the time it's full, the water is hot. He will fill a bowl of hot soapy water to wash one plate - we have a dishwasher, what a waste!

Not quirks, but common sense. I've one of those plastic things to use on toothpaste tubes (and similar) to get the last bits out, usually enough for several more brushes. For shampoo and shower gel and similar bottles, I upturn them so the liquid flows to the "top" so can get the dregs out. For "pump action" things like hand cream, the pump doesn't suck out from all the edges/bottom etc so I get a sharp knife and cut the bottle open so I can scoop out the cream that's lodged around the sides and bottom.

When going on holiday, I take "just enough" shower gel, shampoo, hand cream, etc., for how many days away. I always mark the bottles with usage, so I can see how much it goes down, say weekly, and then when it's one/two weeks from the bottom, I put aside to pack. That way I never take too much (meaning some thrown away) or too little (meaning have to buy at expensive prices).

I just abhor waste and hate spending more money that I need to. That's from a childhood where every penny mattered. I don't "need" to be so "tight" these days, but it's an ingrained habit from years when my parents, and then, I, did have to count every penny. You never lose that habit.