When I grew up, money was scarce and the trick to make it was to be creative. When I was little and I got holes in the knees of my overalls, my mother would make patches shaped like little animals - they looked like “positives” instead of “negatives”. A real treat was for my parents, my brother, and I to walk to the store and buy 2 popsicles, split them and enjoy the treat on our walk home. We lived in a 19 foot long trailer with one end being a sofa bed - middle was the kitchen (no hot water) ice box, stove and the other end a table with a built-in bench on either side. My Dad got car seats at the junk yard for cushions - that’s where we ate and my brother and I slept. The toilet was public and across trailer park road. There was a play ground for the “tons” of kids living there. We didn’t know we were poor, but early on I have been very frugal.
I got married at 18 and by 21 I had 2 babies. I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom so I took in kids to babysit to make extra money. My husband was a very good provider but I continued to pinch pennies anyway. Now with the economy the way it is, I am so glad I have learned the “tricks of the game” to stretch that almighty dollar until it can’t stretch anymore. I hope you can benefit from what I have learned. I try to be generous and giving (I’m not a tight wad) but make the most of what I have learned over the years.
ENOUGH of that! I just hope in these hard times you maybe can benefit from what I have learned over the years.
