At the age of 48, I developed these habits because I had no money
I grew up in the 70s, my family was not wealthy, and my mother was very frugal when I was a child. This frugal habit has been passed down and continues to be practiced by me today.
Although life is much better now than in the past, the family's financial situation is still average. In order to save money, I have developed the following habits.
Do your own cooking, never rely on takeout.
I cook almost all of my own food, rarely go to restaurants, and don't order takeout.
Nowadays, many young people like takeout, but a takeout meal costs dozens of yuan, which is really a bit luxurious.
Cooking by yourself at home, dozens of yuan of ingredients can be eaten several times, not only saving money, but also more hygienic.
Choose seasonal fruits and vegetables.
Winter vegetables are usually out of season, and the cost of greenhouse cultivation is higher, so it is correspondingly**. Therefore, I try to avoid buying expensive out-of-season vegetables in winter, and instead choose vegetables that are in season and more accessible.
In winter, my home-cooked vegetables include Chinese cabbage, white radish, carrots, shallots, potatoes, bean sprouts, and celery. These vegetables are affordable and in season. We grow Chinese cabbage and white radish ourselves, which can be used all winter, and other vegetables are purchased by choice.
A few days ago, I went to the supermarket, and the price of vegetables really rose scary enough, and the beans were 178 yuan a catty, eggplant also costs 8 yuan a catty, and even green peppers cost 135 yuan a catty.
This kind of ** is simply prohibitive for the poor, and they can only choose to buy cheap ingredients.
I only dare to buy oranges and bananas for winter fruits, and oranges must be less than 6 yuan, and bananas are only 4 yuan a catty, which is really cheap.
I don't go to the beauty salon anymore, and I haven't been there since I lost my job, let alone spend money on ** treatments.
I've worked in a beauty salon before, and I know that the cost there is not low, so why spend that money? It's perfectly okay to do ** care at home.
I bought massage creams, eye masks and ** online, which are not expensive and the results are good. I do it at home when I have free time, which is much more cost-effective than going to the beauty salon.
I don't even go to the barbershop, I take care of my own hair. When the hair grows, I cut it myself, and the bangs are also done by myself.
Now it's dozens of dollars better to cut your hair casually, and I don't think the effect is very good, so it's better to get it at home.
Not only do I cut my own hair, but I also dye and perm my own hair. Now it costs 50 yuan to go to the barber shop to dye your hair once, and 150 yuan to perm your hair.
It is more economical to dye and perm your own hair at home. It costs 20 yuan to buy a bottle of hair dye online, and you can use it several times.
If you want to perm your hair, it's also simple, and it only costs more than 20 yuan to buy a set of perm utensils online, and there is no problem at all with operating according to the instructions.
I had my own hair permed the year before last, and my neighbors said it looked good, no worse than the barbershop.
When clothes are often bought on sale, this is not uncommon at a young age. Even when I was younger, I was never willing to spend a few hundred dollars on clothes.
The clothes I buy are usually when the seasons change and the discounts are stronger. **Around 100 yuan, there are also some clothes that cost tens of dollars.
One of my most expensive pieces of clothing was a down jacket given to me by my sister, worth 1,200 yuan. I knew that such a ** was too high for me, so I wouldn't let her buy it.
Now, I almost don't buy clothes anymore because the clothes I used to buy were enough for me to wear for years. Even the clothes from 10 years ago can still be worn now, and I am reluctant to discard them.
In addition, my sister often gives me clothes that she can't wear, and I think it fits well.
I rarely take a taxi out of the house. My home is not far from the county seat, and it is very convenient to ride an electric car and save money.
Because there is no bus near my house, it is not easy to get to the city, so I usually take my neighbor's car to the bus station. When I come back, I choose to walk instead of taking a taxi, even if it is a 4km journey, I choose to walk, which saves money and exercises.
Like my mother, I would save up useless cardboard boxes and sell them together. Now I mostly shop online, so I'll keep the courier box. The big ones can be sold, and the small ones can be used to make fires.
Every time I go out shopping, especially to a big market, I use plastic bags for things. In this way, single-use plastic bags can easily build up. I would leave these plastic bags for garbage, and even good plastic bags could be used for other things.
When I shop at the supermarket, I bring my own plastic bag so that I can save 3 cents per purchase. Although it may seem small, these savings can pay off in a year.
These habits are not unique and many people have. Especially the older generation, who have been through tough times and know how difficult it is to live without money.
I also developed these habits because I experienced poverty. That's how the days of poverty are lived.
Don't underestimate the power of those three cents. Save three cents at a time, save three yuan ten times, and save thirty yuan a hundred times. Frequent visits to the supermarket a year, those dozens of dollars are also quite considerable.
This habit is actually quite common, especially among the elderly. The old people have been through difficult times and understand how difficult it is to be without money.
I also developed these habits because of financial constraints. That's how the poor days are spent.