Being raised in the sixties and seventies meant I was being raised by parents who knew about war time deprivation.
We were never rich, but we had what we needed and appreciated what we got without feeling as if we were poor. As teens, we were given a sum of money each week. We were to use this for excursions, tuck-shop, extra clothes, and treats. We learned to pack lunches, walk 5 miles to school, and to budget our money to save money so we could get what we wanted. My first pair of jeans were purchased by me after I turned 18 and working. I purchased my own car to learn to drive in at 19. I learned a lot from my parents and grandparents about living with very little money.
After my marriage broke up, I was left with two children to raise on my own. Although money was tight, I always had my bills paid and money in the bank. The op shops were my main shopping ground. I grew a lot of my own vegetables and went to the fruit and vegetable markets monthly. I froze and dehydrated in season fruit and vegetables. I cooked my own bread, muffins, biscuits, cakes, and slices from scratch. I purchased flour and sugar in bulk. I used powdered milk. Named brands were considered a luxury and were given as Christmas day treats only.
When my own children turned 15, I gave them the equivalent of Social Security's youth allowance. They paid rent and electricity to me. They were responsible for purchasing everything else they would need, including food and educational requirements, with my guidance while they still lived at home. They both know how to budget and live within their means.
I have recently remarried, and as we are "starting out" again, we use our budgeting skills to pay our bills and save. Our wedding cost about $3000. Of this $1800 was paid for by the Government with a stimulus payment made to all Australians. We had outfits made by my maid of honor. They were designed to use again. The boys rented their suits. My dress cost $200 from a boutique shop and can be used again as a nice summer lace dress. Our reception was at a local Turkish restaurant and we had a belly dancer as the entertainment.
You don't need lots of money to obtain all the material goods you want and especially you don't need lots of money to be happy. You simply need to understand the difference between wants and needs and to learn patience.
By Linda from Canberra, Australia
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Here here! Your life sounds a lot like mine, and I had the very best life growing up. I feel sad watching my grandkids in shops. There is such a 'want this, want that" attitude and sadly no appreciation of where the money ha to come from to actually buy all these things. Glad your wedding was fantastic, good luck!
I just love your idea of having flowering plants at the wedding and then putting them in your garden. What a lovely reminder of a wonderful day!
What a wonderful way to live! I admire your attitude and wish I had had it raising my boys. You are living a very blessed and meaningful life. So very glad you shared! :)
Oh, I love your ideas on a frugal wedding. So many people go into debt for the ceremony. I especially loved it that you had the wedding at a Turkish restaurant and had a belly dancer as entertainment.
Life is sweet and looks like yours is sweeter than most due to your positive and constructive outlook! Thanks for sharing your wedding ideas and by the way, this is my 100th feedback on Thriftyfun so thanks for writing something that moved me to feedback!
This brought back a very funny memory from my childhood. I was in a store with my mother. I was about 6 at the time. I started yammering. "I want this, I want one of these" To which Mama replied, "That's too bad" We continued with the grown up shopping and she took me to the hamburger joint just as she always did when we were out.
While I don't agree on how you made your teenagers pay you rent and pay for their own food, I did enjoy your idea regarding the frugal wedding. The amount of $ a person spends on the wedding does not determine how long the marriage is going to last.
I was shocked to find anyone was actually interested in what I had to say. Thank you. This is such a good site. So much to learn from so many clever people. I have learned so much already.
I am unable to hold a job have tried very hard but my disability chronic pain and 24/7 nausea and vomiting from the pain stop me from holding a job. Prior to 4 years ago when I filed for disability which I am still waiting for a decision on I only made under 12 dollars an hour but always paid my bills on time kept my car up and maintained my apartment and was able to eat at least one meal per day All of my resources are depleted and at this point living on the little bit of food that welfare allows me from month to month no cash assistance available to me since I do not have children.
I have a question. What is a tuck-shop and an op shop? Not familiar with these Aussie terms.
A perfect tip to stay happy with a small budget is to always look what's worse than you. Compare yourself to ones that do not even have what you already have. Don't look at the sky because it is always higher, look at the bottom and you'll find your self at a higher position.
* Practically every month, give yourself a budget for every lifestyle department to spend money on. (Like food, education, gifts, traveling, cellular usage, etc)
* When shopping for anything, ask your self twice that if you really need this stuff or you just want to buy it, maybe because its cute, unique, cheap or trendy.
* Always use promo codes from sites such as alipromocodes.com, etc to avail discount coupons for just anything you want to shop.
* Avoid food waste and try to limit extra fancy & overpriced food.
* Switch off extra lights when not in use.
Wonderful as I not only spread the word to my sons I have my grandchildren thinking same. The person who really helped me was a 70 yr. old lady who said use a measuring cup or spoon when cooking/baking not guessing by the eye. I was able to see how much I was wasting. That was 5 years ago and my supplies last longer. Also she said pay myself first so I send a check to my bank like a bill and have use her suggestions , a way happier person.
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