Do your kids make frugal choices?

[PatriciaF]

I love watching them with their money choices.

My oldest once did a flooring job for a friend who gave him some of the extra tiles when he was done. He then worked a deal with his land lord to re-tile the kitchenette in his own apartment for a reduction in his rent for the month.

My daughter makes her own hair masks, and facial scrubs/masks from pantry items. She spent a couple of months out of state with her fiancee’ to help care for his Mother. I promptly got an e-mail requesting recipes for laundry soap, bread, biscuits, and a few other things.

Her fiancee’ insists the hm laundry soap is the only soap they will use, even when they move out and it’s just them.

two days before he (dd’s beau) left for boot camp, his car was hit and his driver side mirror was taken off. he arranged with his insurance company for dd to act as a proxy for the claim. they sent the check, she bought another side mirror from a junk yard.

had my brother help her put it on to learn how. then she saved the electrical wire from the old one, and popped the glass out of it so she won’t have to purchase another side mirror just for the glass or if the wire turns out to be faulty. she banked the difference for when he comes home.

my youngest son collects wood pallets to build ‘stuff’ with his friends with. this past summer, they built a trebuchet. we don’t have a car – so these kids are walking the pallets home to “play” with.
he also used one of his sister’s old back packs for school when his broke until he had the money for the “one” he wanted.

it was pink, she felt bad and offered her messenger bag instead that wasn’t so, well pink. it’s the one she currently uses for college. he insisted he doesn’t need one that large, she does.

so she should use it. as for “pink” his response “seriously, i’m 6 feet tall, 210 lbs – who is going to say something about it? besides, they know i don’t care.”

lol.

my youngest nephew came home from boot-camp to thank me for all the mending lessons. seems he made quite the killing there (in snacks) mending uniforms and sewing on patches for his fellow recruits.
“it took me a lot longer than it would you, but i could do it!” and no one else there even had the basic concept of hand sewing.
then he decided to take his cousins to a movie – and he even asked if i had a coupon for the local theater down town.

i did.
i was feeling particularly proud about that, because he was feeling kind of ‘rich’ with having his money from boot-camp all at once…

during one of the last foraging trips dd and i took out together she was telling me how blessed she felt for those times together because she knows no matter where they end up, or how things end up for them that no matter what she will be able to have nutritious food, and treats like dandelion jelly (her fave.) for her family.

that night at dinner, her beau got silly sassy with her while she made his plate…she looked at him and said “honey, if i walk you up the trail – do you know what’s safe to eat or not? do you know where it’s safe to harvest from or not?” he looked at her and said “ah – no”
she said, well keep talking like that if you want, but think of this – i do.

now eat your dinner.”

at this end of the journey, it just really seems that while i was stressing over the things they might have missed out on during their childhood – they seem to have really come through it with so much more i just never put a thought to.

[splashangel]

Great job! I loved reading this. I think you have done a great job.

It’s the other kids that miss out. Yours have had some great qualities instilled in them.
Yes, my boy’s make frugal choices but they are 10 and 11, so it’s on a differant level. They know a few plants that are edible or medicinal.

They are thoughtful with how they spend . My youngest likes hunting and just brought Mama home some squirrel.

[PatriciaF]

Thank you Splashangel – I’m getting all sentimental about their growing up I think. The “Baby” is 18 years old .
That is so cool the youngest brought home some squirrel! It’s good that they’re not squeemish about what’s on the table for dinner.

Even cooler that they enjoy putting it there themselves 🙂 Mine had a thing for frittered dandelion blossoms. I’d come in to find a bowl full soaking in salted water on the counter and know that’s what they wanted with dinner.
That’s where it all starts…And strange as it sounds – as wonderful and heart warming it is to watch them learn as kids, it’s amplified when you watch them follow through with it as adults.

[splashangel]

Yea… They grow up real fast alright. My oldest just turned 27.

I’ve just got started good learning my plants. Some things I’ve done for so long I don’t even really know where it started. But I really started looking more seriously into my weeds last year.

My husband said it looked like those desighns they credit to aliens all over our yard from me saying,” leave this patch so I can cook it and that one so I can pick it and that one so i can study it..

[PatriciaF]

LOL! That’s funny. I think I’ll always be learning a little more about wild edibles.

I try to pass it on to my kids so they have a larger base to add on to for themselves. We only ever collected dandelion greens with my grandmother growing up, and of course wild blackberries/raspberries and strawberries while camping.

[dragonmom]

My oldest is only 11 (almost 12,) but she is already a very frugal kid, I think it’s due to growing up in a blue-collar family. I can send her for an item in the store and be 100% sure she will price shop it, unless its cream cheese in which case she gets name-brand, lol. At her age, she already “works” many odd jobs and babysitting in order to fun her own cell phone.

My daughter has been helping me make laundry soap for ages, and she mends and sews just about everything. Using fabric scraps, my daughter has made stuffed animals to sell in order to fund a competition she wanted to attend. If it’s possible, this child will find the most frusgal way to get it done.

I’m very proud.

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