Have you ever made something harder than it needed to be? I have. Unfortunately, my budget is one area where I have made things harder than they needed to be; especially when it comes to saving money. Often, we tend to try new ways to save that aren't always the best option. In fact, when it comes down to it, the best money saving habits, the majority of them are all ones that have been used by people for decades. They are the same good money saving habits that your grandparents and great grandparents used. They are the Depression Era money saving tips that your family members used to get through the Great Depression. They worked then and if you put them into practice, they will work for you too!
When you're looking to develop good money saving habits, it is best to start simple. That is why I love these old time money saving habits so much. They're all incredibly simple places to start if you need to set up a few good money saving habits for yourself and your family.
10 Old Fashioned Money Saving Tips
The reason that these good money saving habits are so successful is that they're so simple. Overcomplicating your money habits only serve to confuse you and often land you into financial trouble. By keeping things simple, you give yourself time to catch your breath if something goes wrong and you keep yourself from becoming stressed about saving more money. In other words, they're the perfect ways to save no matter if you're a veteran money saver or are new to saving money!
Use coupons – Coupons are a great way to save money and have been around for decades. The difference between the way coupons are used now and how your Mom or Grandma used them is that new phrase “extreme couponing.” Instead of trying to be the best extreme couponer on the block, use your coupons responsibly and only on items you already planned to buy. Otherwise, you run the risk of coupons costing you more than you save.
Related: How I Feed My Family of 6 on $200 a Month – Cheap Meals for Large Families
Make More, Buy Less – One of the most expensive things that our society spends money on is convenience. We are a society that does not like to wait and we are willing to pay more for not having to. If you're looking to establish a few good money saving habits, learn to make more items at home and buy less. Not only will you save more money, but your family will be far healthier. During the Great Depression, most families couldn't afford to go out and buy convenience items. Instead, they learned to make what they needed.
Do Without – One of the best money-saving habits that you could form would be to learn what your needs are and what your wants are. This allows you to do without if you would need to. Folks that lived in days gone by didn't have everything they wanted, but more often than not, they had what they needed. If they didn't need to spend money on something, they did without. It is as simple as that.
Walk or Bike More – Car costs can be outrageous, but all it takes to save money on them is to take a look back at how our family used to get around. By walking or biking more, you set up a good money saving habit that not only saves money, but also will make your family healthier.
Related: 13 Items They Made During the Great Depression (But We Pay for Now)
Repair it Yourself – Are you a Mr. or Mrs. Fix-it? If not, learning a new skill to repair broken things yourself can be a hugely effective and incredibly good money saving habit. Unless the broken item is an extremely technical one or something large, you can most likely repair it yourself for a far less than a repairman would cost you. This includes everything from sewing a rip in a pair of jeans, fixing a broken table leg or another simple home repair that really doesn't need to be hired out for.
Grow More – Another good money saving habit that you can take from your grandparents is growing more food than you buy. Fruits and vegetables are all usually easy to grow which makes learning how to start a garden a must have if you're looking to develop good money saving habits. If you don't have the room for a full garden, you can start a container garden instead so that you can still save money.
Use a cash-only budget – Back in the old days, credit and debit cards were not a thing which means that whenever they shopped, they had to pay with cash. This is still a good money saving habit to have. In addition to high fees, swiping a card does not have the same effect on your mind as handing over cash. By learning how to use the cash envelope budget, you'll teach yourself how to save money without even realizing it.
Related: 22 Frugal Living Tips from the Great Depression
Waste less – Waste is a huge problem for most households and if our Grandparents can teach us anything, it is to use up what you have before you buy more. This can be anything from a bottle of shampoo to having leftovers for lunch. Not only that, but it applies to reuse an item as many times as you can before you throw it away. There are quite a few things that you can reuse to save money that will save you hundreds over the course of a year.
Find free when you can – Why pay for something if you can get it free? Believe it or not, there are a lot of ways that you can get something free instead of paying for it. You could learn to barter when you need something. You could get free service at the grocery store that you would otherwise have to pay for. You could forage and hunt for what you need. Anything that you can score free is money kept in your pocket. If you can't get something free, at least take a look at learning how to haggle so that you get the best deal you possibly can.
Buy used whenever you can – Buying used over paying retail prices is almost always a better option. Not only do you save significantly, but you also keep an item out of the landfill. To save the most money, know what your retail pricing is so you know whether you're being overcharged or not. Just be careful when you are shopping thrift stores that you don't buy any of the things you should never buy used such as a car seat or crib. They aren't worth the danger just to save a few bucks.
Danielle, The Frugal Navy Wife
I am a Wife, mom to 4 kids, homeschool mom, blogger, social media junkie, Frugalista, Book Worm, and Closet Want-to-be Chef. We are a Roadschool family (homeschooling on the road while traveling fulltime).
I grew up learning ways to save from my mom and grandma. I started my own coupon journey when my first child was born in 2009 and started the blog on 2010 when baby #2 was born to share my tips with everyone who kept asking about how I was getting diapers for $1 a pack!
Click here to learn more about starting a blog.
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