5 Saving Money Tips My Mom Taught Me

When I was growing up, I never thought twice about money or saving money tips that my parents did every day.  Until I was married, I didn’t realize all the things they did every day to make the most of their money and save money each day.

Before law school, we didn’t make much money.  We were so happy and had no debt despite that fact.  When we decided to go to law school, we saved as much as we could before going to school.  Even after all our work, it was not enough.

Financial stress went through the roof as we decided to go into debt. I didn’t know how to cope.  I began to shut down and became very distant to my family.  As I look back now, I realize just how much stress I had and how distant I was.  My mom often came down to help me and to give me a break.

As I think back through this whole process, I now see the great lessons my mom gave to me that are the things people have always done to get through stressful financial times.  The saving money tips she taught me helped ease up some of the distant feelings I was having.

Saving money tips my mom taught me

1. Family always trumps money –

Money can be stressful, and it can take over your life.  Your family needs you more than the money needs you.  So when finances get stressful, The best thing to do is focus on your family and make sure you are not neglecting them as part of you trying to deal with the stress.

If you don’t have a family or even if you do and want some extra support, Join a community like the onup movement. This movement helps you stay motivated to get your finances in order and to do what you can to live a good life while getting in a better place.  You can also sign up for the onup updates to stay connected and get more motivation to get your finances in order!

2. Sometimes the best entertainment is a money saver too! –

Parks, hikes, and other outdoor activities are some of the best ways to spend time with family and is literally good for your brain!

Free entertainment is something that will be good not only for your family relationships but is also good for your stress level.  Getting outside will lower your stress, help you to deal with everything better, and build a stronger bond with your family

3. Use, reuse, and use some more –

My mom grew up with a mother who grew up during the depression.  They used everything until they were rags, never had excess stuff and would sometimes only have meat once a week.  These type os saving money tips made a huge difference in their family and their money!

We can use those same principles today and use only what we need to, reuse as much as possible and use items until they can not be used again.

4. The best dinners are made at home –

One of the greatest skills my mom taught me, that is also one of the best saving money tips, was to cook.  My mom learned to cook from her mom and so forth.  This skill has saved me more than I could ever say.  Cooking at home is a huge money saver, and it is also perfect for spending time with family which reduces stress as well.

When learning to cook from scratch, you want to start off by following recipes.  There are many frugal recipes out there that can slowly teach you what ingredients go together, What kind of things you like.

One of the best things that happen when you cook together is family time.  I like to get my kids involved and have everyone help.  After it is finished, we are also able to sit down together and bond over our meal that we prepared together!

5. Gardening gives you more than just food and beauty –

One of my families long time secrets has been gardening.  My mom has gardened as long as I can remember. My mom loved to plant flowers and make things beautiful.  My mom would spend hours outside and I never really understood why until now.

My favorite kind of garden is a kitchen garden.  When I can plant and tend to a garden, it helps save us money by giving us fresh produce, but it also gives me a chance to get out and dig in the dirt.  When I am working to dig in the dirt, I am relieving stress.  I am also getting into the sunshine which helps to get my spirits up.

As I have applied all these saving money tips my mom taught me through law school, I have been so much less stressed when it came to my finances.  Money isn’t as stressful even when the budget is tight because I am keeping my perspective in the right place, and I am doing things that help to manage the stress.