Friday OT #1 - Rubbing Pennies

[madguy30]

Can't believe I didn't even consider this one:
My grandpa grew up in the Great Depression, so it was engrained to save.

One time at his birthday, we were at a restaurant, and they gave him a free birthday cake. He couldn't accept how something could be free.

Also despite being just fine financially he would keep McD's cheeseburgers in the freezer to 'stock up' and eat occasionally. This continued until he passed at 102.

Per the great depression stuff: he also liked his toast totally burnt because that's how it would cook using a flame when he was a child.

@Angie, how about that for a topic (if not already used): things you do now that very similar to how you operated as a child, like the way you dress, etc.

 

[BCClone]

Mom would make us put regular milk in chocolate milk to make it last longer

I always mixed them since the kinda we got seemed strong. Plus chocolate was usually whole and I was used to 1%. That would take it down to 2-3% then.

EDIT: this was when I got older because growing up it was adding quick to white milk. Also added quick to have have chocolate ice cream. Got you strong trying to stir and blend it together.

 

[cyclones500]

Also added quick to have have chocolate ice cream. Got you strong trying to stir and blend it together.

Ah yes I remember having to use Quik as a last resort for ice cream if syrup wasn't available.

 

[cyclones500]

Shredded Wheat (the big biscuit ones - not even sure it that's a thing now)

Big-biscuit Shredded Wheat was among my dad's go-to cereals (along with Wheaties and Puffed Wheat). When I ate Shredded Wheat I always felt like I was little bales of hay with milk on it.

Non-mini version is still available at most stores, I *think* - probably not a big seller (a guess).

 

[MeanDean]

Big-biscuit Shredded Wheat was among my dad's go-to cereals (along with Wheaties and Puffed Wheat). When I ate Shredded Wheat I always felt like I was little bales of hay with milk on it.

Non-mini version is still available at most stores, I *think* - probably not a big seller (a guess).

One of my dad's favorites was to melt a little margarine in a sauce pan then shred the bale into that, add a bit of salt and stir it around to try to coat the shredded wheat with the margarine. We called it shredded wheat with butter. Basically a version of Triscuits before there ever was such a thing. And yes, I would do it too. (We didn't have many salted snacks in the house, and if there were, they didn't last a day.)

 

[BCClone]

One of my dad's favorites was to melt a little margarine in a sauce pan the shred the bale into that, add a bit of salt and stir it around to try to coat the shredded wheat with the margarine. We called it shredded wheat with butter. Basically a version of Triscuits before there ever was such a thing. And yes, I would do it too. (We didn't have many salted snacks in the house, and if there were, they didn't last a day.)

Before nachos were a thing in our rural Iowa area. My dads treat was to cut small pieces of cheese and put them on the big tostino chips and then microwave them to to point they would slightly melt. Amazing what you create when options are limited. We lived 20-25 miles from the grocery store we used (closer one was a two aisle store and my dad didn’t like the owner so we did weekly trips to the grocery store.

 

[wxman1]

My dad is this way about the prices of houses. He was baffled when we couldn't find a nice house in the $40,000 range... like he did in 1990 in a tiny town.

that’s my mom. She always has to comment about someone having “a big house”. Yes mom it is over 1,500 sq ft…

 

[TexCyted]

I bought a brand new Chevy Pickup on my 18th birthday, late 90's. My parents were very upset with the idea that I got a loan for a vehicle. They were still driving a 1977 Toyota Corona and a 1983 Chevy 2X4 single cab to work. They also had a 1989 Dodge Caravan for our "family vehicle" it had 40k miles on it when they sold it 2005. Nothing was bought on credit in our house. Also did the sandwiches in the cooler for roadtrips.

 

[ruxCYtable]

My dad has improved on this some but my mom is still very stuck in the past on what things should cost.

I see this a lot with older people, working in insurance. FTR, insurance IS ridiculously expensive, but we're all paying the price for all the other idiots out there. Anyway, had an elderly woman scream at me a couple weeks ago that we were "charging us like we're teenagers." They were paying just over $50/month for two cars less than three years old.

 

[2speedy1]

@ruxCYtable came through with another great thread idea! Here it is:

What are ridiculous things your parents/grandparents or even you do/did to because they were cheap-ass tightwads?

My grandparents went through the depression. My grandma saved everything. She worked part time at the local grocery store well after retirement age, and bought everything on special. Many times things would go to waste just because she bought things on sale and would store them so long, but would never throw anything away.

She would save every foam tray that meat or other things came on to use as plates or other things, and re wash them over and over. She would put pans in the sink to catch water instead of letting it go down the drain, because she thought it cost money to use the sewer. She only used the vent in her car because the A/C cost money.

My grandma saved everything, but was a wonderful lady, she saved and invested money, and when she passed she actually was fairly well off, even though many thought she was poor because she pinched pennies so much. She was such a caring person, and one of the strongest willed people I know.

I don't think people today understand what people in those generations went through. My grandparents went through 2 World Wars, the Great Depression, the Spanish Flu, TB, Korean War, Vietnam, The Cold War including the Cuban missile crisis, the 80s Farm crisis. My family still has the ration cards they had during WW2, we lost family members to TB, WW1, WW2, Spanish Flu and more. I know of stories of how they truly had nothing in the 20s and 30s, trying to decide if they were going to eat the chicken, but knowing the next day they wouldn't even have an egg.

My grandparents saved because they were always worried it could go back to that again someday.

The current generations do not understand, we are ungrateful, we are soft, we think we are owed something. We don't know what true need, want, and struggle is. My grandparents and frankly my parents too are some of the strongest people I have ever met, they could work circles around anyone today. The generations that came before us are by far the best, we don't even come close to them. Then we turn around and call them "cheap ass tight-wads" because we are disrespectful jack-wads.

Don't get me wrong, I am one of those too, I am just as guilty, I laugh and make fun of some of the weird stuff they did, like saving wrapping paper, giving practical stuff like work gloves and deodorant for Christmas, washing and reusing foam plates, saving bread sacks. All that stuff. Still when you look at the big picture, and why they did it, laughing and making fun of it makes us all look like ungrateful disrespectful jerks, myself included.

 

[2speedy1]

Oh one other thing, when my grandma died, we found jars of money hidden all over her house, some with some really old money. Because she still didn't fully trust the banks, after the depression. Of course she used the banks and had investments, but she still had these as a backup apparently.
We always wonder if we found it all.

 

[Frog]

My grandparents renovated the old farmhouse house and added AC but my GP would never let it be turned on. I only remember them turning it on during big yearly 4th of July family picnic. It was NEVER a reunion or party, always called picnic. It was so hot in there coming in from working outside all day.
My GM would also add water to milk which is fine if your want to make skim milk out of whole milk, but this was like 70/30. She would add water to juice and soda which I remember what can or two of pop she had was always Shasta root beer. My dad said it was because of great depression.
HOWEVER, coffee and meals were not skimped on for breakfast, lunch and dinner. My GP would drink hot coffee from dawn to dusk no matter what the temp. They never seemed to skimp on booze or meat. LOTS of pork but raised hogs so we ate pork so much and still do. Sorry for getting off topic there. I really miss them!!

 

[RLD4ISU]

I remember my grandparents (born in the early '20s and part of the Greatest Generation) doing quite a few of the things everyone else has mentioned. When we stayed at my maternal grandparents, grandma would make saltines with frosting as a treat for us. Another treat she'd give us is Chiclets.

 

[Angie]

things you do now that very similar to how you operated as a child, like the way you dress, etc.

I'll put that on for next week!

Depending on how old people are, we might see "pee in my pants" on the list!

 

[2speedy1]

I remember my grandparents (born in the early '20s and part of the Greatest Generation) doing quite a few of the things everyone else has mentioned. When we stayed at my maternal grandparents, grandma would make saltines with frosting as a treat for us. Another treat she'd give us is Chiclets.

My paternal grandpa, who died when I was 6, always had Juicy Fruit gum, he gave us as a treat. It is one of my favorite memories of him.

 

[khardbored]

My grandparents on my Dad's side were very cheap/frugal and gave Christmas & birthday gifts that were sometimes both cheap and/or "unfitting" the occasion (Well into the 90's). For example:

- giving a 3-pack of brand new underware as a Christmas gift to their adult children in their 40's.
- a box of crackers
- a small pack of gum (the 5 sticks) -- not as a stocking stuffer, as a whole wrapped gift
- Oranges
- I once got a coloring book as a Christmas gift when I was like 12 (the target audience was like ages 5 and under)

(Could probably do a whole topic on "cheapest Christmas/Birthday gift!")

 

[Angie]

My grandparents on my Dad's side were very cheap/frugal and gave Christmas & birthday gifts that were sometimes both cheap and/or "unfitting" the occasion (Well into the 90's). For example:

- giving a 3-pack of brand new underware as a Christmas gift to their adult children in their 40's.
- a box of crackers
- a small pack of gum (the 5 sticks) -- not as a stocking stuffer, as a whole wrapped gift
- Oranges
- I once got a coloring book as a Christmas gift when I was like 12 (the target audience was like ages 5 and under)

(Could probably do a whole topic on "cheapest Christmas/Birthday gift!")

I will also add that one!

@Mr Janny has more tales to tell here from his same Grandma Deep Freeze.

 

[cyclones500]

My paternal grandpa, who died when I was 6, always had Juicy Fruit gum, he gave us as a treat. It is one of my favorite memories of him.

Similar memory, my paternal grandpa, died when I was about 4, one of my only clear memories of him he always had M&Ms in the cupboard, whenever Dad & I stopped by, first thing Grandpa did was go over to the cupboard and say, "You want M&Ms?" (Yes was the answer, of course) -- next question "Plain or Peanut?" And he produced a bag.

It was a tradition any time younger grandchildren visited, I've been told.I was second-youngest grandchild on that side. According to my sisters, he might have done Hershey bars at some point instead of M&Ms.

 

[mikeiastat]

Have you guys not heard the phrase "I didn't have two pennies to rub together"? Am I using an esoteric phrase?

Think it was nickels. But I get your point.

My cheapos - fried egg noodles and ketchup. Too this day.

The stack of bee-bop coupons for the $1.06 value meal buy one item get one free. I think there were college week this happened more that 7 times.

And ditto on the washing out plastic bags.

 

[2speedy1]

Its funny too, some of the old vehicles I would love to have in my garage today. My paternal grandpa had an old late 60s Ford F100, was just an old farm truck but I sure would love to have that truck. My maternal grandpa had an old 60s Chevy Impala, that he drove for a "fishing car" again pretty rough but would love to still have it. My dad had a 71 Chevy Monte Carlo, it is definitely on my want list too.
Amazing what these old cars bring today. But just the memories alone is what would be worth it.