THE BROKEN WALLET

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Things were different back in the day and most people didn’t have endless options. Online shopping wasn’t at their fingertips, so being resourceful was probably a lot easier. And honestly, I feel like they had it right.

Because even though their strategy for saving money was simple and came naturally, it worked. So here are three boring money habits that would absolutely make your grandmother proud.

1. Keeping the Same Furniture for Years

I’m not talking about keeping furniture that’s ragged, smelly, broken, or dirty just because you don’t want to spend money.

I’m talking about keeping furniture that’s still in good condition and getting the full value out of it, instead of constantly switching things out because you’re bored or because a new trend is floating around.

Growing up, we had a lot of different living room sets. From the time I can remember until I moved out at 23, we probably had six different ones. And because of that, I probably think about buying a new couch more than the average person. So I’ve definitely had to retrain my brain.

My current living room set is not that old and still in good condition because we barely sit in that room. But for the last two years, every now and then I catch myself thinking, I want a nice large comfy cozy sectional.

But I don’t need something new. So instead of replacing it, I spruced it up.

I bought new pillows, added throws, went on Pinterest for inspiration, and now I actually like the space again.

Do I still want a sectional one day? Yes. But I can wait. Absolutely.

Because even if I gave in and bought a new couch, a few years from now I’d probably be right back in the same place, wanting another one.

2. Not Being So Easily Impressed

I feel like today, being easily impressed by what other people have or what they’re wearing can mess with your mind more than you realize.

When I think about older people – just observing them growing up or overhearing their conversations – one thing stands out: many of them had discernment. They could read in between the lines and often see past the performance.

All that glitter ain’t gold.
The grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
People only show the porch, not the whole house.
You don’t know what goes on behind closed doors.

Those phrases have been around forever for a reason. They remind us that what you see on the outside isn’t always the full picture.

Let me give you an example of what I mean.

There was a person who constantly talked about how they only eat at certain restaurants, only fly first class, only do “luxury everything” because they’re supposedly in such a good financial place.

Someone who can’t do these things might hear this and think, wow this person really has their life together, or I wish this was me.

But in another conversation, this same person had a slip-up and mentioned that their dealership turned off their car using a starter interrupter. This is a true story by the way.

I didn’t know anything about these devices, which is why it caught my attention. I looked it up and found out that if you purchase from a buy here, pay here dealership and you have bad credit, they might install it. That way, they can turn off the car if you miss a payment.

So what I quickly learned was this person was out here bragging about living a luxury lifestyle and enjoying the best, but they weren’t even current on their car note and had bad credit. And that’s exactly why you can’t be so easily impressed by people.

You don’t know what’s happening behind the scenes. It doesn’t matter where they live, what car they drive, or what vacations they take. Financial stability isn’t always what it looks like on Instagram.

3. Bringing Food When You Leave the House

This is one thing I want to start doing on road trips because I don’t always want fast food, and I also don’t want to always stop at a sit-down restaurant with a waiter.

I think about how when there wasn’t an abundance of options, people used to pack sandwiches, quick meals, snacks, all in Tupperware, when traveling. They’d pull over, eat, keep it moving, save money, and still enjoy the trip.

Obviously I realize some people still do this, but a lot of people don’t, yet it’s such a simple way to save money.

This also works when running errands, especially if you have a drive-thru problem.

One thing I started doing is dropping a Clif Bar in my bag, which is usually enough to hold me over until I get home. I also bring water when I leave the house because sometimes when you think you’re hungry, you’re actually thirsty. And when I’m sipping on something, I’m usually good and don’t need to stop and grab anything. It’s one of the oldest budget hacks and it still works.

These habits aren’t fancy or complicated. They’re practical and they work. Which proves, sometimes the boring way is actually the smarter way.