Growing Up With Frugal Parents: Stories From Children Who Saw Saving Go Too Far

Cleaning days were adventures of their own. He would sort through the trash, searching for anything that might still have value. A stray coin, a can for recycling, a piece of scrap metal he could save—nothing slipped past his inspection.

Traveling with him required patience. He treated gas prices like a personal game, determined to find the absolute lowest one. This meant driving from station to station, sometimes for half an hour, just to save a few cents.

And then there was his hill-driving technique. Whenever we coasted downhill, he would shift the car into neutral and lightly push the door open with his foot, guiding the car along to save fuel. To him, this was clever. To me, it was nerve-racking.

Eating out was no different. One afternoon at a fast-food restaurant, I asked if I could order a burger. He studied the menu with concern and decided the price was too high. Instead, he suggested chicken fries, which cost a little less. That was the rule: not what you wanted, but what fit the smallest number on the menu.

Story 4: The Return That Should Never Have Worked

Some people appreciate a good store policy, and my father was one of them. He discovered that our local warehouse store had a generous return system, and he decided to make full use of it.Continue reading…