{"id":246248,"date":"2025-10-28T11:55:24","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T11:55:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/246248\/"},"modified":"2025-10-28T11:55:24","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T11:55:24","slug":"9-frugal-habits-learned-from-growing-up-poor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/246248\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Frugal Habits Learned From Growing Up Poor"},"content":{"rendered":"

Frugal living isn\u2019t about being cheap. It\u2019s about making smart financial choices that prioritize long-term stability over short-term spending. With over 37 million Americans living in poverty (over 11% of the population), learning how to live frugally and budget<\/a> effectively is more important than ever. <\/p>\n

Find Out: 8 Smart Ways Frugal People Are Living Like There\u2019s Already a Recession<\/a><\/p>\n

Read Next: 6 Things You Must Do When Your Savings Reach $50,000<\/a><\/p>\n

For those who grew up poor, money-saving habits often become second nature. GOBankingRates spoke with Peter Niebling and Hunter Garnett, both of whom grew up with limited financial resources but now enjoy greater financial stability. Here are 9 frugal habits they learned<\/a> from growing up poor that still benefit them today.<\/p>\n

1. Buy Older, Used Vehicles in Cash<\/p>\n

For Hunter Garnett, founder at Huntsville Personal Injury Lawyers<\/a>, growing up in a lower-middle-class household with seven children didn\u2019t leave much money to go around.<\/p>\n

One frugal habit he learned and has continued to practice is to purchase older or used vehicles<\/a> in cash, rather than relying on auto loans. This has saved both him and his wife money on financing costs and auto insurance.<\/p>\n

\u201cUntil just a few years ago, my wife drove a 2004 Honda Accord. I still drive a 2000 Toyota Tacoma,\u201d Garnett said. \u201cNow, despite earning mid- to high-six-figures annually, we pay cash for used vehicles. This has helped us avoid paying interest on car loans. We\u2019re also able to save substantially on automobile insurance.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. Use Those Credit Card Rewards<\/p>\n

Credit cards can be dangerous if misused, but when managed properly, they offer valuable rewards. Another frugal secret Garnett learned is to use credit cards for everything, and to pay them off each month before the interest charges kick in. That way, he can take advantage of any rewards programs<\/a> without the high interest charges.<\/p>\n

\u201c[My wife and I] earn 5% on fuel, 3% on entertainment and 1.5% on pretty much everything else,\u201d he said. \u201cThese rewards can really add up. After grad school, we lived an hour from our jobs to save money. As you can imagine, our fuel costs were substantial. During the first year, we earned about $800 in cash back, mostly in fuel rewards.\u201d<\/p>\n

For You: Here\u2019s Why Gen-Z Is Embracing Frugal Living According to Brian Jung<\/a><\/p>\n

3. Use It Up & Wear It Out<\/p>\n

When you grow up poor, you can\u2019t really afford to toss out your belongings just because they\u2019re slightly worn down or no longer in perfect condition. For Peter Niebling, dealer principal at\u00a0Redlands Mazda<\/a>, this was one of the biggest frugal secrets he learned.<\/p>\n

\u201cGrowing up without a lot of money taught me some thriftiness that\u2019s stuck with me,\u201d Niebling said. \u201cOur family\u2019s \u2018use it up, wear it out\u2019 motto was the main thing. That meant fixing and reusing stuff instead of just buying new things all the time \u2014 something I still do, and it saves me a ton of cash.\u201d<\/p>\n

4. Purchase Secondhand or Off-Brand Apparel<\/p>\n

Buying gently used or non-luxury clothing items is another way Garnett and his family have learned to save money.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe buy most of our clothing secondhand<\/a>. EBay, Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist were usually where we found our clothing,\u201d he said. \u201cFor exercise attire, we bought, and continue to buy, clothing from Sam\u2019s Club. My wife still buys a lot of our clothes, especially nicer items, on eBay and Facebook.\u201d<\/p>\n

5. Don\u2019t Spend a Ton on Gifts<\/p>\n

Giving gifts around the holidays or birthdays can be a great way to show someone you care, but it can also be very expensive, and for those growing up poor, affording all of those gifts just isn\u2019t feasible.<\/p>\n

Garnett said that his household typically makes their gifts themselves to cut down on costs. His wife, he said, uses sites like Pinterest to come up with great ideas, and then buys inexpensive or preowned items from Facebook or Craigslist to cut down on the cost of supplies.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne year, we picked cotton in a field, bought wreaths from Hobby Lobby and made really nice cotton wreaths for all of our sisters and moms (there are 11 sisters),\u201d Garnett said.<\/p>\n

6. Learn To Budget Early<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all too easy to overspend, especially right after payday, around the holidays or when the latest and greatest new gadget comes out. Unfortunately, this can keep you from achieving financial stability or lead to greater financial hardship down the road.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why having a budget and understanding what\u2019s necessary versus what\u2019s not is so important.<\/p>\n

\u201cI learned how budgeting works and how to differentiate between what you need and want,\u201d Niebling said. \u201cI keep a strict budget, which helps me save money and avoid debt problems<\/a>. That\u2019s been huge for getting my finances stable.\u201d<\/p>\n

7. Don\u2019t Eat Out When You Can Cook at Home<\/p>\n

Growing up without much money taught Niebling the value importance of finding ways to cut down on food expenses.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe ate at home a lot more than going out to restaurants, which saved dough but also meant healthier eating habits,\u201d said Niebling about his childhood. \u201cEven today, I\u2019d still rather eat a home-cooked meal, and that\u2019s kept money in my wallet and me in better health.\u201d<\/p>\n

8. Cut Out the Cable and Satellite<\/p>\n

For families without much money, the cost of certain subscriptions<\/a> \u2014 like cable television \u2014 can be more than they can afford. But even when money is no longer a major concern, the monthly cost of certain subscriptions simply isn\u2019t worth it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t have any cable television subscription\u201d said Garnett, referring to when he was growing up. Even now, his household doesn\u2019t have cable or satellite subscriptions.<\/p>\n

9. Use a Space Heater and Lower the Thermostat<\/p>\n

High utility bills are a major issue for many households, especially during the winter when temperatures tend to drop. But rather than crank up the heat all throughout the house, Garnett and his wife learned to save money by keeping the thermostat set to low (64 to 66 degrees in wintertime) and using a small space heater in their bedroom at night.<\/p>\n

Caitlyn Moorhead <\/a>contributed to the reporting for this article. <\/p>\n

More From GOBankingRates<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on
\n GOBankingRates.com<\/a>:
\n 9 Frugal Habits Learned From Growing Up Poor<\/a><\/p>\n

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Frugal living isn\u2019t about being cheap. It\u2019s about making smart financial choices that prioritize long-term stability over short-term…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":246249,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[64,63,99,186,184,185],"class_list":{"0":"post-246248","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-personal-finance","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-business","11":"tag-finance","12":"tag-personal-finance","13":"tag-personalfinance"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=246248"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246248\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/246249"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=246248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=246248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=246248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}