Many of us have great mothers that we learn great things from, and we usually don't realise that until we become a mother ourselves. I know that there are some people who aren't lucky enough to have a great mother, but I am not only lucky enough to have one, I am also lucky enough to have a great mother-in-law. So here are some of the things that my mother and mother-in-law have taught me that I now use, especially in my efforts to live a more frugal lifestyle.
My mum taught me to knit and sew. She first taught me to knit when I was 12. I am now 39 and still love to knit. Over recent years she has been teaching me to sew, usually via advice over the phone as I live so far away from her.
My mum also taught me how to cook, which also started at the age of 12. I remember my first cooking lesson, it was a roast. She told me that she would give me regular cooking lessons and eventually I would have to start helping out with meals or cooking them myself, so that by the time I left home I would know how to at least cook basic meals. It was one of the best life skills she taught me, as I had many housemates who didn't know how to cook. Cooking meals yourself, especially making things from scratch, saves a lot of money.
"15 minutes of housework per day saves 3 hours on the weekend" is something my mum used to say often. She had set days that she did set tasks, and I now find myself doing the same thing. It's a great way to be frugal with your time.
My mother-in-law has taught me about gardening. She has taught me that it is better to have one or two of a particular plant and get a good crop off it, rather than have lots of plants that yield little. She has also shown me that plastic strawberry punnets make good seedling trays and the foam dishes that meat comes on from the supermarket can be washed and used at Playgroup as paint trays.
Both my mum and mother-in-law are good cooks that have given me great recipes and tips. They both have different cooking styles and tastes which gives me a good variety.
What has your mother taught you? Feel free to add a comment here. If you are unable to add a comment but would like to add one, try emailing it to me at paulinestips@gmail.com and I will add it for you.
heh, my mother taught me how to make the perfect gin and tonic. The End! :P
ReplyDeleteMy mum also used to say "Never put anything cheaper than Revlon on your face." This was a warning about the cheap ingredients used in cheap products, and the harmful effects they have on the skin. 15 years later I heard a beauty salon owner give the same warning, as she said the very words, "Never put anything cheaper than Revlon or Max Factor on your face."
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