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Free~Bird
Honorary Bearcat!
PeaNut 104,551
September 2003
Posts: 9,942
Layouts: 3
Loc: Missouri
 |  Posted: 12/6/2012 10:25:12 AM
We didn't have a lot when I was a kid. Not dirt poor, my parents hid their poorness well, but we didn't have a lot of flexible spending.
We always had a good christmas. My mom is quite a bargain shopper. However, she would always be so stingy on scotch tape to the point of being ridiculous. Packages needing to be held closed with 1/2" of tape kind of ridiculous.
Now, I can barely function without tape. It's like, a dollar, mom.  I tape all my envelopes shut. Use big pieces on packages. Heck you should see me wrap up a package to mail I'm sure the recipents cuss me all the time.
The other thing was, we had to garden when I was a kid and I HATED it. Mainly because bugs LOVE me and I have always gotten eaten alive by bugs. So it would be 110 degrees out and I'd be wearing long sleeves and jeans to keep the bugs off of me. My parents would bitch because I was hot and sweaty. So I always swore if I needed to work an extra 15 minutes to be able to afford a can of beans, by god I was doing it.
I've *never* planted a vegetable garden since I left home and I'm not sad about it for a second. lol.
What things did your parents torment you about that you SHOW THEM now?
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MotherofJackals
Turning holy water into wine
PeaNut 27,168
January 2002
Posts: 22,122
Layouts: 27
Loc: Hanging out by the state line
 | Posted: 12/6/2012 10:29:40 AM
Food. It actually calms me to look in the cupboards and refrigerator and have them all full. | |
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PEAS well w/ others
Legen - wait for it - dary
PeaNut 257,161
April 2006
Posts: 13,717
Layouts: 0
Loc: In my big comfy bed
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dalayney
Shut the PEA UP! Yer gettin me all twitterpaited!
PeaNut 123,471
January 2004
Posts: 16,358
Layouts: 165
Loc: Husker by Heart in WI
| Posted: 12/6/2012 10:34:02 AM
This is going to sound really weird, but .... nice furniture. We always had crap, hand me downs. I hated it.
I am Steinhafels (furniture store) best customer. They know me when I walk in the door there. | |
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chelsea_bug
AncestralPea
PeaNut 89,393
June 2003
Posts: 4,155
Layouts: 0
Loc: Central New York
| Posted: 12/6/2012 10:35:30 AM
When I was a kid, Mom would limit the amount of parmesan cheese we could have on our pasta. The first few years of marraige, I made similar comments to DH. He has taught me to live a little and "splurge" on parmesan cheese. Now, I can hand my 3 year old the cheese and let him put it on. Sometimes I cringe if it's a bunch...but I am moving past it.
BTW - my Mom said she has no memory of limmiting my cheese usage. |
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peapermint
Ancient Ancestor of Pea
PeaNut 9,321
January 2001
Posts: 8,601
Layouts: 0
Loc: all up in your business
 | Posted: 12/6/2012 10:36:08 AM
Food! I never went hungry as a kid, but it was just the basics. I LOVE being able to buy what I want to eat.
Candy!
Also, good shoes, not from Kmart.
Years ago I also bought some of the toys I had wanted in the '70s. | |
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LBP
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 211,963
June 2005
Posts: 2,091
Layouts: 0
Loc: SW Virginia
| Posted: 12/6/2012 10:36:21 AM
Socks! I never had enough socks for the week. They were either too little or had a hole, etc.. I have a whole gigantic drawer of socks now. I buy them all the time! | |
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Peal
Hello, is this thing on?
PeaNut 60,761
January 2003
Posts: 8,491
Layouts: 28
Loc: Who's asking?
 | Posted: 12/6/2012 10:38:40 AM
Not me but DH. Club Crackers. The kind the Keebler Elves make. We have never ever bought a box of saltine crackers since we have been married. It's the one thing he insists on is decent crackers for his soup.
I don't care as I don't like crackers in my soup. But he feels like he makes a good enough living to have the nice ones. |
Christina
You can't argue with popularity. Well, you could, but you'd be wrong.
My Blog
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PSILUVU
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 427,403
June 2009
Posts: 2,459
Layouts: 14
Loc: Canada's Capital
 | Posted: 12/6/2012 10:39:46 AM
Brand Name clothes for my kids. I always had the Kmart or Zellers (target) brand of clothes. I remember really wanting a pair of acid washed jeans. My mom bought a pair of Zellers and bleached them, they turned a lovely shade of orangy brown and I still had to wear them.
My kids pretty much get whatever they want clotheswise. I do try to hit the sales though |
Kelli
2012 Goals/ Completed
pages 75/10
cards 50/13
2011 Totals
pages 53
cards 26
Please ignore the typos..I do know how to spell, I DON"T know how to type
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Anna*Banana
:blink:
PeaNut 69,360
February 2003
Posts: 22,778
Layouts: 6
| Posted: 12/6/2012 10:39:53 AM
Real coke. And not just the real stuff, but the bottled stuff made with cane sugar. Not the Mayfair off brand or the canned HFCS stuff. |
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hobbygirl82
PeaAddict
PeaNut 450,860
January 2010
Posts: 1,028
Layouts: 0
| Posted: 12/6/2012 10:40:33 AM
Shoes...I mainly had two pair as a kid. One pair of tennis shoes for school and a pair of dress shoes for church. I now have tons of shoes and my kids do too.
Oh and hats, gloves and scarves. I had one set each year. I crochet/knit so my kids are a little spoiled on the scarf/hats front. They have tons of 'em, LOL | |
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mjmone
PeaFixture
PeaNut 276,485
September 2006
Posts: 3,424
Layouts: 18
Loc: central ca
 | Posted: 12/6/2012 10:40:46 AM
I can't think of anything for myself, except that my mom made all our clothes, so when I got my first job and could buy my own...well, that was amazing. And yeah, I DO NOT sew...
also my son (28) says he is obsessed with sugary cereals because growing up I did not let him have any
and my daughter (26) says she is the same with McDonalds cuz I did not get her any growing up
siiiigh, such rebellious children. |
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PEArfect
AncestralPea
PeaNut 452,048
January 2010
Posts: 4,488
Layouts: 0
Loc: Indiana
| Posted: 12/6/2012 10:43:14 AM
I host annual birthday parties, Halloween parties and sleepovers for my dd's. I had one sleepover/birthday party, and went to a few when I was a child. I also went to a few Halloween parties. Good memories!
We also go on an annual family vacation. When I was a child we went on two family vacations. My parents just couldn't afford extras like vacations and parties. |
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megmc
AncestralPea
PeaNut 497,090
January 2011
Posts: 4,919
Layouts: 0
 | Posted: 12/6/2012 10:47:50 AM
driving to kids to school. Yes that is a treat. It is extra time.
I had to ride the stinking bus everyday. even when my a-hole brother starting driving. my father worked at home, but never got out of bed until after I left in the morning.
the worst part of the whole thing...I find that he was giving rides to the neighbor girl (my age) at least twice a week, because she missed the bus.
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Luvnlifelady
Ancient Ancestor of Pea
PeaNut 289,166
December 2006
Posts: 17,342
Layouts: 7
Loc: Southern California
| Posted: 12/6/2012 10:54:04 AM
I made sure my kids both got real Van's slip-on shoes when they wanted them. I got the knock-offs in high school. Granted, we had 5 kids in my family on a military salary while I only have 2, but it still sucked.
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Oliquig
PeaFixture
PeaNut 210,654
June 2005
Posts: 3,664
Layouts: 198
Loc: Connecticut
| Posted: 12/6/2012 10:54:18 AM
Birthday parties, not for me but for my niece.
My BFF is the same with Christmas stockings, her mom stopped them when her older brother went to college, so BFF was 10. To this day she goes overboard with them. |
-Rachel
I just don't see why people think I'm too patronizing (that means I treat them as if they were stupid.)
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MrsKLewis
Will I ever get to Buckethead?!
PeaNut 530,601
November 2011
Posts: 491
Layouts: 0
Loc: Crimson Tide Country
 | Posted: 12/6/2012 10:58:17 AM
ANYthing girly. Especially shoes and clothes. As a kid I was lucky to get shoes from the dollar store. Really lucky to get a couple outfits from Walmart once a year. My grandmother had to raise me and after raising 5 boys she knew nothing about raising girls. I looked like a little boy until I was 12. I had a mullet! A MULLET. And dressed like a boy. My grandmother says she got my ears pierced so that people would stop assuming I was a boy. You wouldn't be able to tell by looking at me now, I'm very girly my grandmother looks at me like I'm an alien from outer space. Anything girly is foreign to her. |
| "Blessed are the children of Scrapbookers, for they shall inherit the Scrapbooks." | |
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peanuttle
PeaAddict
PeaNut 136,677
March 2004
Posts: 1,053
Layouts: 0
| Posted: 12/6/2012 11:03:01 AM
I didn't really lack for much, not that we had a lot of money, but I don't recall not having things I wanted.
My mom, however, splurges on PICKLES! My grandpa would only let them have 2 pickles with their meals and my mom is a pickle freak, so now she goes crazy when she has pickles. | |
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Miss Lerins Momma
Ancient Ancestor of Pea
PeaNut 151,660
June 2004
Posts: 13,115
Layouts: 38
Loc: KY
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pahina722
Peasfully Grading
PeaNut 167,524
September 2004
Posts: 5,949
Layouts: 1
Loc: Northwest Florida
| Posted: 12/6/2012 11:05:56 AM
Well, my mom grew up VERY poor, so she always made sure that we kids had everything we wanted (or, actually, that she thought we should have). When my friends were buying their clothes at K-Mart or Sears, we were shopping at Liz Claiborne and Macy's. My first car was a four-year-old Celica when my friends were having to buy their own junkers and fix them up or do without. Neighbor kids were always snacking at our house, which was always plentifully supplied with soda, chips, and other junk food. On the other hand, we traveled only rarely and then to visit relatives.
So, my rebellion has been not to be so fixated on things and brands and more focused on trips and time together. DS gets most of his clothes from Kohl's or Target, but we vacation at places like Universal Studios, the Keys, or the mountains at least twice a year. We also strictly limit junk food and soda, as well as TV and game system time.
I suspect that DS's rebellion will be to only have junk food in his house! |
~~~~~~Paige~~~~~~
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raindancer
Capt. Sparrow's Pirate Wench
PeaNut 217,886
August 2005
Posts: 15,473
Layouts: 44
| Posted: 12/6/2012 11:05:59 AM
disposable diapers for my babies. I had younger siblings and my mom used cloth diapers. I hated that. I thought it was so gross! And even still, all my hippie crunchy friends tried so hard to convince me that it wasn't gross now, and cloth has come so far! I refused. I swore when I had kids it wouldn't be before I could afford diapers. And I have no guilt for adding to the landfill. |
~Heidi~
"You can make excuses or you can make progress but you can't make both."
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MergeLeft
Typical Liberal
PeaNut 221,236
August 2005
Posts: 19,113
Layouts: 67
Loc: Houston
| Posted: 12/6/2012 11:11:33 AM
Trendy clothes. Growing up we weren't allowed to have anything that wasn't plain and classic looking, and good enough quality to wear for a decade - my mom thought it was "trashy."
Now I enjoy buying trendy clothes, and I generally don't expect to wear anything more than a couple of years. I'm hardly on the cutting edge of fashion, but I like to look updated and in style. |
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batya
Making the WWW better, one post at a time.
PeaNut 59,094
December 2002
Posts: 31,839
Layouts: 24
Loc: up on my high horse
| Posted: 12/6/2012 11:20:51 AM
Ziploc bags |
OK. Newbie. This is how it works. If your post consists of 80% sanity, 10% stupidity and 10% all kinds of crazy, we immediately focus on the 20% b/c it discredits the 80%.
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gavinsgma
PeaNut
PeaNut 335,228
August 2007
Posts: 91
Layouts: 0
 | Posted: 12/6/2012 11:25:10 AM
Honestly, I can not think of a thing. We were poor-my Mom was a single parent that did everything she could to provide for us. I never even knew we were poor. I had the best childhood any kid could ever have-all thanks to her and my Grandparents. I could only hope that my children could be 1/2 as thankful as I am for how they were raised. That would make me one happy mom. Looking back I can only remember things she did to make everyday special-I don't remember lacking in anything. I guess that is a good thing. | |
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mythreeboys
Lady of Ledgers
PeaNut 52,585
October 2002
Posts: 5,440
Layouts: 45
Loc: Alberta, Canada
| Posted: 12/6/2012 11:25:38 AM
My parents were middle class, but frugal, and we lived in a small town.
Now that I'm the grown up we eat out way more than we did when I was a kid. We always get treats at the movie (never did as a kid) and when we go on vacation sometimes we stay in a hotel instead of camping. If we camp, that's the purpose of the trip. Camping isn't a form of accomodation so we can go do other stuff like it was when I was a kid?
I wonder what my boys will 'splurge' on when they grow up?
Christine |
Wife to my sweetie for 18 years
Mommy to:
Timothy - Feb/00
Benjamin - Jun/02
Gabriel - Sep/05
"Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved." - Thomas S. Monson | |
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Newbie2
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 178,513
November 2004
Posts: 2,188
Layouts: 0
Loc: New England
| Posted: 12/6/2012 11:34:23 AM
Ziploc bags - like Batya!
And, Nike's. I also buy my DD brand name clothing, which I generally never had (until I got a job and could save up to buy myself). My parents just couldn't afford it then. | |
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moonpetal27
PeaNut
PeaNut 147,457
May 2004
Posts: 272
Layouts: 11
Loc: Indiana
| Posted: 12/6/2012 11:36:46 AM
halloween costumes for my girls. growing up my mom hated halloween. my father usually bought a costume or two on clearance each year and on halloween night my mom pulled out a cardboard box filled with odds and ends and told us to figure out what to wear. i usually buy my girls costumes online and although they aren't the most expensive option they are generally over twenty dollars. seeing them all made up and looking back at pictures makes it completely worth it for me. |
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jodster70
To the right, To the right
PeaNut 51,257
October 2002
Posts: 5,567
Layouts: 28
Loc: Usually NSBR, an un"pea"dictable place :)
| Posted: 12/6/2012 11:38:47 AM
My dad went through a phase when I was in jr high that we had to buy EVERYTHING American made. Most stuff was okay, but what scarred me for life were the tennis shoes I was forced to wear. Ugliest.shoes.ever. Now I buy what I like, without looking at labels to see where it's from.
One thing my dad was adamant about until the day he died was that he would only drive American vehicles. Three weeks ago, I bought a Honda. Sorry dad! |
**Jody**
"The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government -- lest it come to dominate our lives and interests."
Patrick Henry | |
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UkSue
AncestralPea
PeaNut 428,374
June 2009
Posts: 4,246
Layouts: 2
Loc: Greater London
| Posted: 12/6/2012 11:46:41 AM
I wouldn't say I splurge, but I always make sure my kids have nice clothes, I have never dressed the two boys in the same or similar clothes and I don't hand something down unless the recipient is really begging for it ( for instance, my youngest son loves to inherit his older brothers clothes, especially anything to do with their football team.)
When I was growing up, my mum used to sew a lot of our clothes and she and my nan would knit all our woollies. My sister and I would be dressed the same (maybe a different colour) even though we had a 3 year year age difference ( must have been harder for my sister as the older one, though) plus I would get double bubble, as O often inherited my sister's cast-offs too.
I felt that I stuck out like a sore thumb amongst all my friends because it was obvious my clothes were home made. I loved the nighties and dressing gowns she used to make ( we always got a new nightie and dressing gown for Christmas Eve, for instance ) but I hated the clothes I wore outside the house, even though she was a good dressmaker and obviously put a lot of thought and effort in. Luckily moor my kids I am not that hot with a sewing machine or knitting needles! |
| Love is short, forgetting is long, and understanding longer still. | |
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pennyring
Thrift Ninja
PeaNut 226,011
October 2005
Posts: 22,413
Layouts: 40
Loc: Rite Aid
| Posted: 12/6/2012 12:00:19 PM
Everything!
Just the other day I had this exchange with DH:
Me: Are we going to eat these heels (loaf of bread)?
Him: We aren't poor! Throw that shit out!
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Ms. GreenGenes
PeaFixture
PeaNut 140,500
April 2004
Posts: 3,647
Layouts: 44
Loc: Just this side of crazy!
| Posted: 12/6/2012 12:00:24 PM
My mother never bought a brand-name anything in her life. Not food, not clothes, not furniture, nothing.
I used to think it was because we were always broke, being a family of seven who lived on one commission-based salary. And it probably was, back then.
But even now, when they have no one else to support, she still buys crappy stuff. I finally figured out that she just wants to always feel like she beat the system. Garage sales, clearance racks, secondhand stores, that's where she gets everything.
I don't mind any of those places, but I've also learned that you often get what you pay for. Quality counts. A .99 shirt is not a deal when it falls apart the first time you wash it. The cheap couch is sometimes cheap for a reason.
So my guiding philosophy in life is that I love a good bargain, but you often get what you pay for, and it's just as wasteful to buy cheap crap as it is to buy high-priced items. I pay attention to price AND quality, and sometimes I pay a bit more and don't feel bad about it at all.
So, in short, I "splurge" on just about everything, according to my mother.  |
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peaname
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 510,579
June 2011
Posts: 2,472
Layouts: 0
Loc: The Land of Steady Habits
| Posted: 12/6/2012 12:01:29 PM
I let my kids have Play-Doh. It was banned in my house growing up because my mom couldnt stand the mess. I used to try to make my own by mixing Kleenex with water. | |
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janet r
AncestralPea
PeaNut 22,327
October 2001
Posts: 4,074
Layouts: 17
| Posted: 12/6/2012 12:02:00 PM
Flushing the toilets and taking a bath more than once a week. | |
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scrapmingo
PeaAddict
PeaNut 173,756
October 2004
Posts: 1,919
Layouts: 18
Loc: Maine
| Posted: 12/6/2012 12:11:22 PM
Television- we were allowed 1 hours a week outside of the news.
Candy & Sugar cereal- everything in our house was sugar free. No one was diabetic, my mother just had this thing. Fortunately my best friend's parents owned the 5&10 so I could get candy there and keep a stash at my friends house!
I don't buy my kids clothes (other than PJ's) for christmas. Each year, we got mostly clothes, some books, board games we shared and usually one bigger thing for all of us to share- like a turntable. I used to spend hours with the Service Merchandise and sears catalogs dreaming of toys. They never were under the tree. So, my kids get fun stuff. I had had a hard time breaking my own rule this year for DD but she asked for certain clothing.
There are many more, but those are a couple.
Alison |
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ketsmom
PeaAddict
PeaNut 489,418
November 2010
Posts: 1,562
Layouts: 0
| Posted: 12/6/2012 12:33:46 PM
I grew up lower middle class so there was food but just enough. We could never have seconds on anything even healthy things like fruit. We would be limited to say, 10 grapes or something like that. The two big things though for me are real butter and milk. Mom always used margarine and went through a phase where she mixed powdered milk with real milk, disgusting. If I had my last $10, real butter would be on my list or nothing.
So food in general is something I like to splurge on. We are struggling financially now and this is the hardest thing for me. Again, not that we do without food but that I have to think like my Mom thought and buy things I normally wouldnt eat.
We never had vacations as kids or nice clothees or any real luxuries. I did a little better for kids which makes me happy. They did get some name brand clothes and at least went on a couple of vacations. | |
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Kerri W
Ancient Ancestor of Pea
PeaNut 7,171
October 2000
Posts: 7,936
Layouts: 0
Loc: Kentucky
| Posted: 12/6/2012 12:35:11 PM
Toys! My kids have so many stinking toys!! The best way i can explain it is that i was the youngest and my mom was very self centered. I had hand me down toys that were missing pieces and I had a few things that were bought for me...but I never really got what *I* wanted. If I ever got something off my wish list it was from a relative not Santa or my parents. My kids make a list and get basically what's on the list within a certain price range. But it's what THEY want. | |
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divinghkns
PeaAddict
PeaNut 78,823
March 2003
Posts: 1,747
Layouts: 159
Loc: in front of my computer
| Posted: 12/6/2012 12:36:36 PM
I can't think of something specific that I do, unless perhaps it's that I eat out more than we every did when I was growing up. I don't feel like I do it because I couldn't, but more because I'm busy and lazy and don't make the time/effort to plan meals, prepare them and then eat them.
This does remind me, though, that when I was a little girl, I noticed my grandpa ate a fresh pear every single day. When I asked him why, he said because when he grew up (in the 30's) in remote western Nebraska they couldn't always find, let alone afford fresh fruit. So he had promised himself that when he was grown up and rich he was going to eat fresh pears every day and not mend socks but buy new ones when the old ones wore out. Well, I wouldn't say he ended up rich but he did do pretty well for himself...good enough that he did eat fresh pears everyday and replace holey socks w/ new ones! | |
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crimsoncat05
PeaFixture
PeaNut 273,602
August 2006
Posts: 3,298
Layouts: 99
Loc: Phoenix, AZ area
| Posted: 12/6/2012 12:40:41 PM
I wouldn't have said anything, but after thinking about it, my answers to this are:
1) my hair: it's longish, and it's highlighted. I had long hair when I was little till my mom decided it was too much work (it's very thick), so I got it cut short (like hers) in 2nd or 3rd grade. Now, it's just past my shoulders, and I'm still growing it out. Plus, I spend a lot of money (comparatively speaking) on getting it cut and highlighted-- we never spent much money on that sort of thing growing up.
2) not something I 'buy' as a splurge, but I really dislike most leftovers all that much (I especially hate leftover mac and cheese!) so I don't feel bad about throwing leftovers away any more. (We had leftovers all the time growing up, and sometimes ate the same thing for days.)
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"Accepting anything without question is the antithesis of critical thinking and education. ~wren*walk, 8/20/12"
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mapchic
Top Tier Pea
PeaNut 31,157
February 2002
Posts: 12,174
Layouts: 55
Loc: Chicagoland
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Peppermintpatty
AncestralPea
PeaNut 279,995
October 2006
Posts: 4,311
Layouts: 40
Loc: Peaing in Rockville, MD
| Posted: 12/6/2012 12:46:31 PM
Since I was given pretty much anything I wanted as a kid, nothing material. The one thing I never really got I go crazy giving out....love and positive encouragement of my kids.
As for the material goods, I make sure my kids know the value of what they have, something I never understood. |
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PurposeDrivenPea
PeaAddict
PeaNut 66,365
February 2003
Posts: 1,131
Layouts: 231
Loc: SW Michigan
| Posted: 12/6/2012 12:46:33 PM
White Bread. My mom always bought wheat bread and I hated it. Especially for peanut butter and jelly. Bleck!
Pop/Soda. Mom never bought this unless it was a holiday. Same with eating out. I never had ate at a McDonald's until I was in high school! Oh and candy. We only got candy on holidays. That is why I loved Halloween so much back then! My kids don't even care much about trick or treating because they pretty much have candy whenever they want.
Name Brand Clothes. I always wanted a pair of Calvin Kleins, Izods, Docksider and Nike Shoes and clothes from The Limited or Esprit, but we couldn't afford it. I think we bought a lot of my clothes from Montgomery Wards and Kmart. My daughters are spoiled with clothes from the mall now. |
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PlanningPea
PeaAddict
PeaNut 284,274
November 2006
Posts: 1,137
Layouts: 1
Loc: A Buckeye on the gulf coast
| Posted: 12/6/2012 12:47:04 PM
Heat-as much as I want.
Same with air conditioning.
And zip lock bags also-we always had to use wax paper. |
Dawn
"For I know the plans I have for you..." Jeremiah 29:11 | |
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PurposeDrivenPea
PeaAddict
PeaNut 66,365
February 2003
Posts: 1,131
Layouts: 231
Loc: SW Michigan
| Posted: 12/6/2012 12:49:07 PM
Oh zip lock bags! We had em but I had to wash them so we could reuse them! I always hated that! Now I just use them once and pitch them. |
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ostrich girl
Ancient Ancestor of Pea
PeaNut 288,003
December 2006
Posts: 5,421
Layouts: 4
Loc: Enjoying the spring in Ohio
| Posted: 12/6/2012 12:51:43 PM
We weren't poor because of job circumstances, but because my mom was a compulsive gambler. She blew all the "extra" money we had. But that's a whole other thing.
We bought all of our clothes at garage sales. They were always last year's style, so we never even looked like all the other kid's at school.
I know it's in to be thrifty and get repurposed clothes from thrift stores etc, but I will only buy new clothes. |
-mich
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Mystie
Dancing to the end of love.
PeaNut 8,446
December 2000
Posts: 11,800
Layouts: 173
Loc: Newport News, VA
| Posted: 12/6/2012 12:51:45 PM
Clothes. I'm not a big spender, but I buy nice things, and I don't feel guilty about not thrift store shopping! BTDT! I always felt insecure about my clothes as a teenager, though I knew my parents did their very best.
I can't think of anything I splurge on that's an "in your face" to my folks...however, my DH won't wash dishes or do garden work because his mom made him do them all the time as a kid. 
We both came from low-income families...it definitely adds to your gratitude and your appreciation when you can afford what you want and need as an adult.  |
Janelle
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papersilly
Don't let the dreamkillers get me
PeaNut 109,681
October 2003
Posts: 6,225
Layouts: 112
Loc: so. california
| Posted: 12/6/2012 12:59:56 PM
scissors. we had one good pair (fiskars) and the rest were so crappy an dull that you couldn't stab cotton candy with them. however, no one was allowed to touch the good scissors. only mom could use them. so when i got older, i was awash with Fiskars scissors...all kinds...all sizes. the funny thing is, i have a hard time sharing the fiskars with DH because he ruins them. for that, he only gets the elementary school rounded tip, short blade scissors.
oh, and paper towels and dinner napkins. we NEVER used paper towels when we were growing up. instead we had tons of dishtowels. i think we had one roll that hung on the dispenser as "decoration". and if we used paper napkins, they were the ones my mom grabbed by the fistful from mcdonalds or the super thins ones where you had to use 4 or 5 just to wipe your mouth. |
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utmr
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 271,408
August 2006
Posts: 2,470
Layouts: 0
| Posted: 12/6/2012 1:00:28 PM
Tutors for the kids. Books, school supplies, music lessons. My mom was the one saying "I don't care what the school supply list says you don't need ______ so I'm not going to buy it." I hate the annual school supply threads for that reason - I was the kid scrounging pencils because I didn't have one.
Also tutors. If the kids need help, they get it. My brother found out when he was grown that he was dyslecic. He found some old papers from first and second grade telling my parents that he needed help and he never got it. (Back in the 70's when far fewer kids were dx'd with issues). I don't want my kids to struggle if we can help them to learn. | |
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ilovebuble
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 539,539
January 2012
Posts: 2,482
Layouts: 0
| Posted: 12/6/2012 1:00:34 PM
Salon quality hair products. I shared a bathroom with my older brother so we had a lot of that 2 in 1 Pert Plus stuff.
Even when I was in college and on a shoe string budget I made sure I could afford good shampoo, conditioner and hair spray! | |
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2boysandwill
My turn to hit the PEAnata!!!
PeaNut 121,208
December 2003
Posts: 13,119
Layouts: 71
Loc: SCV, CA
| Posted: 12/6/2012 1:01:05 PM
My car.
My parents drove the oldest, most loudest cars ever. So when I was finally able to afford a nice car with electric windows AND a working A/C AND a working heater? I was happy. And WHAT?!!?! This latch opens my trunk in the back?!?! what!?!?
I was in heaven | |
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2boysandwill
My turn to hit the PEAnata!!!
PeaNut 121,208
December 2003
Posts: 13,119
Layouts: 71
Loc: SCV, CA
| Posted: 12/6/2012 1:11:01 PM
Since I was given pretty much anything I wanted as a kid, nothing material. The one thing I never really got I go crazy giving out....love and positive encouragement of my kids.
same here...if there's one thing I make a habit of not 'overlooking' because of work is attending my kids' events. My parents NEVER understood the value of them coming to my open house, piano recitals or band competitions. I'd ask and ask and I always got an, "Ok"
So now, I make sure me or dh are there for everything. It still pulls my heartstrings to this day to see my kids wandering eyes in the crowd and see thier face completely light up when the see me or dh. I clearly remember doing the same as a little girl and the slight sadness I'd feel when I couldn't find my mom or dad in the crowd. | |
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