Woman shares things she thought were normal growing up with frugal parents and it's thought-provoking

Many parents who grew up in poverty try their best to give their children a better life than what they had. However, it is quite hard to brush off the frugal lifestyle that they had for years from their minds. Sometimes, the impact of such living is also reflected in the subsequent generations. Boston-based paralegal worker Breanna McClarey had one such realization about how her parents' thrifty tendencies continued even when they had come out of poverty. McClarey's video from two years ago reflecting on this aspect of her life is eye-opening and something that everyone should ponder over.

McClarey began her video by saying that her parents had a destitute childhood but gradually built a better life by overcoming poverty. So, while growing up McClarey faced the impacts of her parents' frugal tendencies which she then thought were normal but later, seemed amusing. The first thing she shared was how their family used to hang dry clothes outside. Though it was a common practice outside the U.S., she realized that her family hardly used the dryer, unlike many other American families. The next thing was about those little battery-operated car rides in the malls that kids love. McClarey's parents never paid for her rides instead, they made her simply sit in the little car until she grew up and saw other kids riding them.

Thirdly, McClarey said that her family never ordered appetizers or drinks at restaurants. "We just would never order anything else besides the main course. Not even like a soda or something," she said. Next, she revealed how her family was right to bring food to the airport considering how expensive it is to buy airport food. "Never checking in luggage when we travel," was next on the frugal living list. She added, "We would go for 2 to 3-week-long trips and we would all just bring a carry-on in a backpack." The first time McClarey ever checked in her baggage was when she was 17 years old. 

McClarey's family chose to sneak snacks or popcorn to the movies rather than buy them. She said that her dad hid a huge bag of snacks under his coat and avoided the expensive popcorn at the theatres. Finally, McClarey shared that her family rarely went to the movies and even when they did, they chose the matinee shows because they were cheaper. "It was kind of funny growing up realizing that other people just never considered going to a matinee time. It was always a night-time thing," she said. Her caption read, "Growing up and looking back, these things are funny but I've honestly adopted many similar tendencies."

Many could relate to McClarey's take on how thrifty lifestyles keep passing over. "My parents never cut fruit like strawberries. We were expected to eat every piece surrounding the green part," commented @belle9901. "These seem normal. My parents make me reuse coffee grounds and wear 5 sweaters so we don’t need to turn on the heat," wrote @hanna_and_coco. "This this this this! Also, they’re environmental people. A roll of paper towels lasted us years because we never used it. More expensive and wasteful than rags, refilling printer ink cartridges, etc.," commented @janine.is.stupid.

You can follow Bre (@bremcclarey) on TikTok for paralegal and travel content.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on April 3, 2024. It has since been updated.