22/06/2026
āWaste not, want not.ā
Itās one of those sayings my mum used to repeat that seemed old-fashioned at the time. Yet lately, I find myself hearing her voice more often than ever.
As the cost of food rises, fuel prices fluctuate, insurance premiums increase and we all seem to be paying for multiple streaming services we barely use, that simple piece of wisdom feels surprisingly relevant.
Iāve started looking more carefully at what weāre spending. Do we really need all those subscriptions? Have we compared our insurance lately? Are we using the food in our fridge before buying more? Small things, perhaps, but they add up.
Our parents and grandparents grew up in times that were often much harder than anything many of us have experienced. They knew how to stretch a dollar, make do, mend things, share resources and appreciate what they had.
Maybe their lessons werenāt about being miserly. Maybe they were about being mindful.
āļø
āWaste not, want notā isnāt just about money. Itās about gratitude. Itās about respecting our resources. Itās about recognising that abundance isnāt found in having more, but in appreciating enough.
The older I get, the more I realise that some of the best life advice didnāt come from a book or a podcast.
It came from Mum, standing in the kitchen, passing down wisdom she learned through experience.
Turns out she was right.
ā¤ļø
