7 Old-Fashioned Things My Mom Did That Were Actually Genius

The other day I was thinking about my mom’s life and how certain aspects of it seem almost quaint by today’s standards.

I don’t mean that in a dismissive way. The fact is, she was a damn good mom, and she and my dad raised and supported an entire family on a single income without ever being stressed for money.

Looking back, there are some simple, but brilliant things she did. Some of these things are out of fashion and would be difficult to re-create in our modern economy and with modern values, but I think it’s important to remember them and think about what aspects of them might still be relevant to your own family.

For me, it’s a great reminder that progress isn’t linear— not every innovation is better than the old way. The atomistic individualism of today looks very different than the communitarian family values of even a half-century ago.

Anyway, here’s a list of some of the things my mom did that added huge value to me, my siblings, and my dad— and a few thoughts I have on why they work so well.

Living on a single income

I know there’s some controversy with this one, and I’m not making a value judgement on anyone who chooses a different path. There are many great ways to live a life well, and each family needs to figure out what works well for their own ends.

The reality is we were better off with one less income than an extra job would have provided. Instead of handling all the day-to-day work of running a household in the evenings when my dad came home from work, we had the flexibility to prioritize family time. I just don’t think the money could have replaced those special memories.

Cooking every meal from scratch

There has been a surge of interest in cooking over the past two decades. Many people, including my wife and I, enjoy making nice meals. But only a handful of people I know consistently make every meal from scratch like my mom used to. Her example has had a big influence on me— when my wife and I spent a year living as missionaries in Portugal, with income below the poverty line, we were able to eat out full, satisfied, and healthy almost entirely because of our choice to cook at home rather than buy expensive, processed foods.

Tended a big garden

My mom grew up on a farm in Kentucky, so cultivating a garden was a natural hobby for her. But I can’t understate how much it lowered our grocery bill. In fact, I don’t even know if they sell that quantity of vegetables in the grocery store! Almost every meal we had large portions of green beans, cucumbers, or squash from our garden.

And if you’ve ever planted a seed and watched it turn into real food, you know how satisfying it is to do the work of weeding and watering, and to then harvest the bounty. It’s something I think everyone with a little patch of dirt should try.

Darning socks

My wife will laugh when she reads this, because I’ve been trying to convince her of the financial merits of darning socks. It’s one of those arguments you might take up for the love of the argument, rather than any real expectations of changing minds. But in all seriousness, my mom actually did this because she wanted to save money! You can imagine how frugal she was if she took the time and effort to do a thing like that.

Retired in place

According to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2017, the number of Americans who moved at least once in the prior year was at a record low of 11%. However, it’s still true that Americans move quite a bit more than people in other developed countries.

My mom, on the other hand, lived in the same small town since she was 16 years old, and only moved from the house I was raised in after she passed away. While I think there’s many reasons that people in America move a lot (and sometimes really good health benefits), there is something to be said for putting down deep roots and strengthening the community around you.

Clothesline dried all our clothes

All of our clothes were dried on a clothesline. It was so common in our neighborhood growing up that I just assumed everyone did this. It wasn’t until college that I realized it was the exception to the norm.

The biggest benefit we got was saving money on using our gas dryer, but it also meant the dryer wasn’t running nearly as often making our house hot and loud.

Hosting family for the holidays

According to a 2021 YouGov study, almost 9 in 10 Americans said it was important for them to spend time with family during the winter holidays. That’s encouraging to me, because I wouldn’t have guessed that life got so much busier than when I was young.

I distinctly remember how much work went into preparing our house, preparing a massive feast, and hosting the event to the many aunts, uncles, and cousins who came to visit. I have very fond memories of these times, and I realize that they didn’t happen by chance—my mom made them happen. Thank you, mom!