Earlier this month, my mum celebrated her 93rd birthday. Mum has been a terrific role model of intentional and purposeful living, and I’m so grateful that we still have her with us. To honour the things she has taught me, today I’m sharing mom’s life lessons on simple and sustainable living.
This post was originally published in May 2020 as “Things my Mum taught me about waste reduction and eco-friendly living” and updated in April 2023. It was updated again and republished in February 2026.
Growing up, we learn valuable life lessons from our mothers, even if we don’t realize it at the time. Often these lessons take the form of daily habits that we learn just by being together.
Waste not, want not
My mum grew up in a tiny cottage in Wexford, Ireland with no electricity or running water. With 13 children in the family, money was scarce. Mum learned from a young age the value of getting the most out of everything. In her house, nothing went to waste. Those frugal habits have served her well throughout her life, and she passed those values on to me and my sisters when we were growing up.
I’m lucky to still have my mum. At 93, she is as energetic as many people half her age. I often say I want to be just like her when I grow up.
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Mom’s life lessons
Here are 10 things my mum taught me about waste reduction and simple living.
- Leftovers are food too. Mum can make a great meal out of a chicken frame and other leftovers. For years, she came over for lunch on Fridays and I always looked forward to her homemade soup.
- Plastic cutlery is washable and reusable. I used to think this defeated the purpose of using plastic cutlery. Now I know better!
- You can use teabags more than once. Mum always saved and used her tea bags twice. On the rare occasion when I get a take-out tea, I always think it’s unnecessary that they give you two tea bags. I like my tea strong but one bag, when steeped well, does the job.
- Donate or give away things you don’t need. Someone else will be happy to receive the clothes you no longer wear or the dishes you’ve grown tired of.
- You can find great treasures at the charity shop—or the apartment building laundry room. Mum often shows up at my house with the latest find from her laundry room.
- You don’t need a washer and dryer to do laundry. Growing up, we never had a washer or dryer. Mum washed laundry by hand or took it to the laundromat. Our clothesline was rarely empty.
- Reusable shopping bags are cool. Mum shopped at the local butcher and green grocer with her string shopping bags. As reusable bags have made a comeback, what’s old is truly new again.
- Margarine tubs and yogurt containers are great for food storage. Who needs fancy Tupperware anyway?
- Eat what you’re given and don’t waste food. Growing up with so many siblings, Mum told me if she didn’t eat what was on her plate, someone else would.
- Walking is a great way to travel. Even when Mum was in her late 80s, people often told me they saw her out walking. She didn’t learn to drive until she was 50 so she walked everywhere. I’m sure it has kept her young! I’m happy I inherited her love of walking.
Thanks Mum!
There are many more items I could add to this list of mom’s life lessons on simple living, but I think you get the picture. Like so many other things Mum taught me, these lessons will stay with me forever. Thanks Mum!
Putting this list together makes me wonder what life lessons and habits I’ve passed along to my girls.
What life lessons did you learn from your mom? Tell us about it below.
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Aw, this is such a lovely post! I’ve definitely learned some of my sustainability attitude from my parents/grandparents. We frequently use butter tubs to store one portion of leftovers in the freezer, and somewhere in a cupboard there’s a little margarine tub full of cake decorations from my granny 🥰
Thanks Caroline. We can definitely learn a lot from earlier generations when it comes to sustainability and frugality.
Michelle, thank you for sharing! Seeing how we have the same Mum, we inherited her recycle habits. That’s a good thing! I remember Mum used to clean the milk bags when we emptied them. Mum would use them to freeze things; the bag is thicker and smaller. An old recliner’s fabric was repurposed to recover old, upholstered foot stools, like brand new, I still use one! I hope my recycle habits rubbed off on my clan!
Yes, our mum taught us well. Milk bags make excellent freezer bags. I also wash and reuse bags from frozen fruit and vegetables.
Ditto! 😂🤣☺️
Happy belated birthday to your mom. Wow, 93 years. Congrats?! Want Not, Waste Not is a wonderful life lesson and serves all of us, and our planet, well.
I love your lessons from mum…so good. And clearly she knows what she’s doing! Such sweet honesty in the intention to use what you need, share when you can and be grateful. And when in doubt, take a walk. I think both my mom and Paul’s mom shared an affinity for fresh air and drying laundry in the breeze (even when neighbors thought the practice was gauche…clotheslines ridiculed). Cheers to the simplicity that came through in your post. With a side order of love. xo, Michelle! 💝💝💝
Thanks Vicki. Yes, my mum has thrived on simple and frugal living. She has been a wonderful role model. 🤗
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All such great lessons. My mom did the same! Your list actually reminded me of a funny story: back in the early 90s, our grocery store offered paper grocery bags upon special request, which my family requested and reused. One Thanksgiving, we took our food donations to church and my mom realized she had tossed her wallet in one of the bags. When we went up to the alter to search, there were only three paper bags amongst all the plastic, the three my family had brought. Being an early-adopter of sustainability practices paid off. ☺️
Ha ha. That is a great story, Erin. Glad your mom got her wallet back.
My mom has been the most influential person in my life. Though she passed more than five years ago, I try to live my life in a way that would make her proud. What did she teach me? Too many life lessons to list here, but at the top of the list is to be a good listener and to show empathy for others.
Those are great lessons, Pete. I agree—it would take me many blog posts to list all the life lessons I’ve learned from my mom. In addition to those I shared here, she also taught me the importance of giving and helping others. She has spent her whole life doing that and, at age 90, she’s an inspiration to so many.
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This is an excellent list of eco-friendly living, Michelle! Your mum has always been so incredibly resourceful and ahead of her time! Cher xo
Thanks Cher! Yes, she definitely is resourceful!
Mums are great! My mum brought me up doing a lot of these things too, so they don’t seem so unusual to me. I think that’s the reason why making small lifestyle changes for the environment doesn’t seem like a big deal!
You’re right. It really isn’t a big deal. Sadly, I think our world has become so conditioned to getting everything now that many people prioritize their own convenience over the environment.
Hey, my Mum does the same thing! (😂🤣) Isn’t it amazing what we learn from our Mothers. I remember the old Lazy Boy chair Dad used forever, before it was disposed of, Mum cut the “pleather” into large pieces for future use. She carefully re-covered a Foot stool with that same Pleather, I often use it around the house! Waste not, want not is Mum’ motto, she’s a born eco-crusader!
Happy Mother’s Day!
Ha ha. I had forgotten about the chair! Yes, nothing ever goes to waste with Mum around.
We reused the margarine tubs too growing up! Amazing the ways you can reuse stuff if you think outside the box a little. Thanks for all the other wisdom. Happy mother’s day!
You’re right! Too often our instinct is to throw away or recycle things that could be reused. I am really trying to change my mindset. I question everything I buy and everything I am tempted to get rid of. Small steps but at least I am moving in the right direction.