Happy Mother’s Day. Today we celebrate our mothers and everything they have done for us. To honour my mum, today I’m sharing mom’s life lessons on simple living and sustainable living.
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.
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.
Waste not, want not
My Mum grew up in a small house in Wexford, Ireland with a lot of brothers and sisters. Money was scarce so she learned from a young age the value of getting the most out of everything. In her house, nothing went to waste, and she passed those values on to me and my sisters when we were growing up.
I’m luck to still have my Mum. She turned 90 earlier this year and 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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Life lessons from Mum
To honour my Mum, here are 10 things she taught me about waste reduction and simple living as I was growing up.
- Leftovers are food too. My mum can make a great meal out of a chicken frame and other leftovers. For many years, she came over for lunch on Fridays and I always looked forward to her homemade soup.
- Plastic cutlery is washable and reusable. When I was younger, 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.
- 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 never empty. I think that’s why I love drying laundry outside.
- Reusable shopping bags are cool. Mum would shop at the local butcher and green grocer with her string shopping bags, long before it was the thing to do.
- Margarine tubs and yogurt containers are great for food storage. Who needs 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 at 90, people often tell me they see Mum out walking. She didn’t learn to drive until she was 50 so she walked everywhere. I’m sure it’s what keeps her young! I’m happy to say 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’m passing along to my girls.
What did you learn from your mom? Tell us about it below.
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.