“You never brought the field trip permission slips home because you knew better than to make your mom feel guilty she couldn’t pay the $5–20 fee to let you go.”

“Keep your hair brushed, your clothes clean, and be articulate and polite in all circumstances. We were not going to be ‘trash’ just because we were poor. Also, no wearing ripped jeans, even if it’s the style. We’re not spending money on new pants that look like old worn-out pants.”

“When someone calls, your parents are ‘in the shower’ and you’re able to take a message.”

“Never fill up the gas tank all the way. You don’t want to be in a situation where you have gas in your car but no groceries.”

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t like the food, clothes, shoes, toys, etc. Take it, say thank you, and be appreciative.”

“If your shoes don’t require duct tape, you don’t need new shoes.”

“Not eating lunch because you either ‘just ate breakfast’ or ‘dinner’s only a few hours away.'”

“AC was only for company. I lived in south Florida and didn’t know I could use the air conditioner without having someone over until I moved out of my parents’ home.”

“We weren’t allowed to do any kind of extracurricular activities. So, no instruments, no joining any kind of sports or Girl Scouts or anything that required an upfront investment for uniforms or the season.”

“Add water to shampoo to get it to last longer.”

“Money we got for Christmas, birthdays, and (from ages 14 and up) our jobs went to our parents for food and rent.”

“You get a job when you’re 15, and it becomes more important than high school.”

“It’s funny now seeing my leftovers as a bonus snack and not part of the next day’s meal. Had some weird lunches packed for me. Like cream cheese and olives in a burrito wrap.”

“Take as quick showers as you can.”

“Hide money or it will be ‘borrowed.’ Also, don’t get attached to anything, because if it’s any good it’ll be sold in a yard sale, and if it has any value it will be pawned. I got the same CD player for three Christmases and birthdays in a row…out of pawn for birthday, pawned again a month later, out of pawn for Christmas, pawned again by March, etc.”

“Not being able to wash your clothes until you could do a full, and I mean FULL machine. Getting a stain on a fresh shirt meant scrubbing it with soap over the sink.”

“We knew the exact date of grocery shopping because that’s when the food stamps came in.”

“If you use the oven during winter, when you’re done, leave it cracked so that the heat warms up the rest of the house more.”