Growing up outside Manchester, I watched my parents stretch every pound like it was made of elastic.
My dad worked factory shifts while my mum juggled retail hours, and somehow they managed to save enough to help me become the first in our family to go to university.
Years later, after running my own company and learning the hard truths about cash flow and client management, I realized something profound: my parents’ “working-class” money habits had taught me more about building wealth than any high-earning colleague ever did.
Here’s what most people get wrong about wealth. They think it’s about earning more. But after watching friends with six-figure salaries live paycheck to paycheck while my parents built security on modest incomes, I’ve learned that wealth isn’t about what you make—it’s about what you keep and how you multiply it.
The psychology behind this is fascinating. Research from Thomas Stanley’s “The Millionaire Next Door” revealed that most millionaires don’t look like millionaires. They drive used cars, live in modest homes, and shop at discount stores. They’ve mastered what I call the art of being frugal—not being cheap, but being intentional with every financial decision.
Today, I want to share nine habits I learned from my working-class upbringing that build more wealth than any high income alone ever could. These aren’t about deprivation. They’re about freedom.
1. They cook at home like it’s a competitive sport
Remember when eating out was a special occasion? In my house, restaurant meals happened maybe three times a year—birthdays and Christmas.
My mum could make a whole chicken feed us for three days: roast on Sunday, sandwiches on Monday, soup on Tuesday. She wasn’t being stingy. She was being strategic.
The numbers back this up. The average household spends about £3,000 annually on eating out. Cook those same meals at home, and you’d spend maybe £800. That’s £2,200 saved every year. Invested with compound interest over 20 years? You’re looking at serious money.
But here’s what really matters: cooking at home isn’t just about saving cash. It’s about taking control. When you cook, you decide what goes into your body and your budget. You develop a skill that pays dividends forever.
Plus, there’s something grounding about the ritual of preparing your own food. It connects you to what you’re consuming in a way that ordering through an app never will.
2. They fix things instead of replacing them
My dad could fix anything with a roll of tape and some creative swearing. The washing machine broke? He’d have it running again by evening. Car making a weird noise? He’d figure it out with a borrowed manual and determination.
This fix-it mentality is pure gold for wealth building. Every repair you make yourself saves the full replacement cost plus labor. But more importantly, it changes how you see possessions. They become investments to maintain, not disposable items to replace at the first sign of trouble.
YouTube has democratized this skill. You can learn to fix almost anything with a quick search. I recently repaired my laptop fan after watching a ten-minute video, saving myself £300 on a new machine. That sense of accomplishment? Priceless.
3. They know every neighbor’s name and why it matters
On our street, everyone knew everyone. Need a ladder? Knock on number 32. Car won’t start? Someone’s cousin could help. This wasn’t just friendliness—it was an economic system.
Social capital is real capital. Those relationships save you money on everything from babysitting to home repairs. But they also create opportunities. Half the jobs I’ve gotten came through someone who knew someone. That’s not networking—that’s community.
Building these connections doesn’t require dinner parties or golf memberships. It starts with learning names, offering help when you can, and showing up consistently. The wealthiest people I know understand that relationships are assets that appreciate over time.
4. They buy quality once instead of garbage repeatedly
Here’s something counterintuitive: being frugal often means spending more upfront. My parents saved for months to buy good boots that would last years instead of cheap ones that would fall apart in months. Terry Pratchett called this the “boots theory” of economic injustice, but it’s also a wealth-building principle.
Calculate the cost per use, not the sticker price. A £200 coat worn 200 times costs £1 per wear. A £50 coat that falls apart after 20 wears costs £2.50. The expensive coat is the frugal choice.
This applies to everything: appliances, furniture, tools. Buy it once, buy it right. The initial pain of spending more vanishes when you’re still using the same item a decade later while others have replaced theirs three times.
5. They treat credit cards like radioactive material
Credit cards weren’t evil in my house—they just weren’t used unless absolutely necessary. My parents understood compound interest works both ways. When it’s working against you at 20% APR, it’s financial poison.
The average household carries about £2,500 in credit card debt. At typical interest rates, that costs £500 annually just in interest. That’s £500 of dead money—it buys you nothing, builds nothing, creates nothing.
I’ve mentioned this before but avoiding consumer debt is like giving yourself a raise. Every pound you don’t pay in interest is a pound you can invest. Over time, this difference compounds into real wealth.
6. They entertainment hack like professionals
Friday night entertainment in my house meant library books, board games, or walking to the park. Cinema trips happened when films hit the discount Tuesday slots. We weren’t deprived—we were creative.
Free entertainment is everywhere if you look. Libraries offer more than books now—they have streaming services, workshops, and community events. Parks, museums on free days, community concerts, hiking trails—the list is endless.
The real insight? Expensive entertainment often isn’t more enjoyable. Some of my best memories cost nothing. A sunset walk beats scrolling through Netflix. A picnic with friends tops an expensive restaurant. When you separate entertainment from spending, you realize how much joy is available for free.
7. They shop like military strategists
Grocery shopping with my mum was like watching a general plan a campaign. Lists were non-negotiable. Store brands were the default. Sales were tracked like stock prices.
This isn’t penny-pinching—it’s mathematics. Shopping with a list reduces impulse purchases by 23%. Using coupons and shopping sales can cut another 20% off. Combined, these habits can reduce your grocery bill by a significant amount.
But the real power is in the mindset. When you shop strategically, you’re saying: “I control my money; my money doesn’t control me.” That mental shift from reactive to proactive spending changes everything.
8. They create multiple income streams naturally
Everyone on my street had a side hustle before we called it that. My dad did weekend repairs. My mum sold crafts at markets. The neighbor fixed cars in his garage.
This wasn’t entrepreneurship—it was survival. But it taught me that depending on one income source is risky. When my dad’s factory hours got cut, the repair money kept us afloat.
Today, creating multiple income streams is easier than ever. Sell items online, freelance your skills, rent out a parking space. These small streams add up. More importantly, they provide security that no single salary can match.
9. They invest in skills, not stuff
My parents couldn’t leave me a trust fund, but they made sure I could type, cook, budget, and think critically. They understood that skills are the only assets that can’t be taken away.
Every skill you develop is a potential income stream and a guaranteed money-saver. Learn to code, and you can build your own website instead of paying someone. Master Excel, and you become invaluable at work. Understand investing, and your money works harder than you do.
The beautiful thing about skills? They compound. Each new ability makes learning the next one easier. They travel with you everywhere and improve with use. In an uncertain economy, skills are the ultimate security.
The bottom line
These habits aren’t about deprivation or living small. They’re about being intentional with resources so you can build something bigger. My parents never earned six figures, but they retired debt-free with savings because they mastered these principles.
What strikes me now, years after watching my hometown transform as jobs disappeared, is how these habits create resilience. When you know how to live well on less, economic storms can’t sink you. When you have multiple income streams and strong relationships, you have cushions others lack.
The real art of being frugal isn’t about doing without—it’s about knowing what truly matters and not wasting resources on what doesn’t. It’s about building wealth quietly, steadily, with habits that compound over time.
Try implementing just one of these habits this month. You might be surprised how quickly small changes create big results.
