For those with great grandparents, grandparents, and parents from the Greatest Generation (those born 1901 to 1927) and the Silent Generation (those born 1928 to 1945), much can be learned from how to live a frugal lifestyle. These two generations lived through the Great Depression and World War II, two events that forced Americans to become more resourceful due to difficult financial situations, food scarcity, and rations. Today, people who consider themselves frugal are always looking for more ways to save money. To glean frugal wisdom from older generations that would still be applicable today, one frugal person posed the question on Reddit: “What frugal lesson from your parents or grandparents you still use today?” And many frugal people offered their best money-saving tips from their relatives that they still use today. From how to save on money to utilities, these are the best frugal tips from Redditors:  Reuse from your kitchen “My grandma rinsed and reused foil until it crumbled. I rolled my eyes then, now I catch myself doing it. Funny how those ‘silly’ habits end up smart. Mine also saves glass jars, labeled lids with tape, turned t-shirt into rags, and froze veg scraps for stock. :)” – YourxCherry “I save butter wrappers in the fridge to use for greasing baking pans. To get everything out of empty condiment bottles, I pour a little vinegar, milk or whatever is fitting, then shake it up and use that for salad dressing or other cooking needs.” – so-many-cats “I love Tostitos salsa jars. Whatever I cook, such as soup, ground beef, pasta, the extras, or leftovers, everything goes into these jars. They are so perfect for portioning. One jar = one person’s meal portion. I literally have more than 30 jars, and they are incredibly convenient!” – Proud_Possibility256 “I do not go grocery shopping until my fridge is empty including my freezer zero food waste. I have become very creative with recipes. Saves me money. Always take lunch to work.” – Samantha-the-mermaid “My grandmother took care of her five siblings during the depression after her parents died on .45¢ an hour. I make more money in an hour than she made in a week. She never wasted ANYTHING. She taught me to save bacon grease for seasoning, bread ends for bread pudding, leftovers for soup, and coffee grounds and eggshells for the garden. We didn’t carve our pumpkins- we painted them and made pumpkin pie out of it after Halloween.” – That-Response-1969 “I sometimes hate it that I am like this, but one of the first odd things that come to mind is labeling bottles of home goods like dish soap, body wash, bars of soap, hand soap, etc. so you know which one lasts the longest after purchase. Keep in mind, my grandmother grew up during the Great Depression. I also spent a majority of my days with her making food (predominately just standing around doing nothing useful). All of the meals we hold dear to our hearts are actually just frugal meals to stretch out. She would get extremely nervous if she came to your home and there were not canned goods. This is winter in the upper Midwest during the Great Depression to put it into perspective, along with canning and preparing for everything. This is a person that lived by candle light basically. When she finally had a icebox, every last meal had to be frozen. No matter what you made, it had to be able to sit there when necessary. You make no meal that cannot be eaten for three days or frozen solid for the next month. I still live by this routine.” – WideRoadDeadDeer95 Make your money go further “My mother taught me how to compare prices per item or ounce rather than by the package.” – Chicpea09 “My parents always framed purchases by how much time I would have to exchange for the item. So when I was in 6th grade and I wanted a TV for my bedroom and it was $120, I would have to do 6 to 10ish baby sitting jobs – then ask myself is it worth that exchange. This is still how I frame most purchases.” – BagNo349 “My grandfather told me as a teenager that debt is how other people control you. I didn’t realize how true this was until my early 20s when I got into mild debt problems. Since then I have been majorly debt averse.” – Egon88 “Mine told me if you cant pay the milkman 6pence this week, how will you pay him 12pence next week? Lesson learned. I pay my bills on time ALWAYS.” – Mundane_Sail_4155 “My dad always said it’s not a deal if you can’t afford it. Of course he didn’t have slickdeals either lol.” – JasonG5 “My grandpa always said ‘Pay yourself first.’ Even when money was tight, he’d stash $5–10 in savings before paying bills. I thought it was silly but that habit built a nice cushion over time.” – samdaz712 Save on utilities and living expenses “I hang dry my clothing whenever possible. I find it strangely relaxing to stand outside and carefully hang everything up so it has good airflow. It reminds me of helping my grandmother hang out laundry on their farm. The only thing I changed was painting the tips of my clothespins so I can see them better and don’t forget them on the line accidentally.” – SpecificSkunk “MAINTAIN and REPAIR what you already own. Lubricate, tighten, clean. Change filters. Replace belts. Flush. Air out. Condition. Resurface. Store properly. Take care of your stuff.” – i_know_tofu “I patch and repair clothes that can be repaired instead of immediately buying new. For instance, we have a comforter that has gotten holes from the washing machine – cheap materials. I’m learning the Japanese art of Shashiko to patch it over my Thanksgiving week break. I find a used item instead of buying new immediately, when our dryer went out, I bought one from an estate sale for the same price as repairing the old one would have cost (and since it was on it’s 3rd repair – heavy eye roll on cheaply made crap – I don’t feel so bad. I line dry a lot of things. Not everything but a lot.” – LeftwingSH “I put on hoodies and blankets and refuse to turn the heater on until the outside temps are about 45 degrees.” – thedoc617 “How to drive in order to maximize your miles per gallon and reduce wear and tear on the car. Accelerate slowly and try to keep under 2 RPMs. Leave a wide berth between yourself and other cars. Anticipate traffic/stopping, then let off the gas and cruise. Don’t ride the brakes.” – OrdinarySubstance491 The wisdom holds up, all these years later There’s a reason these habits stuck around long after the Depression ended and the rationing stopped. They work. Not because they’re clever tricks, but because they reflect a fundamental shift in how you relate to the things you own, treating them as resources to be respected rather than conveniences to be used up and replaced. Our grandparents didn’t have the luxury of waste, and in learning from them, we might find that neither do we. The good news is that most of these tips cost nothing to start. Pick one, try it this week, and see what happens. This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated. The post Frugal people share the best money-saving advice from parents and grandparents they still use appeared first on Upworthy.

People often pay to go on whale watching tours in hopes of mayyyyybe catching a single glimpse of a tail splashing the water, if they’re lucky. Sometimes, even that’s enough excitement. Just the smallest glimpse of one of the world’s largest species. There’s something powerful about feeling that small and insignificant. On August 13, 2022 however, folks in New York City got the whale watching cruise of a lifetime as they were able to witness not one, not two, but NINE whales swimming in the harbor. A remarkable sight that has only become more common as whale populations in the harbor have grown dramatically since. While onboard a tour with American Princess Cruises, Celia Ackerman, who works as a naturalist for the company, captured multiple breathtaking photos of the creatures with a view of New York’s skyline as the backdrop. Here’s just one of the beauties: Gorgeous all images taken by Celia Ackerman, used with permission from Gotham Whales Ackerman is also a research associate for Gotham Whale, a marine mammal research, education and advocacy organization. Gotham Whale tweeted the images not only to let others join in on nature’s spectacle, but also to raise awareness and avoid potential collisions. “Amazing day to say the least,” Gotham Whale’s caption read. Why New York’s waters are suddenly full of whales This once-in-a-lifetime sighting might be less of a miracle and more a result of concerted efforts to clean New York’s waters. Back in 2019, the New York Post cited a study that showed New York’s harbors were the purest they’ve been in nearly 110 years, not since “Albert Einstein had just published his theory of relativity,” according to the Post article. This was largely due to the Clean Water Act of 1972, in addition to volunteer environmental groups, according to the article. Cleaner water means more fish, and more fish means a whale buffet. Not to mention some amazing photos: Breach incoming! Photo credit: Celia Ackerman/Gotham Whales “Something else to make your heart happy!” someone commented alongside a blue whale emoji. Humpbacks are one of the great comeback stories Humpback whales, in particular, are an amazing conservation success story. In the 1940s, when whaling oversight first began, humpbacks were nearly extinct. Now they’re thriving. What’s not to love about this photo? Photo credit: Celia Ackerman/Gotham Whales This is the stuff fairy tales are made of y’all. Whales used to pass through New York harbor on their way to more fertile feeding grounds, but the water cleanup efforts have motivated them to stick around and feed. That’s how you get incredible sights like this. Over-whale-mingly cool. Photo credit: Celia Ackerman/Gotham Whales Hands down, most successful whale watching cruise ever. No question. One fish, two fish. Photo credit: Celia Ackerman/Gotham Whales These whales gave a water show and everything (see below): We’re in the splash zone. Photo credit: Celia Ackerman/Gotham Whales There’s even a video of three breaching whales from the same day, shared by science and health reporter Aaron Tremper. Caught a Triple Breach on video while out with @APCruises and @gothamwhale yesterday! Humpbacks off NYC? Always a breathtaking sight!#whales #NYC #animals pic.twitter.com/DycLRANOoW— Aaron Tremper (@aarontremper) August 15, 2022 “I would’ve been screaming. This is so magical!” wrote one person. Of course, the new-and-improved coastline (and all the fish that comes with it) is not only attracting whales. On August 8, 2022, two sharks were spotted off a beach in Queens, New York. And there were 15 shark sightings in one day the previous week, according to ABC7 New York. However, shark attacks are still quite rare. I know what you’re thinking: where are the dolphins?! Don’t worry, Ackerman found some of those, too. Like this Clymene dolphin below, whose most well-known party trick is spinning while jumping out of the water. He’s auditioning for the “Flipper” reboot. Photo credit: Celia Ackerman/Gotham Whales These images come as a respite after the news that Freya, a walrus in Norway who captured hearts by sunbathing in various boats, was euthanized by authorities after being declared a “threat to human safety.” Her death was considered by many to be an avoidable act of cruelty, brought on by human negligence. However, the walrus named after a Norse goddess of love aptly still commands reverence by her followers, who have started a fundraiser to erect a statue in her honor. Here is where things stand today Since these photos surfaced in 2022, the whale population in New York has continued to grow. Now, it’s so big that officials are growing worried over whale-ship collisions. Efforts to expand vessel speed limits have faced setbacks, in January 2025, NOAA withdrew proposed expansions that would have extended year-round protections. Meanwhile, the whale population continues to grow, with Gotham Whale’s catalog now documenting nearly 500 humpback whales off the coast as of 2025. We don’t always do right by our animal friends. But when we do, it shows. New York’s impromptu whale party is literal living proof of that. Finally, some good news about growing traffic! This article first appeared four years ago. It has been updated. The post New York City was visited by nine different whales in one day and the photos are incredible appeared first on Upworthy.

Around 1 a.m. on April 24, 2018, semi-truck drivers in the Oak Park area of Michigan received a distress call from area police: An unidentified man was standing on the edge of a local bridge, apparently ready to jump onto the freeway below. Thirteen drivers responded without hesitatio Those drivers then did something amazing. They raced to the scene to help and lined up their trucks under the bridge, providing a relatively safe landing space should the man jump. Fortunately, he didn’t. The impressive line-up wasn’t a coincidence. The drivers were prepared for exactly this sort of situation. Sgt. Jason Brockdorff of the Huntington Woods Police Department told The Detroit News that the response was something local police and truck drivers had actually trained for. But what was unusual was the sheer number of drivers who responded to the call. “That’s a practice we use if we have a jumper,” Brockdorff said. “We try to do it every time, to lessen the distance someone would travel if they were to jump. Fortunately, that didn’t happen.” The incident lasted nearly four hours, into the early morning. However, once the trucks were in place, the police were able to more comfortably negotiate with the unidentified man. A police car parked along the freeway. Photo credit: Canva After four hours, the man walked away safely Eventually, the man walked off the bridge on his own and received medical attention. In a pair of tweets, the local police department called attention to the incident to remind people in similar situations of the importance of seeking mental health services: This photo does show the work troopers and local officers do to serve the public. But also in that photo is a man struggling with the decision to take his own life. Please remember help is available through the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988 (or the previous number 1-800-273-8255). You can also call a loved one, member of the clergy or 911. There are so many people that can help you make the choice to get help and live! It is our hope to never see another photo like this again. You can also call a loved one, member of the clergy or 911. There are so many people that can help you make the choice to get help and live! It is our hope to never see another photo like this again. pic.twitter.com/cDfm1CK1BZ— MSP Second District (@mspmetrodet) April 24, 2018 What this moment says about all of us Working together, the police and everyday strangers saved a life. Ordinary people heeded the call of service to help a fellow person who was struggling. It’s a powerful image that’s impossible to ignore, and a reminder of humanity at its best. This article originally appeared eight years ago. It has been updated. The post 13 truckers parked side by side in the middle of the night to save a life appeared first on Upworthy.

If you Google “smartest dog breeds,” most lists that pop up put Border Collies in the No. 1 spot, followed in some order by Poodles, German Shepherds, and Golden Retrievers. But a 2023 study of canine cognition from the University of Helsinki puts a whole different breed at the top of the ladder, one that most of us have probably seen before but haven’t heard the name of: the Belgian Malinois. Best known as a police or security dog, the Belgian Malinois is a shepherd breed that looks very similar to a German Shepherd. Both breeds are of similar height and coloring, but the Malinois is lighter weight and its ears are more triangular-shaped, according to the American Kennel Club. So, what is it that makes the Belgian Malinois more intelligent than other dog breeds? Here is how the study actually worked The study published in Scientific Reports analyzed 1,002 dogs from 13 different breeds using a battery of smartDOG cognition tests. These tests involve food reward tasks that determine a dog’s capacity for memory, problem-solving, impulse control, reading human gestures, copying human behavior, and logical reasoning. Despite a wide field of research on dogs, only a handful of studies have examined cognition of specific breeds instead of breed groups. Additionally, not much empirical research has been done on nonsocial cognitive traits such as memory, inhibitory control, spatial problem-solving, and logical reasoning, all of which were covered in this study. Belgian Malinois scored 35 out of 39 points on three key tasks in the study. Photo credit: D. Williams/Wikimedia Commons The researchers identified a few different tests as signifying high intelligence. For the most significant measure of intelligence, logical reasoning, the study revealed no significant difference between the dog breeds. So, according to The Telegraph, the three tests the authors singled out instead for measuring and comparing intelligence were: A V-detour test, in which a dog had to detour around a transparent V-shaped fence to get to a food reward, showing some problem-solving ability. A human gesture reading test, in which a dog’s response to five gestures was measured: constant pointing, brief pointing, pointing with the foot, pointing at something while facing another direction, and following a human’s gaze. An unsolvable task test, in which a dog tries to access food in an unopenable box, measuring independence and how quickly a dog asked a human for help. So who actually came out on top? The Belgian Malinois scored 35 out of a possible 39 points on these three tasks, making it the top scorer for high intelligence overall. Border Collies came in second with 26 points and hovawarts came in third at 25 points. Border collies are often listed as the smartest dogs, but they scored lower than the Belgian Malinois on key tests. Photo credit: Canva The study authors point out that there are strengths and weaknesses in most breeds. Some score very high on some tests and very low on others. Some breeds saw middle-of-the-road scores across most tests. According to IFLScience, one weakness the Malinois showed was in the cylinder test, in which a dog is taught to retrieve a piece of food from inside an opaque cylinder. The opaque cylinder then gets replaced with a transparent one to see if the dog will go around to the end of the cylinder to retrieve the treat, as it did with the opaque one, or try to go directly through the side of the cylinder to get to it. This test measures inhibition, and the Malinois scored among the lowest of all breeds on it. But even top scorers have weak spots Every dog has its bright and dim spots, but it’s clear why the Malinois is a dog of choice for security work: high intelligence is necessary, of course, but even being low on inhibition can be seen as a plus for a working dog that needs to be highly responsive and act quickly when needed. “The Belgian Shepherd Malinois stood out in many of the cognitive tasks, having very good results in a majority of the tests,” study author and owner and CEO of smartDOG Dr. Katriina Tiira told The Telegraph. “Border Collies also performed well in many of the tests,” she added. Nice to throw the dethroned Border Collie a bone, there. This article originally appeared three years ago. It has been updated. The post Study reveals which dog breed is the smartest, and it’s not what you might expect appeared first on Upworthy.

Laughter is the best medicine, according to an old adage. Now, new research suggests it also boosts child development. Making children laugh can help make their brains more resilient and open to learning, according to scientists. Laughter builds deep emotional connections and soothes youngsters’ nervous systems, making them more resilient—because laughter is not frivolous, but […] The post Helping Children Laugh Can Make Their Brains More Resilient and Learning Easier appeared first on Good News Network.