Old School: Wisdom From Grandma & Grandpa

Common sense, hard-won lessons and the way our grandparents did it, from the people who lived it. Still works.

The BRO Code. What to do, what not to do, and a few laughs on the way.

GuideNina CastellanNov 8, 20266 min

The Saturday walk-around that kept Grandpa's truck out of the shop

He never called himself a mechanic. He just looked his truck over every week with a cup of coffee, and caught every problem while it was still cheap.

My grandfather never borrowed a dime, and he wasn't poor

From the Old School archive

Older stories

GuideRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

She Filled the Envelopes First and Never Missed a Bill

GuideNina CastellanSep 23, 20265 min

Waste Nothing, Feed Everyone, Clean As You Go

GuideDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

Grandpa's money rules that still beat any budgeting app

BRO TakeRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20265 min

The old cash rule, tested against a modern paycheck

GuideDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

Take the Back Off Before You Throw It Out

GuideNina CastellanSep 23, 20266 min

The Depression tricks my grandmother never stopped using

Old School on video

Worth an hour of your evening

From channels we rate. Plays on YouTube.

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20 Old-Fashioned Skills That Are Saving Families Money Right Now

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25 FORGOTTEN Kitchen Skills Every American Grandmother Knew 100 Years Ago

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9 Old Fashioned Skills Grandma Knew That Could Save You Now

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18 Forgotten Household Skills Our Grandparents Used Every Day

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20 MONEY Rules My Grandma 🧓 Learned During The Great Depression 💰

FinTuberTalksSep 20

15 Frugal Living Tips From the Great Depression Era | Frugal Living | Fintubertalks

Frozen PenniesOct 29

25 Depression-Era Money Saving Tips I Learned From Grandma (THAT WORK TODAY)!!

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47 Great Depression Money Saving Tips I Learned From Grandma (That Still Works Today!!)

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19 Tips from my Grandma's from the Great Depression | FRUGAL LIVING

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My Grandma's Great Depression Money Saving Ways| Frugal Tips from Being Raised by My Grandma

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The Great Depression's Frugal Secrets: 10 Frugal Living Tips You Need to Know

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10 Tips from my Grandma's from the Great Depression

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55 Frugal Living Tips from the Great Depression | Grandma's Frugal Hacks

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35 Frugal Tips I Learned From Grandma {Frugal Living | Depression Era | Saving Money}

Old School quizzes

Quiz yourself, then your friends

All quizzes

GuideNina CastellanOct 10, 20265 min

Gifts Grandma will actually use, at every budget

Skip the knickknack. These gift categories work on a Tuesday, not just on her birthday, and the best one costs you an afternoon.

StoryNina CastellanOct 9, 20264 min

Over or under, and the real crime on the roll

My wife and I have fought about the toilet paper for six years. Grandma heard both sides over pie and ruled in about forty seconds.

Ask BRO

Build me a 30-day training plan around two sessions a week

Ask it

StoryNina CastellanOct 8, 20265 min

Scrape the plate, skip the rinse, and point the knives down

Two newlyweds, one dishwasher, and a grandmother who's been loading racks since before either of them was born. The verdict is in.

PartnerWhackAWoke.com

6 min read

Grandma's recipe isn't on the card. It's in her hands.

The index card says "flour enough." Here's how to stand in her kitchen and find out exactly how much enough is, before nobody can tell you.

Poll

How often do you see your closest friends?

StoryNina CastellanOct 1, 20266 min

Sunday dinner lasted forty years because Grandma never moved it

The roast went in at ten-thirty and dinner was at two, every week. How to bring back a family meal that sticks.

StoryNina CastellanSep 30, 20266 min

Same night, same table: how my grandparents kept their friends

They never planned a get-together. They set one night, kept it for thirty years, and made it cheap enough that nobody had an excuse to skip it.

GermProof.com — An invisible germ barrier on your skin for hours

PartnerGermProof.com

StoryCal BrennanSep 23, 20265 min

They Helped Each Other Without Ever Calling It Help

The neighbors who got my grandparents through the lean years had rules about it, and every one of them still works when somebody you know is sinking.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

GuideNina CastellanSep 23, 20266 min

Grandma's Remedies, Sorted Into Keep and Toss

Honey and a salt gargle earned their place in the cabinet. Butter on a burn and whiskey on a baby's gums never did.

GuideDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

Go work for the man who expects too much of you

The old apprenticeship worked because somebody held a standard over you and wouldn't lower it. You can still find that, and here's how to ask.

Ask BRO

Build me a revision plan that I will actually stick to

Ask it

GuideDean ShawSep 23, 20265 min

A Man's Word Was His Whole Credit File

My grandfather borrowed a post-hole digger once and gave it back sharpened. That habit still buys more than a good resume does.

Dude.com — 16 AI advisers who listen, talk and are here with you

PartnerDude.com

GuideCal BrennanSep 23, 20266 min

The Old Answer to I'm Bored Was a Bucket and a Job List

Three months, no camps, no schedule, and a screen door that slammed forty times a day. What that actually taught kids, and how to run a version of it this week.

Poll

How many days a week are you actually training?

GuideNina CastellanSep 23, 20266 min

She Never Ordered For Me at a Restaurant and That Was the Point

Grandmothers had a whole curriculum for raising girls who don't fold, and almost none of it was a speech.

GuideDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

The Garden That Fed a Family Was Smaller Than You Think

Six rows behind the garage, a sharp hoe and ten minutes after supper. What the old gardeners actually did, and how to copy it this season.

Shirts.com — Design it with AI. Wear it this week.

PartnerShirts.com

GuideNina CastellanSep 23, 20265 min

Nobody in That House Threw a Shirt Out Over a Button

Sew a button that outlives the shirt, darn a sock heel flat, and patch a knee so it holds - the whole mending basket, explained.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next two weeks.

5 min

He Asked in Person and Had Her Home by Ten

6 min

How To Keep A Car Twenty Years The Way My Grandfather Did

Ask BRO

What should I wear to this?

Ask it

GuideDean ShawSep 23, 20265 min

The Handshake Was the Contract and It Usually Held

My grandfather closed deals in about nine words and a shake. Most of his method still works, and the part that doesn't is worth knowing too.

Names.com — The name is the first thing you sell

PartnerNames.com

5 min read

Grandma's health plan was a walk, a window and an early night

Four habits that cost nothing, worked for eighty years, and still beat most of what you'd pay a subscription for.

Poll

How many days a week are you actually training?

Older articles

Older Old School stories

Old School: Wisdom From Grandma & Grandpa

The Saturday walk-around that kept Grandpa's truck out of the shop

Grandma ran the money, and the house was better for it

What thirty years at one job actually bought my grandfather

The nail by the door and other rules from Grandpa's shop

Ten men, one Saturday, no invoice

My grandfather never borrowed a dime, and he wasn't poor

From the Old School archive

She Filled the Envelopes First and Never Missed a Bill

Waste Nothing, Feed Everyone, Clean As You Go

Grandpa's money rules that still beat any budgeting app

The old cash rule, tested against a modern paycheck

Take the Back Off Before You Throw It Out

The Depression tricks my grandmother never stopped using

Worth an hour of your evening

Quiz yourself, then your friends

Gifts Grandma will actually use, at every budget

Over or under, and the real crime on the roll

Scrape the plate, skip the rinse, and point the knives down

Grandma's recipe isn't on the card. It's in her hands.

Sunday dinner lasted forty years because Grandma never moved it

Same night, same table: how my grandparents kept their friends

They Helped Each Other Without Ever Calling It Help

Grandma's Remedies, Sorted Into Keep and Toss

Go work for the man who expects too much of you

A Man's Word Was His Whole Credit File

The Old Answer to I'm Bored Was a Bucket and a Job List

She Never Ordered For Me at a Restaurant and That Was the Point

The Garden That Fed a Family Was Smaller Than You Think

Nobody in That House Threw a Shirt Out Over a Button

He Asked in Person and Had Her Home by Ten

How To Keep A Car Twenty Years The Way My Grandfather Did

The Handshake Was the Contract and It Usually Held

Grandma's health plan was a walk, a window and an early night