proverb · Source-linked selection
Spare when young and spend when old.
Spare when young and spend when old.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying encourages preserving resources earlier for use later. Its life-stage pattern is an invitation to foresight rather than a rule everyone can follow.
What the words are saying
Youth is associated with restraint and age with enjoying what has been retained. This can prompt reflection on future needs alongside present ones. It should not assume that young people have spare resources or that older people can safely depend only on earlier saving. A useful reading considers real circumstances, uncertainty and support rather than making thrift a guarantee of comfort.
Everyday example
Someone keeps a useful resource for a later planned responsibility while still addressing present needs.
When to use it
Use it to discuss provision across different stages of life.
Put a useful idea into practice: try the free seven-day guide ↗
What it does not mean
This is not financial advice; opportunities to save and later needs vary.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 1485 · Spare
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English