My boomer mom’s cheap online shopping habit drives me nuts

This piece isn't about home energy upgrades or rebates. It's an advice column addressing a family disagreement over shopping habits between generations, with a climate therapist offering perspective on why a mother might value cheap goods while her adult child sees waste and disposability instead.

The therapist explains that many older adults grew up during periods of economic hardship, like the oil-crisis inflation and high mortgage rates of the early 1980s, which shaped habits around stretching money and finding deals. She suggests approaching the disagreement with curiosity rather than judgment, and notes that surveys, including one from King's College London, find that people across generations largely agree environmental problems are serious enough to require real changes in how people live, even if the actions taken differ by age group.

There's nothing here about heat pumps, weatherization, insulation, rebate programs, or any specific home improvement guidance. If you came looking for news on energy-efficiency incentives or upgrade options for your house, this article won't help with that. It's a personal-advice piece about bridging generational differences in consumer habits and values, not a report on energy policy, technology, or savings programs homeowners could use.