10 Tips from my Grandma's from the Great Depression

Tips from Grandma's who lived through the Great Depression and How You Can Live Through It Too!

[bonitaquandt]

Recycling in the Depression: clothes eventually wore out. Then, my Grandmothers would cut up the fabric that was still good into quilt pieces. The worn out remainder was rolled into "rope" and woven into rag rugs. The buttons were saved to be used in another piece of clothing being sewn.

[anissam]

Heard this years ago and it's stuck with me:
Use it up, wear it out
Make do or do without

[jackjackson]

In the 1950's when I was ages 5 - 12 I lived with my grandparents. One day Grandma sent me to the corner grocery store for a loaf of bread. I was two cents short, and Mr. Bradley said not to worry about it. When I got home and told Grandma, she sent me straight back with the two cents. Also, like you just said, Grandma always mended socks and other clothes.

[janicereadymartcher]

I got married in 1972, when I brought my pay packet home I gave it straight to my wife she had a tin box with sections in. Mortgage, food, gas, electricity, water, council tax, general household, and pocket money. We never bought anything we couldn’t afford, we saved up. We saved up £100 which was five weeks wages and said “That is for emergencies only.” We never had to touch that money even when the mortgage rate reached 17%. I learned all this from my mum and dad. Thanks mum and dad. And thanks to a great wife who managed a house two boys and me. Phil.

[emmylou-yb]

I'm 66 and during my childhood, my parents did not even have a bank account; they had a cigar box that held bills and cash. Once a month, my mom and dad sat at the kitchen table, went over the bills and a day or later, we would go to the "main street" in our neighborhood and get money orders to pay everything.There were no credit cards, and I learned the word "no". Eventually, I babysat and worked as a checkout girl at the supermarket. That's how I paid for clothes, driver's education, etc. I am so grateful to my parents for the values they taught us.

[capecodder]

We don’t appreciate what a privileged life we have!!❤️

[shrimpymuscles]

I'm 71. I grew up like this. I still live this way. No debt. Make do, fix it up, reuse, re purpose.

[eileenrob]

Kids NEED : good food, shelter, clothing, and L❤VE.
Not : phones, tablets, social accounts, and name brands.

[craigwitte]

Both of my parents grew up on farms during the great depression. I was raised on a farm during the 1950's and 60's. I wore hand-me downs from my brother. All the kids at our rural school wore jeans with patches on the knees. That was just the way it was no stigma to it. We hunted, fished, raised livestock, butchered our own meat, raised a full 1 acre garden, canned and fermented produce. I still live the same way today. Very satisfying life.

[bookmagicroe]

I remember trying to get a credit card in my name in 1972. It couldn't happen because I was a woman. They wanted
my husband or father to open in their name. Finally, a tall, Black man, who was an assistant manager at Winkleman's in Detroit allowed
me to open an account at the store. I think he related to my situation because I suspect he might have been the rare Black man
who was even considered to be an assistant manager. Mr. Hawkins, wherever you are, thank you for back in the day.

[glendaquick]

There is a reason they're are called The Greatest Generation! I have often thought of how my grandparents went from horse and buggy to a man on the moon. How amazing is that!?

[heatherj]

I remember my great grandma would wash out produce plastic bags and hang them with clothes pins to reuse them. She never bought plastic bags or aluminum foil. She used reusable storage containers. Also, she never bought dish soap. She would use powdered laundry soap to wash dishes. She said it was much cheaper.
Her husband, my great grandfather, after losing his gas station due to the depression, worked in the fields to put food on the table. He even worked in them with 104° fever. They didn't complain, but they also didn't talk much about those years.
He had to declare bankruptcy on his business, but paid back every penny he owed, even though he didn't have to. I sure miss them. The people during the depression had tenacity and strong character for the most part.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane of my great grandparents. I had thought of them for awhile.

[MissBurr]

Alot of houses didnt have closets, cause they didnt have alot of clothes..They didnt change several times a day, they wore them till they were filthy and stunk.Bathed in a tub, or a pail, the closest thing to a buffet was a church all day dinner and loved those all day singings, everybody would bring a dish or two and it was all spread out, kids playing, going to church barefooted, singing, and enjoying one another..If they had ice they made ice cream which was so special, you just couldnt go to the store and buy ice cream and stuff....Ice came from the ice house...in big blocks, and you had to store it....alot of old timers would dig a hole in the yard, and pack it with straw to store and keep things cool..My mama didnt like to eat meat I guess cause she was the one that had to pick the chicken out to die for dinner..I used to love to play in my Grandmas chicken indoor facilties.but, there was so much was about the only place Grandma went, unless we caught the bus to go to got fresh roasted peanuts and a glass of fresh squeezzed orange juice and it was such a treat....When we went to town, people dressed nice, and presented themselves nice, not like they just got out of bed at Walmart...I still have her oil lamps, cause they had no lights....Grandpa would hang his outside lights on the wagon as he came home after dark...most roads were dirt....they had 2 horses, Mae and June, and when one passed, the other one greived herself to many memories, thanks Tawra for the trip down memory lane....I have shelled so many beans and peas with her on the porch, and would love to do it again if I could...my Grandma was my heart.

[soniahenney]

My parents raised 6 kids in the 60's and 70's and we still did most of those things. Not quite as extreme. We couldn't wait to get old enough to babysit or do odd jobs and make our own money. Of course as children we sometimes wished we had more but did not expect our parents to go beyond their means to get us "things". We also learned to share and to entertain ourselves with our imaginations and had fun doing it. I remember if my sister's had a dress I really liked I was glad to have it handed down to me. These values and ways of thinking have helped me many many times in my life. I'm thankful for those experiences!

[nothingtonooneinparticular]

LOL My life didn't change much when the pandemic hit, I was able to close the front door, smile and relax! My Dad was an Oklahoma farmer during the dust bowl. The rest of his life was career Military. He made all of hiskids "preppers" he just called it "putting stuff back." His teachings saved my butter more than once, I can tell you that! Man, it sure paid off, mostly when out of work, but also during snow storms, blackouts, etc. Love your book and vids!

[mkhuntstreasure]

Your grandparents equal my parents and aunts, yes we did not wear shoes all summer except for church! I remember helping roll newspaper—we would start with a small tight roll, tie it with kitchen string then lightly spray some newspapers with water, add that to the roll and tightly roll it all then tie with more string. This would be repeated about a total of 4 or 5 times, then set in sunlight for a week or so. These newspaper logs would then be burned in the fireplace instead of wood. They did give off an incredible amount of heat. If you do this, make sure the last few rolls are of the colored funny papers as it gives off beautiful colorful flames!

[SMBrandon]

I was (was is the word) in a moms group that complained and complained about the schools closing during the pandemic.
They are mostly stay at home moms.
None of their husbands lost a job.
I was happy to have the kids home.

[kristywatkins]

I nodded my head in agreement with everything you said. I'm 64 now and heard many of these same stories from my grandmother and mother. They were sweet and kind women and mentally tough as You had to be to survive the wars and Depression. Many times when life was particularly hard my mom would just shrug her shoulders a little bit and say "well God is in control". She had learned that over the many hardships that occurred in her life. She was 95 when she left our family and has been living in heaven for almost 2 years.
I'm so thankful that she is safely home!!! Please remember today is the day of salvation. You never know if you will have tomorrow.

[r.peebles]

I am "an advanced age". I heard my grandmother tell of a Great Depression the textbooks never mentioned. People jumping off of bridges, pregnant mothers with no food to eat. My grandfather said he'd kill himself before he lived through another depression. No one today has any idea how horrific it actually was.

[orangemarigold]

Thank you for this.My mom was born in 1918 during spanish flu epidemic weighing not quite 2 lbs.Have heard her speak of great depression many times.She was the most resourceful person I have ever known.She was almost 90 when she passed and I thank God for her as a mother!!