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With the cost of gas and groceries still on the rise, people are looking for real ways to save and it turns out, we can learn a lot from what previous generations did. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, people were frugal and used tips and tricks to survive those very tough times. While a lot has changed in the nearly 100 years since, these are some Depression-era hacks that can still help us save today.
- Grow your own food - In the 30s, it was common for people to have a “Victory Garden” in their backyard or on their patio where they grew vegetables and you can do the same to save on increasingly expensive produce.
- Cook your own affordable meals - Back then, people were forced to get creative making meals with available ingredients. Bean soups were a staple of the era, since beans are a lot cheaper than meat and you can toss whatever you have on hand into the soup pot.
- Go retro on entertainment - Cancel cable and streaming subscriptions to save on those bills and keep your family entertained by listening to podcasts and the radio, like people did during the Depression.
- Have a DIY attitude - Embrace your 1930s frugality by fixing broken things around the house yourself and making things you want and need yourself.
- Use everything up - Get every penny’s worth of your products by scraping the last scoop of peanut butter out of the jar and squeezing that toothpaste tube until nothing comes out.
- Reuse and repurpose - Make your great grandma proud by saving plastic and glass containers and shoeboxes to use as storage containers. When the kids outgrow their clothes, pass them down to neighbors who can use them. And challenge yourself to see what else you can do with an item before you throw it away.
- Go manual - If you’re willing to do a little extra work, you can save on your utility bills by drying your clothes on the line instead of using the dryer and by washing dishes instead of running the dishwasher. Walking or hopping on your bike when you need to go to the store will help you save on gas, too. And all these little savings add up over time.
Source: Living On The Cheap