Frugal living ideas from the depression?

Question

Considering we are upon (or already in) hard times i thought it would be great to share some frugal ol' fashion tips from the depression.... so what has your grand mother told you?

Answer 1

Put a jacket on, not the heater.

Turn off the lights when your not in the room.

Send text messages that "hint" that the other person should call you.

Buy in bulk.

Produce more than you consume.

Make your kids work as soon as they are able, and encourage them to leave home as soon as possible.

Sell your sperm.

and Reuse you tea bags.

Answer 2

Save and re-use plastic bags as substitutes for rubber gloves, crochet them into purses or heavy-duty shopping bags - get creative!

Save old clothes and use simple techniques to embellish them: new buttons, lace trims etc.  Or, hack them apart and make them totally into something new!  I recently made a maternity top  out of a singleton pillowcase that I love.  There are a number of good books available from Amazon (that you can buy second-hand) that are fabulous for inspiration!

Answer 3

It really depends on how much land u have, can have hens?

I'ts always gonnna be cheaper if you don't have to buy ready-made foods, like make your own bread.

Grow your own vegetables or even herbs in a pot. Choose vegies that you love that are expensive and grow them. Buy fresh eggs  or anything else from a farmer's market, the money goes straight to them and you don't have to pay the extra cost.

Answer 4

Use powdered milk for cooking. I don't like to drink the stuff... but keep it on hand for recipes that call for milk as you can mix up as much or as little as you need right then.

Answer 5

people saved EVERYTHING that might EVER be of value for ANY reason.

Besides perishable food, people horded everything - not just food.

One example was the wrappers that bread came in. People had hundreds of empty bread wrappers neatly folded up and stored away in case they were ever needed.  LOL

Answer 6

Make sure you have time for yourself and try to include activities that fall in to the following catagories:

- Physical

- Social

- Nature

- Creativity

So for instance, a keen gardener with a partner could obtain all those in one activity.

Answer 7

My grandmother saved soaps and detergents. She had an entire wall full of soaps, detergents and cleaning supplies in her cellar.

She went shopping every day for bargains and bought in bulk.  We didn't need soap and detergent for years after she passed on.

Answer 8

Don't ever use a credit card.  Pay cash for everything.  If you don't have the cash, don't spend the money!

Answer 9

Distinguish between needs and wants.

Buy it new, make it do, fix it up or do without.

Answer 10

Ketchup packets squeezed into hot water = soup.