10 Frugal Habits From The Great Depression That Are Surprisingly Useful Today
There's always something to learn from our past, including helpful spending and saving habits.
Dragana Gordic | Shutterstock.com Especially in today’s economy, where many people are struggling with an insecure job market, sociopolitical tension, and financial crises, there are quite a few unsettling parallels to other historical time periods characterized by struggle, including the time period between 1929 and 1940 during the Great Depression. While times have certainly changed and our society has evolved to make way for modern day struggles, not just for lower income households, but also much of the “middle class,” there are experiences like home ownership, job stability, and stagnant wages that urge people to resort to seemingly old school habits to financially survive and support themselves.
By adopting frugal habits from the Great Depression that are surprisingly useful today, we may be able to break free from the “struggle mindset” and move into a more comfortable situation where we can save, invest, and plan for the future.
Here are 10 frugal habits from the Great Depression that are surprisingly useful today
1. Making your own hygiene products
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Many of the frugal habits from the Great Depression that are surprisingly useful today are rooted in an innovative mindset focused on recycling and repurposing. Rather than throwing out leftover food, contributing to food waste and lost dollars, or immediately getting rid of packaging on new items, many households instead flexed their creative muscle — in a survivalist kind of way — to save money they needed for other basic necessities.
While some of these frugal habits have certainly slipped away to make room for consumerist trends and overpriced hygiene products that manifest themselves as an indicator of status and prestige, some households have continued to repurpose products like bacon grease in their diner to save money on soap.
While bacon grease certainly isn’t a household product most of us are keen on repurposing into our hygiene routines, there are many other tips, tricks, and ingredients that can save you money on your monthly shopping expenses.
2. Learning to sew
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While thrifting options and second-hand stores have become a fad of higher income households and individuals — highlighted in picked-over racks and rising prices at stores like Goodwill — there are still frugal habits like sewing and reimagining your closet that can save you money on new clothing purchases.
By picking up sewing, even if it’s just practicing for a few minutes every day when you have some free time, you not only indulge in a creative endeavor that brings a sense of fulfillment and joy to a monotonous routine, you find ways to rewear and fix worn-out clothing that may otherwise go in the trash.
In contrast to fast fashion consumerist trends and purchasing new clothes for specific occasions, many crafty individuals who’ve picked up the habit argue you can save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars annually by sewing your own clothing and fixing older pieces. Fixing, rather than replacing, is a mindset, whether you’re using it to save money on clothes, doing household repairs, or stretching out meals.
3. Doing all your errands on one day
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While it takes a certain amount of planning, especially if you’re working at a rigid workplace or in multiple jobs that don’t allow for much flexibility, doing all of your errands on a single day can save you a great deal of money in the long run.
While this frugal habit, adopted by many households living through the Great Depression, is generally intended to save money on transportation costs like gas, it can also help to prevent against general wear and tear on your vehicle that can lead to much higher costs when you’re venturing out several times a week to get the mail, go grocery shopping, or make it to a doctor’s appointment.
4. Growing an herb garden
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If you’re not ready to commit to entirely growing your own food or don’t have the space, greenery, or time to commit to cultivating a garden of that size, you can generally save a bit of money on smaller, yet costly, items like herbs by growing them yourself. While some households in the Great Depression, such as some families living in Detroit, were given support through “thrift gardens” to grow their own food or find land to start herb gardens, in today’s society, it’s become much less common for people to resort to home grown foods to offset rising grocery costs.
While some people in younger generations have emphasized the importance of nutritional foods in their routines, many don’t have the space, time, or money to invest in growing their own food. Instead, they can choose to offset the costs of smaller items like herbs that are typically more expensive to get through a grocer.
With low-cost seeds and small containers that tend to survive well indoors, consumers can save on grocery bills consistently throughout the year and offset the guilt of watching an oversized and overpriced package of thyme or basil go bad overnight in the refrigerator.
5. Cooking with leftovers
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Many of the legacy recipes and meals that came out of the Great Depression, following generations and households into modern day kitchens, are rooted in a kind of innovation and creativity that was necessary to save money and survive.
While there might not have been joy in struggling with necessities, pinching pennies, and making constant sacrifices, being able to reuse leftovers, get creative in the kitchen, and make better meals with less is a bonding experience that’s still productive and fulfilling for financially struggling families today. It may seem simple, but even looking through your pantry and planning out meals with certain ingredients can help you to save money on groceries and eliminate food waste at home.
By cutting back on extra grocery shopping costs and losing money on groceries that go bad, households can save a lot of money over the course of the year, especially as costs continue to rise and inflationary pressures make food insecurity more prevalent.
6. Connecting with your neighbors
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Considering we’re battling one of the most intense loneliness epidemics in our modern society, as a study published in JAMA Psychiatry explains, connecting with neighbors and building true community around our homes can not only be incredibly helpful for our financial security, but also our mental and emotional wellbeing.
From doing little favors for the people in our lives, to sharing and recycling household products, to carpooling, there are many creative ways to leverage connections and community to save everyone money.
While many families during the Great Depression were hyper focused on survival, self-sufficiency, and preservation of their own households, there are many frugal habits like “thrift gardens” and neighborly outings that not only helped people to save money on necessities, but also illuminated the need for a moral boost that fostered profound connection between them, despite the circumstances.
7. Making payments in cash
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Especially today, when technological accessibility and consumerism feeds into the impulsivity of purchases with a tap, swipe, or button push, finding ways to cut back on card purchases can help you to save money over time. Outside of the additional fees and costs of using a credit card, which typically cost between 2% and 4% more than cash purchases, committing to using cash for daily expenses can also help as an intuitive budgeting skill.
At the beginning of the month, map out your expenses. Figure out your bills, what necessities you need, and get honest about the extra expenditures you need versus what you want. Take out cash for groceries, for extra spending, and even for other necessities like gas. Once you’ve run out of cash, you should be done spending for the month.
Obviously this budgeting mindset isn’t entirely feasible for every household, especially those that are currently surviving on credit cards and taking on debt, but it can be a helpful mindset to consider for additional costs that you may otherwise impulsively overspend on when shopping online or with a card.
8. Buying in bulk
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Especially for households using a significant amount of the same ingredients, specifically meat like chicken or beef, investing in a larger quantity of it up front can actually help households to save money on groceries over time.
While it might be a larger financial burden to purchase outright that not every household has the freedom to invest in, being able to stretch a whole animal — from innards to skin and other less desirable body parts — rather than a piece from the grocery store can also fund more meals.
Even if you’re just using extra leftovers and food from a bulk purchase to make household items or broths, the repurposing mindset can offer a great deal of money saving opportunities.
9. Dressing in layers
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While there’s a certain fragile boundary between saving money and having small moments of comfort, being able to save on utilities can add up to hundreds, and oftentimes thousands, of dollars in savings at the end of a year.
Especially as inflationary pressures and costs of rent rise, utilities are likely to continue to skyrocket for years without change, causing households to get creative in how they save on water and electricity. While it might seem simple, small changes like reading by candlelight at night, taking shorter showers, and bundling up in the winter to save on heat can have big impacts on utility expenses at the end of every month.
Turn the thermostat down, commit to a shorter shower routine, and invest in daily habits that encourage you to be more cognizant of your water usage during activities like brushing your teeth or doing dishes — it will add up in the end.
10. Trade, borrow, and barter
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Especially if you're committing to growing your own food, starting a garden, or picking up a new hobby like sewing, consider your time and energy a method of payment — especially with neighbors and close friends and family. Instead of buying things or purchasing services, figure out how you can trade and barter to save money.
Even if you’re sending over a cake, vegetables from your garden, or an offer to help with sewing a new outfit, being able to trade and borrow with the people in your life can not just save you money, but foster an important sense of community in your routine.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.