Depression Era Habits {Amazing Daily Lessons From The Great Depression}

[@saraconklinfrozenpennies]

What are the things you do every day to save money?

[@jennifersisson-pg3in]

Shop my pantry

[@saraconklinfrozenpennies]

@@jennifersisson-pg3in Love this!! Every day!

[@joyceinman9389]

Plan ahead for the next day's meal, and start a little prep if needed. Cooking simple meals saves time and money. I also pack up leftovers for the next day's lunch at work.

[@saraconklinfrozenpennies]

@@joyceinman9389 I’m a planner, too!

[@darlenecarter7859]

I hang my clothes outside to dry and save huge amount on electric bill....use wood stove for heat and saved a lot..wash dishes by hand..make own laundry detergent and save a lot of money...take vitamin and help yourself stay healthy.in the spring, start your own garden..

[@patmartin9727]

I still find myself doing things I saw my mum and gran doing as I was growing up. My husband wanted me to be a stay at home mother/ wife. Every night for 40 years I packed my husbands lunch for the next day if he was working. At primary school I collected my children to bring them home for lunch. As they moved to senior school they also took packed lunches. I cooked everything from scratch. I had the advantage of time but I saw stretching the household budget as my career. I handled all the household finances and ensured we avoided debt and had emergency saving to keep us out of debt. Things were easier in the past as everyone’s expectations were less so my children were not ridiculed for having packed lunch and not the latest phones fashions etc. People were content with less. I see my children now as adults with a confident frugal outlook and I am proud I have sent them forward into adult life with a good grounding.

[@saraconklinfrozenpennies]

I really love this so much. It sounds like a good life.

[@buzzybee186]

I'm sure you raised an amazing family. Managing the home books alone is a FT job

[@Freaysclaw56]

I can so identify with your comment. I saw stretching the household budget as my contribution. I see budgets for 2 income households and so many don’t make much sense when the additional costs to budget of 2 people working doesn’t pay. That’s just the money, we haven’t touched the quality of life difference. Two of my sister in laws were K-5 teachers and both commented they could tell the difference between behavior of children in daycare 6a-6p and those who were not.

[@AllThingsKimberlyWV]

Wonderful Pat❤

[@judybritt6288]

My Mom & Dad lived through the depression & knew, as kids growing up, what it was to be really hungry. They remembered being unsure of having enough to eat. They both came from big families. My Mom once told me that she could remember her childhood and seeing her mom feed her dad & her older brothers first (they were working hard all day farming). They got bigger portions of food and meat, if they had any. Then she fed the children. Her mom ate what was left, which usually wasn't much. A visiting friend of mine once watched my Mom clean up after a meal at our house. She remarked "Your Mom is weird- she saved 4 peas & added them to the other vegetables." I said, "My Mom as always done that. No food ever goes to waste in our house." Mom made good, filling meals, and then stretched leftovers into soups & casseroles with homemade bread. As a kid (who never went hungry), if I complained about not liking a food & wanting something else, Mom would say "This is not a restaurant where you can order anything you want. This is what we are eating tonight. It's OK if you don't want to eat that, someone else will." After I got married and set up my own home, I continued doing the same things I saw my mom do. I remember being shocked when a friend casually mentioned that she bought "special" cleaning cloths. I just assumed other people used rags made from old sheets, towels and clothes, like my Mom & I did. It never even occurred to me to 'buy' cleaning cloths!

[@joycegonzales4994]

Talking about ironing napkins, we even ironed my Dads handkerchiefs.

[@AWanderingEye]

ironing sanitizes

[@Christina-ve2tv]

My mom ironed the tablecloths, sheets/pillow cases, dish cloths,and my dad’s undershirts. At first I followed in her footsteps but finally realized I simply didn’t have that much time to devote to ironing everything!

[@helenmak5663]

I carry a handkerchief, saving the Kleenex.

[@Sally-ih6ls]

I still iron pillowcases…my mother always ironed them with a it is spray starch…I can’t handle wrinkly pillowcases stacked in the linen closet…still iron t shirts, blouses, hubbies shirt but I draw the line on sheets, tea towels and bras

[@carol622]

I save money by not buying fast foods or eating out. I also take drinks or small snacks in my car so we don't get tempted to buy drinks or snacks at a drive through. I cook enough dinner to have a leftover dinner the next day. When my children were young, one of their friends mom was hospitalized for a serious injury. I helped the family by taking home their laundry and delivering it back clean. ( I was an older mom than their mom and I had learned the old habits from my mom and grandmother. I replaced missing buttons, sewed ripped or undone seams in their clothing. The children were shocked to receive clothing back in good as new condition. One more act of love is to care for the children. Bring back the old ways! As a child I never wore clothing with missed buttons or ripped clothing. My mother always repaired my clothing until I had new clothes to wear. I was taught and learned to sew on buttons at an elementary age. Children need to be taught, not to just settle for damaged or broken possessions. Bring back good teaching and parenting. Thank you. It was a good video.

[@lizziesmusicmaking]

I like to cook a big pot of something and then eat it for the next lunch and dinner until I run out. There's only one of me, and this is a significant timesaver over cooking every lunch and dinner. Agreed on the mending. I've saved so much money that way. Although I will say that a fair number of adults don't know how, so they'll have to learn first themselves if they want to do that.

[@barbnauman705]

My grandma made fabulous braided rugs from old clothing and others pieces of fabric. The warmest ones came from old woolen coats or uniforms. These rugs were very helpful on cold, old floors in drafty homes, and they lasted for years!

[@saraconklinfrozenpennies]

I love this idea!

[@jdmaine919]

Yes, Barb! I still use rugs that were braided by my grandmother! Love them.

[@mjrmanson1]

My grandma also made braided rugs from pieces of fabric. She also used empty bread bags from store bought bread to make braided rugs. They lived about a mile from a day old bread store and my grandpa would walk there every few days and buy bread for food then the bags were repurposed. These rugs were all over their house.

[@barbnauman705]

@@mjrmanson1 what a great story!!

[@kamicrum4408]

Closing the kitchen after dinner, helps to get & keep the kitchen clean!

[@jeridavidson9074]

I loved this video. When my mother was a little girl in the thirties my grandmother knit her a dress. When she outgrew the dress my grandmother undid the dress and knit her a sweater. My mother has passed and that little sweater is one of my most prized possessions. I grew up in the 60’s.

[@christ5633]

Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without. Started canning food in 2022 & the results are super! Mending a seam or sewing a button is what I do often. Learn how to do it & you're set. It is pretty easy.

[@novaricos]

My grandmothers, grandfathers, great aunts and 1 great-grand mother up in Nova Scotia, lived by "Use it up, wear it out, make-do and do without". They made soap, (yes I have the 'recipes' and have made it many times), dip candles, pickles and cakes and cookies and beautiful simple meals and buttery lobster chowder, fit for a king, all on wood and oil burning big black stoves! I learned to knit from my Mom and god-mother (who was English), learned crocheting from my dad's mom, and godmother's mother, and sewing embroidery/ crewel work from both grandmothers . my great-grandmother made hooked rugs and oval braided rugs using everyone's old clothes cut in strips. I still have examples of all their beautiful and useful and durable everyday works of art! No one ever sat down with empty or idle hands (which of course would be referred to as the 'devil's workshop', as in "the devil finds work for idle hands!". What an amazing treat it was to grow up knowing and listening to , and loving and being able to learn the old ways from these wonderful people.

[@maryellenerikson1397]

Our cloth napkins used to be the curtains in my kids' room! My husband's "shop rags" are his old bath towels that I cut up to a useable size and ran around the edges with a zig zag stitch. Fabrics that are just too worn or stained (and aren't needed as reusable rags) are used one last time for gross jobs (like cleaning the outside of the toilet) and then finally tossed. It is amazing the savings just from cutting out one-time use items like napkins and paper towels and it is good for the environment too! My grandparents grew up poor during the Depression and were "green" before being green was a thing because they had a habit of wasting nothing.

[@helenmak5663]

The “green” these days has taken the form of a monster. The old green makes more sense.

[@maryellenerikson1397]

@@helenmak5663 I think you are right. Too many people focus on the recycle part when we should be doing it in order-reduce what we buy/use, reuse as much as possible (like people used to do) and recycle the last bits. :)

[@stonehold42]

Recommend from experience. My parents came of age in the Great Depression, in West Virginia. Reuse, repurpose, repair, reconsider. They took good care of us, we didn't do without but we knew money wasn't going to be wasted.

[@saraconklinfrozenpennies]

It was not an easy time. Thanks for watching!!

[@spcatmom]

Mother wouldn't let me throw away a bar of soap. She saved every sliver and stuck them together for more use. Toothpaste tubes were cut open to scrape every bit out. Shampoo bottles, ketchup, etc had water added and shake every bit out. She washed foil and plastic bags. She made her dresses and mine, and made quilts from the scraps. I could go on... I recently bought Amish soap and love it! For the life of me I can't throw the last slivers away. I'm getting my money's worth!

[@teresahegerich8835]

I still wash plastic bags. Bread bags get used for used cat litter since our state has a ban on plastic shopping bags.

[@spcatmom]

@@teresahegerich8835 We've been saving as many plastic bags for kitty litter also, in case our state does the same.

[@teresahegerich8835]

@@spcatmom I thought I could use the empty cat chow bags, as they have a plastic lining. But if our cat sees me putting litter in those, it puts her off eating. Go figure. I do use the doggie doo bags, but the scoop is too big for them.

[@spcatmom]

@@teresahegerich8835 So funny but oh so like a cat. I thought about saving empty wax bags that cereal comes in. The cereal box too. But yes, that scoop is large. Our city has recycling. I'm trying to declutter and then there's stuff you might need... sigh 😃

[@Sharon-ls4bt]

We live in rural KwaZulu Natal. There are a lot of things we do that are completely normal like hang our washing on the line. We live offgrid. We have solar panels and our own spring water. Hot water is from our donkey boiler (wood fired). We grow our own veggies and have chickens for eggs. I make soap, our cosmetics and medicines. We bake our bread and make all food from scratch. I homeschool and make our clothes. I do our hair. Cloth nappies and toilet wipes. No toilet paper. This is all normal here.

[@fianorian]

In the 1960's I remember my mum 'side-to-middling' sheets. When they wore thin in the middle she would chop them in half and stitch them back together, with the worn bits to the outside edges. I also remember a strict rotation of the Sunday roast meat. It was eaten hot on Sunday, cold on Monday (along with any left over veg, fried up), made sandwiches or was added to pasta for Tuesday, and all the rest, including any bones, stuffing etc, was boiled up with any odd vegetables and anything else discovered in the fridge or pantry, to make soup, which (with the addition of dumplings) fed us for another two days.

[@Elizabetha2514]

Hi! Thank you for this video. I was just watching it. My parents were Depression Era. There were no TVs in the 1930s, though. There was very extremely limited television in the late 40s. But most people did not get television sets until the 1950s and well into that decade, for many. In the 1930s there was radio. People listened to radio programs the way that later generations watched TV. Radio was good because you had to use your own imagination as to what a scene or character in the scene looked like. Radio was absolutely HUGE during the 1930s. Just thought I would add that!

[@helenmak5663]

I enjoyed the radio time with my dad in the early 60s. We didn’t have tv until late 60s.

[@Elizabetha2514]

@@helenmak5663 I remember listening to the Lone Ranger in the sixties. I also knew a family that were TV holdouts :) Ahhh, the Old Days!

[@LaundryFaerie]

The modern equivalent of the 1930s radio show, IMO, is the podcast. You can kill two birds with one stone in the evenings by doing some kind of handwork -- mending clothes by sewing on buttons or fixing tears, working on a knitting or crocheting project, etc. -- while listening to your favorite podcast. There are radio drama podcasts, folk tale podcasts for kids (such as Circle Round), podcasts that discuss current events or mental health habits -- just about any subject that can be covered in audio-only format, there's probably a podcast for it.

[@cherylT321]

I have started listening to Gunsmoke radio episodes on KZbin. I’m really enjoying using my imagination with what’s going on in the storylines!

[@annalieff-saxby568]

Another thing about listening to the radio is that it leaves your eyes free, so you can sew or craft or shell peas while you're being entertained. Or why not take it in turns to read aloud for other family members?

[@tsugima6317]

Love this..... like one of the other readers my husband and I made the decision after two children for me to stay home and mother as child care was killing us. I gardened, canned, cooked from scratch, sewed, went to u-pick farms,etc. One thing I learned was that if I used a heavy duty plastic undercloth with a cloth tablecloth over it, it saved my table. The plastic one kept the table dry and the cloth one would stop the liquid from just rolling over the edge onto the floor. I used to sew my own by hemming the raw edges. I also recycled them into aprons with large pockets.

[@tsugima6317]

@C. Lord What worked best for me was the kind of painting drop cloth that is cloth one side and vinyl on the other. I put the cloth side next to the wood and the vinyl side up to prevent spills. They are not expensive, and can be cut to size with scissors ✂️ and the size that I bought made two. They wipe clean with a cloth or sponge.

[@beverlybenson4839]

Great idea about the table cloths.

[@marybethentenmann9730]

My grandmother took worn out sheets and made napkins out of them. So pretty!

[@saraconklinfrozenpennies]

LOVE THIS IDEA!

[@taniaagius3651]

Those days were full of sacrifices. I remember my mother sewing and knitting our clothes. Washing them by hand after lifting loads of heavy buckets full of water from the well. I remember her killing chicks plucking out the feathers and sruffing it to stretch for our big family. Drinking tap water was something normal. Nowadays life is much easier but I prefer those daysThough we had few money our bellies were always filled with nutritious food and she kept sure that we were kept warm on those cold days. Bless my mum. Now she is 92 yrs and still healthy and grateful

[@rosalindlively677]

I really enjoyed hearing this. I grew up in the 50's and most of these are familiar. We didnt know how good we had it!!

[@allinclusive4943]

Love that!! Thanks 💙 I used to buy cheap woolly socks. I had to replace them so often🙄 now I buy more expensive quality woolen socks and darn them if needed. They last soooo much longer!

[@frugalsweetlife3427]

Danke schön

[@ArkConsignment]

I like collecting old cook books. They have such simple ingredients.

[@1mourningdove54]

My brother brought a really nice spiral ham to our Christmas brunch today, and he didn't want the bone. Cha Ching! I brought it home and will make a big batch of ham and beans! I have a few bags of navy beans that I got on sale for $1 each. What a blessing it was to get that ham bone.

[@bethyoung4030]

I’ve been a cloth napkin advocate for years💕 Has but mine from resale shops and have been gifted many which I so appreciate as my family shops thrift stores/resale to find them.

[@anndipietro1868]

I'm in my 60s and do most of the things you list because they were just easier. This stopping for coffee or picking up dinner on the way or ordering out is just another thing to do. It creates more stress. Just do it yourself. And then I found out how much more frugal it is to live this way and I realized that people really don't pay attention to what they are spending. Being a number cruncher, once I started paying attention to how much those conveniences cost, it was a no brainer. Our kids are the same way and I'm confident they are eating better and saving money. They pack their meals. One has very long days and has a 'mini cooler' kind of box for food, but he does it. I've been making my own cleaners for years now. Some actually work better and I don't have to go out to get it. All good ideas. Thank you

[@Astrid_Grace]

A year ago, I crunched some numbers and realized I was averaging $600 a month on DoorDash. After the markup, delivery and tip, it ends up costing double. I deleted the app and became richer. It takes some time to get accustomed to grocery shopping, meal prep and cleanup, but my body and bank account are happier now.

[@anndipietro1868]

@@Astrid_Grace Apply that mindset to other areas of your life and you will be amazed. I've used small chamois cloths (they sell them if you don't want to cut them) for cleaning and wiping up spills. I worked with someone who was always saying she had to pick up paper towels. I asked her how much she spends(pre-inflation) on paper towels. She asked me how it was that I don't use them. After thinking about it, she made some changes.

[@adriennedaley8940]

I love the part about "taking a break to enjoy" life, each other.

[@bloqk16]

Ah! The limiting of trips is very sensible, as every time the car leaves the domicile, that is an expense. Years ago I calculated that every time my vehicle left the driveway, that was a $5 expense. How can that be with gasoline prices as they were years ago? It is with all the expenses involved with maintaining a vehicle. Every time the car is driven, miles (or kilometers) are added to the vehicle, which entails: The consumption of fuel. The engine use of lubricant. The wear on tires and brakes; hundreds of dollars (maybe up to a thousand dollars) for replacement. The wear on all engine and transmission parts. The remote exposure of having a crash, necessitating the need for vehicle insurance. Accumulating miles (or kilometers) on a vehicle results with the vehicle requiring maintenance: Replacing the vehicle battery. Replacing engine oil/filter. Maintaining the cooling system. Occasional replacement of transmission fluid. The occasional engine tuneup; along with replacement of belts and hoses. When combining the sum total of all the accumulated expenses to operate a vehicle, the $5 per drive is my measure of expense. But now, with fuel prices being a high as they are in 2022, that $5 could just be for fuel alone in some parts of the US.

[@homesteadingwithapurpose9681]

My husband and I incorporate several of these in our life. Great reminder video 😊.

[@Melaniejd902]

I make coffee at home and meal prep my lunches. I try to plan my driving. I use my clothesline and drying rack to save power. I try to shop sales, and buy used when possible. I mend my son's clothes. I colour my own hair.

[@ingridlarsen1299]

Great video! There's so much we can learn from our grandma!!! Thank you for sharing!!! Love

[@saraconklinfrozenpennies]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@tomj528]

I've been doing these things for decades, it really is the best way to live.

[@jaenmartens5697]

Couple things, no TVs in the thirties, books yes but everyone also had a radio and listened to it most evenings(sometimes while reading!) Second,hunting and fishing, clamming and foraging were done a lot. Very nice video, thanks.

[@authenticallyamber99]

Great list! I especially like the challenge to slow down and live more simply. I’m at the stage where I just don’t want extra things. I’m selling and donating things I no longer want or need. I’ll never be a minimalist or count my belongings, but I definitely see the value of intentional living and owning less. Thanks for sharing. Just found your channel and subscribed! 💝 God bless!

[@debbiedorsey2371]

Another great video! Thank you!

[@jmgb2954]

These were all very lovely thank you for sharing! I’m in my early 20s and I honestly get overwhelmed with the way my generation lives. I was taught so differently and I cherish those ways of living. God bless 💞

[@Puzzledrev]

I was a depression baby, and that's how it was. Then, during WWII we had rationing. I did the same with my family.

[@bradlafferty]

Love the idea of using torn sheets for pillowcases! One might also use them for a long strips of bandages to secure gauze over wounds. We did that when I was a kid, before clingy wrap was invented.

[@adelechicken6356]

We used strips of old sheets as curlers, they are using the same method today but, they are using fancier cloths.

[@Paleface324]

@@adelechicken6356 I made a bunch of handkerchiefs for my husband from an old sheet. I didn't tell him, I just put them in his handkechief drawer and he used them.

[@LifeWellCruised]

Great video Sara! Love these great reminders

[@saraconklinfrozenpennies]

Thanks so much!!!

[@michaeldanll]

hello friend how are you feeling today I hope you have a nice beautiful day?

[@stevestewart007]

Buy flannel "handkerchiefs" to use as napkins. They are absorbent and don't wrinkle. Use small terry washcloths for the kids, as they can be taken to the sink, washed out, and used to wash up those little hands and faces after dinner is done.

[@pattycake8272]

Thank you for this. I find that I do some of these but I want to do better.

[@susan3200]

Thanks for the ideas! I'm going to sew up some cloth napkins!

[@dizzysdoings]

My husband was a pack rat. I've taken I don't know how many loads of things out of the house and you could never see a difference. Now that he's gone, I'm starting to get a handle on it, but it's slow going. I'm hoping to move next October to a smaller house in a less expensive state. So, I need to really get rid of the junk. Besides reading more, jigsaw puzzles and board games are also good things to do to spend time together and not spend a lot of money.

[@saraconklinfrozenpennies]

Great tips!! Sorry to hear of your husband.

[@barbaratolker4366]

Very good video! I also use cloth handkerchiefs instead of Kleenex and old kitchen towels instead of paper towels.

[@carolyearsley]

Even though televisions were invented before the depression, no one had any during that time. Only radio transmission was available. TVs finally came out in the 1950s. My grandmother had her first one in 1951.

[@charylliss1721]

Pardon me but fun nights often included popcorn going along with listening to a favorite radio program.

[@autumnnelson8074]

Make do and mend has been a saying through out history during hard times. There are many videos out there about sewing and mending clothes.

[@dorisrougvie1793]

Great tips love simple ideas

[@lsmith992]

Re worn out sheets. You turn them sides to middle, cut down the middle and join the edges. After they're worn out that way is when you make pillow cases out of them. Then they're tea towels ( to dry the washed up dishes - dish washers aren't as usual here - UK - as over there). THEN they become washing rags and of course because they were cotton sheets they will compost. Re making rugs out of old clothes, I learned that as a child too. But ours were rag rugs. The clothes were cut onto short strips and using devices that were either hooks or "proddies" according to whether you were making hooked rugs or prodded rugs, the strips were connected with a base fabric that was sacking. The sacking was put on a frame my dad made and the unworked length wound over one end and the worked end the opposite end. Somewhere on line there will be info on this. The rugs would be started in front of the open fire and as they aged, be moved to a bedroom and eventually at the front door.

[@ladyskye3179]

Great tips. I d most of these but still need to find more ways to save. Thank you

[@reneejohnson5787]

Great video! I do most of these.

[@saraconklinfrozenpennies]

Glad you like them! Thanks for watching.

[@socialdgirl011]

I mean I run storage units so I'm good with people renting units since it helps pay my bills lol. However, it does make me want to keep my house cleaner and have fewer things. Everytime we repo a unit and have to clean it I end up getting rid of more of my stuff cuz I don't want to deal with it.

[@deep3499]

Just found your channel! Love it!

[@saraconklinfrozenpennies]

Thanks so much! I appreciate you!

[@jankuhnert4768]

Loved this Sara, thanks so very much. Greetings from England. Jan 👋😊

[@saraconklinfrozenpennies]

Hi Jan! Thanks for watching!!!

[@BlueEyedMomof4]

seriously enjoyed your cheerful advice ! had to like and subscribe

[@saraconklinfrozenpennies]

Thanks so much! I appreciate you!

[@alexanderbhartley5549]

Cleaning glass with a mixture of vinegar and water and using news paper rather than paper towels works well. I don't know about everyone but around these parts there's always free shoppers/hews papers that are available for the taking...

[@sheliadean9548]

Thank you for sharing this information with us

[@lindajohnson7838]

This is the way I have lived all my life.

[@MonethSato]

Cloth napkins here in japan are the best

[@donnag7908]

I’m a big fan of “The Walton’s.” The thing I noticed is everyone helped out. The kids all had chores. . The girls helped with meal prep and cooking. The boys helped their father with the wood mill. Everyone helped with taking care of the animals, harvesting etc. The adults were always talking to the kids about the importance of learning a skill yet they still encouraged their individual interest. It seems a lot of families today are stressed with both parents having to work and trying to do it all.

[@saraconklinfrozenpennies]

Classic show. I love it too!

[@annalieff-saxby568]

Sheets - does anyone else remember the lost art of "sides-to-middling" sheets and towels? Since these linens always wear out in the middle first, you cut them in half lengthwise, sew the unworn side of each strip together with a flat French seam in the middle, and hem the new sides. Voila! Twice the wear! Darning is another lost art, but it certainly gives socks an extended lifetime. I like to do it in the evening, listening to BBC Radio 3, 4, or 4Xtra.

[@saraconklinfrozenpennies]

This is so interesting. I need to look this up!

[@annalieff-saxby568]

@@saraconklinfrozenpennies My mother, born in 1911, was "in service" from 15 to 20 yo. She was a treasure house of arcane domestic crafts.

[@elainecrise1999]

Great advice!!

[@kimberlyj.stornello8828]

l get my cloth napkins at Salvation Army!They are often new,l wash them in hot water and they are good to go!!

[@saraconklinfrozenpennies]

I really love thrifting!!! SOOOO much money is saved!!

[@bakeneggsdesertgarden5068]

Things were made very well back then, so things could get passed down. Now, it is very cheap material, and you're lucky if it lasts through one person. They made things to last.

[@allieeverett9017]

Wonderful!!!

[@amysteele9778]

Great video. So true.

[@saraconklinfrozenpennies]

Thanks so much!

[@shieh.4743]

Most of these things, I just do. And, I feel like I live well. Except the night snacks. Ooof...I have this problem. 😂

[@ArkConsignment]

I thought this was a neat video as it shows the modern day person how to save money. Some practical advice.

[@joycegonzales4994]

It was the mid 1950’s before we got our first black and white tv.

[@katieburgess6839]

Tvs weren't readily available for consumers until the 1950s and there was virtually no programming until then. Many of these things continued until the 1980s. Snacking wasn''t just not done after supper, but few people snacked in between meals during the day. Cloth napkins are readily available in many houseware stores. And yes, they need to be ironed if they are made of natural materials such as cotton or linen. The ones that don't wrinkle are made of blends or polyester, and they aren't always absorbent.

[@breezybre2670]

Sara!!!!! You made those!!!! Please, please help ! I own a Janome machine but I have no idea how to use it. It just isn't working for me. I have tried tutorials. Threading it, etc..needle keeps jamming!!! Can you do a video on very , beginner's guide to the sewing machine. I don't even know how to hand sew but luckily my girls learned it from my husband.

[@Paleface324]

It would probably pay you in the long run if you took sewing lessons. Look around they are are sometimes offered at fabric stores or at adult education classes. When I got a new sewing machine many years ago, I took free lessons on how to use the machine, and it was well worth the time. I had already learned to sew in home ec classes and 4H.

[@MountainwithaView]

The homespun tablecloths in the Vermont County store catalog have matching napkins....they are worth the money .....I have a set of 12 that are almost 40 years old....& recently I bought some new colors & they're as nice as my original....they're thick, great for sticky messes, line dry or use your dryer....I highly recommend them....expensive but best napkins ever...p.s. don't ever put the tablecloth in the dryer napkins are ok....

[@cherylruhr6001]

Ma'am there were no TV s during the great depression. Maybe radios?

[@kamicrum4408]

I love ❤️❤️cloth napkins, ive done it for at least 25/26 years, you math people can figure the savings as I notice one getting nasty ragged,I set it aside to be replaced the next time im at the local thruft store I was spending around$10/ 2week shopping period on high quality paper! The light went on when I noticed one of the claims on thenpavkageing " More like cloth" my brain said get everything put away& there is just enough time to go over to the local thrift store I bought around 20 enough for a family if 5 to have a clean one at every meal, I judt tossed the used one in with what ever load was going my 2 youngest took cloth napkins with their packed school lunches, I asked my son when he was a senior in high svhool, If the other guys teased him about it thus was a group of athletic young men,who were akso top students, most got $$scolarship

[@saraconklinfrozenpennies]

I love them, too!! I also love going to the thrift stores!

[@zormier2002]

I pack my husbands lunch every day and we make our own coffee.

[@spsllc3143]

You are my sister from another mister. I am in love with your channel. New sub here. God bless

[@saraconklinfrozenpennies]

Thanks so much. I appreciate you!

[@pinkteaforfemininity7958]

I like purchasing a large salami to chop up and add to sandwiches, soups and other meals that could use a touch of chicken or meat. In addition to stretching meal with vegetable and salad

[@saraconklinfrozenpennies]

Great idea!

[@dorislabranche3506]

These are normal lifestyle things I’ve been doing my whole life! I thought everyone lived this way, lol. BTW, I’m #9 of 10 children so this is all I know! (I’m 58 years old.).

[@saraconklinfrozenpennies]

NICE! Sounds like you're doing great!!

[@dorislabranche3506]

P.S. the challenge is when your partner grew up with a silver spoon! 🙄

[@penniroyal4398]

I appreciate this video, but as a person with hypoglycemia, low blood sugar, I need to eat before I go to bed for the night or I’ll be up all night hungry. I only weigh 98-102 lbs so I don’t have any stored fat in my body. While your advise is good for most people there are a few of us who need to work with our bodies the way the function best 😊

[@donnahopper9799]

When you live on a farm 20 to 30 minutes from the nearest town, you still follow most of these habits.

[@adelechicken6356]

Old towels are made into wash cloths and I hate cloth napkins, I use 1 or 2 half size paper towels a day, they start as napkins, and later wipe up icky messes or greasy spots, then trashed. Im not using fabric to wipe up grease. Growing up in the 50's I don't remember having napkins or paper towels. Since there was usually a baby or toddler, we had a damp cloth at the table. I guess if our hands got sticky we licked our fingers.

[@breezybre2670]

I have a question for you. I am a new viewer. Do you keep fabric? Eg. Kids get a hole in the knee or the youngest outgrows sonething...do you wash these items and save them all in a box for future needs if necessary? How does some darn a sock or is that only possible with wool socks?

[@adelechicken6356]

Many socks can be darned, the soft acrylic ones, but not tube socks. Unless it is done carefully darned ones will not be comfortable. So, use them for dusting, wrapping things when you move, or if badly damaged just hold them over your trashcan and as you drop them say, darn sock!

[@bunny_smith]

Kind of already do all these things already with the exception of closing the kitchen. Should work on that.

[@bobhuddleston8883]

I don't think there were TV's during the Great Depression.

[@saraconklinfrozenpennies]

The tv was invented in 1927. They existed. But like I said nobody could afford them. ☺️

[@adelechicken6356]

Yes, invented in 1927, but. Not sold to public until 1939 World's Fair. No commercial broadcasting before that. Radio for most until late 50's.

[@AllThingsKimberlyWV]

New subbie❤

[@saraconklinfrozenpennies]

Thanks so much!!

[@stevehartman1730]

In my whole life we neve went out to eat. Dad hated to get frozen custard. Hed say we have ice-cream at home. Never paid for a car wash we'd take car down to river n wash id there.

[@janisjohns2003]

How much is the subscription

[@saraconklinfrozenpennies]

The subscription for what, Janis?

[@aliceb1348]

It’s free to subscribe

[@aliceb1348]

@@saraconklinfrozenpennies pretty sure she meant how much to subscribe to your channel

[@saraconklinfrozenpennies]

@@aliceb1348 Ah. Thank you 😊

[@dfreak01]

If people have to be told these things our country is in a world of hurt. When the grid goes down people will panic in 15 minutes. 🤨

[@Astrid_Grace]

Haha, rule #1 doesn’t work for potheads. Blood sugar drops, you wake up to eat. 😂

[@carolynlouise6566]

👍

[@Freaysclaw56]

Sorry, no tv, but radio shows were a family time.

[@sandymcghie]

There’s a ton of privilege in these stories that we don’t have today. Imagine surviving on one income for a family? Love the concept and intention but there’s a reason why this was so long ago.

[@hanab837]

"Privilege" has nothing to do with it. It is about living frugally and being willing to do without things that are not absolute needs. We are doing it. My husband works full time and has always supported our family. I came home to care for our children when our oldest was born. It can be done. We have 6 children, and we live below our means.

[@sandymcghie]

@@hanab837 you cant be serious. 8 people cannot live on what's deemed to be a living wage, say $20/hr, when rent or mortgage is as much as you make. Your husband was fortunate to be able to afford shelter AND food. That is privilege.

[@hanab837]

@@sandymcghie No, that is 20+ years of hard work, changing jobs when he could and frugal living. Do not discount someone's hard work and sacrifice as privilege. It is insulting and rude. Yes, times are different, but people are still able to make sacrifices and do without wants so they can provide the necessities. I am not implying that EVERYONE can be a stay at home mom. It truly is not possible for some. I know that. But it CAN be done my many, and it is not because of "privilege." That CRT nonsense needs to go.

[@lovemesomeslippers]

@@sandymcghie I’m wondering what you mean by privilege? Earning more than $20 isn’t necessarily privilege. And my family lives on one income. We have older cars, a smaller than todays average house, and the things on todays list are just normal living to us, not frugality. And hubs earns more than $20 because of education and years of work, not privilege. And one income was common up to the 1970s where I lived. Women left the house because they wanted to, not because they needed to. Not living this way was really a relatively recent change.

[@sandymcghie]

@@lovemesomeslippers I'm not looking to start a debate on this, but wow... "Women left the house because they wanted to, not because they needed to. " I will tell my mother who worked when my father was off shift, and let her know that it was because she wanted to. Really? Y'all sound like bootstrapping is the only solution. Give your head a shake and think about those who had to work and don't diminish their contributions to the roof over their head. Now, maybe you live in America where things are naturally cheaper, but I am in Southern Ontario, and after 1980s, 1) you were lucky to secure long-term employment, 2) prices skyrocketed, 3) Women had to supplement the income to feed their families. Things continue to be utterly ridiculous here, and just as an example: One bedroom apartment is min 1500. $20/hr would be roughly $2,400/ month if the employer doesn't deduct insurances or otherwise. That leaves $900 for food, utilities, car, car insurance, savings for future, retirement, medicine, benefits (if you are lucky), etc. Even without a car payment OR debt, $900 could not feed and clothe and educate a family, save for expenses and emergencies, etc. This is a reality. The cheapest house, maybe a 2 bedroom, would start at $400k. That's a mortgage over $2000/month. Still think your financial ways would allow for one income? Be real. It's not the same as it used to be where you could walk out to your neighbour's place and trade your eggs for his produce. Oh and I'd like to add: Those $20/hr jobs still require education and experience. AND... I didn't even calculate student loan debt into any of this. That $900 a month will not pay for college for your children, so you can be sure they will start out with debt in today's world... unless educating women is optional too?

[@vernabryant2894]

When my husband worked he packed a lunch.He's retired now .

[@saraconklinfrozenpennies]

Mine, too 😊

[@alexanderbhartley5549]

These tips are so very simple it isn't even stupid funny. Anyone with any "common sense", which is severely diminished, practically gone, should be able to figure out that if one packs their lunches rather than paying someone else to cook it, pack it, and deliver it, one MIGHT save money?... Once upon a time ago, when women were actually "keepers at home" these were common. Wear clothes until they wear out, use the remnants for quilt blocks, sew quilts. THEN one has some nice, cozy , warm, blankets rather than always buying. Hence the clothes live on and are still useful. Why are schedules so busy? because people make then that way. Not every is so very needful. WHO puts their children in to so very many activities that their time is stretched out to it's limits? I wouldn't know... Are these all needful? I doubt it. I, myself, if I'm going out from the house for the day, will make and carry an insulated jug full of coffee hence no stopping and paying for what I could more "cost effectively" make at the house. Greed and excess has taken over, slothfulness prevails. Everyone is in a big hurry to get nowhere. Mankind complicates their lives. I am absolutely astounded that folks actually have to be told these things, but I guess it is the world we live in...

[@zormier2002]

And they used the rags as menstrual pads too

[@sadiemcnabb4444]

This is how everyone who isn't a boomer is already currently living.

[@Mouserjan0222]

they didn't have TV's in the great depression It may have been invented but it really wasn't a thing. Don't eat after 6? I don't even start dinner until 6

[@williamschaffel3760]

There were no TVs until the late 1940s

[@grumpygrannysgoatsngardens3185]

Day care is an enormous expense

[@saraconklinfrozenpennies]

It is!

[@cassieoz1702]

Not just no after-dinner snacking. No snacking between meals and, usually, dessert just once a week. Dessert is a treat, not an everyday occurrence. Are you people donating clothes that are stained or have holes? How awful. If you don't think it's wearable, why would someone else want it?

[@TheJustineCredible]

Um, um, um...I think you might wanna check your timelines. The Great Depression started in 1929. Televisions weren't even exhibited to the public until 1939, ten years later. So, in 1935, the year you mentioned Public Libraries, televisions weren't even invented yet! A tiny bit of research goes a long way.

[@saraconklinfrozenpennies]

Thanks so much for your feedback. The television was invented in 1927. It was released to the public on April 30, 1939, at the Worlds Fair in New York. The Great Depression was from 1929 to 1939; however, economists say it never fully ended until World War II. I may have been premature to jump on their being TVs in the home, but I wanted to update you on my research. Thanks so much for watching. :)