Living frugally has many benefits, and it does not have to be that hard to do. Unsurprisingly, many of the frugal tips we still have today date back to the time of the Great Depression. Back then, living frugally was necessary for most people rather than a choice, and they came up with many ways to cut their cost of living. Here are some of the best tips that we still use to this day.
Grow Your Own
In times of hardship, many people learned to grow their own vegetables for next to nothing to keep them and their families fed. This was popular in the Great Depression, and you can still grow your own food today and enjoy all the benefits that it brings. As well as being cheaper, it is also a fun hobby, and food straight from the ground is healthy and delicious.
While you’re at it, start a compost heap to get rid of your organic waste and use it to feed your vegetables year-round.
Make and Mend
If you want to save money on clothes, why not learn to make your own? Get yourself a sowing machine and take a few classes, and it won’t take you long to learn the craft. Then you can make original clothes for no more than the price of the material.
As well as making their own clothes back in the Great Depression, people would also make a habit of fixing their existing clothes. Don’t be tempted to throw out your clothes as soon as a hole appears. Instead, fix them and keep on using them to save money.
It’s not only clothes that you can repair. There are many other items that you can fix instead of throwing them out when they break. Always try to fix things or get someone to fix them for you before throwing them out.
Protect Your Possessions
During the Great Depression, people knew how important it was to protect what they owned so that they would not have to spend money buying new items. Try to follow this rule by looking after your belongings with greater care.
This applies to anything you own, but it is especially important for more expensive items like your car. Give your car a regular check to keep it in good condition, and consider using seat protectors like those from Shear Comfort Ltd. to keep the interior in better condition.
Be Creative and Learn DIY
Part of being frugal involves being creative with what you have. Back in the day, people would put to use anything and everything rather than throwing it away, and you should do the same. Even is something is broken beyond repair, consider how you could put it to use in another way to avoid throwing it out (read about some great ways to reuse old stuff here).
You might also want to learn some DIY skills to save money on making and fixing things around the house. While some tasks will be beyond your capabilities, others you can do quite easily once you learn how.
Reuse Everything
In the Great Depression, everything was used and reused to avoid waste. There are many ways that you can reuse things around your home, especially old jam jars and other food containers. So always think about how you can reuse things before you throw them out.
Buy Used Products
When you do have to buy something new, always look for second-hand products first. Many high-quality items can be bought used that will still last you for many years. Now it is even easier to do this than during the Great Depression because we have sites like eBay that help us find the things we need easily.
Spend Less, Live Better
Being frugal is all about spending less money but still enjoying a good standard of living. Make being frugal your new hobby, and use these tips from the Great Depression that are just as relevant today as they have always been.
Jade Stevenson likes to live the good life; baking, crafting and gardening alongside dog walking, chicken raising and child rearing! She believes in the Make Do And Mend philosophy and often shares her tips on saving money on personal finance sites.
