20 Great Depression Era Money Saving Tips – The Homespun Hydrangea

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This post Great Depression Era Money Saving Tips will help you stretch your budget while living comfortably at the same time!

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Money Saving Tips from the Great Depression Era

What do I mean when I mention Money Saving Tips from the Great Depression Era? A certain quote comes to mind: Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.

I love this saying and it never wanders far from my mind on any given day. It was thinking about this quote that caused me to write the post below, 20 Money Saving Tips of the Great Depression Era.

But before I roll those tips out, let’s back up a bit an start at the beginning.

We have become a wasteful nation. We are quick to discard things, quick to rack up debt, and quick to feel like we have outgrown an item before we have even broken it in.

We toss away the dinner leftovers because we get bored with them and pitch a shirt because it has lost a button.

Instead of learning the skills our mothers or grandmothers used to stretch a buck and make an item last, we feel like we deserve more. So we pitch the item and charge our credit cards with the replacement.

But you know what we really deserve? Like really? Financial peace. Contentment with what we have. Freedom from the need to constantly upgrade.

This is something I have been trying to master over the years, and I have found that in order to grasp these feelings of peace and contentment you really have to go back, not forward.

Women (and men too!) of the depression era knew how to do this, and I have found them to be the best financial coaches when it comes to saving money! 

Take a look at 20 Money Saving Tips of the Great Depression Era that are sure to help you stretch a buck, appreciate what you have, and make the most out of life.

Great Depression Era Money Saving Tips

1. Make your own cleaning products.
This is probably one of the simpler money saving tips of the great depression era. No, you don’t need the $7 bottle of earth friendly all natural household cleaner.

You can get the same results with plain old vinegar and hot water. Create a  50/50 mixture of vinegar and hot water, add a little splash of lemon juice and you have a powerful cleaner perfect for counter tops, sinks, floors, and more.

Need some scrubbing power? Make a baking soda and water paste. Scrub away!

These alternatives cost pennies per use. You can also check out my recipes for DIY Hand Sanitizer and Homemade Laundry Detergent Booster. 

2. Keep an herb garden.
Buying fresh herbs is ridiculously expensive. Skip the store and instead keep an herb garden. This doesn’t mean you need a plot of land. In fact, you can keep a simple herb garden right in your windowsill!

Seeds cost just pennies a piece and even a less than green thumb can have amazing results. Or, for around $12 you can buy this indoor herb garden growing system and enjoy herbs all year long.

3. Use just a dab.
Are you guilty of using way more product than you need? Whether it be shampoo, cleaning products, lotion, etc., chances are you are over doing it.

Take a minute to read the directions of use and make sure you are only using the required amount. Stick to the “just a dab” rule and watch products go further.

Oh, and don’t toss those beauty products before every drop is gone. I love this product which helps you get into the bottle and scrape out every last bit! Find it for under $7 here.

4. Learn basic sewing.
Now don’t freak out. I am not suggesting you buy a sewing machine.

What I am suggesting is that you get a basic sewing kit from your local dollar store so you have it on hand for simple fixes.

Don’t toss a shirt because it loses a button. You can easily stitch a new one on. Learn simple fixes (YouTube is great for these tutorials!) and implement them when clothing becomes torn or damaged.

While some money saving tips from the Great Depression era may seem intimidating, this shouldn’t be one of them!

Be sure you are following on Facebook so you can see more posts like this one, Money Saving Tips from the Depression Era. If you love these tips, check out these ideas on How to Create an Urban Homestead.

5. Grow a garden.
This is one of my favorite money saving tips from the great depression era. Did you know that just one tomato plant can yield 8-10 pounds of tomatoes?

Some of my favorite garden items to grow are my own microgreens and of course tasty borage. 

When tomatoes cost $2 a pound at the store, that is about $20 worth of produce per plant. If you planted those tomatoes from seed the plant only cost you pennies.

If you planted from a seedling chances are you only spent a buck or so. See what I am saying here? If planting flowers, opt for perennials that come back year after year.

Check out these tips on How to Plant Daffodil Bulbs for helpful tips, or 17 Tips on How to Grow Hydrangeas for even more perennial fun. 

Growing your own produce will save you TONS. Again, you don’t need an acre of land. Plant container or potted gardens, or a small patch on the side of the house.

See how to make a DIY Rotisserie Chicken Greenhouse and How to grow Edible Flowers to get started!

6. Learn how to make the most of produce.
I was lucky enough to enjoy an abundance of tomatoes last season. As the season came to an end I still had two baskets full they were days away from going bad. Did I pitch them? Nope.

I found ways to use them up. Learn how to freeze, dry, or dehydrate produce to make it last. 

Or, turn it into various recipes that store well. Here is my favorite recipe for homemade tomato sauce as well as my recipe for tomato and cucumber relish. If you grow an abundance of tomatoes, here are 7 creative ways to use tomatoes in the kitchen, or try this easy recipe for Baked Kale Chips.

7. Buy the whole chicken.
Guys, there is no need to be scared of a whole chicken. Why spend upwards of $3 a pound for boneless and skinless chicken breasts when you can buy an entire chicken for about $4?

We love buying a fresh chicken, baking it, and then cutting it up for chicken salad, tenders, and more.

To prepare you chicken just clean, stuff with herbs, butter that bad boy up, and bake! Here are my favorite recipes for Asian chicken wraps, avocado chicken salad and stuffed cornish hen.

8. Buy the bones.
You can’t talk about money saving tips of the great depression era without talking about bones. 

When you buy meat, buy the bones. When buying meat you will always pay less for bone in cuts PLUS any chef (or depression era kitchen cook!) will tell you that bone in cuts taste better. So there you have it, pay less and get more. Winning!

For more grocery saving tips, check out my 28 Money Saving Tips for Shopping at Aldi!

9. Be mindful of your electricity usage.
No one is saying to live like a hermit by candlelight. But for heavens sake turn off the lights when you leave a room.

Set lights on timers so they aren’t on during the hours of the day when you are at work/school. Unplug items when they aren’t in use.

Try being more mindful of your usage for just ONE month and see what a difference it makes to your bill.

10. Be mindful of water usage.
The amount of fresh and clean water we waste in this country is horrible. Take small steps to reduce your water usage such as taking shorter showers, washing only full loads of clothing or dishes, and making sure all leaky faucets are fixed.

Did you know if you put a brick in the back of your toilet’s water tank it will take less water for it to fill between flushes? True story!

11. Pay in cash.
No really. Pay in cash! We have not used a credit card in this house for at least 4 years and we don’t plan on starting. There is a basic rule that money guru David Ramsey goes by and that is if you can’t pay cash for it, you can’t afford it.

There is also something about handing over cash for an item as opposed to swiping a card, it really makes you realize what you are giving in exchange for the item.

12. Learn how to can.
Canning was a huge part of the depression era. Women canned everything from produce to meat. I am not a canning guru just yet, but I do like to can salsa and pickles. Start small and see what you can handle.

Try this recipe for Homemade Spicy Pickles, or  my favorite recipe for easy and cheap Sun Pickles. 

If you love salsa, I even have an easy Rainbow Corn Salsa recipe you can try. If you really want to try some money saving tips from the Great Depression era, the kitchen is a great place to start.

13. Save your scraps.
Here is one of the best money saving tips from the Great Depression era! Chances are in most depression era kitchens, they had “scrap jars.”

Find creative ways to use leftover scraps. Citrus peels can be used in homemade cleaners. Fabric scraps can be used in all sorts of craft ideas.

Egg shells can be used for garden food as can lots of other kitchen scraps. In fact you can learn How to Make a Mini Compost Bin here.

There are a million ideas on Pinterest for ways to use leftover wood scraps. Before you toss it out, see if there isn’t a purposeful way to use it first. Check out how we turned broken crayons into new ones here.

14. Learn how to upcycle furniture pieces.
When your granny wanted a new dining room set she didn’t go to Pottery Barn and spend a grip. She spruced up the set she had.

The internet is a treasure trove of ways to upcycle old furniture pieces. Before you buy new, hit up a thrift store or shop the pieces you already own to see if you can upcycle it first.

Chances are a little paint and fabric will do the trick. Take a look at this easy kitchen stool upcycle and my tutorial for how to recover a chair in a few easy steps.

15. Make your own gifts.
Remember that handmade comes from the heart. During the depression era if someone was in need of a gift they didn’t run to Nordstrom, they got crafty.

Even if you don’t consider yourself crafty try your hand at homemade bath and beauty products. They are perfect for gift giving or even for treating yourself.

Here is a great recipe for rosemary shower cubes, citrus & herb body butter, and pumpkin sugar scrub. Make them, add them to a jar, tie on a ribbon…done!

Want more ideas? Try my easy candle recipes including Eucalyptus Essential Oil Candles and even Bacon Candles.

16. Try natural remedies.
This is one of my favorite Money Saving Tips From the Great Depression Era! Before you head off to the doctor’s office and pay an insane co-pay followed by pricey medications, try some natural remedies.

Drink plenty of water, get plenty of rest, and dab a little vapor rub on the soles of the feet. There are so many tried and true, old school remedies that depression era moms swear by.

Remember you can also use homemade remedies to solve household problems. Look at this post on Best Ways to Keep Flies out of Your Backyard  and see how you can use household items to repel flies for free. 

You can also try these vapor rub shower cubes for quick congestion relief. You can also check out these 20 Vapor Rub Hacks, Crafts, and Recipes or this recipe for Homemade Headache Salve.

Related: How to Make Eggshell Fertilizer 

17. Don’t pay for what you can do yourself.
During the depression era, people wouldn’t have dreamed of paying a pizza guy $20 plus a tip to bring a  pizza to their house.

Companies are making millions of dollars a year off the laziness of their consumers. Don’t pay for what you can do yourself.

Wash your own car, clean your own clothes, take care of your own yard, cook your own meals.

You will take greater pride in a job you do yourself, and save so much money in the process.

18. Don’t blindly spend.
Whether you are buying a can of soup or a car, don’t blindly spend. Compare prices, look for the best deal, and wait to buy when the time is right.

If you can use coupons or coupon codes when shopping, do it! There is no shame in getting the best deal you can on an item.

There is however shame in buying an item and paying more than a person who did their research.

Head to the internet for tips on saving money on your favorite and most purchased items, like my tips for saving money on diapers here.

19. Use everything up.
Why do you replace items? Because you are tired of them? Because you feel like you deserve more? Or is it because you have used the item up?

Women in the depression era didn’t pitch a pair of shoes because the chick down the street got a new pair and she needed to keep up. She replaced them because and only because they were worn out.

Buy items you know you will get use out of and that will last you. And once you have those items, use them up, wear them out.

While you are at it, find multiple ways to use one item. You can find my uses for coconut oil post here and see just how many ways one jar can come in handy!

If you remember any of these money saving tips from the Great Depression era, I hope this one is it!

Thrift stores and estate sales are a great place to find second hand goods. See my Top Estate Sale Shopping Tips here and my Top Thrift Store Shopping Tips here!

20. Buy re-usable products instead of disposable.
Why spend money on items you are going to throw away? Women of the depression era loved their cloth napkins, tablecloths, and hand towels.

Invest in some quality linens so you can avoid falling into the disposable paper products trap. You will not only save money, but save the planet too!

You don’t have to live a life of deprivation to live frugally. Even if you implement just half of these tips you will find that saving money happens quickly and in no time you will reap the rewards.

Give these 20 money saving tips from the great depression era your consideration and see what a difference they can make!

Want to know more about Great Depression Era Money Saving Tips? Find a huge selection of frugal living books on Amazon here!