Depression Era: Forced Frugality!

There are several books and websites about how to live frugally, but for some people, doing without was not a choice; it was a way of life during the Depression.

The things that we take for granted today, like disposable plates, would not have been thrown away during the Depression era had they been available in those times, they would have been washed and reused. Most of us would never even think about washing a paper plate, let alone using it more than once, but now in these difficult times maybe we should stop and take a look at our daily lives to see how much we waste and take for granted.

A lot of of us go through life wasting money and resources without even a second thought, but taking a look back in time can give us some valuable lessons about the Depression tragedy and help us with the credit crunch and ways to survive the recession. The Depression was an unfortunate time in our history, and many people marvel over how individuals living during that time made do with very little at all and still managed to survive.

Things we throw away easily today would certainly not have seen such a fate during the Depression. Taking the time to look at our own lives and how we live today, and then comparing that to how Depression-era individuals managed to get by can provide us with helpful lessons which could improve our overall lives in these difficult times.

The Depression can teach individuals valuable lessons about how much we've become a throwaway society and where we can try to cut back on needless waste and money spending.

The Great Depression started in 1929 and lasted through the 1930's. In the kitchen, people used every drop and morsel possible, turning over ketchup bottles to rinse out the last little bit and add that liquid to a meat dish for flavouring. Each and every piece of a turkey was cut and used. Dinner was whatever food was available but was unfortunately not a well-balanced meal.

The cause of what set off the Great Depression still remains a bit of a mystery, though it's clear that individuals between 1929 and through the 1930s had to rethink how they lived and ate to survive. Every bit of food possible was used in cooking, containers were emptied and scraped for every bit and washed for storing other items.

Resourceful wasn't an option in those years - it was a way of surviving. A lot of holidays were celebrated in spirit but no decorations or presents were to be had. While we don't necessarily need to go to that kind of extreme of frugality today, we can learn from the idea of using and reusing that Depression era individuals were forced to live with.

When you look at the average debt for an individual in the United States, a whopping $8000, ask yourself whether all those things purchased were really and truly needed? While there are many ways we can save money and be environmentally responsible, the point is to stop and appreciate what we have, instead of just taking things for granted.

The expectations are not to live as frugally as individuals during the Depression did. The point is to learn from how people in that time managed to get by with far less and to be introspective about how we consume far more than we need too.

So here are just 10 tips on surviving the recession:

1) Reorganize your spending habits and learn to do without a lot of the consumer extras.

2) If possible cut up those cards now and make up your mind to either pay cash for purchases or do without.

3) Do away with your gas guzzling car.

4) Forcefully pursue monies due you.

5) Walk or ride a bicycle whenever possible.

6) Keep away from department stores.

7) Go through your closet and drawers to see what you can still make use of.

8) Eat as little meat as possible.

9) Shun dry cleaning as much as possible. A lot of things can be washed by hand.

10) Try not to eat out.

Lionel Estridge, publisher of the 1 Health newsletter. Visit:
http://www.lionel1.com/fat_burnersOr: http://www.lionel1.com/Protection