20 Best Frugal Living Tips From the Great Depression

Simplify
by Simplify

Jennifer Cook loves to talk about frugal living and minimalism. And today, she’s sharing the best frugal living tips from the Great Depression. They’re so good, your grandparents would be proud of you for using them.

In fact, these frugal tips from the Great Depression have been specifically curated to help others like you live frugally now so that you can become financially free as soon as possible. Jennifer says implementing these frugal living habits even helped her get out of debt and work towards her ultimate goal of paying off her mortgage early.


Starting out her list of tips from the Great Depression is reusing aluminum foil. Next, is eating what’s on your plate or not eating at all. Then, turning off the lights when you’re not using them.

Turning off the lights when you're not using them

Other frugal living tips we can learn from our grandparents include cutting coupons, reusing glass jars for storage purposes, fixing items before replacing them, and always paying with cash. Additionally, you should keep a jar for loose change, reuse newspapers for cleaning mirrors or placing in the cat litter, mend clothes, use old toothbrushes for cleaning, pick up coins, and cook from scratch.


More ideas for frugal living we can learn from our grandparents include having yard sales, shopping with a grocery list, having a garden, maintaining items you own, and washing clothes less often.


Line drying clothes and only buying what you need are the last frugal living tips from the Great Depression Jennifer shares. However, she does say a bonus frugal living tip is to wear an apron because it stops you from ruining clothes with grease stains and food splatters.


Frugal living tips from the Great Depression

When it comes to using frugal living tips from the Great Depression, just keep your financial goals in mind, and these frugal living habits will come easily.


For more frugal living stories, discover this simple grocery hack that prevents food waste and these 10 zero-waste and sustainability tricks that can save you money.


To see more videos, check out the Jennifer Cook YouTube channel.

Comments
Join the conversation
3 of 21 comments
  • Barbara Gordon Barbara Gordon on Apr 18, 2023

    When my son was younger, I used to remind him to turn off lights when he left a room by saying, "We don't own stock in the electric company." Maybe we should. Sometimes it seems like they are doing better than the rest of us...

  • Deborah Deborah on Aug 20, 2023

    I was raised frugal and still am at 85. I take cuttings off a plant and root it. Buy tea in bags and make my own, rinse off paper plates and reuse them, rinse out my undies and hang them to try, Make a full pot of coffee ant daysd reheat one cup at a time, ship at thrift stores in senior citizen discount days. Debby

    • Peggy Peggy on Feb 05, 2024

      Thank you am on limited income, 76 a widow desperately in need of home repairs am opened to advice.

Next