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During the Great Depression, families had to adapt quickly to survive, developing resourceful habits to stretch their budgets in every way possible. They learned to make the most of limited resources, finding innovative ways to provide for their families despite the financial strain. These depression-era habits, especially around managing food and household essentials, offer valuable lessons for today’s world, where stretching your budget is more important than ever.
Adopting these timeless practices can help you make your food budget go further while increasing your self-reliance. By growing your own food, making the most of what you already have, and minimizing waste, you can reduce your dependency on grocery stores and be better prepared for hard times. These strategies not only save money but also make you more resilient in the face of challenges like food shortages or economic downturns.
Stretching your budget isn’t just about hunting for sales or cutting coupons—it’s about making fundamental changes to how you source, prepare, and use your food. The following 15 depression-era habits can help you stretch your food budget and become more self-reliant in the process.
Provide Your Own Food
You can provide your own food simply by growing food, foraging for wild edibles, raising animals, or hunting. For many folks who aspire toward self-reliance, the best place to start is with a vegetable garden.
Growing vegetables from seed is much cheaper than buying vegetables or even buying vegetable plants, plus you’ll get higher quality produce.
Fishing is also a strategy for providing your own food that many homesteaders, focused on the land, neglect to consider.
The key is to start with the next easiest step. Do you have a garden that produces just a few things? Try starting the seed this year or expanding it by 20 square feet.
Raise Livestock
Once you feel comfortable with gardening, you can move on to raising animals. Keeping chickens or other livestock provides a reliable source of fresh eggs, meat, or dairy products, ensuring you always have access to nutritious food.
Many people start with chickens (which they can grow for meat or eggs) and then move on to larger farm animals as they expand their operations. You might want a cow or goat for milk products or meat processing.
Preserve the Food You Provide
Once you’ve started providing more of your own food, the next step is to make it last longer. A garden is great in season, but how do you benefit from that garden year-round?
Start learning how to can things like sauces, salsa, and jams. Learn which veggies are best to freeze and how to store root vegetables without taking up refrigerator space. Grow a year’s worth of garlic and never have to buy garlic again!
Investing in a vacuum sealer can be a great choice for self-reliant living. A vacuum sealer helps you to store veggies without freezer burn and safely store large quantities of meat for the long term.
Making Use of Leftovers
Great-grandparents were experts at minimizing waste, recognizing the value of leftover food as a precious resource. Learning how to creatively repurpose leftovers is a vital survival skill, allowing you to stretch your food supplies and make the most of what you have.
Forage for Fruits and Veggies
Knowing how to identify and forage edible wild plants can supplement your food supply with fresh, nutritious options. Foraging can be dangerous for the unskilled person, but our great-grandparents had the skill to do so.
10 Reasons to Grow a Wildflower Garden
Stock Your Pantry with Bulk Food
Skip the boxed mixes and head straight to the bulk food section if you want to stock your pantry for long-term sustenance more cheaply. Cooking with things like whole grains and dried beans is healthier for you and much more cost-effective. These grains last a long time when stored in airtight containers or mason jars.
If you can find sources for large bulk orders for the things you use regularly like flour, rice, or oats you can store them in large plastic bins or gallon-sized bags in the freezer. A 25lb bag of flour costs much less on a per pound basis than buying five pounds five times, and it keeps you away from the grocery store.
Go Vegetarian More Often
In addition to all the veggies you can grow yourself, many of the grains and beans you can get in bulk can be great meals by themselves without adding meat. If you aren’t already eating things like quinoa, amaranth, and farro, they are grains you’ll want to consider incorporating into your menu.
They make great breakfast cereal, salad, or filler (in place of bread crumbs) in things like burgers and can also be served in place of rice to add variety to your meals. These grains pack a protein punch that can replace meat in terms of nutritional value.
Dried beans are also a great value for your buck. If you re-constitute a few cups of black beans at the beginning of the week, you can eat burgers, burritos, and rice bowls all week long. Likewise, dried garbanzo beans (chickpeas) can be used to make hummus for snacking, finger food, or curry.
Barter with Neighbors & Friends
If you live in an area where other people are also thinking about self-reliance, you can find efficiency and save money with your neighbors or friends. For example, if you have a large vegetable garden and your neighbor has chickens, you can barter for eggs and/or fresh veggies—a match made in heaven.
You might not be able to grow or raise all the food you need yourself, but if you team up with others who complement what you can offer, the rewards are endless.
The power of community is invaluable when it comes to frugal prepping. Bartering goods and services with nearby families can strengthen your local network and reduce costs. Exchange surplus vegetables, eggs, honey, or meat with neighbors. This form of trading helps everyone save money and fosters a network of self-reliant, like-minded individuals who can support each other in tough times.
Make Your Own Food Instead of Buying It
You can save a ton of money by making what you eat regularly rather than buying it from the store. For example, you can make your own bread on a weekly basis with just a few simple supplies.
If you are a seltzer drinker, you can buy a soda stream and avoid all of the plastic bottles and soda cans that crowd your recycling while also saving money. The list of what you can make at home is endless—crackers, granola, vanilla, and wine!
What you choose to make at home might vary depending on your interests and how much time you have. Choose things you actually enjoy making to avoid feeling overwhelmed.
Saving money on food is really about relying less on the big supermarket or the restaurant and relying more on yourself.
Basic Carpentry
Basic carpentry skills were a cornerstone for many, enabling them to build and repair essential structures, furniture, and tools. Learning to work with wood allows you to tackle repairs around the house, build your own projects, and save money by avoiding needing professional help. A solid understanding of carpentry ensures you can address issues as they arise.
Basic First Aid Skills
Learning basic first aid skills was a valuable practice during the Great Depression and remains just as important today. Being able to handle minor injuries and illnesses yourself can help you save money and reduce the need for costly medical visits.
In times when access to professional care might be limited, knowing how to provide initial medical care increases your self-reliance and ensures you’re prepared for emergencies. These essential skills can help you stretch your budget by avoiding unnecessary expenses and maintaining self-sufficiency in critical moments.
Reuse Instead of Tossing
Making the most of every item was a cornerstone of survival during the Great Depression, and adopting this mindset can help you stretch your budget today. Instead of throwing things away, repurpose common household items to reduce waste and save money.
By reusing everything from old mason jars as storage containers to turning kitchen scraps into compost, you can reduce unnecessary purchases and become more self-reliant. These thrifty habits help you prepare for emergencies and keep you from relying on store-bought solutions. Embracing these simple yet effective practices can greatly affect how far your budget can go.
How to Start Canning at Home
Canning the food you harvest is an excellent way to boost your self-reliance. Canning is one method for preserving food from the garden season to the last year-round. If you are new to canning, this article will help you learn about the methods, resources, and equipment you will need to start canning at home.
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Tamara White
Tamara White is the founder of The Thrifty Apartment, a home decor and DIY blog that focuses on affordable and budget-friendly home decorating ideas and projects. Tamara documents her home improvement journey, love of thrifting, tips for space optimization, and creating beautiful spaces.
