Surviving the Great Depression

There is something I find rather mystifying about older people. I watch old movies, or learn about the past, and the texture of the time just seems so different. Everyone carried themselves differently. They thought differently. It was like society emerged into parallel universes every decade or so. I wonder what it was like to be in that time. To be immersed in the sense of it, and not just the glimpses and snippets you get looking back. I wonder what it would be like to be a time traveler. And then you see around you there are these people that have come from that time. That parallel universe. I find that terribly fascinating, and strange at the same time that most people are not conscious of it.

As time slips by, we don’t have many people who still remember what it was like to live through the Great Depression. It was a time of terrible loss and poverty. At its height, 25% of the workforce in the US was unemployed, and 30% in Canada. (1) It was years of people struggling to feed their families, to stay in their homes, and to find any kind of work. It was an experience that changed people. People had to become more resilient. More resourceful. Harder workers. More caring neighbors. There was a way of life that they developed to get them through that. As we go through our own upheavals, that way of life is something we should revisit. Here is some advice from the past, sprinkled with a few modern considerations.

Mindset

Set your hope on something secure

Don’t complain

“Poverty is simply having more problems than solutions.” – Robert T. Kiyosaki

Look for solutions

Be resourceful

Learn from your mistakes

Know that you can find depths and talents within yourself you never knew you had

Be grateful

Help those who cannot help themselves

Remember the good times, the good things, and the good hopes

Take care of yourself

Provide for morale-boosting activities

Learn to spend time alone or with family

Pay attention to what is going on and ask the right questions

Focus on what needs to be done

Set goals with schedules for what you want to accomplish

Have plans A, B, and C if the first doesn’t work out

Create redundancies for essential functions

Have print copies of necessarily information incase the internet is unavailable

Think through how you should react to various situations

Practice things ahead of time

Judge yourself and your capabilities honestly

Money

Have cash on hand

Look for ways to increase income

Pay off debt

Barter

In case of inflation

– Buy precious metals

– Convert cash into appreciable assets

– Stock up on things you know you will be using, even long term

– Debt with low interest rate dragged out as long as possible is better

– Don’t loan money

Food

Stock up

Grow a garden
– Sprouting
– Hydroponics

Raise animals for milk, eggs, or meat

Hunt and fish

Forage

Shop frugally

Barter

Preserve

Cook cheap recipes

– Simple meals from scratch

– Soups, stews, and casseroles can be stretched

– Bread, potatoes, noodles, and rice can fill you up

– Lard or bacon for flavor

– Use every part of the animal

– Great Depression Cooking with Clara

– Recipes from World War 2

– Recipes from the Great Depression

– Some of my favorites

Water

Collect from natural sources

Purify

Conserve

Work

Be open to working any job available

Be able to move to get a job

– The whole family can move together to support each other

– Migrant farm work was often a good opportunity

Go door to door asking for any work

Work multiple jobs

Having a versatile skill set makes it easier to find work

Trade skills, such as carpentry, mechanics, plumbing, cooking, and sewing were in high demand

Be flexible to work any shift for any duration, even if a job is only a few hours

Be an entrepreneur, create your own work. See what your local community needs. During the Great Depression, people: (2)

– Caught and sold fish, made baked goods, foraged, grew food and sold it

– Ran a lunch wagon

– Sold newspapers

– Road and lawn work

– Chopped or gathered wood

– Cleaned houses

– Sold door to door

– Did deliveries

– Childcare

– Rented rooms

– Mended clothes

Housing

Live in a smaller house

Move into a van, RV, or utility trailer

Rent out rooms to boarders, for businesses, or for storage

Move in with relatives, friends, or others

– You can offer to fix up the house or do yard work in exchange for a rent reduction

Save on energy

Transportation

Do more things in walking or biking distance from home

Get a bike

Get a good pair of shoes and a few replacements – you’ll probably be on your feet a lot

Maintain

essential supplies

Consider quality, not just price

Inspect and maintain items

Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without

Collect multipurpose things, like containers, rope, wire, tape, sewing kits, and a variety of materials to craft things from

Collect tools, nuts, bolts, nails, screws, and other materials to make repairs

Repair things—learn how to repair clothes, appliances, and everything you can

Conserve

Keep track of energy and resources expended

Use only as much water, soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toilet paper, fuel, etc as you need

Don’t waste. Recycle, sell, or give away what you can.

Buy second hand

Garage sale, yard sale, or flea markets

Community

They can give, share, rent, or barter things like housing, land, transportation, clothing, books, tools, and services

Sharreable.net has over 300 ‘how to guides’ on sharing in a community

Before the welfare state, there were Mutual Aid Societies

Home security

Have a home visible to neighbors

Have locks and use them

Set up alarms, whether a commercial system, motion-detecting lights, or a dog

Have a plan to escape the home in case of break in, fire, or other danger

– Pack backpacks with essentials for each family member and have them ready to go

– Keep a vehicle in good working order and with the gas tank at least half full

– Have a place to escape to, whether just to meet up, or to stay long term

– Consider the possibility you may have to move (3)

Health

Have reference material handy incase there is a problem

– Red Cross apps: first aid and vet

Keep a well-supplied first aid kit and other basic medicines

Study and practice to handle more medical situations yourself

– Red cross training: https://www.redcross.org/

Useful books:

LDS Preparedness Manual – Free download. This book contains a wealth of information, especially concerning food storage.

The Encyclopedia of Country Living, 50th Anniversary Edition: The Original Manual for Living off the Land & Doing It Yourself

“The definitive manual of basic skills and country wisdom for living off the land, being prepared, and doing it yourself–whether it’s a farm or homestead, suburb, or city.”

Household Discoveries

“An excellent book for Homesteading, living off-grid, or even if a national, or world disaster transpires. It’s all about “getting back to basic living”. ”

Red cross first aid manual

The Forgotten Arts and Crafts by James Seymore

“The Forgotten Arts and Forgotten Household Crafts, written by the acknowledged “Father of Self-sufficiency” John Seymour. Taking the reader on an evocative journey through the worlds of traditional craftspeople — from blacksmith to bee-keeper, wainwright to housewife — Seymour celebrates their honest skills, many of which have disappeared beneath the tread of progress.”

Online copy