TLDR;
This video explores 25 money-saving tricks used by families during the 1930s to survive the Great Depression. These strategies include envelope budgeting, utilizing cash jars, renting out spare rooms, hosting rent parties, mending clothes, bulk buying with neighbors, saving a dime from every dollar, reusing cooking fat, using layaway plans, and relying on pawn shops. Additionally, the video covers coal clubs, victory gardens, manual laundry methods, shoe resoling, homemade soap, hand-me-down chains, factory canteens, seasonal work stashes, hidden savings, ice box tricks, ration-style meal planning, housewarming bees, children's contributions through odd jobs, bartering, and cash-only living.
- Envelope budgeting and cash jars helped families manage their limited funds effectively.
- Community cooperation through bulk buying, coal clubs, and housewarming bees reduced costs.
- Resourcefulness in mending, reusing, and gardening provided essential goods and services.
Envelope Budgeting [0:18]
In the 1930s, families used envelope budgeting to manage their finances. They would cash their paychecks and divide the money into paper envelopes designated for specific expenses like rent, groceries, coal, clothing, and savings. Once an envelope was empty, spending in that category stopped. This system provided visible limits and prevented overdrafts. Today, digital apps and bank sub-accounts mimic this strategy.
Cash Jars [1:06]
Some families used glass jars instead of envelopes to manage their money. Each jar was labeled for a specific purpose, such as milk money, school fees, or church tithe. The visibility of the coins dwindling helped curb temptation and taught children financial discipline. Housewives often kept these jars in the kitchen to keep the stakes visible.
Taking in Borders [1:52]
Many families rented out spare rooms or attics to borders, often single men or migrant workers, to generate income. The borders paid weekly for meals and lodging, and this income could cover rent or groceries. By 1930, nearly 10% of urban families reported taking in borders. This practice helped families survive eviction.
Rent Parties [2:42]
In black communities of Harlem and Chicago, families hosted rent parties to raise money for rent. These gatherings included food, music, and dancing, with a small admission fee charged to attendees. The proceeds went directly to paying the rent, preventing evictions. Legendary jazz musicians often performed at these events.
Mending and Repair [3:28]
Families mended and repaired clothing to extend its lifespan. New clothes were a luxury, so they patched holes, turned collars, darned socks, and cut down adult coats to fit children. Singer sewing machines were household staples, and newspapers printed repair guides. Schoolgirls learned sewing as a life skill.
Bulk Buying with Neighbors [4:13]
Neighbors pooled their money to buy flour, sugar, or coal in bulk at wholesale rates. A 100 lb sack of flour cost less per pound than weekly bags. Cooperative buying clubs sprang up in cities, and rural families split wagon loads of supplies. Sharing lowered prices and strengthened community ties.
Saving the First Dime [4:59]
Workers were encouraged to save the first dime of every dollar earned. On a $15 weekly wage, this meant saving $1.50 each week. Over a year, this could add up to nearly $80, enough to cover rent or buy a winter coat. Savings and loan associations promoted this habit with slogans.
Second Use Cooking Fat [5:44]
Families collected cooking fat in coffee tins and reused it for frying potatoes, making soap, or greasing pans. Some even sold rendered fat to soap factories for cash. During the depression, fat reuse cut grocery bills by 10 to 15%.
Layaway Plans [6:31]
Stores offered layaway plans, allowing customers to pay a little each week until the item was fully covered. There was no interest or debt, just patience. Layaway kept families from spiraling into debt for essentials like coats or furniture.
Pawn Shops [7:14]
Pawn shops served as emergency banks for the working class. Families pawned watches, instruments, or tools for a few dollars to buy food, then reclaimed them when wages arrived. Rates were steep, but access was immediate.
Coal Clubs [7:55]
Neighbors formed coal clubs to buy cheap winter fuel. Everyone chipped in, buying in bulk for less per pound. Some urban neighborhoods saved up to 25% this way.
Victory Gardens [8:40]
Families planted victory gardens in backyards, vacant lots, and rooftops with beans, carrots, and potatoes. Some households slashed food costs by 40 to 50% in a single season. Government pamphlets encouraged self-sufficiency.
Clotheslines and Washboards [9:28]
Families relied on galvanized wash tubs, wooden washboards, and clotheslines instead of costly electric washing machines and laundromats. Soap was homemade, and labor was intensive, but laundry bills vanished.
Resoled Shoes [10:12]
Shoes were worn until the soles thinned, then families paid to have them resoled, sometimes multiple times. Children's shoes were stuffed with cardboard when money ran out. Resoling stretched footwear lifespans to years.
Homemade Soap and Cleaners [10:59]
Families boiled fat, lye, and water into blocks of homemade soap. They also mixed vinegar, baking soda, and borax for cleaning. This cut monthly expenses by several dollars.
Hand-Me-Down Chains [11:43]
Clothes rotated down the family line. An older brother's shirt became a younger brother's school uniform. Dresses were altered for sisters. One garment might serve three or four children.
Factory Canteens [12:24]
Big employers operated canteens serving meals at cost. Workers could get stew, bread, and coffee for 15 cents, cheaper than the 30 to 40 cents at diners. Some firms deducted lunch costs directly from pay envelopes.
Seasonal Work Stashes [13:11]
Families squirreled away part of summer earnings into winter stash funds to prepare for seasonal layoffs in industries like construction, farming, and canning. Men set aside one or two dollars weekly during peak work.
Rainy Day Coffee Tins [13:56]
Coffee tins with slotted lids doubled as secret banks. Families dropped nickels and dimes in, hiding them in cupboards, attics, or under floorboards.
Ice Box Tricks [14:37]
Families relied on ice boxes to keep food fresh. Housewives mastered tricks to stretch perishables, such as wrapping butter in wet cloth and storing milk near the ice. Careful storage could stretch milk by 3 days and meat by two.
Ration Style Meal Planning [15:21]
Families practiced strict meal planning, mapping seven days of meals and stretching beans, potatoes, and bread into endless combinations. Leftovers were re-imagined into different dishes throughout the week.
Housewarming Bees [16:11]
Neighbors gathered for housewarming bees, bringing tools, food, and strong backs to tackle tasks like roofing, hauling, or fence building. No money changed hands, but debts of gratitude were recorded.
Paper Routes and Odd Jobs [16:54]
Children contributed to the family income by delivering newspapers, babysitting, sewing, or helping with laundry. Their dimes often bought bread or coal for the family.
Barter with Neighbors [17:39]
Families traded goods and services instead of spending cash. A shoemaker might fix boots in exchange for potatoes, or a farmer might trade eggs for a haircut.
Cash-Only Living [18:20]
Families avoided debt by living cash-only. If they couldn't pay upfront, they did without. Only 12% of households carried formal debt in 1935, compared to over 75% today.