How Did People Survive the Great Depression?
My husband, a construction contractor, has no more work after he finishes the addition he’s working on. After several years in the business, he is looking for a new job. Several friends and family members who live in our same town are unemployed as of the past few weeks. And then today Survival Blog predicts 2009 will be a doozy, with unemployment rates hitting 30%. Is this even possible? If it happens, what will become of our country?
How did people survive the Great Depression? I’m sitting here in my kitchen, taking stock. We have no reliable income at the moment. My husband is looking for a job. I bring in a secondary income from my blogs and sites, but not enough to cover all our expenses, nor to pay down our debts. And that’s even assuming the income I have stays steady — with online advertising revenue, this is by no means guarranteed.
My brother in law is unemployed, as are several of our friends. With real unemployment seeing higher and higher numbers as each corporation or manufacturer announces layoffs, you have to wonder where all of this headed.I’m not saying we’re in the Second Great Depression … but we could be.
From my research of life during the Great Depression, I’ve come up with some guidelines my family plans to follow as we prepare for a lengthy recession or even a deep economic depression. There are many aspects to cover; this is just a start. I’ll post more on this topic throughout the coming year.
- Minimize expenses. If you have extra money, use it to put your family in the best position possible to survive a potential depression. Purchase tools, necessary kitchen equipment, garden necessities, fishing gear, and other items to help improve your measure of self-sufficiency.
- Buy American. As much as possible, avoid purchasing imported goods and look for American-made products to help our country pull itself out of the recession. You may have to track down companies online and ask local shops to carry American-made goods. The extra dollars spent are well worth it. If we all followed this practice, imagine the outcome. Keep your money here; don’t send it overseas.
- Seek multiple income opportunities, rather than relying on one sector or one company for the family’s support. If your job is highly secure, you’re in a better position, but still look for side income opportunities. If your job is threatened or unstable, build up additional income sources right away.
- Produce and preserve food. We plan to have a large family garden and our own laying hens in the backyard. As local fruits and vegetables come into season, I will pick and preserve my own — strawberry preserves, frozen peaches and jarred apple sauce are all simple to put up from local, inexpensive bounty.
- Stay hopeful, pray for guidance and do not lose the joy of life.
Have hope, but plan for potential long-term economic difficulties in the United States. That’s my take on it. What are your thoughts? Do you know how people survived the Great Depression? Add your comment, below.
Hey, thanks for the post. Nice to know I’m not alone. We’re already gardening and relying on side jobs just to put food on the table. Something’s got to shake loose pretty soon, tho’.
January 25th, 2009 at 4:05 pmi think we will survive another great depression. it’s amazing to think what the human mind can put the body through in rough and hard times.
January 26th, 2009 at 3:12 amI feel everetthing you are saying its true i have seen alot of people lose there job with no money save its hard i hope they get the picture one day cause its gone get harder me i save every dime i get and want all the discounts i can get i work and my wife goes to school im 28 yrs old now and have been saving sents i was 20 i have 2 kids just letting you know i feel you and i hope things get better for you and everyone god bless you and love and peace!
February 9th, 2009 at 10:23 amCheck out the Great Depression Cooking with Clara on you tube. A nice 90-something year old woman who will show you cheap and easy meals and give a peek into life during challenging times.
March 31st, 2009 at 12:56 pmHello, good topic. Although your rightly concerned about what you hear on the news, please be selective on how much “noise” you are bombarded with. The U.S.A. is full of hard working, innovative folks who have a depression under their belts. I don’t see all the commotion as the beginning of the end, rather the end of the beginning. This will be a little difficult, but please remember that when we are going through are darkest moments of uncertainty, this is sure to bring about the greatest growth. As for surviving; bread is simple to make on your own, if you have land make it on a wood stove. Pinto beans are cheap($.75/bag)all protein, stuff in a tortilla after boiling and whipping into bean dip. Cell phones, internet & cable= +- $150.00-200.00/mo. Go to the library. Sell your car if it’s possible to take public trans, big saving!! Dress in layers inside, keep heat low(some parts of China don’t get much, they survive). Popcorn is also a filler and cheap. Create a Physche that tells you this is gonna be FUN, BECAUSE I WILL MAKE IT!!! Read,read,read books about holocaust survivors, POWS, and understand that the great depression before the last depression lasted 500 years and people survived. 200 years ago there were no cars and no economy from them and people made it.Rice, buy,buy it’s another staple and 2/3 of the world gets a handfull a day. Thank God every chance you get during all waking hours for every thing you know and understand that he’s giving you, and for everything he’s givin you that you don’t know and understand. In greek(from hebrew translation) the word for thanks and praise is BERAKAH,say it often. If you live by water, catch fish. Any library will have books on canning, smoking and curing(jerky etc.) of fish, meat ,and game. Above all enjoy this time in your life, it will bond those around you like never before. We as Humans are at our best when things are at there worst. God bless. Joe
April 3rd, 2009 at 10:27 pmI understand that we as a society have been through hard times and have come out fine except every era has it’s own set of circumstanses so even though we’ve been through a depression there are other factors now; such as the fact that we have more of a global economy than ever before. It just means we still have to think about things and not leave it to faith alone. There’s a difference between jumping off a cliff because god will save you and choosing not to jump in the first place.
August 7th, 2009 at 5:57 pmLike everything else, survival is mostly mental. I started gathering wood about a year ago. I also have laying hens that keep a good supply of eggs. I currently have a steady job for now, but I know it won’t last forever. I pray to God daily to give me wisdom and the courage to keep focused on my survival “to do list”. I’ve printed helpful information such as canning, freezing food, while the internet is still available. I may sound paranoid, but I can’t leave anything to chance.
October 26th, 2009 at 10:07 pmI actually did a post on this same subject back in April. Seems like you and I have the same concerns in mind. I listed lots of great tips from survivors of the Great Depression. Check it out sometime when you get a chance. I sure learned a lot of frugal advice!
November 13th, 2009 at 12:28 amWe’ve had an unprecedented period of expansion in the last 60 years, it stands to reason that there should be some contraction. All periods of contraction are challenging, and all challenging times have opportunity within them.
People are adding on instead of buying up; building granny units to accomodate multi-generational families instead of retiring to a condo, renovating what they have instead of building new.
November 20th, 2009 at 7:43 pmGreat Article and best wishes to you and your family! Times are tough and going to get worse, but one of the things we can start doing is to start thinking in terms of “COMMUNITY”.
Get to know your neighbors, plan on making a garden if you can and start buying locally…most importantly start NETWORKING so people know you and you know them and can start pulling resources and talents/skills if and when necessary.
January 7th, 2010 at 3:44 amI think you’ve tuned in on some of the important survival techniques of the Great Depression. In addition, people helped each other out. Growing and preserving your own food is hard work, but important.
January 29th, 2010 at 5:21 pmSince I recently worked on self-publishing my mom’s book (My Flint Hills Childhood: Growing Up in 1930s Kansas), the frugality of those times is fresh in my mind.
I stumbled on this wonderful site at a low point in my past few weeks. Thanks so much for doing it.
February 6th, 2010 at 10:58 amIt is encouraging to see other well-educated and hard-working people struggle with what is happening to all of us.
I think it will be a force for good but I’m looking forward to putting in my first vegetable garden.
If you know of other sites that would help a newby survive – please let me know. I like the Clara site – a beacon of light.
As an employee of many companies all my life, I now realize that the only protection from layoffs and downsizing is to go into business for myself. I am currently researching the best practices of good handymen. I have been blessed with a life that has made it necessary to fix my own autos, learn plumbing when a toilet backed up or a pipe burst and a myiad of projects that made me go to the library or buy a manual because I didn’t have the money to call a “professional” to bail me out. At times I have had to call on someone for instance, an air conditioning repairman because I couldn’t figure out how the thermostat worked. But I made sure that when the repairman came to my house, I watched his every move and made notes on what he did and asked alot of questions. Since that time, I have repaired my air conditioner two times myself and saved at least two hundred dollars. There are other ways to save in the long run with a small investment. For instance, I am single and live alone with my dog. I realized that a significant portion of my electric bill went towards running a large refrigerator that was empty most of the time. I purchased a small used refrigerator and save several hundred dollars a year. If you could use some advice or have some good ideas on saving cash during this difficult economic downturn please e-mail me at allanwgiffin@yahoo.com. I use the net at the local library so it may take a day or two to get back to you. Again, by using the net at the library, I save a couple of hundred a year. Thanks gang, and hang in there. Happy days will come again.
February 18th, 2010 at 6:17 pm