by Texas Homesteader ~
Grandma lived through the great depression. So she knew a thing or two about saving money while raising her family. And those same old-fashioned tips are still saving money for families everywhere today.
Come see a list of ways grandma saved money in her day, the same ideas you can use too!
Use What You Have
Single-Use appliances weren’t as common in grandma’s day as they are now. She didn’t own and store several specialty cookers in her kitchen.
Grandma used a cast-iron skillet for both stovetop cooking and oven baking to make everything from quesadillas to pancakes and everything between. That meant less money spent and much less storage space necessary too!
Repair Instead Of Replacing
Although today’s products aren’t always made to be repaired, grandma always tried repair first, replacing only when necessary.
She mended torn clothing and grandpa had a hand in repairing things around the home too.
I’ve lost track of the number of things RancherMan’s repaired for us over the years. Our coffee pot, our microwave, our refrigerator, my garden shears, the iron, our Solar Lights and everything between!
His ability to research & repair things has saved us untold amounts of money.
Barter For Things You Need
Grandma knew she could trade some of her garden abundance for some of her neighbor’s fresh eggs. She could trade homemade apricot fried pies for milk.
You don’t have to raise or grow your everything yourself when you have bartering power.
Repurpose Items To New Life
Grandma knew how to repurpose things no longer needed for their intended use into a new purpose to provide a needed item in her home.
Old clothes were turned into rags or beautiful blankets, empty jars were used in the refrigerator for food storage, the backs of used envelopes for her grocery list, etc.
I took a cue from grandma and do much the same. I’m constantly repurposing things such as Old Socks for hair elastics, rags or to close food packages. Or Used Greeting Cards into cute gift boxes.
There are many ways to repurpose things for new uses. Take empty coffee cans for instance…
Coffee Cans into Country Flour Cannister
Low-Waste Simple Chicken Feeder
Plant Container
Homemade Laundry Soap Container
Garden Harvest Container
Weeding Help In The Garden
12 Easy Ways To Repurpose Coffee Containers
If this has gotten your mental gears spinning and you’re wondering about repurposing things in your own home, you can see all my repurposing posts by clicking the button below:
Borrow, Don’t Buy
Grandma didn’t want to buy & store something she would use only once or twice. She and grandpa would borrow that tall ladder when they needed one, and she would loan out her tiller when a neighbor needed it.
Both neighbors win with this borrowing mindset since neither must individually own everything they’d ever need!
Conserve Energy & Precious Resources
Grandma was careful with her family’s money.
Saving Water
Saving Electricity
Line-Dry Clothing
Save Money On Food By Reducing Waste
Grandma knew how to stretch those dollars when it came to food. She didn’t waste anything that could be used to feed her family!
Cook From Scratch
Eliminating Wasted Food
Save Money On Groceries
Make Simple Homemade Cleaning Supplies
Grandma didn’t use jars, containers or cans of purchased cleaning chemicals. Her cleaning routine was simple but thorough.
And most of the time she used what she already had right in her own home to clean.
Homemade Laundry Powder
Kitchen & Bathroom Scrubbing Powder
Homemade Wood Conditioner
15+ Zero-Waste Homemade Cleaners
Cleaning Like Grandma
Ditch Disposables
There are times in any household when disposable napkins and paper towels make sense of course. But my grandma didn’t use many disposables at all!
Real Reusable Dishes
Homemade Cloth Napkins
Reusable Cleaning Rags
Buy Quality
I’ve said it for years – I’d much rather plunk down more money for a better quality product than to buy cheap and be frustrated over & over again at underperformance until it finally must be replaced way too soon.
Grandma knew that the price tag wasn’t the final purchase decision. Sure a higher quality product may cost a little more. But in the long run it will be cheaper since it won’t need to be replaced as soon.
Buy Used
Buying things you need used instead of new can be a big benefit to the environment and your budget. And grandma knew that many of the products manufactured today are of much less quality than before.
They sure don’t make ’em like they used to!
Grow A Garden
Grandma fed her family by growing lots of their food. Her garden was not huge, but it produced a lot.
All Our Best Garden Tips
She grew simple vegetables that her family loved the most. It provided a large part of the healthy food on grandma’s table.
Preserve Garden Excess
Grandma’s pantry was filled with home-canned food. There was no bigger treat than for her to pull that beautiful jar of home grown & canned goodness and include them in our meal.
She canned everything from
Homemade Jams, Jellies & Preserves
Fresh Canned Corn
Homemade Broth
Apple Pie Filling
and much more!
I developed my love of home canning and food preservation from grandma. You can see all my canning posts by clicking the button below:
Looking For Ways To Save Every Day
Grandma kept her eyes open for simple ways to save a little money during her everyday life.
Inexpensive Homemade Gifts
Cheaper Garden Supplies
Ways To Make Do Without Going To The Store
How To Survive Financial Hardship
Easiest Self-Sufficiency Steps
There are so many ways to save money without sacrifice at all!
~TxH~
Other Frugal Tips
- Tips For Surviving Sudden Financial Hardship
- Build Financial Security With Less Effort
- Simplify Your Estate – Document These Numbers NOW!
- Thriving Financially Without A Corporate Paycheck
- Easy Ways To Earn Money Fast In An Emergency
- Is Food Past The Expiration Date Safe To Eat?
- Things I No Longer Buy At The Store To Save Money
- Top 10 Self Sufficiency Posts
- 12 Easy Tips To Save Money On Groceries
- Easiest Self-Sufficiency Steps To Take NOW
- Repurposing Empty Coffee Canisters
…and many MORE!
See ALL Our Frugality Articles
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This is a great post. Lot’s of things to consider and add to what you already doing.
Thanks Angela. It’s true that grandma’s ways still apply in so many circumstances. 🙂 ~TxH~