Frugality How-To from the Greatest Generation

This is the final post in a frugality series inspired by the Greatest Generation, the men and women who grew up during the Great Depression and then fought and won two wars. You can see the Table of Contents to this series here.

We live in an instant society. We want it now. We deserve it. This is the exact opposite of The Greatest Generation. The Greatest Generation was thrifty, patriotic, and it ended up paying off big time. It wasn't about who had the most shoes - it was who could make a loaf of bread last longer. Imagine if our society tried - even a little bit - to copy them!

For some people, their appreciation of life and came from seeing people in less fortunate countries like Africa. For me, my appreciation of life came from the Greatest Generation. They just did with what they had to do with what they had. They lived with less so others (their soldiers) could have more.

They lived by the adage, Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without! If the Greatest Generation can live on what little that was available during WWII, can't I live with as much as I have? I don't mind sharing a room with my two sisters. I am happy with my 5 pairs of shoes. I don't need the newest clothing. I don't mind sharing clothes with my sisters. Leftovers are as yummy as the first night.

Lesson from the Greatest Generation 1: Use it up

This country is so WASTEFUL!! You know that last little bit of soap left in the soap container? That hard-to-scrape bit of jelly in the container? Many Americans just throw it away. The Greatest Generation was on a strict rationing system, and couldn't afford to throw extra food away. Instead of throwing away the bad apple, they cut off the good parts and ate them. To make sure you get the biggest bang for your buck:

• Scrap the last bit of everything - butter, peanut butter, jelly, jelly, parmesan cheese. If you don't want to keep the almost-empty container, stick the last remnants of food into the new container. Normally new food containers are 75% full anyway.
• Shake ink cartridges to get a pretty decent amount more instead of throwing them away right away.
• Invest in Tupperware and eat leftovers.

Lesson from the Greatest Generation 2: Wear it out

To save money on fabric, some savvy women purposely made their children's clothing a bit big, and then they would hem them. As the children grew, the women could then just make the clothing a bit bigger! And no one cared if it was three years old. Now, most people don't make their own clothing, but this is a great example of not getting the most out of all clothing. Patching clothing, fixing buttons, mending and turning holed-pants into shorts is a great example of this.

Nowadays, sewing your own clothes is more expensive than buying a nice name brand shirt at a garage sale for $1, but I commend anyone who sews!

Dave Ramsey clearly states, "if your old car still works fine, don't go buy a new one." (Of course, if you have the money and aren't on a tight budget you can.) 

I believe a more expensive appliance that will last you twenty years is much more quality than a cheaper appliance that will last you three. At the same time, that expensive appliance will not last long if you don't keep it up. (clean it, take care of it properly)

Lessons from the Greatest Generation 3: Make it do

This 40s ad says it all. 

This is kind of a combo of the other three tips.

Lessons from the Greatest Generation 4: Do without

During WWII, silk and nylon stockings were in extremely short supply by the summer of 1942. Most women had to find ingenious methods of dressing their legs. Some rubbed gravy browning or shoe polish mixed with cream on their legs. This picture is of a woman drawing in the seam-line on “Makeup” stockings with a device made from a screw driver handle, bicycle leg clip, and an eyebrow pencil, 1942. (source: Bettman/Corbis)  

http://www.war44.com/history-britain-during-world-war-ii/2220-nylon-stockings-during-wwii.html

Am I suggesting you ditch your stockings for gravy browning and eyebrow pencil? No. (Do you even wear stockings?) It's just something to think about. Five outfits was a lot back then. Shoving your closets full of clothes you don't even remember buying hurts your budget and causes more clutter. If you see a "must-have" pair of jeans and you already have five similar pairs, you probably don't need another pair.

I dare you to try this for a day.

Lesson from the Greatest Generation 5: Carpool

Carpool. Save time and money.

No, in today's world Hitler will not be riding in your empty seat. However, you get the picture. Soldiers obviously needed petrol in the European theatre more than Americans at home did.

Lesson from the Greatest Generation 6: Can, garden, and scratch

Canned food for soldiers was top priority. What did our brave home front women do? Can and grow Victory Gardens, of course! Canning saves LOTS of money, and avoids pesticides and all that nasty stuff the government puts in your food. Gardening wasn't a supplement, it was a main source of food. Despite having to clean, take care of kids, and having to cook everything they made from scratch, they MADE time for their gardens. Also, many families had animals such as rabbits and chickens. 

Also, at the time, eating out was EXTREMELY expensive and pre-cooked food wasn't an option. People made EVERYTHING from scratch. Baking from scratch can save your family SO much money. One of our favorite homemade items is bread in our bread machine. We have also made challah bread from scratch and without a bread machine. Make it a goal to slowly start getting used to first making meals from scratch 3 times a week, 4 times a week, 5 times a week, etc.

Lesson from the Greatest Generation 7: Leftovers

Leftovers have saved us so much money. This WWII era poster applies today just as much as it did in the 40s. Nobody can be too "good" to eat leftovers. Eating leftovers will save you TONS of money on food. Freezer meals and crockpot meals (that can be made specifically for leftovers) are great and frugal ideas for today's family.

Making meals in bulk and either eating off them for a few days or freezing them also saves time and money.

Lesson from the Greatest Generation 8: Paper

(I encourage you to read all of this. Packed with good stuff) 

This Vogue ad states: The need for paper is urgent. Vogue must help by cutting supplies still further. You, too, must help. First, by sharing Vogue with a friend. Second, by combing your home for every paper, carton, box, and every book which is not actively essential or completely unreplaceable. Don't keep back whole numbers of Vogue because they contain some pages you can't bear to part with. Cut these out - make a Vogue portfolio of them-and scrap the rest of the magazine. One average issue of Vogue would provide 17 twenty-five-pounder shell cups, or 1 box for airplane cannon shells, or 13 cut-out targets for rifle practice...Every pound you can salvage does the same. Don't waste a single sheet - tear our this leaflet, for instance, and use the back for your shopping list before it goes into general scrap."

Firstly, can you imagine a modern gossip magazine telling their readers to share and throw away the magazine?

Alright, again, we don't need to save paper so our soldiers can have a box for airplane cannon shells. BUT, instead of buying paper for your grocery list, why not save scrap paper and use those sheets? Why not share a magazine subscription with a friend?

Lesson from the Greatest Generation 9: Misc.

Be sure to check out this great article about frugality. Remember the good ol' days? When you borrowed books from the library and walked everywhere because gas was expensive?

What are some of your frugality tips straight from WWII? I would love to hear them - and I'd love to expand this post! I hope this was of some encouragement to you!

The Aldi Truth

This is the third post in a frugality series inspired by the Greatest Generation, the men and women who grew up during the Great Depression and then fought and won two wars. You can see the Table of Contents to this series here.

The truth about your food

Ever wondered where your food came from? Do you see the rows and rows of canned carrots on the shelves and all of the different brands? It looks like you have ten different choices for canned carrots! Lucky you!
More often than not, the name brand and generic brand came from the exact same factory. Companies just slap a different label on both and charge higher for one. Why go name brand when you can get the EXACT same thing for $2 less?
If you really want a more inside look on your food, watch Food Inc. It's a great documentary (and book) about your food.

Why shop at Aldi's?
Well, welcome to Aldi's. Most of the products here are JUST like their name brands. For example, all of their off-brand cereal tastes EXACTLY like the name brand. Of course, sometimes the name brand is completely different from the generic/Aldi's brand. (For example, nothing matches Pillsbury crescent rolls)

~

Here are some things from Aldi's that taste EXACTLY like their "brand names." I will include the original brand (i.e. Rice Krispies) name, but the Aldi's brand is a different name (mostly with a similar picture). For example, Kelloggs Honey Smacks logo is a green frog scooping up cereal. Aldi's brand is called "Honey Wheat Puffs" and has a green fish on the logo. Both boxes are red with honey smacks/wheat puffs on the front. More than likely, both are from the same place, too.

• Any of the cereals - Rice Krispies, Frosted Flakes, Fruit Loops, etc.
• Fruit
• Milk
• Cheese
• Chips
• Ramen noodles
• Couscous (I love couscous)
• Mac n'Cheese
• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Flour, sugar, etc.
• Eggs
• Sour Cream
• Non-food items, like trash bags

Some things that don't taste the same as name brand (in our opinion)

• Coffee Creamer
• Yogurt
• Frosting
• Crescent rolls

Gold Fish vs. Aldi Penguin Crackers: Both are good, but Aldi's Penguin Crackers still have a different taste. Both are very addicting.

Ritz and Keeblers Club Crackers vs Aldi brand: Different from their name brands, but still yummy.

Cheez It's vs. Aldi brand: Personally, I don't really care for Aldi's Cheez It's. But, this depends on your taste.

Our advice would be to try it. Get one box of Aldi's Cheez It's. If your family likes it, great. If they don't, just don't buy it again.

What are your favorite Aldi foods?

Saving on Entertainment

This is the second in a frugality series inspired by the Greatest Generation, the men and women who grew up during the Great Depression and then fought and won two wars. You can see the Table of Contents to this series here

.I am always listening to music, normally while reading a book, and who doesn't like to end the day with a good movie? Although I am a bookworm, I own very few books compared to most. I listen to music all the time, yet have only downloaded a few songs onto my iPod. And I watch movies all the time.

BOOKS

As you may have guessed, I am addicted to my local library. My library has a wide selection of books, as well as free Inter Library Loans. (If they don't have it, they can request it from another library.) Or if it is new, my library will purchase it. (OK so there is a few books my library can't get (When there is no library in the US that has it) such as some Danish books and a few Scholastic Canadian historical fictions. Well, in those rare cases, I cry, and then get over it, because normally if there is no library in the US that has it, then you can't buy it in the US either.) Anyways, I use World Cat to find the nearest library that has the book I'm looking for.

Some libraries also loan eBooks.

Garage sales, Goodwill, and any resale shop are good places if you want to buy cheap books. I have taken pictures of interesting books I see at Goodwill, and then looking them up on my library's website before. On half-off day, you can normally get a book for a little more than a quarter at Goodwill. Amazon and Barnes and Noble is then my next resource... Homeschoolers can get 20% off each B&N purchase. See this.

iBooks and Project Gutenberg (and most other eBook stores) has nearly all classics for free.  Not only is this free, but classical literature is often much more challenging and have valuable lessons compared to today's books. Examples of free classics include: Pride and Prejudice, The Count of Monte Cristo, Les Misérables, Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, Phantom of the Opera, Robinson Crusoe, Treasure Island, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Ivanhoe, Romeo and Juliet.

MOVIES

Firstly, we rarely go to the theatre. I mean, we can a wait a little bit if it means saving $60. I can count with my hands the times we've been to a theatre. (Eight Below, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Prince Caspian, and Courageous are the times that stick out. There haven't been much more than that.)

Did you know you can get movies from your local library - free? Most have all the popular ones, but it WILL be hard to get them because the new movies fly off the shelves. However, this is the only way you'll get to see new movies for free. 

Then there is YouTube. You will not find new Oscar-winners on there (copyright infringement), but if it's older, foreign, rare, a Disney Channel original movie, low-budget, or made-for-TV, you may be in luck. The History Channel and National Geographic often have outstanding documentaries, and for the older ones (before 2010) you can often find on YouTube. The Hallmark biopic The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler is on there, as well as Fiddler on the Roof. For historical dramas (WWII, specifically) that are not SUPER big, you will often find them on YouTube, because, especially for WWII films,  many owners won't take it off.

Hulu, Netflix, and of course, your TV, are also great resources.

Note: Never download movies from the internet for free. This is illegal.

MUSIC

I love music!! However I'm the type of person who likes a song, and listens to it a thousand times until I get sick of it and want to throw up the next time I hear it. The only time we really buy music is if we have an iTunes gift card, or if we really like the artist we will buy the CD. YouTube, radio, Grooveshark, iTunes Radio, and Pandora are my two main sources for music. Internet radios are another free and legal source. Some good Christian Internet radios are K-Love and Air 1.

ALTERNATIVES

Of course, you don't have to always have to watch TV, listen to music, or even read. Swap some board games with a friend. Have a backyard picnic. Do a Pinterest craft with a friend. Visit a museum. 

100 Things To Do For Free



Getting the most from your library

My library is awesome. I swear, it's the best library in the world. They have hundreds of movies I can rent for free. Besides, we normally watch movies 1-2 times before they go on our shelves, never to be seen again for six months. Same goes with CDs. We listen to songs on repeat for the whole three weeks we get to keep them, and after that, we are SO burnt out from them!

My library also has Mango, a language-learning software for travelers and tourists. All free.
Really, I learn something new about my library all the time. My library definitely spoils me.

See if any of these resources are available at your library! Most librarians are happy to help!

What are some ways you save on entertainment?

How Waiting Can Save You Money

This is the first in a frugality series inspired by the Greatest Generation, the men and women who grew up during the Great Depression and then fought and won two wars. You can see the Table of Contents to this series here.

I recently got a new iPhone 4S (for my birthday, September 4) and I am very happy with it. On that same day, both of my parents upgraded to iPhone 5's. Barely a week later, the iPhone 5C just came out. We got new phones and only a week later they were outdated.

Here are some outrageous statistics:

• The iPhone 5 received 2 million pre-orders within its first 24 hours.
• In it's first 3 days on sale, more than 5 million iPhone 5's were purchased.
• The year before, over a million people pre-ordered the iPhone 4S within 24 hours.
• Over half of US adults have smart phones.

And yet we still aren't happy. We live in an instant, entitled society. We want it now. We deserve it. We are entitled to it. BUT, waiting can save you money.

Example one: items you don't need "right now".

My mom waited six months to buy a certain bedspread from JCPenny she has been wanting.

Problem? The comforter set was $290. The 2 decorative pillows were $100. ($50 a piece) The 2 valances were $110. ($55 a piece) That comes to $500!!

A few days ago, while Mom was checking JCPenny's website, the moment she had been waiting for had arrived! The bedroom set was on sale! (throws confetti) The entire set was on sale for half off. Half off is $225. AND after a quick Google search for "JCPenny E-coupons" we found an additional 10 percent off coupon. With tax being $13.85, our grand total was only $221.80, and the comforter by itself was $240.

By waiting, we got the comforter set discounted $20, and the rest free! We simply did without for a while. We did not need that comforter right away. By waiting, we put the money we saved to good use!

This works on:

• TV's and other electronics
• Appliances
• Decor
• Furniture

Example two: food and holiday items

Food is essential to life. BUT, do you need that Halloween candy now? Can you wait until after Halloween, when it's all in the Clearance rack? Same goes with any item "in season", such as Christmas wrapping paper, valentines, and school supplies. - Waiting until after that holiday or season saves BIG time.

Waiting for a product to go on sale is also a great example of saving money. Combined with coupons, you can occasionally strike a great deal!

This works on:

• Clothes (Sweaters, scarfs, summer sandals, etc.)
• Food of any type (coupons + sale price)
• Holiday items (Christmas cards, Halloween candy, wrapping paper, valentines, and even school supplies. Just stock and save for next year!)

Example three: waiting until it's old

Homeschool curriculums regularly update. If the curriculum you like is getting updated, the leftover "old" ones can normally be purchased for 1/2 off, and the teachers editions can normally be found on Amazon. When the "new" tech gadget comes out, the old one's price is significantly reduced.
Although you may not have the coolest gadget on the block, your wallet probably won't be empty.


Tip from the Greatest Generation:

Very few Americans "need" anything; most have their basic needs already met. Before you buy bigger/newer/better, think:

USE IT UP: Don't buy that new item now if you don't already have it, use up what you got.
WEAR IT OUT: Make sure your old item is in very worn-out (unusable, slow, etc.) condition before you buy
MAKE IT DO: If you can't afford it, SOMEHOW make that old and worn-out TV work until you can truly afford a new one.
DO WITHOUT: Do you REALLY a new TV? What about the one at your neighbors garage sale?

How has waiting saved you money?

Lessons on Frugality From the Greatest Generation

Frugality is a big part of my and my family's life. I love saving money and living cheaply. My parents are big on saving money; my Dad recommends Dave Ramsey to everyone he meets and my Mom is obsessed with, well, everything involved in frugality.

I think being obsessed with the Greatest Generation and history has really impacted my love of frugality. I mean, not only is my life so much different than most of the people around the world, in the 1940s, the people weren't fighting over who had the bigger flat screen TV. Laziness wasn't encouraged and people didn't leech off the government by the millions. Instead, people were encouraged to grow their own food and make do with as little as possible! Not only did it save money, but it was patriotic.

Seeing how the Greatest Generation lived, with so little, has impacted my life. I mean, if they can live on barely anything, can't I live on so much I have?

The parts in this series are:

• How Waiting Can Save You Money
• Saving on Entertainment (and getting the most out of your library)
• The Aldi Truth - Spending Less (and the truth about your food)
• HOW TO use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without