We often talk about our parents and grandparents who went through the Great Depression, how to this day they scrimp and save, never throw anything away, and can delay their gratification. We also hail this “Greatest Generation” for their strong character, which was cultivated through economic hardship and the sacrifice of war.
In reality, our economic woes are far from the magnitude of the Great Depression. Still, why shouldn’t we take the occasion to build our character by being thrifty, doing without, and managing creatively?
We have been eating things we’ve had in our freezer. We haven’t gone to the grocery store all week. And we’ve found treats we had forgotten we had. A big, delicious hunk of pork shoulder I barbecued; a bag of tater tots; jalapeno poppers from our New Year’s Eve revelry. My wonderful wife just brought me a bowl of ice cream from a carton she found, the ice cream topped with leftover pie cherries. Yum! Fun!
What tips can you offer for a character-building, money-saving neo-Depression activity? Recipes for making a pound of hamburger feed six people? Cheap alternatives to expensive habits? You can be either serious or whimsical.
HT: Jackie
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