Onebyone

No one can go back and live like they did 100 years ago. Some do go off grid but I think it's more to escape. And most use solar to power the modern items they have to have so not much different then living mainstream other then being isolated.

cashs_mom

I know what you mean. It's a processed food world now. I always buy dry beans and soak them overnight or cook them on the stove top until tender. It's really not that hard.

But then a year or so ago, there was a young woman posting on the nextdoor forum for my neighborhood who was in panic because she was running out of baby wipes and didn't know how she was going to keep her baby clean. Someone said "Do you have soap and water and a washcloth?" People think that they have to have a lot of expensive processed foods and premade items. I was raised by a depression era mom and we never bought stuff like that. That was a luxury. We bought whole food and made our own meals and washed with plain soap and water. We were healthy AND clean for minimum money. Its kind of sad that a lot of people don't realize that you can do that and it really doesn't take that much effort.

GingerK

I grew up on a farm on the prairies of Canada. In 1959 a massive hail storm hit. There were still piles of hail in corners of buildings hours later. My sisters held pillows against the big windows in our living room to keep them from breaking. We were days away from swathing the fields. We were hailed out 100%. That spring there was money for either hail insurance or seed grain--our Dad chose the grain and prayed, I'm sure.

It was a terribly tough winter. We survived on what our Mom had put up from the garden, our own butchered beef and pork--and the bi-weekly cream check. I learned to make do and make from scratch as a child. It stuck.

tropit

That was so nice of you. My family was poor when I was little. My parents divorced when I was very young and my mom was left with a huge mountain of bills that my dad had run up. Those days, the divorce laws were not in a woman's favor. She worked two jobs just to make ends meet. I would greet my mom at the grocery store on pay day, which was once, every two weeks. I'd help her shop, so she could get home and start on her second job, but also because I wanted some "goodies." I could pick out a package of cookies, but only if there was enough to buy the basics first. My sister used to joke that Mom was the only person she knew that could make Tuna Noodle Casserole without the tuna. I learned a lot about money from my mom and I'm grateful for it today.

tropit

OK...I'll start a thread.

SusieQOH

A few months ago my oldest son shared something with me. He said he was so grateful we taught our kids how to cook real food while they were growing up. Btw- they are all good cooks. He said when Covid hit he had no trouble finding quality ingredients in the stores but all the junk/processed/packaged food shelves were empty! He also said he knows very few people his age who know what real food is, much less how to cook. When he has friends over they can't believe what he puts together (and we aren't talking exotic, just homemade).

As I've said before my husband is the cook of the house but I cooked all the time the kids were young. I grew up with a Mom who was a wonderful cook and thrifty as well. I still have some of her Depression Era ways and am glad I do.

Patrice- the comment about the baby wipes cracked me up!!! My kids bottoms never saw those cold things lol

cashs_mom

I so agree, Susie. Those wipes are icky. Whatever is in them, stays on the baby. I have trouble believing that would be good.

For years, I didn't cook that much but I had learned how from my also thrifty, Depression era mom. So when I needed to cook a lot, I could move right back into that. I had no problem at all finding healthy whole food during the lockdown, but there wasn't a lot of processed food available which was no problem for me.

I knew a lot of younger women thru a dachshund forum I was on. When people were starting to feed raw food to their dogs one of them freaked out and said "Have you ever touched raw chicken??? It's gross". I was like "Yes, I've been touching raw chicken most of my life" lol. I couldn't believe she had never cooked chicken! It's amazing to me.

And I just cooked a pot of black beans last night. It took me about 10 minutes to get it ready and then it cooked on the stovetop for a couple hours. But during that couple hours, I didn't have to do anything except stir it once in a while. Easy peasey

Anniedeb

I too grew up in a poor family. There were 9 kids, and as was common in those days, one income. We lived down the alley from a local grocery store, that generously allowed us to purchase on credit. Every payday, dad's first payment was to the grocer. I remember some lean times, and hard lessons about wants vs needs. We went to Catholic School, with our tuition paid by dad doing work for the church/school. (In addition to his full time job.) He did printing, janitorial duties, painting, what ever needed to be done. Mom was very thrifty with her purchases, and cooking. Often times, my dad would just eat baked potatoes for dinner. I didn't realize until much later, that he did that so there would be more meat or side dishes for the rest of us. He was very thrifty through out his lifetime, always saving for the next rainy day. When he died, we found over $2000 tucked away in the pockets of shirts and pants in his closet.

Jshep

Cash’s Mom- I agree with you. There are all kinds of ways to save money. I didn’t grow up in the depression era, but I came from a very very poor family and learned a lot. Has anyone ever watched Depression Era Cooking on YouTube? She is kind of fun to watch and has great ideas.

tropit

Cooked dry beans have a lot more flavor than canned ones...a better texture too. I still used cans, because they are convenient, but I try to cook a big pot of dried beans at least once a week during the cooler seasons. (Not in the summer)