With the prices of everything going up right now—from groceries to pretty much everything needed for the home every single day—many people are trying to figure out how to make a dollar out of 15 cents. So today, here are some tried-and-true Great Depression–era frugal hacks: the kind of stuff grandparents and great-grandparents did to survive tough times without spending a dime more than they had to.
Tip #1: “Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do, or Do Without”
This was one of those OG frugal mottos. Before tossing anything—or even thinking about replacing it—ask:
- “Can I fix it?”
- “Can I repurpose it?”
- “Can I live without it?”
That old t-shirt with a hole? Make it a cleaning rag. That chair with the wobbly leg? Tighten the screws. That blender that needs a new whatever it needs? Don’t junk it. Fix it.
You can easily save $10 to $100+ every time you repair or reuse something instead of replacing it.
Tip #2: Meal Plan With What You Have
Grandparents didn’t say, “What do you feel like eating?” They said, “This is what we have to eat.”
They didn’t run to the store for every meal idea. They looked at what they had in the pantry first. And it’s time to do the same.
Build meals from what is already in the house. If there are a couple pounds of potatoes, some frozen veggies, and maybe some chicken thighs, then it’s chicken and potato casserole night.
This helps avoid that $20 to $50 a week in unnecessary grocery runs and potential food waste. If only a certain amount of money is coming in each month, it matters to use it where it is needed the most.
Tip #3: Mend and Repair Clothes
A little needle and thread goes a long way. Patch jeans or fix the hem. It saves money on clothes in the long run.
There’s no need to be a seamstress. If you can sew a button or patch a hole, you’re good to go.
That means you can apply that $20 to $50 to something more important. Or you can buy something that isn’t already owned, instead of buying a new version of jeans that are already in the closet.
A basic mending kit can be bought cheaply, and even iron-on squares can be used and cut into cute shapes to work as patches.
Tip #4: Keep a Scrap Bag
This was basically the original crafting drawer.
If old clothing is no longer wearable, cut the material into large pieces. Pop off the buttons and store those. Keep zippers, ribbons, and string. Save them and use them for mending, crafts, or repairing something later.
Craft supplies add up over time, but not if there’s already a stash that didn’t cost anything extra.
To keep the stash from getting out of control, use a small bin, a box, or a dedicated drawer. Once it gets filled up, stop adding to it until some of what’s in there has been used. Crafting can be fun, but clutter is not.
Tip #5: Air Dry Your Laundry
Electric dryers are convenient, but they can also be money drainers.
Air drying saves electricity, keeps clothes from shrinking, and stretches the life of clothing. Electric drying wears out fibers faster and causes thinning of the material. That’s why those little holes sometimes show up in clothes and it’s hard to figure out how they got there.
If there isn’t a yard or much space for line drying, clothes can be dried on padded hangers hung from a shower curtain rod, or on a drying rack indoors.
This could potentially save up to $50 a month on an energy bill.
Tip #6: Save Bacon Grease and Scraps
Old-school cooks did not waste flavor.
A jar of bacon grease can turn bland veggies and potatoes into a treat. If you’re a bacon eater, you already have it. That means there’s no need to use up vegetable oil or olive oil for certain recipes.
While it’s still hot, pour it into a jar and keep it in the fridge. Use it to sauté green beans, fry eggs, or flavor up cornbread.
This cuts down on cooking oil costs and ups the flavor without needing to buy a bunch of bougie seasonings.
Tip #7: Cash Envelope Budgeting
There’s nothing like the tactile pain of handing over cash to help you decide not to spend money on something you don’t need.
It doesn’t feel the same when swiping a card. Handing over cold, hard cash? Ouch.
Many people remember older family members writing out bills and putting cash into envelopes. Later, doing the same thing—putting cash into envelopes for each spending category—helps make spending slower and more intentional.
Watching dollar bills disappear one by one always slows spending down. And when the money is gone, it’s gone. No overspending. No overdraft fees.
Later on, once discipline is strong, it can be possible to use a debit card almost exclusively. But spending tends to be a lot lower on non-essentials when using envelopes.
Tip #8: Make Gifts Instead of Buying Them
Nothing says “I love you” like a homemade gift.
Make jam from fruit in the garden, or crochet monogrammed pot holders. Thoughtful DIY gifts are both frugal and meaningful.
Some examples include cookies placed in an inexpensive mug and topped with a hand-crocheted mug cozy, inexpensive personalized gift baskets, or a decorative recipe card holder made from a cereal box with favorite recipes typed up for someone who loves your cooking.
Depending on how creative you get and what can be made with inexpensive materials—or materials already at home—you could potentially save $10, $20, even $50 per gift.
Tip #9: Collect Rainwater
Rainwater was conserved like gold because it cut down on the cost of water for the home. It’s free.
Rainwater is considered soft water because it doesn’t have the chemicals and minerals that make a lot of water hard water. That makes it ideal for washing clothes and cleaning, because soap lathers and rinses more easily without building residue.
And for that reason, it’s also great for hair. And again, it’s free.
Tip #10: Cook From Scratch
Prepackaged food usually comes with what can be called a “convenience tax.” Most of the time it costs more, but you get less.
Flour tortillas, for instance: a bag of 20 fajita-sized tortillas might cost about $4, but up to 80 tortillas can be made from a 5 lb bag of flour for about $2.50.
It’s the same with flavored rice packets that cost about $1.25 but only feed a family for one meal, versus buying a $1 bag of rice and adding your own seasonings, a little butter, and some milk to make it creamy.
You can save $20 to $50+ per month, depending on how many meals are made from scratch.
Tip #11: Make Friends With the Leftovers
Nothing went to waste back in the day.
Leftovers were reinvented into soups, casseroles, and hash. Today, you can call it a “fridge cleanout stir fry” and you’re good to go.
People hear it all the time, but some still act like they’re too good for yesterday’s food. If you don’t like calling it leftovers, just call it last night’s dinner in a new outfit.
Leftover rice, veggies, and eggs can become fried rice. If there’s leftover chicken, throw that in too and make chicken fried rice.
Get creative. It’s about stretching what you have so you don’t have to buy more as often.
Tip #12: Reuse Everything
This was common in past generations.
Old clothes became patch quilts. Jars became drinking glasses. Flower sacks became dresses. Channel that same energy and reuse containers and packaging.
Take a cereal box and turn it into a napkin holder. Get creative. It can actually be a lot of fun.
There are plenty of repurposing ideas for everyday needs, and you can save a lot of money making something you need with what you already have instead of buying it.
Tip #13: Barter and Trade
If you don’t have cash, no problem.
Neighbors used to trade eggs for milk. Someone would sew something for someone else in exchange for firewood. Try swapping skills or items with friends, family, or neighbors.
Offer whatever you have that someone else might need. If you need your lawn mowed, maybe offer to make cookies. If you need childcare for an hour, maybe offer to run an errand in exchange.
The money you can save is almost limitless.
Tip #14: Stretch Your Meat Further
For a lot of people, meat was a flavoring. It was not the main event unless you had a lot of money.
Cheaper foods like beans, rice, breadcrumbs, or oatmeal were added to meat to bulk up meals without spending too much.
For example, a quarter pound of ground beef can be mixed with half a can of mashed black beans for taco meat or burgers. Chicken and veggie stir fry is another favorite, because you don’t have to use as much chicken as you would if serving a whole chicken breast on a plate.
Tip #15: If It Still Works, Don’t Replace It
This seems obvious, but today people toss things the second they’re old.
Back in the day, people used things until they absolutely couldn’t use them anymore. Sometimes they still used them even when they couldn’t.
Some people would bleach and keep using dishcloths until they were literally falling apart. But as long as it was getting the job done, it got used.
If it’s not broken, don’t replace it just because it’s not fancy. That blender from 2007—if it’s still blending—leave it alone.
Tip #16: Wash Hair Less Often
Generations ago, shampoo was not used every single day.
People washed their hair once a week or even less, which helped scalp health and oil balance because natural oils weren’t constantly being stripped.
For anyone washing hair practically every day, reducing washes saves money on water, electricity for heating water, and shampoo.
With prices going up almost daily, it helps to spend money on those things as seldom as possible—especially when money is tight.
DIY Dry Shampoo (Between Washes)
If hair or scalp feels too oily, apply DIY dry shampoo made from cornstarch, which can be very cheap. Cocoa powder can work for darker hair, but it costs a bit more.
Apply it with a makeup brush, then brush it out with a hairbrush.
DIY Scalp Cleanser (Extra Help Between Washes)
If the scalp needs extra love between washes, make a DIY scalp cleanser with about 2 oz of witch hazel and three drops of tea tree oil on a cotton pad. Gently dab it on the scalp to remove buildup and soothe itchiness.
As a side note: anytime tea tree oil is used, make sure it’s diluted with witch hazel or an oil, because it’s too strong to use alone.
Tip #18: Wear Hair in Simple Styles
Pin curls, braids, buns—these were all popular low-maintenance styles and still are.
They don’t rely on constant use of heating tools, which saves electricity, and they reduce the need for expensive salon visits.
Tip #19: Use What’s Already in the Kitchen for Dry Skin
This one is real old school, but it didn’t cost anything extra: using lard or leftover bacon fat for ashy hands and elbows.
It’s not glamorous, but several oils already in the kitchen can moisturize the body, hair, and face.
As a small tip, inexpensive olive oil can be used for cooking and also from head to toe for body care.
Tip #20: Use Apple Cider Vinegar for Multiple Purposes
Apple cider vinegar is another inexpensive kitchen item that can be used in many ways to save money. It must always be diluted before use.
It can be used as a hair and scalp rinse once a week or every other week between washes, especially for product buildup, itchiness, or dull-looking hair.
It can be used as a facial toner—dilute it one part vinegar and one part water, then apply like a regular toner.
It can be used as a kitchen cleaner and window cleaner. Combined with baking soda, it can help unclog drains. Of course, it can also be used in cooking, salad dressings, and marinades.
A 32 oz bottle can cost only a couple of dollars, and because it’s diluted, it lasts a long time.
Closing Thought
Parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents didn’t have modern social media or one-click shopping, but they knew how to live well on less.
These tips aren’t just nostalgia. They are timeless. When money is tight, any one of these can be used and put into practice instantly.
