My dad's family lost their farm in the depression. When I cleaned our his garage after he died, i found 30 or so gallon milk jugs he was saving in case he wanted them for used motor oil, etc, but the one that really made an impression on me was the one that had written on it "This one has a hole in it." (but he saved it anyway...)

Good thread. It brings tears to my eyes. We had chickens in town for the eggs and meat. got them as babies at Easter when they colored them. Most were roosters though and did they fight!

What a great thread. Living through the depression affected our parents in some profound ways. My Mom grew up dirt poor in Brooklyn. Even though my Mom and Dad were fairly well off after WWII, they just could not bring themselves to spend money on luxuries. For years my Mom wouldn't let my Dad get a Cadillac. She said people would not like us and probably charge us more money because we were rich. She also could not eat anything with raisins in it. She said it reminded her of when she was a child and her food would sometimes have bugs in it. Her family was often evicted and she remembers coming home from school to find all the furniture from the apartment out on the street. I just can't imagine the things that forged the person she became.

I remember putting cardboard in my shoes because they had holes in them. :eek:

My mom and dad have invested very well,but the Great Depression is ingrained in every fiber of her body.She still clips coupons,always looking for sales,and buys in bulk to save money.Last time i was home she gave me a shopping list for 2 different grocery stores so she could get the best prices at each store. This is the same woman who is extremely generous with family and friends, and donates thousands to charities each year.When i ask her why she is so frugal,she always tells me it could happen again.If we don't get our spending under control and quit printing money like we are playing a game of monopoly,she might be right.

She is right. Who would have thought the housing market would collapse and jobs would be so scarce?

I have a feeling it's not all over yet. :(

It's not.....

Let's hear a big round of applause for those who were not affected by the Great Depression! My father was continuously employed all through the depression. But I did hear stories of hardship from friends of the family and relatives. One that I remember is the story about kids who would walk along the railroad tracks looking for coal.

My father's family left the Canadian Depression and moved to NY. Evidently things were better in the USA. They had jobs, but it still affected them. My grandfather never again would own stock, trust a bank or waste anything. I remember him having the same pencil for 40 years, when I was 6 or 7 it was about 4" long, when he died in the 80's it was about 1/2" long, but he never threw it out. He wouldn't use a pencil sharpener, only a kitchen knife. He also would tear milk cartons before throwing them out-there's usually a drop or two left y'know. My grandmother made new soap from leftover scraps, I think she cooked it somehow. His advice was to work in the food industry and you will never go hungry.

My other grandfather was a bootlegger, they did fine and had more colorful stories.

My mom was born in 1930. She used to tell me about "hobos" who would knock on the door of their house during the Great Depression, and my grandmother would give them some food to eat. Can't imagine doing that today. When my grandfather died in 1936, my grandmother rented out a bedroom in their house to female boarder to bring in extra money.

My parents had a party line on their phone until about 1965...can you imagine having that today? I think "party line" has a different meaning now.

We had a party line. It was so entertaining! :icon_wink:

My mom got pretty fed up with the party line as the other "party" my family shared a line with was always on the phone. With 3 kids under the age of 6 in our house, I guess my mom figured she needed her own line in case of an emergency. Now that in so many families everyone has their own cell phone no wonder why new area codes are always needed.