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| Grandpa's current dresser. Just the essentials. |
My Welch grandparents are babies/young children of the depression and would talk about it when I was younger but only if I asked naturally it stuck with them for life and influenced how they ran their home.
My grandmother hated to see ANYBODY go hungry especially a child. They were the king and queen of cooking and baking from scratch and their leftovers were DELICIOUS. So there was always something in the fridge or she'd whip up a grilled cheese or peanut butter and jelly sandwich. My mom reminded me earlier this year how Grandma would ask and please correct me if I'm saying it wrong Fether, "Have you had enough to eat?" Like, she'd keep busting out those pb&j's until you were good.
❤️So, I devoured each pin with these Great Depression era tips and felt closer to my grandma and grandpa. I came across things like:
- Do without
- Grow a garden
- Everyone contributes
- Use a clothes line to dry clothes
- Good to the last drop
- Make it yourself
- Find free entertainment (*cough*libraries*cough*)
- Make do with what you've got
- Make your own cleaning supplies
- Bulk up your meat (with lentils or oatmeal)
- Stock your pantry with staples/buy in bulk
- Cook from scratch and double the recipe (freeze what you don't eat)
- etc
When we travel now we hit up all the Starbucks and drive thru's but with my grandparents? It was stopping at a rest stop and unloading the cooler with last nights meats (cut up chunks of cold ham) to make sandwiches, mason jars of his berry juices (man they were so tasty!), their potato salad (grandma would always save a bowl without onions just for me and she'd even remember while on our trips and there a second bowl was!) but it was great! I'm sure I was probably looking at the McDonald's down the road wanting nuggets but looking back I am so glad we had those experiences.
We have really gotten away from this.
Don't get me started on their pantry! Theirs make mine look like a joke.
I realized that I am blessed to have bad financial habits which I know sounds weird. I get to do stupid things with my money, lol. Like, I get to eat out way too often and that's just for me. Not eating out with someone and connecting. Just me on the way home from work. I'm also buying that other red lipstick at Ulta to join the family of red lipsticks I already have and am not using as of late. Which reminds me, I made it to PLATINUM status at that damn store. Wtf. Lol. I need to stop giving them my money.
I realized that I know nothing and I regret not having interest, partly due to insecurity, to be taught how to can food by my grandparents. Maybe aunt Jeanette can teach me?
If you have a recipe to share, please do. Or come over and let's cook. I know just a bit about cooking but more about baking. I want to know it all.
I don't know how to sew and thankfully I got a sewing machine for Christmas and Tia Reyna is going to give me my first sewing lesson on Monday. Thank you, tia!
I wish there was a course at the local community collage or through the city with the title: Skills that your Grandparents had that you don't! Lol. I'd totally sign up for it!
I also want to garden again! Benjamin, are you still down? I'll start preparing the lower levels in the backyard. We'll compost, too. It's easy.
Anyway, basically I got a real wake up call last night that I kind of have to start making some changing of habits. No, I will not stop buying books but I'll read them at the library first and if they're AMAZING then I'll buy them and no I will not stop backyard parties because they're too important and everyone contributes but everything else needs to kind of change.
If you're still reading, you deserve a cookie and a nap.
