Frugal Lessons From The Past

Concerning finances, thrift, frugality and simple living there are tried and true bedrock principals that we should never forget. In this series we examined source materials for possible lessons from the past that we could learn to help us figure out solutions to today’s problems.

The Holy Bible – Provides lessons on stocking up our pantries, saving leftovers, working hard, staying focused, moderating our habits and to pay as we go.

Frugality in the Spiritual Life – This is an excerpt from a book that William L. Watkinson wrote. His plea from the year 1908 to open our eyes to the “common things” couldn’t be more timely, surrounded as we are today with so many distractions from what is truly important.

The Art of Gardening – This was written by Iowan and Pulitzer Prize winner Frank Luther Mott (1886-1964). He reminds us not only that gardening is a great frugal option to save money on groceries but also names some of the joys that come with growing your own food.

Soar Away from the Vise – Here is advice from a beat up little 46 page booklet I rescued out of a dumpster years ago. It was written by Fred Moller, Jr. and this passage is from the final chapter called “Our Secrets.”

Seymour on Work - John Seymour (1914-2004) was a soldier, miner, farm manager, fishing boat skipper, world traveler, author, radio and TV broadcaster, farmer, teacher, and protester and is known as the “Father of Self-Sufficiency.”

Hillard Green – In 1972 the first Firefox anthology was published. Here are a couple of excerpts from an interview with Hillard Green, who at that time was around eighty years old.

Economy in the Home - The following is taken from Book Two of The People’s Home Library, published in 1920 and written by Mrs. Alice Gitchell Kirk.

College During the Depression – This is taken from the book The Great Depression by David A. Shannon and is a list of some of the ways college students made and saved money during the 1930’s.

Old Mike - In the book “Little Heathens” there is a chapter on how the author and her family practiced thrift. After describing such things as homemade cleaners and health remedies and the many life cycles of socks she ends the chapter with a recycling technique probably not used by many anymore.

Carl Faber – This “desert rat” and artist describes his lifestyle and lack of need for money while living in a little house in the Mojave Desert.

Harlan Hubbard - In this excerpt from his book about drifting down the Ohio River to the Mississippi River to New Orleans in a homemade shantyboat Harlan explains why he wanted to undertake the journey.

Kate Sanborn - Kate Sanborn (1839 – 1917) purchased and moved onto an abandoned farm in Massachusetts in 1888 and here she writes of some of the pleasures and advantages of country living.

The Mail Order Catalog - Carl Hamilton wrote about history and his own memories of growing up on a farm. The following excerpts follow the lifespan of a mail order catalog on the farm.

Frugal Lessons From The Past

Concerning finances, thrift, frugality and simple living there are tried and true bedrock principals that we should never forget. In this series we examined source materials for possible lessons from the past that we could learn to help us figure out solutions to today’s problems.

The Holy Bible – Provides lessons on stocking up our pantries, saving leftovers, working hard, staying focused, moderating our habits and to pay as we go.

Frugality in the Spiritual Life – This is an excerpt from a book that William L. Watkinson wrote. His plea from the year 1908 to open our eyes to the “common things” couldn’t be more timely, surrounded as we are today with so many distractions from what is truly important.

The Art of Gardening – This was written by Iowan and Pulitzer Prize winner Frank Luther Mott (1886-1964). He reminds us not only that gardening is a great frugal option to save money on groceries but also names some of the joys that come with growing your own food.

Soar Away from the Vise – Here is advice from a beat up little 46 page booklet I rescued out of a dumpster years ago. It was written by Fred Moller, Jr. and this passage is from the final chapter called “Our Secrets.”

Seymour on Work - John Seymour (1914-2004) was a soldier, miner, farm manager, fishing boat skipper, world traveler, author, radio and TV broadcaster, farmer, teacher, and protester and is known as the “Father of Self-Sufficiency.”

Hillard Green – In 1972 the first Firefox anthology was published. Here are a couple of excerpts from an interview with Hillard Green, who at that time was around eighty years old.

Economy in the Home - The following is taken from Book Two of The People’s Home Library, published in 1920 and written by Mrs. Alice Gitchell Kirk.

College During the Depression – This is taken from the book The Great Depression by David A. Shannon and is a list of some of the ways college students made and saved money during the 1930’s.

Old Mike - In the book “Little Heathens” there is a chapter on how the author and her family practiced thrift. After describing such things as homemade cleaners and health remedies and the many life cycles of socks she ends the chapter with a recycling technique probably not used by many anymore.

Carl Faber – This “desert rat” and artist describes his lifestyle and lack of need for money while living in a little house in the Mojave Desert.

Harlan Hubbard - In this excerpt from his book about drifting down the Ohio River to the Mississippi River to New Orleans in a homemade shantyboat Harlan explains why he wanted to undertake the journey.

Kate Sanborn - Kate Sanborn (1839 – 1917) purchased and moved onto an abandoned farm in Massachusetts in 1888 and here she writes of some of the pleasures and advantages of country living.

The Mail Order Catalog - Carl Hamilton wrote about history and his own memories of growing up on a farm. The following excerpts follow the lifespan of a mail order catalog on the farm.

Five Frugal Flicks

You wouldn’t think it would be hard to come up with five flicks that deal with frugality, but most films that came to mind had frugal living as just a subplot to the main point of the movie. The following five picks either deal with frugality as a main theme or they offer it as a background to the story. If any of them sound interesting make sure to frugally check your library for a copy first, or search to find them online.

Immaterial John – This 2004 documentary is about how John van der Harst lives in a small apartment in Detroit on around $3,600 per year. He does not own a car but instead runs everywhere, recycles or reuses almost everything, forages for food, cuts his own hair, and on and on. He works when he wants to and devotes the rest of his time to his favorite environmental and social causes.

Off the Map – This quiet little 2003 movie is not really about frugality, but the subject does make its way through the storyline. A husband, wife and their daughter live off the grid in the desert gardening, salvaging and making do without. The plot is really what will pull you in, and it includes friendship, coming of age, crippling depression, spiritual and artistic awakening, death, and credit card fraud among other things. Maybe it doesn’t belong on this list but, hey, it’s my list!  

Alone in the Wilderness – When Dick Proenneke (1916 – 2003) decided to retire in 1968 he didn’t head for a little house in Florida or Arizona (as many Iowans do) to play golf between naps. Instead he made for the mountains of Alaska, built a cabin and enjoyed the wildlife and scenery for the next 30 years. During his stay he wrote journals, took photos and shot a lot of film, which was turned into several books and a fascinating documentary.   

Off the Grid: Life on the Mesa – I watched this 2007 documentary last year and found myself increasingly fascinated with the story of how a group of people that includes misfits, patriots, survivalists, addicts, runaways, war vets, environmentalists, and various kooks lived their lives and ordered their “society” living off the grid in the New Mexico desert.

Frugal – This short 2010 documentary follows Kimberly Clancy and a friend as they hunt a grocery store searching for deals with coupons galore, until they finally checkout and you see how much money they saved.

Further Reading:

Best Free Movie and TV Sites

Five Interesting Frugal Videos

Five Frugal Flicks

You wouldn’t think it would be hard to come up with five flicks that deal with frugality, but most films that came to mind had frugal living as just a subplot to the main point of the movie. The following five picks either deal with frugality as a main theme or they offer it as a background to the story. If any of them sound interesting make sure to frugally check your library for a copy first, or search to find them online.

Immaterial John – This 2004 documentary is about how John van der Harst lives in a small apartment in Detroit on around $3,600 per year. He does not own a car but instead runs everywhere, recycles or reuses almost everything, forages for food, cuts his own hair, and on and on. He works when he wants to and devotes the rest of his time to his favorite environmental and social causes.

Off the Map – This quiet little 2003 movie is not really about frugality, but the subject does make its way through the storyline. A husband, wife and their daughter live off the grid in the desert gardening, salvaging and making do without. The plot is really what will pull you in, and it includes friendship, coming of age, crippling depression, spiritual and artistic awakening, death, and credit card fraud among other things. Maybe it doesn’t belong on this list but, hey, it’s my list!  

Alone in the Wilderness – When Dick Proenneke (1916 – 2003) decided to retire in 1968 he didn’t head for a little house in Florida or Arizona (as many Iowans do) to play golf between naps. Instead he made for the mountains of Alaska, built a cabin and enjoyed the wildlife and scenery for the next 30 years. During his stay he wrote journals, took photos and shot a lot of film, which was turned into several books and a fascinating documentary.   

Off the Grid: Life on the Mesa – I watched this 2007 documentary last year and found myself increasingly fascinated with the story of how a group of people that includes misfits, patriots, survivalists, addicts, runaways, war vets, environmentalists, and various kooks lived their lives and ordered their “society” living off the grid in the New Mexico desert.

Frugal – This short 2010 documentary follows Kimberly Clancy and a friend as they hunt a grocery store searching for deals with coupons galore, until they finally checkout and you see how much money they saved.

Further Reading:

Best Free Movie and TV Sites

Five Interesting Frugal Videos

Frugal Lessons From The Past: The Mail Order Catalog

History can provide some of the best lessons to help us figure out solutions to today’s problems.

Concerning finances, thrift, frugality and simple living there are tried and true bedrock principals that we should never forget.

This post is part of a series that focuses on some of those principals by going to source materials for inspiration.

Carl Hamilton (1914 – 1991) served as vice president and administrator of Iowa State University, was an editor and publisher and late in life wrote about Iowa history and his own memories of growing up on an Iowa farm. The following excerpts are from one of his books, In No Time At All, and follow the lifespan of a mail order catalog on the farm.

“When the average farm home, uncluttered by radio or television, had only a weekly and possibly a daily newspaper and some magazines, the arrival of a Montgomery Ward or Sears and Roebuck catalog was a major event.”

“It was carefully studied by parents as they compared prices in their never-ending struggle to match resources with necessities. “Making out the order” was a project that might go on for some weeks and would include everything from long underwear to farm tools. Clearly desires must have been stimulated beyond means by the long hours of studying the vast array of merchandise with prices which ranged from Good to Better to Best.”

“The arrival of the catalog was even more of an event for the kids. Hours and hours of long winter evenings and rainy Sunday afternoons were spent thumbing through the catalog – a page at a time!”

“But what an ignominious end it had. One so in keeping with the times: waste nothing! Where did that valued, much-treasured book end up? In the privy! There, of course, it served a double purpose. It served as “tissue” – although hardly of the scented, soft textured brands of milady’s toilette. Also it provided one last chance to review the well-studied pages. And, providing the weather was right, meaning it wasn’t so cold as to bring chilblains to unaccustomed places or so warm as to encourage flies, the catalog added interest to that interlude in the day’s activities. Of course, it did have limitations even for that final purpose. Even under the most extreme circumstances, when nothing was being wasted, the slick paper sections did leave something to be desired as “tissue.” There came a time when the remains – the high fashion section – was consigned en masse to the lower regions! Ker-plop!”

Related Reading:

Frugal Lessons From The Past: Kate Sanborn

Frugal Lessons From The Past: The Mail Order Catalog

History can provide some of the best lessons to help us figure out solutions to today’s problems.

Concerning finances, thrift, frugality and simple living there are tried and true bedrock principals that we should never forget.

This post is part of a series that focuses on some of those principals by going to source materials for inspiration.

Carl Hamilton (1914 – 1991) served as vice president and administrator of Iowa State University, was an editor and publisher and late in life wrote about Iowa history and his own memories of growing up on an Iowa farm. The following excerpts are from one of his books, In No Time At All, and follow the lifespan of a mail order catalog on the farm.

“When the average farm home, uncluttered by radio or television, had only a weekly and possibly a daily newspaper and some magazines, the arrival of a Montgomery Ward or Sears and Roebuck catalog was a major event.”

“It was carefully studied by parents as they compared prices in their never-ending struggle to match resources with necessities. “Making out the order” was a project that might go on for some weeks and would include everything from long underwear to farm tools. Clearly desires must have been stimulated beyond means by the long hours of studying the vast array of merchandise with prices which ranged from Good to Better to Best.”

“The arrival of the catalog was even more of an event for the kids. Hours and hours of long winter evenings and rainy Sunday afternoons were spent thumbing through the catalog – a page at a time!”

“But what an ignominious end it had. One so in keeping with the times: waste nothing! Where did that valued, much-treasured book end up? In the privy! There, of course, it served a double purpose. It served as “tissue” – although hardly of the scented, soft textured brands of milady’s toilette. Also it provided one last chance to review the well-studied pages. And, providing the weather was right, meaning it wasn’t so cold as to bring chilblains to unaccustomed places or so warm as to encourage flies, the catalog added interest to that interlude in the day’s activities. Of course, it did have limitations even for that final purpose. Even under the most extreme circumstances, when nothing was being wasted, the slick paper sections did leave something to be desired as “tissue.” There came a time when the remains – the high fashion section – was consigned en masse to the lower regions! Ker-plop!”

Related Reading:

Frugal Lessons From The Past: Kate Sanborn