The Roanoke Times posted an article earlier this morning about self-sufficiency and frugally. The article’s author interviewed to people who lived through the Great Depression and these folks had some excellent tips to share.
One of my favorite quotes in the article, is from Bob Stuart. He is a retired urban planner and community activist. Stuart talked about “a time when American workers manufactured goods for the rest of the world. We were an exporting economy…
But somewhere along the way, we changed from a producing culture to a consuming culture. People went into debt, deep debt, which is an expensive habit. And the country has gone into debt. We’ve had a trade imbalance for 40 years.
A lot of people today are caught up in the consumerist economy we have. It keeps the economy going, but it doesn’t necessarily make for a fulfilled life.
Some of the main concepts I took away from the article include:
1. Save your money;
2. Plant a garden and/or shop locally;
3. Repair or make your clothes;
4. Re-use, recycle and compost;
5. Living well on less isn’t austere.
So RowdyReaders, do you have anything to add to the list? Has frugality improved the quality of life? Leave a comment and share your experience. 
