What’s Old is New Again
PHOT0 COURTESY OF COLLECTIONS OF LUBEC MEMORIAL LIBRARY, EDITH COMSTOCK COLLECTION, COURTESY OF MAINEMEMORY.NET, ITEM #26728
Saving money by reusing, recycling, swapping, growing, and foraging
Frugal living can feel impossible if you’ve never had to do it. But in a time when the cost of eggs can swing from $2 a dozen to $8, every penny counts. If you’re looking to find clever ways to save money, you need only look back through time—Maine women have always found inventive ways to stretch a dollar. Thankfully, their wisdom lives on as younger generations discover the art of canning, potlucks, and thrifting. Check out these five smart money moves. Plus, a dash of advice from some savvy Maine grandmothers.
The Buy Nothing Movement
The Buy Nothing Project officially kicked off in 2013 as a grassroots campaign to get people to rethink their consumerism. The group has had a massive social and environmental impact by encouraging people to recycle, upcycle, and consume less. You can find “Buy Nothing” groups on Facebook, where members of local communities post images of items they want to give away.
If the idea sounds familiar, that’s because it is—buy nothing encourages giving, receiving, sharing, and lending instead of purchasing. Buy nothing groups are reminiscent of the old days of barter and trading. In a modern context, the folks who give away physical goods often receive much-needed time and space—two precious things no one should waste.
Potlucks & Pantry Swaps
During the Great Depression in the 1930s, American wives quickly learned that there is strength in numbers. You have to feed your family but don’t have enough food? That’s OK, just invite the neighbors (and their food), and thus the communal potluck meal was born. Potlucks are an excellent way to stretch your pantry, especially when your wallet feels the squeeze of inflation, not to mention having lovely dinner company.
Another great way to share food is to organize a pantry swap. Gather a few friends, make a list of what everyone has too much of, and start swapping. One year, I had half a deer in my freezer that I knew I wouldn’t eat, so I successfully swapped with a neighbor for several cases of canned goods that all went to great use in my kitchen.
Victory Gardens & Backyard Chickens
Food rationing was a national effort to support the war during WWII, but the rationing left families hungry, which sparked the Victory Garden movement. These gardens, which dotted backyards and public spaces, provided nourishment for families struggling to eat, but the gardens also gave everyone purpose and a morale boost during a dark time.
During the pandemic (another dark time), backyard gardens and chickens exploded in popularity, and for good reason. Not only does getting back to nature feel good for the soul, but growing food at home can be financially and socially empowering.
To get started gardening, you can use online garden calculators to determine how much food to grow per person in your home. Check out your local library for seed catalogs (some libraries will give you free seeds to start a garden!) and information on growing and preserving food.
Folks looking to raise backyard chickens for eggs might consider the Farmer’s Almanac a valuable resource; it can tell you everything you need to know to get started, including where to buy chicks.
Canning and Foraging
Did you know that every part of the dandelion plant is edible (and super healthy for you)? If you make dandelion tea, you can turn that into dandelion jelly, which tastes like honey, and store it by canning. Foraging for food in your yard is an excellent way to connect with your local environment and learn more about all the incredible foods right under your nose. But before you eat anything, use an authoritative source to identify plants, mushrooms, and fungi.
Canning the foods you grow or forage is a simple, reliable way to create a pantry of nutritious and delicious foods while saving money. Canning used to be ubiquitous, but it fell out of favor along with Victory Gardens; it is no coincidence that as gardening is becoming popular again, so too is canning.
You can find Canning groups on Facebook where plenty of seasoned canners (usually grandmothers!) give advice, tutorials, and recipes. If canning makes you nervous, check out your local Co-operative Extention for safety information and how to get started preserving food at home.
Thrifting
Can’t afford fancy drinking glasses? That’s OK; now that vintage thrift finds are popular again, jelly jars are stylish and trending. Instead of shopping at expensive retailers, you can find plenty of cool home decor, furniture, and even kitchen appliances at thrift stores, yard sales, and flea markets.
TikTok has ushered in the rise of “deinfluencing,” a Gen Z push to reduce consumerism and help followers save money. Through tips, DIY projects, and plenty of tutorials, these TikTokers remind everyone how important—and fun—thrifting can be.
Grandmother’s Advice
Saving money doesn’t have to be complicated. Try some of these pieces of sage advice from Maine grandmothers who know something about saving for a rainy day.
DIY YOUR HOME
“When my kids were young, and money was tight I wanted our home to be nice and didn’t always have the funds to buy new,” says Lynn, a grandmother of 10 from Searsport. “I would buy second-hand, older furniture and refinish or paint it. Sometimes I would just have to spiff it a bit. I also sewed all my own curtains, pillows, and quilts, painted, and wallpapered. I was the queen of DYI and didn’t realize it.”
KEEP A SECRET BANK ACCOUNT
“Every woman should have a secret account (even if it’s just a sock in the sock drawer!) that nobody, not even their spouse, knows about,” says Vicky, a grandmother from Bangor. “Every time you go to the grocery store, ask for cash back, and then stash that cash, it really builds up!”
WASTE NOT WANT NOT
“When I cook, I never throw away scraps,” says Elizabeth, a grandmother of 6 in Monroe. “I keep a plastic bag in the freezer, and I toss veggies in there until it’s full, and then I make a vegetable stock to can and keep in my pantry.”
CLOTHING SWAP
“I help organize a neighborhood clothing swap since we have a lot of young families here,” says Angela, a grandmother of two in Brewer. “The mothers get together and trade babies and kids’ clothes—kids grow so fast. One minute your baby is a size 1, then you blink, and they’re a size 3. Why buy new when someone down the street probably has the size you need?”
PLAY BALL
“Save all your sports stuff!” says Paula, a grandmother of 1 in Searsport. “Seriously, those mitts and bats, skates and padding are expensive, just hang on to it for your next child or give it to a friend and spread the love. It’s just good karma to look out for other sports families.”
WANTS VS. NEEDS
“My mother drilled it into me to always know the difference between my wants and needs. It is so easy to blur the two and spend way too much on something that felt like a need when really it was a want,” says Michelle from Frankfort. “She told me to put my ‘wants’ in a savings account and to never let it get below the equivalent of 3 months of rent and bills. That advice has saved me from disaster a couple of times!”
PHOT0 COURTESY OF COLLECTIONS OF LUBEC MEMORIAL LIBRARY, EDITH COMSTOCK COLLECTION, COURTESY OF MAINEMEMORY.NET, ITEM #26728
