10 Depression Era Prepping Techniques

The Great Depression was one of the roughest times in US history. It was marked by a flatlined economy, severe lack, destitution and the disruption of society. This made survival a real challenge in many parts of the country, but you know what they say about hard times: it produces hard people…

Our ancestors learned a thing or two about survival during the Great Depression, and with economic instability reaching a crescendo we would be smart to learn from their example.

Keep reading and I’ll tell you about some of the prepping techniques you need to incorporate pronto.

Keep Cash and Other Assets Close

This one should be self-explanatory for most of us. You can’t count on institutions like banks and online payment apps to function, much less to even actually keep track of what you own when society goes to pot.

Cash and other valuables like precious metals should be kept close,
meaning readily accessible in a hurry. Hidden in an out-of-the-way spot, stashed in a safe or kept in plain sight in a book safe, false vent, etc.

Your ancestors might have buried money in the backyard, but that won’t do for our purposes; when time is short, you may not have time to retrieve it! If your valuable assets aren’t ready to go when you are you might as well not even have them…

Learn to Adapt Recipes Based on What You Have

Smart preppers will stockpile a variety of different foods, both to provide a well-rounded nutritional profile for the duration of the crisis and also to prevent menu fatigue which can turn into a significant drain on morale and mental health for some people.

But try as you might, you’ll start running out of ingredients you need for your favorite recipes.

Our ancestors that lived through the Depression learned to adapt and even invent recipes that were reasonably tasty and nutritious using only what was available.

You should do the same, and of course the time to practice is right now not when you’ve got a table full of rumbling stomachs to feed!

Extra Anything Can Be Valuable Trade Fodder

If things get really bad in the future, just like the Great Depression, you’ll be lucky to have “barely enough” much less plenty. But if you’re fortunate enough to have a stockpile of anything, from hygiene products to food, water to animal feed, batteries to tools, rejoice.

You can turn a surplus into things that you lack by trading or selling them. There’s no telling how bad the supply situation will get the next time the economy completely implodes. It’s a good idea to stock up on stuff now while you can, even beyond what you’ll need.

Be Ready to Live Without Utilities

Any seriously society shaking event runs a good chance of reducing, degrading or even offlining public utilities like water, electricity, gas and more. But even if it doesn’t, your financial situation might get bad enough that you can’t afford them.

That’s disastrous, but not the end of things. It’s possible to live without all of the above by adapting your lifestyle or by learning to generate or gather it yourself. Solar panels, wood gas and rainwater collection systems can all serve as a hedge against the loss of utilities.

Good Neighbors are True Assets

I know too many preppers that plan on going things alone when the balloon goes up. I know a few that border on being true misanthropes. This is regrettable, but also misguided. You need people that you can count on, and people that will watch out for you if the worst happens. Ideally this is your family, but even if you don’t have a family you’ve got neighbors.

Having good neighbors, and maintaining strong bonds with them, is incredibly valuable during any disaster, and especially a prolonged one. Someone to help out when you are sick, watch out for your property when you are away, borrow from and more. Make sure you reciprocate in kind!

Foraging and Hunting Can Make the Difference

It was common during the Great Depression for folks to hunt and forage for additional food to make ends meet and pad the pantry. No reason you can’t do the same thing these days, regardless of circumstances.

Obviously, these are skills that must be developed now; you definitely don’t want to learn as you go when the situation is already worse than bad. Especially with gathering, picking the wrong plant and eating it could make you terribly sick or even kill you!

A good guide book on foraging and hunting respectively will help you wrap your head around the most important concepts, but take it from me: nothing beats having a mentor show you the ropes for both pursuits.

Reuse and Repurpose, Always

There is a reason your great grandfather lived by the mantra of make do or do without. It’s because his dad taught it to him, and more than just a folksy bit of wisdom it was a commandment for that man.

You must adopt the mindset that everything, everything, is a precious resource during a crisis on the scale of the Great Depression. Chicken crap isn’t just something to muck out and get rid of; it’s now valuable fertilizer. Old materials from a blown over out building can be repurposed to repair your home. And on and on.

It’s easy to sneer at the scrappy lifestyle right now during times of plenty, but no one will be sneering when they are left without. Start practicing this now and you’ll have a leg up when the time comes.

Better to Be Well-Rounded Than a Specialist

Short and sweet. Specialists get paid well when things are going good, but they tend to die off in droves when it’s time to be adaptable and flexible. Folks who survived and, in a way, even thrived during the Depression often had many skill sets to draw from, even if they weren’t necessarily masters in any given one…

If you aren’t a well-rounded prepper right now, it’s time to start cross training.

Livestock and Husbandry Skills are Priceless

Think back to what living in the Great Depression must have been like for folks that didn’t have anything, and never enough food. A flock of chickens that could supply you with eggs and meat, or cows that could keep you in milk for months on end, would have been seen as gifts from on high.

It will be the same thing again one day, and accordingly people who have animals and the skills to take care of them can live a lot more comfortably than those without. Breeding and selling animals, too, can help you get the things you want in trade.

Kids Have to Put in Work

In desperate times, whole families need to pull together. That includes children. Even young children, as long as they can follow instructions, can help out with chores and basic tasks, saving much needed physical and mental processing power for the adults.

I get it: we all want to insulate our children from the horrors and drudgery of life, but the necessities of survival might dictate otherwise.