12 Depression-Era Suppers My Grandmother Made for Pennies (Still Worth Making)

📘 The full handbook : https://thriftymaureen.store/products... 💬 Join my WhatsApp channel for a daily tip: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb9f... 📧 Questions, refunds or your own story: ThriftyMaureen@hamzaprofile.com This is my grandmother's recipe box: cards written in pencil, in handwriting that got smaller as the years went on. And not one single card has an amount on it. No cups, no ounces, no oven temperature — because you did not measure. You used what you had, and you made it feed everybody. She was born in 1917 and she was twelve when the crash came, so the years that taught her to cook were the worst years this country has had. Every dish here is built the same way: something starchy, something savoury, and a very small amount of something rich. Once you see that pattern you can cook like this forever, with whatever is in your own cupboard. Twelve suppers, most still under two dollars to put on a table — fried potatoes and onions, the Poor Man's Meal, macaroni and tomatoes, Hoover Stew, beans and cornbread, potato soup, milk gravy on toast, salmon patties, eggs for supper, corn chowder, the clean-out stew, and number one, which is not a supper at all. One honest note: they left the stew pot on the back of the stove for days. Please don't. Cool it, refrigerate it within two hours, use it within three or four days, and reheat it until it steams. CHAPTERS 00:00 My grandmother's recipe box 00:52 How these suppers were built (and one safety rule) 01:54 #12 Fried potatoes and onions 02:37 #11 The Poor Man's Meal 03:14 #10 Macaroni and tomatoes 03:55 The full handbook (my shop) 04:27 #9 Hoover Stew 05:07 #8 Beans and cornbread 05:45 #7 Potato soup 06:23 #6 Milk gravy on toast 07:00 #5 Salmon patties 07:39 #4 Eggs for supper 08:17 #3 Corn chowder 08:49 #2 The clean-out stew 09:51 #1 The Depression cake 10:53 Why cheap food was never a failure 11:22 Pick three for next week 13:02 Join my WhatsApp channel Watching on your TV? The QR codes on screen open the handbook (03:55 and 12:19) and my WhatsApp channel (13:07) on your phone. No typing needed. I'm Maureen. At 55 I started paying attention to where my money was actually going, and I've been sharing what works ever since. Old-fashioned habits that still work in 2026. New videos every Wednesday and Saturday. DISCLAIMER General education and nostalgia only — not medical, nutrition or food-safety advice. Cool cooked food and refrigerate it within two hours, use leftovers within three or four days, and reheat until steaming; never leave a pot out overnight. Cook eggs through. Don't use cans that are bulging, leaking or badly rusted. These are cheap suppers, not a diet plan, and some include processed meat. The history is told from my family's memory and widely published accounts; Hoover Stew really was named after President Hoover, and not kindly. Prices are from my own store in 2026 and yours will differ. Product disclosure: The Old-Fashioned Frugal Living Handbook is my own product and I earn money when you buy it. It costs very little, and if it isn't for you, write to ThriftyMaureen@hamzaprofile.com for a full refund. Buying it is never required. #ThriftyMaureen #FrugalLiving #DepressionEra #CheapMeals #WomenOver55 #SaveMoney