If you have a desire to use your own two hands to solve problems by creating instead of consuming, then you’re going to enjoy this post about 20 Ways to Create More and Consume Less, including learning how to mend, growing your own food, bartering and much more!

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20 Ways to Create More and Consume Less

Creating more while consuming less is the idea of producing and using resources efficiently to minimize waste and maximize productivity. This can have a significant positive impact on the environment, reduce costs, and improve overall quality of life.

Our post WW2 society is all about consuming. From birth we are taught to buy, buy, buy and want, want, want, but I think a lot of people are getting tired of that song and dance and are really starting to look back a few generations to learn how to do things differently.

We were meant to be creators, using our hands to make something functional or beautiful instead of just to click, buy, consume, repeat until we’re six feet under. Doesn’t that sound so depressing, and yet how many of us are doing just that?

All of this buying and consuming is leaving people empty and wanting more. (Of course, I believe, what people really need to fill that void is Jesus, but that’s another story.)

There’s something so calming and peaceful about creating with your hands, whether that means kneading bread dough, planting seeds, crocheting a scarf or building a shelf.

I personally try to do as much as I can for myself and am always wanting to learn new skills. I think it’s smart to know how to do as many things for yourself as you can and therefore depend less on others.

Today, I’m sharing with you a few simple ideas on how to create more and consume less. I hope it inspires you to learn a new skill or create a new habit that will serve to bring you joy as you learn to produce more and buy less overall.

Grow a Vegetable Garden

Growing your own food is a basic fundamental skill that I believe everyone should know how to do. You don’t have to grow a huge garden, but do what you can and let that be enough. The more food you produce yourself, the less you will be dependent on others to feed your family. Check out my list of tips for beginner gardeners.

Pro Tip: Place green onion bulbs in water or soil after you’ve used the tops and they will regrow several more times.

Plant Fruit Trees and Bushes

Most people have room in their yard or landscaping to plant an extra tree or bush, so why not plant one that yields a harvest for your family year after year? Fruit trees and bushes require little maintenance and yield big harvests. If everyone who had the space planted a couple of fruit trees and preserved the harvest each year, just imagine how much less we would all be dependent on our strained food system?

Planting perennial fruit and learning how to keep it healthy is one of the smartest things you can do for your future and it’s lots of fun.

Learn to Save Seeds

If you want to reduce your consumption and be less dependent on stores, then you’ve got to learn how to save your own seeds. The more you can do this, the more you will truly become self-sustaining in the garden each year. Some of the easiest plants to save seeds from are beans, okra, tomatoes, cucumbers or peppers. Try it out and see what happens, just make sure that you are saving from heirloom varieties in order to ensure that your plant will be the same next year.

Preserve Your Harvest

Growing your own food is one thing, but you really need a plan for how to preserve the abundance and make it last through the winter months. Freezing, canning, fermenting and dehydrating are the most common methods. See below for some recipes to get you started.

Recommended Books on Preserving:

My Favorite Recipes for Preserving the Harvest:

• Strawberry Freezer Jam
• Oven-Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce
• How to Freeze Bell Peppers
• How to Make Dehydrated Apple Rings
• Instant Pot Cinnamon Applesauce
• Old-Fashioned Refrigerator Sweet Pickles

Learn to Hunt or Fish

Providing meat for the family in the form of hunting and fishing is not only healthy, but better for the environment than purchasing commercially raised meat. Past generations used to do this a lot more to help supplement their food bill and put dinner on the table. It would be a relief to the current food system if more people learned and practiced this skill.

Keep Chickens

It has been said that chickens are the gateway animal into farming. I think it’s true because chickens are so easy to keep and take up minimal space. Even someone in an urban environment could keep a couple of hens in the backyard and reap the benefits of eating healthy, farm fresh eggs. Chickens will also keep your bug population down and provide you with free fertilizer for your garden. Keeping chickens really is a win, win, so what are you waiting for??

Cook as Much as Possible from Scratch

The less you need to buy from the grocery store, the less you will depend on it. Being able to cook your own convenience items from home from basic items such as flour, sugar, yeast, eggs, etc. puts you at an advantage over the person who buys all of these things prepackaged. Plus, cooking from scratch tastes way better than store-bought and it’s cheaper!

Additional Resources:

• 40 Groceries You Should Make at Home to Save Money
• 15 Cheap Pantry Meals with 4-Ingredients or Less
• How to Build and Old-Fashioned Frugal Pantry
• 25 Old-Fashioned Recipes Your Grandma Knew By Heart

Make Your Own Paper Products

There’s no need to purchase cleaning cloths or napkins when you can cut up old t-shirts to use instead. This not only will save you money, but it’s better for the environment than purchasing store-bought. Make sure your rags or napkins are made of cotton as they absorb much better than synthetic fabrics. Also, for napkins you can hem the edges for a much cleaner appearance.

Use What You Already Have

Modern society says, if you need something, go buy it, but what if you took the time to stop and look at what you already had? Chances are, you don’t actually need to buy anything because you have it already or you have something that will work just as well instead.

Having the “use what you already have” mindset will save you money and time. Plus, it will keep you out of the store and it’s fun to try and solve problems without spending money!

Borrow from a Friend or Neighbor

If you can’t find what you need at home, consider asking your friends or neighbors if you could borrow the item before buying a new one. Most of the time, we only need an item for one project or a short period of time so you might as well just borrow and return it to your neighbor if you can!

Barter for Something You Need

Bartering is an excellent way to get goods or services that you might need in exchange for your own goods and services. Consider all of the resources and talents you have and compare them with your friends and neighbors. Maybe you could barter eggs for fresh vegetables or hair cuts for music lessons? The possibilities are endless. I traded fresh eggs for a book that we needed for our homeschool on Facebook Marketplace, all because I took the chance and asked.

Learn to Sew, Knit or Crochet

Learning to produce your own goods in the form of sewing, knitting or crocheting is an excellent life skill to have, plus it’s fun! If you don’t have these skills, consider asking a friend to teach you or watch YouTube videos and teach yourself. Being able to turn yarn or fabric into all manner of things is great for making frugal gifts and also good for selling to make some extra cash.

If you’re interested in learning a new skill online, then be sure to check out Craftsy, who offers hundreds of classes in almost every skill that you can imagine. Learn how to become a Craftsy Premium member for only $2.49 per month. You can also use this link to get 20% off.

Learn to Mend Clothes

Mending seems to be a lost skill these days, but taking the time to sew on a button or fix a ripped seam will give you much more bang for you buck when it comes to your wardrobe or decorating for you home. These skills are easy to learn and will also give you a sense of satisfaction when you can repair an item instead of throwing it out and buying a new one.

My Favorite Books on Mending:

Learn to Live on Less

One of the best pieces of advice that I can give about consuming less is simply learning to live on less. Look at your expenses and see what you could cut back on or even cut out of your budget. Are you paying for any subscriptions or services that you aren’t currently using? Would you consider downsizing to a smaller house or to a one car family? Being creative in this way will give you more money and freedom to do what you want.

Buy Used When You Need Something

If you find that you really are in need of a certain item, make a habit of trying to find it used if you can. Thrift stores are FILLED with all manner of things for a fraction of the retail price. You can also find practically anything you need secondhand on Facebook Marketplace.

Learn to Make Your Own Music

Before radios and digital media came along, people had to make their own music for entertainment. Do you know how to play a guitar or the piano? Can you sing? Given the opportunity, I bet you would be surprised at the beautiful music you could make with your family and friends if you had the desire. Plus, it gives you a skill and great creative outlet that doesn’t cost a thing.

Check out Books from the Library

If you have access to a good public library, then there is no need to purchase books all of the time. Library cards are free and you can recheck the same books over and over if you have the need or desire. You can also check out audio books, magazines and DVDs. Your local library is an amazing resource that shouldn’t be discounted. Also, check out what free online resources that you might have access to with the use of your library card.

Learn to Go Without

Another great way to consume less in our society is just to learn to go without. You don’t need all of the goods and services that you think you do to survive in this life. The less you need, the more time and energy you will have to use on the things that you actually love. Learning contentment with what you have is a powerful tool that helps you to cultivate true joy and satisfaction in life.

Make Homemade Cards, Bookmarks and Wrapping Paper

Creating your own cards and bookmarks from scrap paper or other odds and ends that you might have is a great way to use your hands to produce more. Kids love working on these kinds of projects and could even make sets to give as gifts. Why pay $5 for a greeting card that is likely to get thrown in the trash? I bet you have an abundance of supplies that you could use to make your own.

Also, see if you can collect resources for making your own wrapping paper. For example, we save plain brown grocery sacks and use them to wrap gifts for free!

Find Ways to Waste Less in the Kitchen

We waste a lot of food and money in the kitchen. The more you use what you already have and don’t let things go to waste, the less you will need to buy. This is a skill that requires practice, but once you get into the hang of it, it will become more second nature.

Additional Resources:

• 30 Simple Ways to Save Money in the Kitchen
• 10 Ways to Reduce Food Waste

What would you add to this list? I’d love to know!

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This post was originally published in April of 2017 and has been updated for your convenience.

Check out this comprehensive list of money-saving ideas and old-fashioned frugal living tips from grandma and the depression era. If you want to learn how to save hundreds, then turn back the clock with me and see how past generations lived.

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Old-Fashioned Frugal Living Tips

It’s no secret that past generations were made up of incredibly industrious men and women. They went through many hard times like the dust bowl, the great depression and multiple world wars.

These life-changing events shaped them in a way that our modern minds just don’t understand. They were forced to use what they had to solve problems instead of spending more money, because they simply didn’t have any extra to spare.

They produced way more than they consumed out of necessity and I believe that they were better for it.

I admire their frugalness and think that we, the younger generation, should learn to employ some of their work ethic and money saving tactics into our fast-paced modern lives.

We think we’ve “advanced” past needing to do such old-fashioned skills such as mending clothes or cooking from scratch, but that’s just arrogant in my opinion.

We were created to work with our hands and I think that we should learn to slow down and smell the roses, so to speak by doing things such as hanging our laundry to dry or soaking beans overnight to cook a simple homemade meal for our families.

These skills will not only save us money, but also force us to unplug, take a deep breath and appreciate the satisfaction of using our own skills to meet needs instead of just spending more money.

So today I’m sharing 30 Old-Fashioned Frugal Tips from Grandma in hopes that we can learn what it means to use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without!

Save Old Containers for Reuse

Who needs to spend money on containers when you can use sour cream or yogurt tubs to store leftovers, pack a lunch or organize screws in the shed? Wash out glass bottles to make a flower vase or turn a 2-liter bottle into a bird feeder. The sky is the limit here and remember, any container that you save is money in the bank.

Line Dry Clothes

I just started drying my clothes on a clothesline last spring and I have to say that I love it. As a busy mom of four, taking a few moments to be outside, hanging clothes on the line is a pocket of peace and quiet in my otherwise, busy day. Plus, I feel like I’m doing my family good because it’s saving us the cost of running the dryer and extending the life of our clothes in the process. It’s really a win-win, so why not give it try?

Cook from Scratch

It goes without saying that women of past generations cooked from scratch out of necessity since they simply didn’t have a choice. We are blessed to have an abundance of ready made food at our fingertips, but it definitely comes at a cost to our wallets, the environment and our health. Simply put, the more you cook from scratch, the more money you will save.

Additional resources for cooking from scratch:

• 25 Old-Fashioned Recipes that Your Grandma Knew by Heart

Bake Your Own Bread

Learning to bake your own bread deserves it’s own category because it’s so all encompassing. Just consider how many different kinds of bread you buy in a months time. Learning to make your own sandwich bread, dinner rolls, tortillas, muffins, donuts, hot dog buns, etc. can really cut down on the cost of your grocery bill.

Mend Your Clothes

There are a lot of modern people out there that don’t even know how to sew on a new button. This is really sad in my opinion because it doesn’t take much time or skill to do and it extends the life of your clothes exponentially. Learning to do things such as mending seams, patching holes or sewing on a button will really save you money in the long run, especially if you have children or a husband who are hard on their clothes.

Wear an Apron

This tip may seem really outdated, but the purpose of aprons are to protect your clothes. Women didn’t used to have very many dresses, so they would use aprons to protect the ones that they had to keep them clean, tidy and extend their use. It’s not hard to get into the habit of putting on an apron everytime you’re working in the kitchen, garden or any other dirty job. Doing so will save you money by protecting the clothes that you’ve already spent you’re hard earned money on. I like these pinafore style aprons.

Make the Switch to Cloth

The amount of money that is spent on disposable items such as, paper products is staggering. Just think about how many packs of paper towels, napkins, face wipes, feminine products, diapers, etc. that you buy in a year. All of those costs really add up to a pretty hefty amount that could be money in your pocket if you switched to cloth. All it takes is a change of habit and mindset. So why not take the plunge and give it a try?

Save Old Sheets and Towels for Rags

If you don’t want to spend money on cloth napkins or wipes, why not make your own using old t-shirts, sheets or towels? Once something like an old towel has reached the end of it’s life to dry you off, consider cutting it up for cleaning or using as shop rags. Make sure your rags are made from cotton because some of the cheaper synthetic fabrics don’t absorb very well.

Eat at Home

Our grandparents ate at home 90% or more of the time because eating out was expensive and reserved for special events. I recently read that eating out can cost over 350% more than eating at home. I’m not sure where that number came from, but with the cost of inflation these days it’s easy to believe. Feeding our family of six can cost upwards of $40-$50 easily at a cheap fast food restaurant, so why would I do that when I could feed us all at home for $5-$10 instead??

Grow Your Own Food

I’m a big advocate for growing your own food. I think everyone should at least have a pot of herbs or a tomato plant on their back patio. It’s an important skill that shouldn’t be lost, since our very existence depends upon it. Also, it can save you money, but the amount varies depending upon how much you spend on gardening and how much produce you actually buy in the first place. However, done carefully, growing your own food and cultivating a vegetable garden can save you a lot of money, especially on higher priced items such as berries and fresh herbs.

Additional Gardening Resources:

• 15 Money-Saving Gardening Tips That Will Save You Hundreds

Learn to Preserve What You Grow

An extension of growing your own food is learning to preserve your own food. Whether its canning, dehydrating or freezing, food preservation is definitely a money-saving skill. Even if you don’t grow a lot of food, being able to preserve food that you buy in bulk or find at a discount will save you a good amount.

Make Your Own Gift Cards, Gift Tags and Wrapping Paper

Buying these things is fun, but also expensive, besides when you take the time to create something like a card for someone that you love, it means more than store-bought. We keep a stack of paper grocery bags for wrapping gifts for free. You could also use them to make cards or tags. The sky is the limit with your creativity. I bet you could create something even more beautiful than you thought if you just give it a try.

Use Both Sides of the Paper Before Recycling It

This tip is so simple and yet how many of us actually do it? Paper is so abundant that we don’t even give it a second thought to just toss barley used pieces in the trash. I keep a stack of scrap paper for my toddler to draw on, that way whenever she wants to create something she knows where to get supplies.

Learn to Stock a Frugal Pantry

Learning to stock, meal plan and cook from a frugal pantry will save you hundreds of dollars each year. By learning to cook with healthy, frugal items you’ll not only save money, but be eating healthier. The best items to stock would be whole grains such as oats, rice, pasta, lentils and flour. You can also stock root vegetables that store well like potatoes, onions, carrots and sweet potatoes. Of course, it goes without saying that if you don’t actually eat these items, then don’t spend money on them. You need to decide which frugal items you should stock for your family.

Additional resources for building a frugal pantry:

• How to Build an Old-Fashioned Frugal Pantry
• 15 Cheap Pantry Meals with 4-Ingredients or Less
• 7 Frugal Cooking Tips from the Great Depression

Reuse Your Leftovers

What’s the point of cooking from scratch if you aren’t making use of your leftovers before they go bad? I eat leftovers pretty much everyday for lunch, but sometimes we have things leftover that no one wants. This is where your creativity comes in by remaking them into something new. Soups and casseroles work really well for this because they’re all mixed in together. Don’t be afraid to experiment to see what works and what doesn’t because otherwise, how would you ever learn?

Buy Cheaper Cuts of Meat

I’m sure you’ve bought many packs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts in your day, buy what about the cheaper cuts of meat? Have you ever tried chicken thighs, drumsticks or leg quarters? These are often half the price with tons more flavor. Consider trying something new with a lower price tag in the meat department. You might be surprised at just how good it tastes. Plus, you can use the bones to make homemade bone broth!

Make Your Own Cleaning Products

Grandma didn’t buy expensive bottles of cleaner for every surface in her home because they simply didn’t exist. Instead, she used household items such as vinegar, baking soda, salt and borax to help keep a clean home. I use vinegar and water to clean countertops, mirrors and windows. I also use baking soda and water to clean grimy surfaces such as the stove top or bathtub. By creating your own cleaning products using cheap products you’ll be saving a ton of money.

Eat Simple Meals Such as Beans or Soup

Learning to cook with simple ingredients such as oatmeal, beans, or soup is a lost art in our society because we are used to so much abundance, but sometimes too many choices can be a bad thing. Just because it’s available and we can afford it doesn’t mean we should buy it. It all adds up on the grocery bill and sometimes its best to go without and eat simple food in order to simplify our lives and save money.

Eat Simple Snacks

This one goes along with eating simple meals. Think about what kinds of snacks, if any, our grandparents ate on a daily basis. They had things like apples, nuts, cheese or hard boiled eggs to snack on instead of packaged granola bars, crackers or fruit snacks. By simply eliminating pre-packaged snack food we would all save a lot of money and be healthier for it.

Drink Water Instead of Soda or Juice

Grandma didn’t have special drinks around that cost extra money. She simply drank water, coffee or tea that she brewed at home. She kept it frugal and simple. We spend so much on bottles of water, sports drinks, sodas and specialty coffees that it’s a multi-billion dollar industry and yet why not just save the money like grandma did and drink water? Your wallet and your waistline will thank you for it.

Reuse Parchment Paper, Aluminum Foil and Plastic Bags

Women from the depression era reused everything including things like parchment paper, aluminum foil and plastic bags. You know they didn’t throw anything away until its life was completely gone. To reuse plastic bags simply wash them out and turn them inside out to dry. For parchment paper and clean aluminum foil simply fold them neatly and store them in a drawer until you’re ready to use them again.

Make Your Own Groceries

We have almost unlimited access to just about any convenience item on the market, but these items can make our grocery bill go way up, if we’re not careful. By learning to make things like tomato sauce, applesauce, pickles and pancakes you’re reducing your grocery bill and preserving old-fashioned cooking skills at the same time. It’s really a win-win.

Additional Resources for Making Your Own Groceries:

• 40 Groceries You Should Make at Home to Save Hundreds of Dollars

Learn to Substitute Ingredients

Being flexible in the kitchen is a great way to save money. First of all, try to choose recipes with ingredients that you already stock, but if want to try one that calls for expensive specialty items, consider leaving it out altogether or finding a cheaper alternative. Recipes are great, but you have complete freedom in your own kitchen to change things up whenever you need too.

Make Your Own Natural Remedies for Medicine

We all know that grandma didn’t run to the drugstore for every little symptom, right? She likely had a store of knowledge that was passed down to her about natural remedies that worked just as well or in some cases better, than store-bought. In our modern culture, we are quick to medicate every symptom, but I think we’d be better off to use more home remedies as our first line of defense, don’t you? Check out my recipe for Instant Pot Elderberry Syrup to get started!

Barter with Your Friends and Neighbors

Bartering is a lost skill in our day and age, but one that could save us a large amount of money if we just used our creativity and our surrounding community. Bartering was common in the depression era because people simply didn’t have the money to buy every little thing, but they did have a strong community that they could lean on and exchange goods and services with. I’ve used our extra eggs for bartering several times and it’s always a little thrill when I can get something that I need without having to spend money on it. So why not look around and see what you could offer for trade with your neighbors. You might be surprised at the response.

Exercise for Free

Exercising as it’s own activity is a modern concept. Past generations stayed in shape simply by staying active in their day to day lives with activities such as gardening, cleaning, walking to the store, etc. Find ways to get more exercise without spending money by naturally getting more movement in creative ways. Can you park in the farthest spot every time you go to the store? Can you take the elevator instead of the stairs? Mow the yard? Take the dog on a walk? These are all great ways to get free exercise while also accomplishing another task.

Grow Your Own Flowers for Bouquets

Fresh flowers cost a pretty penny at the grocery store, but they can easily be grown on your own in the garden. You can also go on a walk and gather wildflowers, where permitted, to create your own rustic bouquets. Use your imagination and see what types of plants you can find in your own backyard including flowers, vines and branches.

Focus More on Relationships than Material Possessions

Shopping is a hobby for lots of modern people, but it would save us tons if we were to start spending time with our loved ones in nonconsumeristic ways more often. Consider playing cards, going on a walk or going on a picnic on a Saturday instead of going to the mall. I know it can be difficult, but if you’re feeling the need to shop without actually needing anything, then you can most certainly fill the void that you’re feeling in a different.

Live a Smaller Life

People in the 21st century seem to think that the world is their oyster with limitless amounts of money and possessions, but grandma knew better. She knew her limitations and made the best of them. She lived a small life in her (most likely) small house and community. She had deep roots at home and didn’t stray very often. She created a haven where she was and was content. Consider the different ways that you could live smaller by downsizing your house or car, canceling subscriptions, dressing and eating more simply or getting involved in your local community at a deeper level.

Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do or Do Without

You might recognize this saying from the depression era. It’s a mantra that older generations lived by to make the most of what they had. They also often just plain went without. This is a strange concept in our debt ridden, instant culture, but it’s something that I think we could reap a host of benefits from if we were to put it into practice in our day to day lives. So the next time you run out of something or find yourself in need, try to come up with a solution without spending money and see how it makes you feel.

Be sure to check out these additional money saving resources:

• 15 Creative Ways to Fight Inflation in the Kitchen
• 10 Old-Fashioned Money-Saving Skills that You NEED to Learn
• 6 Powerful Life Lesson Learned from My Thrifty Grandma
• 8 Lessons Learned From The Great Depression

What is your favorite tip? What would you add do the list? I’d love to know!

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This post was originally published in June of 2017, but has been updated for your convenience.