DEPRESSION YEARS

The depression affected people differently in different parts of the country as stated previously. But, no one was immune. Phyllis Morad, 78, of Groveland, (as featured in Tuolumne County "friends and neighbors magazine) lived in Buffalo, New York. "The depression lingered for years until the war started. "...I remember our icebox was in the hall. The iceman had to come weekly with his big tongs and ice cube. The rag man came in a horse and wooden wagon, yelling 'Rags!'All the women kept their rags in a special bag. He would weigh them and pay for them. Lots of our meals were soup and rye bread. My mom sewed. She made my sister and me matching outfits, and curtains for the house. One day, my father came home with a brand-new sewing machine. She was in tears and made him take it back, because even though she really wanted it, she knew we couldn't afford the payments.
I remember stepping on tin cans and toothpaste tubes, made out of lead, which were saved for the war effort. We had rationing for shoes, sugar and butter, little stamps to get those items. If you needed shoes and didn't have a stamp...what were you going to do?"
Facing a depressed economy today is harder since most families have become used to instant gratification. We can learn a great deal from the past.