I sat down with some little friends to watch Kitt Kittredge – an American Girl the other day and found more than a good movie. This movie is set in the Great Depression and has some great lessons for those of us who are struggling financially today or those of us who just want to be more thrifty.

When the movie starts, Kitt’s family seems to be thriving. Her dad has a car dealership and they are fairly well to do. Friends are struggling, though, and some of them are selling eggs to make ends meet. So, the first lesson from Kitt?

Every Little Bit of Extra Income Helps

Egg money wasn’t going to make these people rich. It wasn’t going to pay the mortgage. However, it did pay for food and a few necessities. For people who developed five or six little income streams like this, paying the mortgage was probably very possible.

As Kitt’s dad loses his dealership, he goes off to look for work. Suddenly, Kitt’s family risks losing the house, too. They need a way to earn money, and fast. Kitt’s mom looks at their assets and finds one that can be used to make money – the house itself.

Be Creative When Looking for Income Solutions

That big old house turned into a gold mine when Kitt’s mom turned it into a boardinghouse. Since it was a movie, there were new problems that endangered the house once again after they earned the cash, but they did get enough money from the boarders to save the house.

As Kitt tries to win a job as a reporter, she comes across a hobo camp. She takes the time to look at the camp and get to know the people living there. Something important was obvious to Kitt and her friends.

Work as a Team to Make Ends Meet

Those hobos had almost nothing. Yet, if someone found some food, he or she brought the food to the camp to help make soup. These destitute people looked out for each other and took every opportunity to help others. If they could survive in these dire circumstances, what could we accomplish if we worked together?

By the way, now that I’ve shared these lessons from Kitt Kittredge, you may be worried that the movie is one of those depressing moralistic stories. Not true. It is the story of a little girl with big dreams who has the determination and perseverance to help make them come true. The story just happens to be set in the Great Depression. And the end was so touching that grown men have claimed to be moved to tears.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

A lot of the thrifty habits in my family were passed down from two sets of very thrifty great-grandparents and grandparents, who all lived during the Big Depression. I am very greatful that we learned about being thrifty from these hard working, determined people.

With today’s current economic trouble, stress and worry over financial problems is really getting to a lot of people. However, I have to say that, while many people are in genuine financial distress, not being able to afford Starbucks or having to drive a used car for another year are not signs of a depression. If you talked to Grandma about your money woes, she would shake her head, tell you about using one carrot and half a very scrawny chicken to feed a family of five and mention that she didn’t even have a car. She would also pull out her well worn series of financial lectures about saving until you can afford it and shopping for cheaper used or even free items. Believe me, we know these lectures by heart!

Photo by Nenad Nerandzic

Post from: Thrifty Mommy