If you’re working hard to save money, then a major area you should focus on is what you eat! Groceries are a large part of most people’s budgets, and replacing pricey recipes with frugal ones can often help families to save a lot! And what better way to find frugal recipes than to look at what people made back during the early 1900s and Great Depression? Here are 15 Old Fashioned Frugal Recipes from Grandma!
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Much of what people ate back during the olden times was based on cost and availability. The meat was expensive, so people tried to stretch it as much as they could by adding other things like beans to their recipes. And some foods that are common to us now, like avocados and broccoli, were new, often unheard-of foods for many people. And of course, pretty much everything people ate back then was homemade, not store-bought. The end result of all of that is a frugal way of eating that still works to help families save money today! By adding at least a few of these old-fashioned frugal recipes to your menu plan, you’ll be able to cut down on your family’s grocery budget!
15 Old Fashioned Frugal Recipes from Grandma
- Home cooking. Cooking from scratch reminds me of home, and watching my mom and grandma make some of the best food I’ve ever tasted. These recipes from long ago will make your mouth water when you try them in your own home and teach them to your children.
- Handy Substitutions. Recipe substitutions may be necessary due to health restrictions and diet, not having the supplies on hand, or simply taste preferences. If this is the case, no need to worry, we have a Handy Ingredient Substitutions Chart here for you to print if you would like.
- Vintage Recipes. Why not give one of these old recipes a shot with your family at dinner, or add your own twist to a new to you old recipe? You may be surprised at which ones you will be adding to your own recipe book.
1. Southern Johnny Cakes
If you’re a fan of pancakes, then you have to try this similar Depression-era breakfast food called Southern Johnny cakes! Check out Grandbaby Cakes’ recipe to make a delicious batch for your family!
2. Depression Era Meat Loaf
When families back in the olden times managed to buy some ground beef, they made it stretch! For a frugal ground beef recipe, follow Moms Who Think’s recipe for Depression-era meat loaf!
3. Chicken Pot Pie
Full of meat and veggies, this type of hearty meal was very popular back in the day! Follow Family Fresh Meals’ recipe to make your own chicken pot pie!
4. Hot Milk Cake
Even during the Depression era, people indulged in sweet treats occasionally. For a frugal dessert recipe, you have to try Culinary Hill’s hot milk cake!
5. Cheesy Beef Goulash
The best way to be frugal with ground beef is to make it into a large dish that likely will leave leftovers for the next day! A perfect example is Lil’ Luna’s cheesy beef goulash recipe!
6. Ham and Bean Soup
For a warm, filling, and inexpensive meal, you can’t go wrong with ham and bean soup! Simply Sated explains how to make this delicious old-fashioned frugal recipe!
7. Depression-Era Chocolate Cake
While this cake may taste rich, you don’t have to be rich to make it! Check out Our Heritage of Health’s delicious Depression-era chocolate cake recipe!
8. One Hour Homemade Bread
Making your own bread is both a frugal choice, and a healthy choice, and was something most people did regularly back in the old days. Follow La Fuji Mama’s recipe to make your own one hour homemade bread!
9. Poor Man’s Pudding
It’s hard to believe this decadent-looking dessert is something that was popular during the Great Depression, but it was! Check out A Hippie with a Minivan’s recipe to make your own poor man’s pudding!
10. Twice Baked Potato Casserole
Potatoes were a major Depression-era staple for many families, and are still an inexpensive, and filling, food choice today. Mom on Timeout explains how to make this yummy twice-baked potato casserole!
11. Green Dandy! – Delicious Dandelion Salad
During the Great Depression, the recipe from Passionately Raw was always a favorite when times were hard and finances are stretched thin because the main ingredient was free!
12. Pasta with Peas Recipe
Pasta was an inexpensive food product in the Depression, and The Life Jolie added a twist to this dish, which would have been a cheap staple then.
13. Old Fashion Chicken and Dumplings
As a way of making the most of every chicken, many women saved the scraps to make another meal for the family. Big Oven offers a version of this old-fashioned recipe.
14. Grandma’s Pecan Pie
The BAKERMAMA provides a mouthwatering pecan pie recipe that would have been a treat reserved for those special occasions during the 1930s.
15. Bread and Butter Pickles
Cottage At the Crossroads tells the story that bread and butter pickles were layered in between two slices of bread to make a sandwich in the Depression era.
Which of these old-fashioned frugal recipes do you want to try first?
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Those Johnny Cakes look enticing ♥
We grew up on goulash. ? I love that stuff