Have you had personal contact with survivors of the Great Depression? (loans, small business)

[Lakewooder]

It seems many have not, they seem so surprised by an economic downturn, blow it out of proportion and seem unable to cope or imagine life with sacrifices.

[sunsprit]

For most of us early baby boomers, all of our parents grew up during the depression, as well as our grandparents survived those times.

I'd say that I'm very much a product of my parent's outlook from those hard times; ie, don't buy what you can't afford to pay cash for, don't use credit except for a mortgage (that's right ... no car loans, no home improvement loans, no personal loans for anything), only use a credit card for convenience and pay it off in full each month. Waste not, want not.

I may have not had all the trinkets and toys and trappings of affluence and success that many of my contemporaries have enjoyed along the way ... but I don't have the ulcers and heart disease from stress, and I don't have a mortgage or payments on anything at this time, either. I don't agonize over not having all the toys that I could possibly want or imagine having. I don't cry myself to sleep at night because I don't have all those toys and "stuff" and affluence that others may have.

My ranch & farm, the rental properties, the cars, the boats, the airplane, the farming equipment, the livestock, the horses ... it's all paid for, and all from working as a small business auto tech for 30 years. Not exactly a high paying career to launch this all from ... "it's not what you earn, it's what you keep that counts".

[cohdane]

One of the Great Depression survivors I know (who also served in WWII and survived a kamikaze attack) still gets choked up sometimes when he talks about it. He personally knew people without shoes and remembers people going hungry.

On the other hand, my aunt was in one of the few families that was still well-off even in the worst of it (her family did not vote for Roosevelt).

So it would seem blowing it out of proportion is relative to who you were in the Depression and who you will be in the coming times.

[Waterlily]

I grew up around depression era adults. Both of my parents,grandparents, and aunts all lived through the depression. My husbands' family is the same way only they had a larger family during the depression era.
Many had to struggle, and some just coasted along. My farther in law grew up on a dairy farm, so they did alright. They grew some vegetables but cut back on growing them because of theft problems. I guess people weren't too interested in stealing the cows.
Yes I believe I learned something from all those people. I learned to make do with what you have. Don't be too greedy. Don't get in debt beyond what you can easily pay. Most of all don't worry about keeping up with the neighbors and the Joneses.

[little elmer]

My parents as well. The habit of keeping bread crumbs in the pantry for a rainy day was a hard one to break, I hear.

[neil0311]

Both my parents. My dad here in the US, and my mother in Europe. My grandparents, aunts, uncles too.

[Future Trooper]

Both sets of my Grandparents survived the Great Depression

[Driller1]

My grandmother lived in Detroit. They had a good time!! She was young, shared a house with other girls, I think they paid $5.00. They worked at the Detroit Club. Made excellent tips from Bob Hope, Jack Benny and other well known men.

My grandfather was a coal miner. He said it was hard but, not the night mare story most told.

[Rose Red]

I'm the first one to say no I don't know any depression survivors. I never had much communication with my grandparents.

[Huckleberry3911948]

yes i have. that and some hard years spent in a foreign country, means that i understand the word, broke, i understand the word hungry. these are meaningless terms for most americans including many public assistance recipients.