The Great Depression, the worst economic crisis in U.S. history, affected almost all Americans and their families to some degree. Only the very rich avoided having to make lifestyle changes. At least 25 percent of the American work-force was unemployed by late 1932. Those who managed to keep their jobs saw their salaries decline by 40 percent and their work hours cut back. Prices of goods had also dropped but not enough to offset unemployment and salary cuts. Frequently, a wage earner found himself supporting relatives who had lost their jobs or helping struggling friends.

Families did their best to carry on and keep their lives as close to normal as possible. They devised ways to "cut corners," "make do," and "keep up appearances." Cutting corners and making do meant reducing purchases of goods at stores and growing or making daily-use items at home. Families canned vegetables and...