My parents were born just before the Great Depression—a time when the world stood on the edge of economic catastrophe. Growing up, I often heard their stories of survival, shaped by frugality and incredible resourcefulness. My grandparents, in particular, were experts in making do. As my grandmother often said, “We used everything from a hog except the squeal.”

The Great Depression, which began in 1929 and lasted for about a decade, was a turning point in global history. It forced families, like mine, to redefine what it meant to survive, adapt, and find strength in adversity.

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