powayseller, my grandfather was a construction worker (specialized in tile floors) and I think his employment situation was pretty up and down. My grandmother worked in a factory making dresses. The older kids provided day care for the younger kids to some extent. When my grandfather died, my grandmother supplemented her income by becoming a bootlegger. She made wine at home (the kids all helped crush grapes in the bathtub) and would host card games at their apartment, selling wine to the patrons. Their pillow cases were old flour sacks. The education level was pretty low and people would do whatever they had to do to put food on the table. A lot of us are much more educated now but I’m not completely sure how that will benefit us other than help us make sound decisions.
One other interesting thing is that people used to put their money in coffee cans and hide or bury them rather then put money in a bank. People did not trust banks. Since deflation was going on, you didn’t need to get any interest on your money! The coffee cans (in that type of deflationary economy) were an effective way to preserve your principal.
