Standing at the end of the conveyor
belt putting assorted groceries
into plastic bags, Will Sheller
calculates his pay for working the
past eight hours. Only 54 dollars
will be added to this week’s
paycheck. Although Will feels his
economic situation is bleak, others
remember a time that was much
more desolate.
Helen Shultz, a child of the
Great Depression, remembers a
time when there were not enough
crops on the farm to feed the family
during winter.
White Bear resident and great
grandma of Erin Yankovec, Shultz
was about seven years old during
the 1930s. She and her six brothers
and sisters grew up on a farm in
Fairchild, Wisconsin.
“We grew all kinds of food and
saved it,” Shultz said. “We were
simply more self sufficient.”
Junior Will Scheller works at
Festival Foods as a bag boy three
to four times a week for just about
minimum wage. Some of his paycheck
goes into a college fund;
some goes towards various store
bought items.
“I plan to take one course a year
for college,” Will said. “That way,
I only pay for one course at a time.
It will take ten years, but I won’t
have huge loans to pay back afterwards.”
During the Great Depression,
college was not an option to anyone.
Shultz’s graduating class was
about 18; she was related to most
of them. She never attended college,
and didn’t learn to drive until
the age of 42.
“There were no universities
around,” Shultz said. “It is a very
small town, only about 500 people.”
As far as family money is concerned,
Will’s family has certain
priorities to live up to. Nearly half
of Will’s father’s yearly income
goes towards paying off debt,
while some of his mother’s goes
towards a family vacation.
“We normally save up for a week
long vacation,” Will said. “Any extra
savings we get year round, but
that might not happen this year.”
Shultz has never experienced a
family vacation. They never saved
any money because there was never
enough money to save. All the
money the received was spent on
necessities like milk and eggs.
“A farm is seven days a week.”
Shultz said. “I never needed a day
off anyways.”
During the holiday season,
families look forward to opening
presents, no matter the celebration.
Will believes that in many families,
the amounts of presents are slowly
decreasing. Some parents have resorted
to letting kids pick out their
own gifts, or asking specifically
what they want.
“My parents get me gift cards and
money to buy my own presents,”
Will said. “It is nicer because I get
what I want.”
While teenagers of today are
happy with gift cards and money,
children of the Great Depression
were happy with any gift they received.
“One Christmas, I remember
I got a dust pan and I broom,”
White Bear resident Helen Shultz
said. She was about seven years old
during the time of the Great Depression.
“I was so very happy.”
Will believes that we are currently
experiencing an extreme economy
downfall. However, Shultz thinks
that we could never come close to a
collapse of the stock market again,
with “all the power and control our
government has”.