the greatest depression

Recession Inspires Art, Hoarding

In the Great Depression, people shot and killed vermin just to feed their families. In the Greatest Depression, people hoard coupons with which to buy food, then make giant, victorious castles out of their hauls, which they then post online for all the world to see!

Today’s Journal brings us this little vignette from the crazy culture of coupon-clippers:

Nathan Engels of Villa Hills, Ky., can’t resist loading up on free products. Mr. Engels recently erected a 6-foot-tall tower featuring the 1,142 packages of Jell-O he had got for nothing. He brags about his jam-packed freezer holding 30 pounds of meat, 50 pounds of cheese and 200 bags of vegetables. “I’m going to buy as much as I can — I don’t care if it’s a year’s or two-year’s supply,” says Mr. Engels, 28, who is married and has a young daughter.


Castles made of Jell-O, freezers full of meat! This really is the land of opportunity! Or maybe we mean gluttony.

Hard Times Turn Coupon Clipping Into the Newest Extreme Sport [WSJ]

Recession Inspires Art, Hoarding