About gDonna
The photo is my son and myself. Now days you can get a photo made to look old like this one. This photo was taken when this was the new look.

Harry S Truman was president when I was born and world war II had ended. I grew up in a time when lunch was put in a brown paper bag and a sandwich was wrapped with wax paper. There was no such thing as pantyhose, we wore stockings that attached to the rubbery clippy things that attached to the girdle. Convenience stores were not common and when we took a trip we packed a picnic basket because many places did not have fast food. Highways had places to pull over and stop, some with picnic tables. Read more ....
 

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Comments On Article: Items Available To Purchase For The Home In 1927

1,689 posts (admin)
Fri Dec 16, 22 9:52 PM CST

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1,689 posts (admin)
Mon Dec 19, 22 1:51 PM CST

Paula Alexandra Santos wrote

Hi, Grandma Donna!
Of all the brands you wrote, I believe I know 4 or 5 that were sold in Portugal and some of them still are. And for what I could understand about the clothing, both men and women wore more clothes than today and more elegant and with more quality than today.
They already had a lot of appliances, either electric or manual, but I also think that according to their financial stituation, they would buy them or not.
I feel that today, like in those days, we can easily fall in to the temptation of buying more than we need or can afford, so some things remain the same, right?
Can't wait to learn more and start the study next year!
Have a blessed week!
:)

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1,689 posts (admin)
Mon Dec 19, 22 4:44 PM CST

Sara wrote

The house I grew up in had a sink that had draining boards on either side. Made so much sense and easier to clean than the cheap ones made now. It could have been from the 30s as it was an old house and hadn't had a lot of upgrades even by the 60s when I was a kid. Things lasted such a long time then.

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1,689 posts (admin)
Mon Dec 19, 22 5:27 PM CST

Stephanie wrote

Hi Grandma Donna!

That is a lot of information! Thank you. My son was amazed at how much better our 1930's toaster toasts bread than modern toasters, so in the past even toast was better quality. :)

I have a question about clothing but you can answer it whenever you have the time. How did women dress to stay warm in the house? We keep our thermostat at 65 and it can feel cool depending on how much wind or moisture is in the air. My new Christmas thirties-style dress arrived today and it's made of much better quality fabric than I am used to, and the thicker fabric provides more warmth, but what about those underthings? Do I wear a union suit underneath? We're going to have a high of 3 on Thursday, and I would rather learn to dress for the cold than turn up the heat, especially since the last electric bill showed a price hike. :(

I want to take more care with my appearance overall, and this study is just the thing. I love the idea of wearing dresses and doing more with my hair. They were more meticulous with their grooming back then, even without the ease of our modern day conveniences, as you've shared a number of times. My husband cut off half of my hair this past weekend. It's now just above my shoulders, and I gave it a side part and swooshed the bangs over to the side. I haven't even curled it yet because I'm still comparing metal, old-fashioned curlers to buy, but I love it! I'm starting to think that easy isn't always best. I am already thinking about myself differently from how I did before.

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1,689 posts (admin)
Mon Dec 19, 22 10:46 PM CST

Margaret wrote

I remember those kitchen sinks. We probably had one in one of our houses in the 60s but my grandmother for sure did! Two faucets for hot & cold. I'd rather like to have that now.

I remember in the 60s my dad would buy a block of ice to put in our Coleman ice chest. I guess they call them "coolers" now. I forget and still say ice chest. We had an ice pick for when we wanted chips of ice in our drinks. It scared me as a kid. Lol.

An automobile robe sounds lively and cozy!

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1,689 posts (admin)
Tue Dec 20, 22 4:41 AM CST

Gayle wrote

Sara, my husband and I built our forever home last year and we put in a 1930's single basin double drainboard sink. It gets quite a workout on a daily basis and I absolutely LOVE it! :0)

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1,689 posts (admin)
Tue Dec 20, 22 9:52 AM CST

Ann wrote

I chuckle at the kitchen sink and faucet. YES! I had purchased one of those single lever faucets only to throw it a year later since it would drip unless it was seated 100% in the center. I finally bought a basic faucet hot & cold each on their own side and it's wonderful. Not only does it work better, but it's easier to install! Oh, a drainboard would be nice. It's always wet beside my sink. I love your drawings. :) And I love that you may begin a forum.

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1,689 posts (admin)
Wed Dec 21, 22 2:04 PM CST

Teresa Pittman wrote

I have a notebook with prices from 1932-34. She raised chickens for eggs and there is pricing on feed and how much she got for working in a factory. (And I am assuming "she" because there's no name on it anywhere.)

Not sure what authentic would be for the 30s. With the cold here. I have on a long skirt, petticoat and wool long johns. They would have wool or silk socks to wear. Skirts were longer in the 30s, so would probably be okay with long wool socks.

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1,689 posts (admin)
Wed Dec 21, 22 2:53 PM CST

Grandma Donna wrote

Hi everyone wondering about how to dress warm in the 1930s. Ladies and men wore knitted undergarments and sometimes layers of them depending on how cold it was. Woolen undergarment items and outerwear, there were warm shawls to wear in the house. Children wore knitted undergarments as well.

Also, hats during the day and sleeping boudoir sleep caps. The 1920s caps were a bit tighter for the short hair look of the 1920s and what I have noticed is the 1930s caps went back to a more looser sleep cap as was before the 1920s. The very early years of long ago people wore the night caps to stay warm and then as they had better heating the night caps were worn as mentioned above, for keeping their short hair style in place. Some people probably remained the same all through the era changes. Then we get to the 1930s and there is still short hair for those that are always stylish but not everyone was during the 1920s or era changes. But heating became a problem again in the 1930s due to money and if they could or could not afford to run heat at night or at any time for that matter.

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1,689 posts (admin)
Wed Dec 21, 22 2:57 PM CST

Grandma Donna wrote

Teresa,
It sounds like you are ready for the cold with wearing what makes sense. I do wonder what if everyone would do what makes sense instead of worrying what others are doing? Also good point about the skirts being longer. Also what the skirt was made of.

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1,689 posts (admin)
Thu Dec 22, 22 5:08 PM CST

Stephanie wrote

Thank you, Grandma Donna and Teresa. I feel better now that I understand how they did things in the past. I found woolen leggings, camisoles, and even woolen slips to wear under dresses, and some nice cotton flannel nightgowns. They still make wool flannel cloth, but I could only find shirts and pants, no nightgowns. If I could sew, I could make one since they sell the wool flannel cloth. I am going to work hard during my 1930's year to improve my sewing, mending and darning. They are still important skills. We are at -5 right now and will get colder overnight. I am not used to this kind of cold. With the way weather patterns are changing, I think I had better get used to it and prepare for it. The woolens are expensive, but I see it as an investment. The leggings I got were an outdoor weight.

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1,689 posts (admin)
Fri Dec 23, 22 12:37 AM CST

Tandi wrote

What wonderful information! I'm also in the throes of getting my house ready for 1930. Stephanie, a flannel nightgown would be the perfect item to sew as a beginner. Easy pattern and not a lot too it.

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