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What a lovely post Grandma Donna. I do so yearn for a simpler time, and your post made me realise that I can have a simpler time even living in this modern era, by choosing to enjoy all the simple pleasures that are part of daily life. Just pottering around the house or in my garden brings me so much enjoyment, and I much prefer preparing a simple rotational menu of simple, basic meals, which can be just as delicious and nutritious as trying new gourmet recipes all the time. Perhaps its mostly a matter of mindset and choosing to slow down and enjoy these things intentionally - being content with what we already have, rather than always wanting more.

I look forward to hearing everyone else's thoughts.

Rebekah

I enjoy reading your posts. They help me to think more about simplifying life. I try to do some of the things you show us as my life permits. 

I really appreciate all the detail of daily life at the end of 1941. And it looks like I'll be learning to knit in the new year. :) We got some paper gift certificates, not plastic gift cards, from the locally-owned hamburger stand by us to give to the regular service people in our life as Christmas tokens of appreciation. I loved that they were old-fashioned paper gift certificates, and that we weren't contributing to plastic pollution. :) Since I'm still in 1930 for a couple of weeks, I learned that gift certificates were used in 1930. My son got a volunteer position at the local historical society. They use high schoolers to help them process their archives. The museum is close enough for him to walk or ride the bike, and to practice his driving for his driver's license. I'm looking forward to learning more about the past where I live. In February, there will be a talk at the museum about the one-room schools we used to have. Eventually, I'll go see what they have specifically related to WWII.

It's very hot here so I am dressing in a light linen skirt and top, which I handwash each night with my "smalls" and then throw the water onto the flower garden or flower pots. 

I'm enjoying the simplicity of not making decisions each day about what to wear, and the economy of using simple soap and water which can then be used in rotation on different plants.

How this relates to the study is the bigger theme of simplicity and routine bringing calm in a time of uncertainty, and potential anxiety.

This is always the message here on this forum and in Grandma Donna's articles.  However it really came home to me when I became very distressed recently and couldn't put my finger on why.

Talking to my husband,  we realised that I had started to get swept up in the hype around Christmas. 

We've had quite the frugal year but he finally started a new job about six weeks ago.

I lost my head and have gone overboard buying gifts for our daughters.

This is despite having made a start on home made gifts that I had carefully planned and was really looking forward to making and giving. 

My husband is philosophical and forgiving, and I am at peace with the situation now.

The level of inner turmoil I experienced means that the lesson will stay with me!

 I read Grandma Donna's article to my husband and he pointed out that we characteristically don't "follow the herd". This is probably why I became upset with myself: going against our grain.

I feel lucky to have found this community; I will buckle down and keep the study more central.

I am very fortunate that there is an exhibition about 40 min drive from us which is all about the Homefront in World War 2!

Thank you Grandma Donna and everyone for your information and steady influence!

I've been learning to knit recently too and plan to do more of it. I'm also doing lots of gardening, with many vegetables growing now and more to come. Fortunately, it hasn't been too hot here so everything is thriving.

In today's newspaper (Sydney Morning Herald 20th Dec 1941) I read that there's a shortage of aluminium so they're building warplane parts out of wood. One letter writer said we should do the same as the Germans, who he claims are making invisible planes out of plastic -- so it seems "misinformation" was already around in the 1940s. And rampant, deceptive advertising was around too, as on page 13 of the paper there's an ad for a brand of cigarettes that are “so wonderfully cool and smooth and never tire your palate — they are made specially to prevent sore throats.”

The government has banned all workers from taking holidays until further notice, and there is to be no motoring for ‘holiday’ reasons. Heavy fines will apply for anyone using their car if it isn't strictly necessary. Taxes are higher than ever to pay for the war effort, but many small businesses are in danger of collapsing because the tax is so high.

The day’s roll of honour had six reported killed in action, one 18 years old, two 21, one 43 and the others age not stated. 

In light of the Japanese attacks in Malaya, Hong Kong, Thailand, the Philippines and the US in the last two weeks, a production of The Mikado in Sydney has been cancelled.

Here in the UK women stepped into many of the traditionally male roles to help in the war effort, they worked in the factories, on the land to grow food, drove ambulances and served in the armed forces. Only this week we lost a 99 year veteran who had worked as a code breaker at a place called Bletchley Park for British intelligence, I often wonder how these women felt once it was all over and they had to go back to more traditional roles

I also read about the Mikado productions being cancelled in Sydney and about the government workers having all their leave cancelled, but in The Weekly Times for today - a farming newspaper which I've been reading my whole life. 

There were also plans by the Minster for Munitions to duplicate war factories in inland areas of Australia that were inaccessible to air raids. Interestingly, unless a plant essential to the war effort required urgent repair, it would continue to operate all through Christmas and the workers would not be allowed to take any Christmas leave. This was because "There are moments when the maximum is demanded, and we must realise that we are face to face with the stern realities of the gravest position in our history. Australians must realise the grim reality of the position."

Coal miners were also to work unconditionally through the holidays and "The men have indicated that maximum production will be achieved and maintained, to supply Australia with the much needed coal for its war effort."

These are the types of things I hadn't previously thought about being affected here during wartime. I suppose there were lots of workers in reserved occupations who, even though they were exempt from military service, likely never had any (or only had very minimal) leave from their work for the whole of the war years. 

Also, even though we didn't have a draft/conscription here in Australia in 1941, there was compulsory military training for certain classes of men. These classes were being expanded to train more men for the Citizens Military Force due to the increasing threat of invasion from the Japanese, especially following the attack on Pearl Harbor. The new classes now announced include - Single men and widowers without children, and who are aged 35 to 44 years. Married men and widowers with children aged 18 - 34 years. Any man in either of these categories must register before December 23.

I found this very interesting as though I knew we had a CMF during that time, I was unaware of how specific the call-up was for home defence purposes.

I am enjoying this study so much already, and finding it very useful to have the dates line up with the old newspapers etc.

Thank you for all that very interesting info,  Linda E and Rebekah C. The workers being prevented from taking time off reminds me a bit of the "essential workers" having to work through the recent pandemic. 

I also have been reading about how the women stepped up. There was one young woman who worked in a munitions factory from 7am to 4pm (having risen very early to do chores first, and ride her push bike to work because of petrol rationing), then went and spent each evening volunteering.

You can watch interviews of Australian women talking about their roles in WW2 here:

https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/resources/women-second-world-war-their-own-words

Hello everyone. There still isn't a whole lot I can do to participate but I am deciding now is a good time to start reducing how much I eat again. Back in the day is seemed like most people were so slim. Their health was better for it too! About the only thing I can do right now that's living more like the past is to cut down my food portions and eat more natural foods. It does change how I feel and even how I appreciate food. I order my meals here at the hospital for the most part while I am not home so I try to pick the healthiest foods (their food is actually quite good here). Most people back in the day drank water, tea, coffee, and milk for beverages. They certainly didn't have sodas and juices all day long. I'm sure that their coffee creamer was not the latest craze either. Just simple cream or milk if anything. At the moment I am practicing drinking my coffee without sugar or cream. Once food rations kicked in, many skipped the cream and sugar in their coffee or tea to save it for the kids or making a cake.They didn't snack all day long either.  From what I am understanding, many people got healthier in the 40's once rationing came about. That says a lot considering most were slimmer to begin with! 

While I'm at home I did use our oil lamp to add a little extra heat into the house one day. I will have to pick up some more oil. We heat with wood also. This Monday the guys are going to have to go out into the woods and collect some more wood.  We are behind on keeping wood stocked due to the chaos of this year. 

We also battle one stubborn goat who will not stay in the goat yard. So we have some more fence repairing to do. I usually take my son out with me and we tackle another section of fence repair any time I'm home and able. I wonder how many families back in the day dealt with the same issue. Goats are notorious for things like this. One doctor, while here at the hospital, found out I have goats. She said, "I love goats!" I then asked her if she ever had one before....she said no. I told her she might be cured of loving them if she did. I was joking. I still like goats but they will certainly try your patience! This goat will often get to our Amazon deliveries before we do if we aren't careful (they didn't have Amazon back in the 40's but I am sure they had Sears). And my husband better hurry up on getting our new front porch storm door put up before she eats that too. At least it will be unwrapped for him by the time he gets to it. Goats can be a force to be reconned with! In fact, if you Map Quest my house and zoom around, you'll see that stubborn goat standing in our neighbors yard as she visits their Billy. Thank God for understanding neighbors. 

Anyway, I was very excited to see Donnas new post and I am so looking forward to rationing again! 

Staffordshire, England.

Dear GDonna,

It is quiet here after the awful bombardments night after night in November. We are well, though the seasonal colds and influenza are doing the rounds. The weather has been very wet, with some flooding in the lanes, but not as cold as usual. The house seems full of drying laundry on clothes hangers from the curtain poles and on the clothes airer. I am trying to wash things a lot less often, especially as soap is rationed.  

We are keeping Christmas simply this year, without extravagance. We will have a small pork joint, within our weekly ration allowance, and the seasonal vegetables are inexpensive. I have bought a bottle of Herefordshire cider to have with it instead of imported wine. It has been such a good year for apples and ours are keeping well, and our four old hens are still giving a few eggs in spite of the short days. We have a Christmas cake which I bought from the local college, where they teach catering, and I shall make mincemeat squares. I have a vase of evergreens instead of a tree, and I planted some pots of hyacinth bulbs.

I used the last of our ration of clothing coupons on new pyjamas for our growing grandsons. I have pretty fabric bags to put their presents in, which my daughter returns afterwards. When the last of the gift wrapping paper runs out I shall use the stout brown paper saved from the chicken feed sacks. I have more than enough clothes stored away, items which fit once more, and doing the ration book challenge made me think about new purchases. This is the updated list from September 1941, there were 60 coupons each for the year. For decency, I did need a new bathing costume, synthetic fabric does not last, and I bought a warm waterproof coat in the sales last month. I darned two tiny moth holes this week using matching embroidery thread, so a wool hat and jumper are as good as new. 

I sorted out some spare warm jumpers for the charity shop. My sister in law is a volunteer, we are being encouraged to volunteer for so many things. The church and the library have knitting groups, fabric and yarn were rationed too. The painting, A Knitting Party, 1940, is by the war artist, Evelyn Dunbar, the colours are all army khaki, navy, and airforce blue. There is a quiet intensity in the scene, as if every stitch is a prayer to protect a loved one and bring them safely home. My daughter ordered the wool for a crochet project for her present, (using her coupons,) and I paid for it. Knitting is good for stress, though I find that it affects the tension of the stitches. It is so generous that groups of American women have been sewing and sending such pretty clothes for children in Britain during the war.

We have enjoyed some local entertainments, the village Church Christmas fair, a play, put on by amateurs in the chapel hall, a film shown in the Memorial Hall, and a Christmas concert by the ladies’ choir. At the Women’s Institute December meeting we were entertained by a group singing sea shanties and raising money for the Royal National Lifeboats Institution. The BBC is putting the Jane Austen Novels on the wireless so I shall enjoy those.

I am re-reading my Christmas favourites, The Children of Green Knowe by Lucy M Boston, and Winter Holiday by Arthur Ransome. My daughter puts a collection of children’s Christmas books under their tree for the boys to enjoy through Advent. She has been very busy teaching at the County Agricultural College.

I wrote and posted the Christmas cards early to family and a few old friends and the postwoman pushes one or two a week through our letterbox. They cheer us up in these days when the post seems to be increased Income Tax rates and hospital appointments. 

I hope that you both have an enjoyable Christmas, and send you very best wishes for a peaceful New Year.

I am reading “Jambusters” which is about the role of the Women’s Institute in WW2. There is a ton of good information about the rationing and work being done by women for the war effort. I think you all would find it a useful read! 

GDonna's posts and teachings have changed us and our lifestyle in many ways. Here are a few;

-We have stopped using paper towels and started using reusable rags

- Started a small garden, with some small success.  

-Purchased a drying rack to reduce the use of our dryer and electricity, and now dry a good majority of our laundry with it, versus the dryer.   

-We make homemade bread and desserts much more often, instead of purchasing them. 

-I did the one-month challenge for computers and greatly reduced my internet use 

- I have been working on repairing items versus discarding them, despite having no real experience sewing or refurbishing old, broken, or discarded items.  

-I purchased a soapstone as a bed warmer for my elderly cat and myself (he gets the daytime use and I use it at night, lol) and have been able to keep our heat costs a little lower.

-We installed a rain barrel to catch water and feed our garden and plants, lowering our water costs.

-I have started monitoring our gas and electric use to try to reduce our usage, something I never really thought about before.  

There are many more small things that I now think about or do, but I wanted all of you to see even some small positive influence this blog and the forum can have on people's lives.  

Thank you all for helping my husband and me work toward living a simpler, lower-cost, and environmentally friendly way of life- it has made us very happy, and I look forward to learning and doing more with every post.  

Kieva A., That's been a problem ever since fences were invented, and the ancestors of today's goats looked at them and thought, "Challenge accepted!"  I had one goat who would just be out sometimes, even if the 6' wire fence was intact and the gate secure. We never saw how she did it. At least those times I knew about it because the others, jealous that she was eating the garden without them, would be screaming their fool heads off.  Worse was the times they made a hole and silently slipped out as a team. . . 

I so enjoyed reading all these comments!  Thanks to everyone who shared!

I am not a Christmas person in its modern celebration.  I had miserable Christmases as a child (alcoholic mom destroyed our tree in a raging fit on Christmas Eve.  No sympathy, please.  Just posting it as an explanation.). I only enjoy the spiritual aspect.  My goal every year is to get things done early so I can ignore everything but Advent and Christmas Masses.  I never overdo it lol.  It's hard to pair that up with my husband, who grew up in a large family with big Christmas celebrations.  So, he goes crazy decorating outside and I do the minimum in here. 3 stockings and a small nativity set.  I find the simplicity of it to be incredibly peaceful and quite old fashioned, if you think about it.  I have a jigsaw puzzle started on the dining room table, my embroidery in a basket next to me, and the fireplace nearby.

Donna, I think back to the*needs* of my past and cringe!  Several of those needs are being boxed up today to be taken to the Amish thrift store in the next couple of weeks.  Gooseberry Patch cookbooks were my Keeping up with the Jones thing!  I'm gonna clean off an entire shelf today in the office!  What was I thinking?! I don't even like to cook!!!  

Debby, I had to chuckle a little about your cookbooks but not liking to cook! 

I did the same. Not only did I have the Gooseberry Patch cookbooks I had dozens of others. I finally realized that I hoped I'd find a cookbook that got me to like cooking! Nuts!

That realization has got me to thinking recently about what else I have in my house & life that I *thought* I should like. I grew up with a mother who believed if you could do something you should do it. I think over the next few years my family is going to be shocked at what I let go. 

Everyone is doing so much to simplify! It's very encouraging. :) I like to hear about people tackling the heat, too, because even though it's cold for me now, summer will come again! 

We simplified Christmas quite a bit this year, and I found out that I don't need to keep up with everybody else. I discovered that we have enough traditions established to make Christmas feel like Christmas without spending extra money or doing extra things. I like giving gifts at Christmas time. I think that's within the spirit of the season. We had started keeping up with others with outside decorations, and I decided that had to stop this year. I want decorations that express my idea of the festive spirit of the season, and not just the latest popular thing. We send Christmas cards. We give regular service people tokens of appreciation. We decorate. We visit. We have Christmas food but this year I discovered the reason the food isn't special anymore is because we have too many "special" foods throughout the year. So that's going to stop, and certain foods will only be eaten on holidays. With our reduced budget in the new year, that should be easy. :) 

I'm finding the WWII information fascinating, and I appreciate people posting it. :)

Absolutely yearn for a simpler time.  I wonder if the current generation of kids will ever have a simpler time to yearn to? That part saddens me.  I realize when we were kids, things were simpler because we were kids, but aside from that, they were...differently.  Technology while useful has also complicated life and has made parents and kids overly busy, unattentive to family and household work, friendless, lack of community. AZ is horrid for the latter.  The glorification of busy/rushing/cumulation of things, have made life crazy. Every era though was crazy in it's own way. I take the good I can from each and try to live it out.  The feminist movement did the family no favors, my mother was one and we didn't have a close family. I needed a mom at home. But she wanted her job more.  I will say she must have had a lot of energy as she worked and put a full dinner on the table every night and a clean home every Saturday.  But it all came at an expense.  There is no other job more important than raising your children, because it blesses people in so many ways.  How we got to where we are now is utterly mind-numbing.  

I don't remember who posted the picture of the Kitchen and Gadgets from the 1920's to 1950's book but I bought it and find it really an interesting read.  Thank you.     

Oh, Donna, I cannot BEGIN to tell you how your posts, and others' comments have affected me!  I followed along and participated with you in the 1943 study a few years ago, and I happily fell back into this new study by immediately starting my subscription again to my hometown newspaper's 1941 editions. I have begun and continue to put away appliances and other things that weren't available then, pouring cartons of milk into old milk bottles, putting away plastic containers and baggies, "hiding" things that are modern that I do need but I don't want sitting out, switching out soaps, changing  my wardrobe, etc.  I love it so much. I was reading my mom's and her siblings high school yearbooks from 1941, 1944, and 1945 to get a sense of the clothing, looking at what the teachers were wearing, and adapting my wardrobe.  I may need to get a few extra hankies, because my current stock are not keeping up with allergies!

I have a question about food storage in the refrigerator.  Although I have glass containers for leftovers and such, how do you store smaller things like blocks of cheese, a half an apple or onion, a head of cabbage?  In the adverts in my vintage magazines from the time, it appears that food (particularly produce) was just put in there unwrapped.  The fruit and veg drawers just had everything mixed together, unwrapped.  A ham on a plate just sat on the shelf, unwrapped.  Do you think this was reality, or just pretty pictures?  

Another request: does anyone have recommendations for books - either journals, fiction, or non-fiction - written about the American homefront?  I have plenty of books about the British women's perspective, but they had it so much harder than we did in America, particularly with regard to rationing.  I can't seem to find much in this area, and nothing like the Nella Last books.  I'd love your suggestions!

Thank you for being here, Donna, and all the ladies who share their thoughts. Although I don't always post very much, I am an avid follower and read and re-read all the comments!

Lynne, if you find a book on the American home front, I sure hope you'll share the title.  I looked, but it seems like historical fiction is the best I can find.    But, depending on the author, that can be pretty good.  I was thrilled to stumble on a book that was set in the town and era that my grandpa grew up in.  The town was lost in a flood and no longer exists.  There were so many things I wish I had asked him but he died.  This book told me so much that I didn't know that it actually filled in most of the answers I was looking for!   It helped me understand what I thought were strange answers to questions I asked him!

Debby, what's the book title? That sounds interesting. 

GDonna I definitely feel homesick of the past!  Both the distant past that I wasn't alive for as well as the past of my childhood in the 80s.  I haven't been able to do anywhere near as much simplifying in line with the studies this year as I would have liked to, but have been ale to maintain a lot of the usual simple things I do - cooking from scratch, hanging washing outside, mending items and buying second hand.  But a lot like Kellie O I have found myself getting swept away with buying too many Christmas presents for my kids this year!  I too have been beating myself up, feeling that my hard work to be frugal and not bring too much stuff into our home this year has gone by the wayside for Christmas.

I'm definitely looking forward to a fresh start next year.  I'll be working less and therefore need to live more simply and frugally to make ends meet.  I've already started going through our budget with a fine toothed comb, as well as writing down our energy and water use for each month this year, so we can try and reduce our usage next year.

I do have a question for the forum - how often do you all do your grocery shopping?  I tend to go once a week with the occasional extra trip when we run out of something like fruit or milk,  But I know in the 1940s women shopped every day or so, just buying enough for what they need for those days.  Does anybody do this?  Do you find that it saves you money?  I worry that if I go to the shop more often, I'll be tempted to buy things I don't need more often!

Melanie d -- I don't have a grocery store within walking distance, I think people in the past shopped daily when things were close so they could get the freshest meat and produce, so my goal is to shop less to save gas money. I'm trying for once a week only, and to be better at my shopping list so I don't forget anything! Next year in 1942, when the US rations gasoline, this will be especially important for me. :)

Margaret, the author is a Christian writer named Tracie Peterson.  It's one of a 3-book series set on the Santa Fe railroad in1900ish and the Harvey girls.  I don't recall the exact name or book.  Love on the Santa Fe series?  Her books are light romantic tales set in various places around the US.  I've learned so much history from them! I learned about my Grandpa's birthplace.  The one set in Montana was near where one of my best friends lives now.  My gosh, the history!  Her home's immediate area was perfectly described in the book!  I called to ask her about it and she sent me pictures from their property, the forts mentioned, and told me their home is in the historical books.  I was just agape!!  I've been reading all her books for the history.  Some are detailed, some aren't.  I learned some things I'd rather not have!  

I'm a crime novel lover but I needed to switch to something lighter before bed and I stumbled onto these.  Your mileage may vary!!

Gosh I just love this study so much. It calms me in way that I can't explain. Its peaceful for me because I know what I have to do and I don't have to feel rushed to do the next thing or worry about what others are doing that I "need" to keep up with if that makes any sense.

Christmas holidays are not happy and jolly for everyone, something I keep in mind...sometimes they are anniversaries of things that were sad and depressing. I used to decorate so much that my house looked like a department store, drove myself nuts cooking and baking so many sweets and treats but not anymore I stopped when I first started doing the studies with this blog. Now my decorations are all natural, understated and so much more relaxed.

I haven't used my oil lamps yet but I have been using candles. I can't knit but I can crochet enough to make dishcloths and washcloths. After the holidays when things are more normal in the stores I will try to find some yarn in the thrift stores....I want to try to thrift it as opposed to buying new if possible.

Someone asked about storing different things in the fridge, I use half pint jars for small amounts of things like half an apple or onion I store opened cheese in jars also or waxed paper. I try not to use any plastics at all but sometimes it happens.

I try to shop every 2 or 3 weeks if possible. I live rural so it makes sense to keep a good stockpile. It helps that I eat simply and bake my own bread/cookies etc.... I keep chickens and make almost every thing from scratch, living like the past is simpler but sometimes takes more time to get things done.  I have had to learn to slow down and enjoy the process.

Thanks, Debby! The author has published over a 100 books! I picked one and look forward to reading it.

A British series on You Tube called Wartime Farm shows you an excellent view of life in WW II.  It is a series of 8 videos.

This group has done other videos, set in different time periods, all very well done.

Glad to help!  I hope you enjoy them.  I'm reading The Ice Cutter's Daughter right now.  It was from this author that I learned about Ice Stacking.  Look on YouTube and prepare to be mesmerized!!

I just noticed that I called the girl's group "the Kelly girls.". Oops!!  That would be the Harvey girls!  

Grandma Donna, I love that you repainted the picture!  And by sharing it you show us that we can do the same!

I’ve chosen my words for 2026.  Usually I choose one, but yesterday the words slow  simple  small  soft  sacred came to me all together.  They are what I want for my life.  A slow life, lived away from the constant push to rush and hurry that is so common in our culture.  A simple life, one filled with what we need, what is enough.  A small life, similar to simple, focused on my home and my neighborhood.  A soft life, as free as possible from the harshness of our world, and also a softening of myself in my relationships with others, especially others who have different views that I do.  And a life spent recognizing the sacred in everyday, the sacred I believe can be found if I slow down, simplify, live a small life, and allow myself to be softened.

My husband has now retired, which I think will be key to living a slow, simple life.

Today I walked downtown to do an errand at the local sewing shop.  We took the dogs with us so we could all enjoy the blue skies, beautiful mountains, and 70°F weather.

This afternoon I sewed the binding on a quilted table runner I made as a gift for a loved one.  This is the first “quilt” I have ever made!  I pieced the top, layered it with batting, a heat resistant layer of insul-bright, and backing fabric, and did the quilting, and then made my binding from fabric strips and attached it.  It is far from perfect, but it was made with love.  I learned so much and am looking forward to more sewing in the new year.

I also made 6 tins of lavender salve this afternoon, repurposing the tins, which originally held brake pads for bicycles!  My son brought them in to me several months ago knowing they would be useful for something.  I cleaned them well and set them aside for holiday crafting.  The salve is just olive oil, beeswax, and lavender essential oil, but as I already had all those things it was a frugal project.  I made labels using a marker, scalloped scissors, and blackout sticker paper I already had (so the brake pad writing wouldn’t show through.  Then I made a couple of peppermint essential oil rollers; I purchased the rollers a few years ago but hadn’t used them as I got quite ill.  So again, I was using what I have.

Melanie, I'm primarily a sale shopper.I began using something called 'the pantry principle ' from The Tightwad Gazette 30+ years ago.  The basic premise is to buy the item at its best price and buy enough until its next sale.  Doesn't work as well as it used to, but still good.  I shop once per week and the cost can vary wildly.  I always use stuff up before it goes bad so we never throw things out.  I make a loose menu, but am prepared to change it, especially if something comes up.... like my husband coming home Friday night with homemade tamales from a coworker!!  Kept the baked sweet potatoes on the menu because they needed eating, but moved the tuna casserole to tonight.i like the flexibility of it.

Debby B, I also use “The Pantry Principle” from The Tightwad Gazette.  I have never in my adult life planned meals based on recipes and buying those ingredients, versus what is on sale and what needs to be restocked.  I find it easier to be flexible with this method.

Melanie, I shop every 7-10 days on average.  7 days is more when there are good loss leader sales on produce, 10 is if there aren’t any good sales and I push off the shopping.  When I was much younger I tried more frequent shopping as I lived very close to the supermarket, but shopping that way just didn’t work with how I plan meals.  While some people did shop more frequently, I imagine that people on farms and such didn’t go very often at all

Hi all! Melanie D, I live about half an hour's drive from the nearest town, so I shop once a week. We can buy milk at our local takeaway, and bread at the local bakery, so we do that throughout the week as needed - when we're not making our own bread. We have a Farmer's Market for fresh produce, meat and smallgoods in our village, but it's only once a fortnight.

My goal is to grow most of our produce but until then, I pick it up with the weekly shop. Mum lives a short drive away so we sometimes swap produce; she used to give us eggs until a fox recently got in amongst the chooks.

Re the 1940s, I could be wrong here, and it probably depends on where you lived...

In the 1950s and 60s in Canberra (ie, a small Australian city), the baker and milkman still delivered daily to people's homes. Milk deliveries were still going in the 1980s actually. 

My grandparents had a grocery shop from the late 1940s (til the 1960s when Coles supermarket arrived), and people were in the habit of shopping several times a week.

I suspect part of the reason, particularly in summer, is that they didn't have the capacity to store large quantities of perishables. But it was also a social opportunity. 

Delivery was offered for those who preferred it, or who couldn't manage the shopping on their own.

So I imagine it would have been similar a few years before, during the early 1940s.

I don't think people would have been able to overbuy, due to rationing, social pressure about being wasteful, and tight finances.

Back then, things weren't pre-packaged, so people would work out how much they needed and buy just that amount. I remember being told that even broken biscuits were sold at the shop, more cheaply than unbroken ones. Nothing went to waste and people were resourceful in using what was available. 

Also, as someone pointed out earlier, people were unlikely to have cars which they could load up with bags and bags of shopping. I imagine a lot of women were on foot with a pram, or on push-bikes.

My mum shopped nearly every day, due to necessity rather than wanting to - money was always limited and there were no supermarkets, just the corner shops, so she would walk around to those shops, buy what she needed and lug it all home again, only to repeat it in the next day or two.  We didn't have freezers, just a small fridge with a tiny freezer on the top which was barely big enough to hold the home-made ice-cream let along anything else.  Mum was ahead of her time with the fridge, most of her sisters had big iceboxes to keep the food cool, hence the need to shop often.  

When I was a young child, I'd be sent to the butcher for the weekend meat, always riding my bicycle - the butcher shop was always busy, and the butchers chopping the meat in front of you on big blocks so you could see what you were getting - sawdust on the floor, a nice 'meaty' smell in the shop, I always loved going there.  We'd walk around the corner to the bakery where we'd wait for the baker to finish baking the bread and then pull it out of the big stone ovens on a huge wooden paddle - then we'd walk home, nibbling the lovely fresh warm bread as we did - sometimes there was quite a hole in the loaf by the time we got home.  

These days I keep a good stockpile and shop from my pantry before I head off to the supermarket - that might be twice a month or sometimes even less.  We live a basic life with necessary mod-cons but nowhere near what most people have.  It certainly does simplify things and knowing all the tales my folks told me over the years about being a young married couple in the depression and the following war years has always resonated with me.  My Dad, unable to go to the front (although he desperately wanted to) due to a steel plate in his head from a motorbike accident, was instead deployed to another town and spent the war years servicing the radio transmissions for the US army base which was situated there - Dad was a radio mechanic very conversant with shortwave and army situations.  He had a petrol allowance to do this, and the fuel burner was on the side of the old car on the running board - I have researched all of this through my family history and find it fascinating.

I get groceries as rarely as possible, usually about every 6 weeks.  It forces me to be frugal and lean heavily on what I can grow, forage, or make from pantry staples.  I sometimes get cheese or fresh fruit, but use it up quickly.  I don't have a refrigerator, and do have a freezer but use it mostly for venison and wild mushrooms.  I've been very fascinated with stories of early homesteaders in the area stocking up just once a year on staples like flour, salt, sugar, coffee, and not needing to buy any other foods from the store.  Maybe one day I will get there!  

Tea S -- That's what I'm trying to get to too. I can't have chickens and there's nowhere to forage, but my garden does produce a good amount, and I've been trying different preservation methods. I'm starting to do some once a year buying, like dried fall mushrooms that I buy once a year. Salt and pepper can be an annual purchase. Beans can be bought once a year, and grains for flour. Actual flour probably doesn't stay fresh for a year. Instead of constantly buying all of the time, I want to stretch the shopping out as we switch over how we allocate the budget. I'll still have to go shopping since I don't have a cow to make butter or cheese, and no olive trees to press my own oil, but there's still a lot of pantry things that I can buy annually. 

I do mostly scratch cooking but I'll be honest while I do stock up and buy in bulk and dislike regular shopping I don't want to have to maintain a year's worth of basics in my house! At one time half the guest bedroom was food storage. I eventually got rid of it. It stressed me out to have all that in there and have to manage it. It didn't make my life simpler. Instead it was one more thing I had to do. 

I'm also not a person who wants to shop daily or even several times a week. I usually buy enough to last a few weeks because I don't like errands. 

Donna, Thanks for another wonderful post. That is a priceless picture of you holding the dog. She looks like she is in a place of total peace and security in your arms. It reminded me of what I did before my dog died. My girl had the same color fur and similar ears.

I love the pictures of your house. It always looks so relaxing and homey. It looks like you could plop into a chair, put your feet up, and feel like you're home.  It seems to have a nice amount of stuff. Not stark and barren, but not cluttered either. It is what I would like to attain. I have been seriously disorganized my whole life, and it is hard to know where to begin. I am also in prepper groups on Facebook, and to be a prepper, you need to stock up on things. I guess I just need to keep working at it.

Melanie, I shop whenever I have eBay packages to mail, which is usually 5 or 6 days a week. I shop at a salvage/discount grocery store, and you never know what they will have. They didn't have fresh berries for quite a while. Then they had them for 3 or 4 days. Now they are gone again. I wouldn't have known that they had them if I hadn't gone in there so often. Also, at times, they will have crazy low prices on something, and then I will can it. Once I got 66 pounds of pineapple and canned it. I don't have any idea how many pounds of asparagus, fancy green beans, and mushrooms I preserved at the start of the pandemic. They also have markdown bins that they add to most days, so I always want to search those for the best deals. I often get cereal for .50 a box, or jerky or another treat for .50 a bag.  However, the manager told me that in about a year, they will be relocating to an area about 5 miles away. Then it would be 5 miles out of my way, so I will probably shop once a week then.

I encourage people to Google "salvage grocery" or "discount grocery" to see if there is one near you. It is worth it even if it is a drive, as the prices are usually much less than at a regular grocery store. For example, I can get ham ends and pieces for .50 a pound. I can a lot of that in ham-and-vegetable soup. I also pay .50 for a half-gallon of organic milk. I can't imagine how much people are paying for that in regular stores. I always enjoy hearing how others are saving money. With all of the talk about knitting, I saw something interesting on Facebook. It looked like a machine was being used to unravel the yarn from a sweater so it could be reused.

Have A Great Day Y'all

Becky Sue

Kellie O that Australia's Home Front exhibitions looks really interesting. You will have to tell us all about it when you go. It makes me wish I still lived in Canberra! Also, thankyou for the memory trigger about washing out "smalls" each night. I've been meaning to start doing that myself, so will make a start now. I remember reading about the traditional Monday washday not being absolutely all the wash, but just the main wash. "Smalls" would be washed by hand each evening, as baby clothing often would be too. Much of it was woollen, which would not stand up to a boil wash in the copper anyway, and nappies (diapers) would need to be washed more frequently than once a week of course, though babies were "toilet trained" much younger in the past anyway to shorten the huge chore of keeping up with cloth nappy washing. As people would wear their clothes for multiple days - a woman may have only had a couple of day dresses and one good/church dress, there wasn't as much to wash in the main wash anyway with regards to clothing, but that would certainly have been made up for by the heavy job of washing sheets etc by hand! Regarding daily home milk deliveries, they were still going in Canberra in 2006/2007 the last time we lived there (or in Duntroon at least) and I loved it so much. Of course it wasn't the glass milk bottles, and it was an evening delivery rather than a morning one, but my children and I loved it so much and missed it when we moved away!

Janet W I really loved your Christmas letter to GDonna, it was so interesting to read what you've been up to and made me feel I was really in 1941 reading your news!

Lynne J keep an eye out for hankies at opshops. They take ages to get nice and soft if you buy new, but if you buy second hand then put them through a boil wash to sanitise, someone else has already worn them in and they're as soft as anything! Regarding food storage in the refrigerator, I believe blocks of cheese were often wrapped in used butter papers that were tied on with string. Ham is traditionally kept wrapped in a linen kitchen towel that is rinsed each day in cold water with a good glug of vinegar, this not only keeps the towel fresh, but stops the ham from drying out. I do that with my Christmas ham each year and it stays fresh for weeks. Many things can just be stored in the fridge in a bowl with a plate on top to cover it. In the produce drawers, things keep fine unwrapped, but just don't stay fresh as long. Perhaps because people shopped more frequently, their food was fresher anyway?

Melanie D I try to do grocery shopping once a week, but since we live walking distance to town, I often find myself popping to the shops in between to pick up something we've run out of unexpectedly rather than making do until next shopping day. It's a habit I'm trying to break, so as to help with my food budget though!

Sara D I love the Wartime Farm series so much. I love their other series too, but that is my favourite and I've rewatched it ever so many times. Perhaps it's time for another rerun of it for me! 

Regarding storing produce without containers ... in 1940s refrigerators were not frost free, so produce did not dry out.

Regarding goats and fencing ... best way we found was standard fencing with a hot wire on standoff inside the wire.  Train the goats to the hot wire by walking them over and putting their noses against the hot wire.  Goats are smart and will avoid the fence.  Just remember goats are smart and will know if the wire is not hot.  However, any animal that consistently gets out will teach bad habits to its friends so best is to get rid of that animal.  

I shop once a month to every two months.  We do not have a grocery store in town but do have a Dollar General and two gas stations with convenience items (mainly booze and junk foods) but also milk.  Bread is available at Dollar General although not dependable.  I buy and freeze bread when I do my once-a-month shopping.  

When I use an item from my pantry, I put that item on my shopping list, so I don't forget anything.  It is 30 miles to shopping but once I'm there within two blocks is an Aldi, HyVee, Target, Walmart, Dollar Tree, Hobby Lobby and other stores I never enter.  Fareway is on the way home, so a stop there is also easy. 

I garden and the produce is stored, pressure canned, dehydrated or frozen.  I have two pressure canners, water bath and all the jars and odds and ends needed for canning.  Last summer I really struggled keeping up with the garden so plan to reduce the size in 2026.  

I'd planned to start baking bread, but my oven quit working, and the repairman has not yet called me back.  I have stored wheat and a grain grinder.  I keep yeast in the freezer, so it stays good a long time.  

Arthritis in my hands means I can no longer knit or crochet.  I do still sew and mend.  I know super glue was not available in the 1940s, but super glue is my best fix-it friend.  The snap on my leather purse broke off 5 years ago and I superglued it back, it broke again 3 years ago, and I glued it again, and am still using it.  I purchased it for $3 at a thrift shop over 10 years ago.  I need appliances to do the work my hands can no longer manage so will not be getting rid of any.

When I started stocking my pantry, as time went along, I added personal supplies, OTC meds, household goods and sewing items.  I bought basic patterns when they went on sale for 99¢, thread, zippers, snaps, elastic etc. plus fabric so I can make clothing as needed.  Due to fabric costs I currently use thrift shops for most of my clothing.  My goal is comfortable not stylish so that works for me.  I've purchased a lot of fabric and sewing supplies at auctions, thrift shops and garage sales.  I found a bin of separating zippers to use in jackets, housecoats etc. for 15¢ at a thrift shop and bought a bunch.  Some of those zippers would cost nearly $10 today.  

When I was a child, we lived in a small town (500 pop.) and we did not have a car.  We walked everywhere.  I recall my mother pulling my sister and me in our wagon to town and then hauling groceries home in the wagon.  In the winter it was our sled.   

Near where I live there was a German Prisoner of War Camp.  My husband had worked with a man who worked there and also he had a farm.  Farmers could go over to the prison and get workers.  The only requirement was you had to feed the men.  The service men were not officers and most had been forced into service.  If they escaped where would they go.  Remember so many of the men from this area were fighting in the war so help was hard to get.  This is a very rural area now so back in the 1940's it was more so.  I am sure that the men that worked for farmers were just happy to get out of camp and get a good meal.  The man that my husband worked with exchanged letters for years.

I like books on the Homefront too.  I will see if I can find some that were mentioned here.  I have finished a Christmas book although not from the 1940's called "Skipping Christmas" by John Grisham.  This is not his typical lawyer story.  

My vision for my pantry is not to stock a certain amount of things so that I have enough for emergencies. It's for convenience and simple meals. I annually stock only basics, so I'd never fill up extra rooms. :)

I make risotto weekly. The pantry staples are rice, wine, and oil. We don't drink alcohol, I cook with it, so I buy a few bottles of wine once a year and I'm done with it. Oil I buy in tins, and it doesn't take up much space. A 15 or 25 pound sack of rice isn't as big as you might think, and you can stack 25 pound bags on top of each other to save space. The other ingredients are herbs and vegetables that I get from the garden and cheese that I buy from the store. 

All of my dry goods fit in my kitchen pantry or cupboards. I use large glass jars to store bulk items. I have one bushel basket full of sweet potatoes in a kitchen corner, but I rearranged my pantry this year to make sure everything else was out of sight. I have one cupboard that is dedicated to home canning. It's only half full so far. We're a small family so we don't need a lot. I have deep pantry shelves and things in the back used to be out of sight, out of mind! Now I know what each shelf holds all the way to the back, like oatmeal or rice or sugar. 

I find not having to buy things constantly a relief! Bulk items are often cheaper too. I don't have the money to buy all of my basics at once, and I mean basics like Little House on the Prairie basics, not commercially canned or packaged food (I don't really use those but can imagine they would take a lot of space if I tried to store a year's worth!), so I never run out of available food. I have an emergency supply not because I plan it that way, but because I still have to spread out my purchases. :)

Thank you for this post, Grandma Donna!

Yes! I am homesick for old-fashioned, simpler times. 

Right now I am reading through a book called Dec. 7th 1941, by Gordon W. Prange. It is very thorough, filled with eyewitness accounts, and as exciting as watching a movie. I was just beginning to read this when you switched to 1941, and it made reading the book more fun.

After seeing our family Christmas photo for this year, I am determined to eat less(like one of you mentioned above).

I agree with the other post about the pound cake- mixing by hand results in a more moist cake for sure. 

Our family has discovered a store we call "The Chef Store", by US Foods, I believe. It is similar to a Sam's Club type of store, but there is no membership fee, and the store is rather small, so it is not too overwhelming. We found that butter is only $2.22 per pound if you buy 36 pounds at a time(which we do!). Onions, cream cheese, and some other items are also a good price there.

Thanks for the reminder to can things like stew. If our family is ill all at once it would be wise to have canned stew or soup ready to just open and heat up.

Thank you for what you wrote about the need for good mothers, Ann. Such a good reminder for me. I am a stay-at-home mother, but sometimes I get focused on selfish things and the family is neglected. Thank you!

I've been laying in bed since last week too ill to do much other than read a book or look at my phone. I don't watch tv. Even eating has seemed like too much work. I'm praying I'm well by Christmas.  As it is I won't be able to do much of anything I'd planned for this week. 

So I'm here just thinking about how such a situation forces one to simplify. My brother said to me it'll be fine. Maybe we buy some things we'd normally make to eat or we do without. I have gifts that might now get delivered after Christmas.  My tree has lights but no decorations. My grandson & I were going to decorate together. 

My house is a disaster. I realize I have too much stuff. It doesn't get done/maintained if I'm not available. Piles appear. Which means I need to really pare down so in the future if I'm sick or otherwise unavailable the house doesn't go to pieces. 

My grandmothers had family around who could help out if they were ill or away for some reason. While I do have some family here none are the sort to come by and help out. That just doesn't seem to be the culture any more. I think people just have too much going on that they don't have time for one more thing like giving you a hand.

I was remembering that when I was a kid we certainly had a lot more stuff than I saw at my grandparents but not anywhere what we have now. And as I remember we were never bored and found plenty to do. 

margaret p, I hope you are fully recovered very soon. If you have realised that you have too much stuff, and it's getting you down, please know that you're not alone!

May the approaching new year represent an opportunity for a fresh start,  if that's what you'd like.

Wishing you good health and peace!

thank you Kellie

The Pastor's sermon this morning made me think of our thoughts here.  The topic was Slowing Down.  I'll share some of the scripture references if anyone wants to look at them.  Psalms 39:6, Luke 12: 34, Mark 4:18-19.  He spoke about accumulating "stuff" said while "stuff" is not inherently bad we need to ask ourselves do we own "stuff" or does it own us, does it rob us of time, are we disappointed by lack of "stuff", anxious due to wanting "stuff" or because of owning to much "stuff.  Do we put "stuff" in place of trusting God?  Key point was simple is better.

I think margaret p is absolutely right about it not being the culture to help anymore, and it's because people are too busy. But we all need help! If we're going to live lives like the past, then help has to be part of that, both giving and receiving. People in the past understood this. It's up to us to show people how to do it, by both offering to help and asking for help. No one wants to ask for help because it makes us feel like a burden or a failure, but if we're going to teach others, I think we have to be brave enough to ask. We can help others understand that giving and receiving help is an ordinary thing! 

margaret p -- I hope you feel better soon, and I admire your courage for wanting to make changes. :)