To actually live like 1944 and live in 2018 is quite a challenge but since we have already lived like 1943 a few years ago we have an idea of how it goes but we mostly focused on rationing and now we know things to improve.
First off rationing is a big deal so we had to figure out a way to work it all out. We made different kind of ration stamps since we cannot go to the grocery and have the grocer to tear out and keep our stamps. Since we are not really living in 1944 we have a home version so we can cross out the stamps as we use them.
We are in the middle of organizing our pantry and purchased stickers to put on the rationed items in our pantry. Basically our pantry is our 1944 store. Just because the food is in the pantry does not mean we can use it.
When the united states started rationing during ww2 people had to inventory their supplies and declare the goods they had. They turned in that information and that determined how many stamps they would get. When they used up their goods they would go before the ration board and get their stamps. They could not purchase food without the ration stamp points so it did not have anything to do with money, no one could buy rationed food without the stamps. Each stamp had a point number. 8, 5 2 1 which equals 16 points.
Certain things required certain point numbers and no one could buy rationed items without those points. Our ration points will be increasing by 2 points this year so we will change to 10, 5, 2 and 1 as soon as we use up our X, Y and Z Brown stamps. Then they both change colors and points.
Green will change to Blue and Brown will change to Red. The point numbers will be 10, 5, 2 and 1 and the letters will be A, B, C etc. For instance one pound can of beans is 2 points and one can of salmon is 16 points. Looks like we will not be eating much canned salmon. We only get 16 points each for canned goods and 16 points for meats and fats which include butter. Right now 1 pound of ground beef is 6 points and 1 pound of margarine (not butter) is 6 points. Raisins are 4 points if there is not a shortage. Much of the dried fruits are going to the fighting troops.
We have a list of food verses how many ration points it takes to say purchase a can of beans or meat and this changes because they raise and lower as food supplies change.
Then each stamp also has a letter. The stamp letters were released at certain times and expired at certain times. They overlap each other at times as well.
I will briefly go over this and then do another schedule.
It took quite awhile for us to understand the ration stamps....
We have to read the paper and be very wise about our meals and goods we use.
I cannot get a close up enough for you to see the entire guide so I will have to explain it in sections. I will try to enlarge this in sections to show you a full ration schedule and I will post it.
Right now on January 2 we are using the brown ration stamp book for Meats and Fats. L, M, N, P and Q now through Saturday. R can be used Now through Jan 29, S can be used starting Next Sunday Through January 29. A spare stamp can be used occasionally but it is not up to us when we can use it but when they will accept it because of supply. There is a serious war going on and the fighting troops and Allies need the food.
We don't want to use all these stamps such as the ones that expire not until January 29th because then we won't have any stamps or points to purchase any more groceries.
So our canned goods green book 4 shows us we have D, E and F from now through January 20th. G, H and J is Saturday until February 20th.
Some of these stamps were issued in December so we may not have a lot of stamps left.
We have to estimate since we just started our 1944 rationing. It will sync itself as we go along.
So in the meantime we are trying to work through all of this uncertain start as we are learning our way. It is taking me a bit longer to do things because we are actually living it and blogging about it and it is darn cold right now (18 degrees) this morning where we live. That might not sound cold to you but where we live we do not get this kind of cold very often and we are not used to it. Arthur Itis came for a visit with the cold weather so I am moving a little slower.
My Grandmother clipped newspapers for many many years and had stacks of clippings. She would clip them and paste them on large sheets of paper. There was little space between clippings. This drawer if full of those clippings.
Now I work on clippings but for a different reason.
I have been working on filling large ring binders with information about 1944 so I can share articles with you, recipes and happenings in the news. There are projects to be done and I will let you in on them as well so if you want to do some you can.
Charles is helping too, he is reading and studying because there is so much to know about. He has set up our budget while I have been researching and we have three journals to keep up. We have been keeping journals for several years now and one of the journals is every single thing we spend money on. When we go to the store and purchase groceries it is recorded but not just the total, it is what each item is and what it cost. Charles has put a lot of time getting our journals started for this new year.
We are taking this project serious so we are both doing our part. Yes our oatmeal was getting cold and besides that I was suppose to make oatmeal early morning and here in this picture it is nearing lunch but we both had so much paperwork and studying we couldn't stop.
We actually ate some beef today but we made enough for several days. Instead of canned tomatoes we added pimentos. This was an experiment that turned out good. Charles is actually the one that came up with this. I will be posting recipes soon.
Some of these recipes are quite interesting. People were having to make do and since meat was rationed pretty heavily they could go fishing and eat the fish they caught. Also fresh fish at the store was not rationed. You have to remember the year we are talking about and what grocery stores looked like during that time. They were not like the stores today and did not have the variety we had. There are many recipes in the paper that would never be in a cookbook.
I have clippings about most anything now. Furnishings, hairstyles, shortage on shoes, tires. Movies, recipes, dresses and most anything that was going on during that time.
And by the way permanents were very popular during 1944. I know my mother would get her hair permed and getting a permanent was something women did for many years later.
So I will stop here so I can organize for a post on something very special I want to share with you as soon as I can get it together.
I hope that those of you that are freezing cold and below freezing cold right now are keeping warm. I wonder what people in 1944 would be doing since fuel was being rationed?
Grandma Donna
