16 October 1955 “Suspenseful Film with Robert Mitchum, Modern Magazines vs. Vintage”

The film, Night of the Hunter, came out 29 September this year. It was based on the book of the same name and was based on a true account.

I had spoken briefly about how modern movies tend to be more about the gore and no imagination is used, just gratuitous shots of people being cut up. This movie was a thriller and film noir. It is very scary to me even today. It used camera angles, dialogue and music to make the suspense and I am sure was shot for what was considered nothing today. If you would like to see it, the movie in its entirety is on youtube HERE.

I recently received another package in the mail that I was excited about. I periodically will find a batch of 1950’s magazines at a good price and when they arrive boxed up at my post, I am like a kid, rushing to get home to tear it open. Then, however, I begin to savor it. I make a pot of tea, perhaps grab a little snack and settle into my favorite corner and begin the perusal.

I noticed again this time that these magazines, compared to modern women’s magazines, are so full of useful information. For example my Better Homes and Gardens is PACKED full of recipes and real articles that speak to a homemaker to help her along the way. Today, such magazines are merely giant adds. I was sad to see that Better Homes and Gardens now is just that: a giant ad. It is filled with pages of how your home ‘can look’ and guess what? You can copy it down to a tee, all you have to do is go to Wal-Mart and buy all the items they used to decorate the rooms in the magazine’s pages. For anyone with an ounce of brainpower, and we know we homemakers are not idiots, can see that this is merely a ad disguised as a magazine. It made me furious to know this! ( A homemaker can get her dander up!)

How low and how deep into our lives will they go to sell us things! I have even noticed many blogs are starting to have an odd cadence about this product and that with links to the products page. Have they even begin to throw pennies at us to invade our own personal journal/blog space? Is there no decency? Are we truly are nothing but walking consumers?

In my vintage magazines there are plenty of ads, don’t get me wrong, but they are not disguised as stories or features in the magazines. That sort of subtle manipulation, to me, borders on evil. And if you have a fine product, then by all means advertise it and we may want to buy it. When we are brainwashed and lead into a world where everything we do is proceeded by trips to large chain stairs to get it done, that is very scary to me. But, I digress, no tirade today.

So, both as an example of this and to also share just a small portion of the rich and varied information found in my vintage magazines, here are some of the items in just one of my ‘new’ better homes and gardens from 1950s:

I love this article as it accepts that fact that the homemaker and her family can have the skills to remodel their own home. They do not have to always rely on outside expensive help. This article was printed so you could cut it out and remove the holes and place it either in your own binder or that of the better homes and gardens home remodeling book. SO, there is a tie in with advertising, but it gives you information and the ability to choose rather or not you want to purchase the book, even if you don’t here is some great information. That advertising somehow seems more honest to me.

These should be printable at a readable size if you want to print and keep them in your own home-manual book. I was thinking that might be a fun project we could do for one of our “T0-doing” weeks. We could make a three ring binder to start collecting up ideas that we can share for running our homes. Our own hand-made Homemakers manual! We could decorate the covers an such as we please. Again, if I can master this website building and can get my site up, that would be a great thing to share, we could upload pics of our own versions of our homemade Homemakers Manuals, fun fun fun, Gals!

This next bit is also from the same issue and suggests you cut it out and place in your Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. Again, they are using advertising here (and really mid 1950’s this is really starting) to show how nice it would be to have the cookbook, yet here are recipes for free and you can choose to use just these.

The feathery fudge cake is actually already in my old addition of Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, so it must be a later addition. This is my ‘go-to’ cake when I know I need to make something for someone and I want to make sure it turns out moist and wonderful. Those potato dishes look scrumptious, don’t they?

Now, I have had many people request old child care tips and things. Again, I have no children and therefore would never, myself, give advice, but every so often I come along some interesting articles. This article was from the same issue of Better Homes and Gardens as the above. I think it very interesting that posture is addressed as import to a child. Really, posture does affect our growth and certain health issues later in life. I am afraid that many modern children spend ALOT of time hunched up in front of computers, video games and TV. I don’t know if they even address posture in school anymore. I don’t even recall it back in the late 70’s early 80’s when I was young.

Those of you with children, is posture ever discussed? Is it part of modern child-rearing or do you know if it is addressed in schools?

I have to make another new foray in the kitchen in the making of pickles. I have often wanted to try this and Gussie (who works on a local farm) was kind enough to come home with a lovely assortment for me. So, I am going to begin sorting through my recipes and see what I can come up with. I will share results and recipes, of course.

13 October 1955 “Thrift and Budgets and Free Entertainment, Oh My!”

First, let me say that I think starting next Monday might be good for our VICTORY WEEK. If others have already started, great, let’s hear your results. I think there was some confusion about when to begin and I now have an out of town guest, so would rather focus on it next week, I hope this is alright with everyone.
Now, kids, settle into your desks and no talking or note passing, it’s educational film time. So, take notes there WILL be a quiz afterwards!
I thought it important that we watch this little film on thrift.

First off, there is a lot in this little film. I like how right off the bat this movie has our modern world down pat:  Jack (the kid in the argyle sweater) orders the biggest fanciest thing on the menu, and I couldn’t help but think of Starbucks or any chain restaurant like Chili’s etc.
Next, we see the following budget illustrated for the family. It does not show what they earn, but I found out that an average American middle class family in 1948 earned around $3,058  which is around 25,000 in modern money.  (that is according to an historical census bureau report for Median income of that year for a family with a non working wife.) When I add up this family’s  itemized budget (and we assume this allocating ALL of this family’s weekly amounts in the budget) that  this family is earning around 3,848.00 a year, so they are right in the middle and equivalent to today’s earnings of 35,000.  So really, that is an average lower-middle class income today as well, so to see what they allocate a week  SHOULD be comparable to today.
Food                                                        18.00
Household                                            20.00
Clothing                                                    8.00
Recreation                                               3.00
Family Welfare                                       5.00
Transportation                                       4.00
Benevolences                                          3.00
Savings                                                       5.00
Allowances                                               
     Father                                                      3.00
     Mother                                                     3.00
      Jack                                                          2.00

So translated for today, a family earning 35,000 a year should be able to use the following budget.
Food                                                         160.00
Household                                              180.00
Clothing                                                     70.00
Recreation                                                25.00
Family Welfare                                        45.00
Transportation                                        36.00
Benevolences                                           25.00
Savings                                                        45.00
Allowances
     Father                                                     28.00
     Mother                                                    28.oo
     Jack                                                          18.00
So, now with my inflation calculator I can translate this into today’s dollars and we can compare with our own budgets. Some of the numbers surprised me, but then I began to look at taxation in 1948 compared to today. It was rather interesting. Again, me a simple little homemaker who has to use a budget begins to wonder, where DOES all of our money go? I think once  such women would be involved in local government in hosting campaign meetings and having their voice heard for local and national politics.
I found this information concerning taxation in 1948 compared to today (2009) rather interesting.
In 1948 the average family of four sent just two cents of every dollar they earned to the federal government for taxes. Today a family of four sends Uncle Sam 25 cents out of every dollar earned. But that’s not where the tax bite stops. State and local taxes, sales tax, value added taxes, utility taxes, gasoline taxes, medical taxes and deductions, property taxes, telephone taxes—the list goes on and on.
The average worker in this country works until May 6 each year to pay off his federal tax, until May 23 to pay the taxes levied by Congress, and until July 3 to pay all federal, state, and local taxes. This means the average wage earner works more than six months of every year for the government before he can keep the first nickel of his personal income for his own use.
Of a family meal at a local restaurant that costs you $40, fully $11 of the tab goes for taxes of some kind. Federal tax, payroll tax, state tax, sales and use tax, unemployment insurance tax, property tax, business license tax and fees, telephone, utility, liquor and excise taxes, and more. But if the impact of so much taxation is hard on local businesses, it’s even harder on the families paying the bills.
In 1948 the $600 per child tax credit was equal to 42 percent of the average wage-earner’s per capita income. If that exemption had been adjusted for the rise in income over the years, it would now be worth more than $9,000 per child (42 percent of average per capita income). But the deduction, as a percentage of per capita income, has dropped precipitously from 42 percent in 1948 to less than 12 percent today.

Now, in the film we see Jack’s  ‘entertainment’ budget would be equal to today’s money $8.00. A child could not even see a movie for $8.00 today, which is ridiculous. It makes me want to say to big American films:” Yes, please spend millions on special affects and overpaid actors so we can use up our small money to watch you do it for two hours in a dark movie theatre! “
When I see these things I realize we can’t just say, “Oh, things were cheaper back then”, because they all were not. And when they were cheaper it was because what was charged is realistic to what you get. The expectation was equal to the cost. Today, we think nothing of plunking down 20.00 at a movie for ourselves. Think about it: even if you earn above my states min wage (which is currently 8.25 an hour I believe) say you earn 9.00 an hour.  You would have had to work your job for over two hours just to sit and be entertained and eat overpriced food in the dark for two hours. Is it a fair trade? Does the relaxation of such an endeavor make up for what you could have saved and possibly not had to work as much the following year?
This point is really driven home when next in this film we see Jack notice an advert for a local dance at the cost of $1.00. He realizes that is exactly his weeks entertainment budget, but he also wants to see a movie. So, he has to DECIDE which to choose. Today we would say, “Oh, go do both, you DESERVE it, you need a break, a chance to unwind after all your hard work”. That seems to be the biggest lure to our current spending habits. The idea that we DESERVE something when we can’t have it. What  this really means is we simply spend what we don’t have to feed a growing economy that doesn’t care about us, but the money in our pocket, so they trick us into thinking how much we DESERVE to spend our money on their entertainment, items, food, etc. And with credit cards and even Debit cards, its easy to overspend! Banks also want you to do overspend, because they make most of their money from fees.
Such a simple act as saying, “I have this much, so maybe choose one thing and save the rest” is not that grand of a concept, but boy do we not seem to get that as a nation! Even our own countries budget is an example of this type of living.
When the voice over in the movie exclaims, “Well, you can’t have everything you want” I almost laughed. So much of today’s advertising is about, “Having it all”. Even the lure of the big box stores is that you DESERVE to have it all, so buy it here, it’s cheaper. How about not buying it unless you need it or really want it.
I think we have become a nation of people who don’t even KNOW what we want anymore. We are so defined by our spending that we just think it is a normal part of the function of our day, like breathing and eating, we must shop. The joke saying that has been on everything from t-shirts to bumper stickers “I shop therefore I am” is so on point; so succinct to today’s culture.
When next in the film, Jack’s pen breaks he realizes he can just fix it and make do; there is another lost concept.  “Why bother,” says modern man, “ I’ll just go buy some new things, they are so cheap, right”? But, even if something is really cheap at Wal-Mart not buying it is still saving more than buying a replacement for it. Also, if it weren’t so cheaply made in the first place to make it so cheap, it would probably last longer!
When the narrator says, “Buying Cheap unsatisfactory products is NEVER thrifty” I had to laugh. Wow! That would never be said today. The very base of the big box stores is make it cheap so you can sell it cheap and it will break and you have to buy it more. I actually found out that at Home Depot they have the big name Tool manufacturers make a cheaper version of their tools so they can undersell the local hardware stores. The only thing, of course, is it will break faster than the local one made of better products, say metal where they would use plastic, and it would be easier to repair than the cheap one as well.
The more I realize how many layers of our current society is just built around the inability to not over spend or make a budget, the more I am baffled, especially when you see the answer is SO SIMPLE.
DON’T  SPEND MORE THAN YOU HAVE!
So simple, but we have been programmed, trained for many generations now that we must HAVE things to be happy. Our very self worth is tied up in our clothes and shoes and handbags, our cars and new TVs and computers and games and entertainment. But, the very root of it all, it seems to me we are really unhappy.  I know my 2008 self was COMPLETELY defined by my shopping and things. Was I happy? NO, and then when I began to do what we considered silly outdated degraded chores, I suddenly began to feel self-worth and happiness. I wonder why? Could it be that THINGS don’t make you happy? But, no one says it. Everything seems to be made to be more complicated than it actually is so we can’t just figure it our for ourselves. WE need more drugs to make us happy and more things! It’s too hard to just economize and save!
But, is it? Can’t we do without some things so when we do give ourselves the treat, like Jack and the ‘big game tickets’, it feels more special and fun?!
So, what can we do? I mean how do we stop it? I guess really, we just have to take our individual personal responsibilities to heart and look at our spending and our happiness ratio. I know we are just a small band of Apron Revolutionaries, but I think if we start in our own backyards, in our own personal budgets and work out, maybe we can make a difference.
So, how do your own family budgets compare? I am going to go over mine again and see. According to this, if you were a 35,000 a year family now you would be saving $180.00 a month from your paycheck and your HOUSEHOLD (which I am assuming is your mortgage, electric, phone etc) would only be $720.0 a month! Consider that with today’s over inflated real estate prices  in addition to the cable bill and the internet bill etc. plus the higher percentage of taxes paid out, it is a wonder that we can survive. Yet, what do we all do? SPEND.
I mean, when you look at these budgets we should have very little to spend on, yet we have new TVs and computers and phones multiple times a year! We spend on cars what a home would have cost. But, having never really been taught to LOOK at the budget and to SAVE, we just buy into it and end up in debt and then we need to save pennies after all our luxury goods so we go back to the big box stores and feed right back into the very problem we have made for ourselves. We don’t need a place to buy a flat screen TV for LESS we just don’t NEED to buy a flat screen tv or a new car until the SAVINGS comes first! I can’t tell you how eye opening this little movie was for me.
So, we may not be able to affect the insane amount of tax we currently pay (which I would not even be angry about if it were allocated for the benefit of all Americans, like Healthcare and education instead of an insane welfare system that only keeps people in the system) but we can affect our own spending. I am going to sit down and go over my budget again and get it right down to the penny. Then, it will actually be EASY. I will know I can only spend an exact amount each week for my entertainment and if something comes up, then I will decide what is more important that week, a little less savings or the item or show or maybe, I could find a cheaper or free form of entertainment. So much of our modern entertainment costs money. What entertainment could we think of this week that is low or now cost? Cards, Sewing/knitting bee, coffee and sweets at home instead of Starbucks with friends? Let’s hear it ladies, free entertainment ideas and I want to know how this 1948 budget fits with your own families? Let’s talk about this, I am curious about budgets and spending and modern entertainment money being spent.

11 October 1955 “News, Recipes, VICTORY WEEK, and a Question”

I have had company for the past few days, so do please excuse the fewer posts.

I have been a bit lax in news as well, so here we go:

The actor James Dean died on 30 September 1955,  when his Porsche 550 Spyder collides with another automobile at a highway junction near Cholame, California. He's 24 years old.

Though he only really has three major films to his name ( the final movie The Giant, with Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson, was released posthumously in 1956) his death while young, rebellious in a fast car, along with his film “Rebel without a Cause” cemented his iconography.

To me this really represents what is coming ahead: The youth culture of ‘live fast and leave a beautiful corpse’. The idea of teenagers needing a world away from the rules of the adults. What is scary to me is, now they have that world! Those baby boomers ARE the adults and though there are exceptions to the rule, they often seem to me to want to all be James Dean. Even politicians seem to have the attitude of  “I do want I want without care or responsibility” and sometimes it sends a chill down my spine. But, none the less, the idea of the rebel is born.

What surprises me is so many girls look for the rebel as date material despite their very attitude of self before anyone, moody uncontrollable passions, and really lazy attitudes are the exact opposite to real long term happiness in a relationship.  The very idea that your image and how you are living in terms of perception of ‘cool’ to other people seems to me, now, to be the very cause of so much sadness and misunderstanding in how the real ADULT world really works. Here we have youth living happily in a world their parents struggled to make safe and calm and happy after what they had gone through with the war and everything, but maybe it was too nice. The teens, their children, found the reliability and constancy of warm homemade meals, rules and a clean orderly home stifling, but that is only because they took it for granted. Just think how many young children today would benefit from a parent at home, homemade meals, and the lesson of consequence for action and it doesn’t matter how you look to other people, but what you actually do and how you treat your neighbor is more important. Why does everyone have to be cool? Here is a clip of the argument in the movie with James explaining why he ‘had to do it’ because they called him “chicken”.

Now, obviously James Dean was a good actor, but this role, this niche of the misunderstood teen against the world, really was needed at this time. The sad part is how much it has become a blueprint for the world today. There are reality shows dedicated to people who need to ‘look cool and act how they want without regard to peoples feelings’ etc.

There has to somehow be a happy medium of self-worth, responsibility and equilibrium. It seems today EVERYONE is rebelling, but against what? All the walls and norms have been broken down. In some way I feel like we, the Apron Revolutionaries, are the real real modern day Rebels. When the norm in public is herds of people (teens and adults) tattooed and cool in their jeans and attitude, hip to the core, I feel like when I stroll in with my petticoat and hat and heels, I’m the real rebel, and believe you me sometimes I get the looks the old leather clad youths probably got.

On 3 October 1955, The Mickey Mouse Club premiers. Now, as some of you may know, I have many qualms with Disney. I feel in some way, the company has taken the free open world of imagination and old fairy tales and slapped a price tag on them. They are behind the ridiculous extended 100 year copyright laws in this country, which is ironic, since they are trying to protect stories that they themselves, ‘stole’, which is the old fairy tales, but I digress. This show seems rather sweet.

I can’t get over again the difference between this dance routine and the modern day cheerleaders. One of my hubby’s work associates told him they had gone to a local school show and the 9 and 10 year old ‘dance’ troupe basically did really sexy moves to a Hip Hop song. He, himself only early 30’s, was appalled. I think we do need some innocence back. I don’t understand if why we now have sexual freedom we need to be so focused on it? There are other parts to being a human being than sex and if we are liberated, why go on and on by displaying it? We should now be able to focus on other elements of life, right?

This shows another example of today people caring more about ‘how they appear to others’. If these boys today, clean and groomed in a suit and bowtie showed up, they would get teased. Yet, people are always talking about how conformist the 1950’s were, but how many of the masses of people, including adults, are fixated on how cool they are and how they appear to strangers at the mall and other functions? Just something to think about.

I was amazed by this video that aired this year (1955) on the Mickey Mouse Club.

What a novel idea! Instead of over charging students for education and making it a corporate business, they teach the kids how to both learn and to be responsible with actual physical work in exchange for mental! I wonder if this still exists today. What a great opportunity for those who could not afford an education and still understand the actual physical labor involved in how the world works. What do you think of this? I have a feeling if this was offered today we would have to listen to people say it was SOCIALISM, even though what is more socialism than the government bailing out the poorly run banks and financial institutions? Really, this is the industry of fair trade for work and education. Does anyone know if this college still exists?

Today, 11 October, the new innovation in Film of 70-mm film is introduced with Rodgers and Hammerstein's masterpiece, Oklahoma!

Another aspect I have noticed from the 1950’s to the present is the Horror movie. Really the scary horror film was born in the 1950’s and really for a kids audience. Youths on Saturdays would go see double features of ‘Creature” films etc. Today, the horror film baffles me. The series called SAW which I have not seen but know of seems to be a series of senseless violence and,well, horror. Certainly, I don’t want there to be limits on what is made, but I do want us to look at WHY we do make the movies we make. What is the result in our own society that such movies are so popular? Maybe peoples everyday life of endless work in mindless jobs and easy entertainment at every turn, the tv, the computer music everywhere, we hardly feel anything. So, to really get our attention, to make us FEEL anything,  we need to see bodies dismembered and destroyed. Again, if we use our brains and knowledge to dissect the world around us, we can enjoy ourselves, but also understand WHY we enjoy certain things and decide, is that really entertaining?

Now, for the kitchen:

Yesterday Gussie, who works on a local farm with the animals, brought home a wonderful surprise: Bags of veggies. Amongst these were a few heads of cabbage. So, I took out the ole’ cookbooks and found so many ways to use this wonderful vegetable.

I was sad to have to leave mine at the other house as we have rented it, but I am already going to plan a good amount of this wonderful vegetable for my garden next spring. It seems to keep really, well, likes growing in the cool weather and can be preserved rather easily.

The recipe I tried last night was Braised Red Cabbage and Apples. Though our cabbage was not Red, it was so good. Hubby adored it and my head began to swim with all the new ways I could cook and use this wonderful veg. I am sure many of you already cook with cabbage, but for me it is a new introduction to my increasing repertoire of food preparation. Here is the recipe:

Braised Red Cabbage and Apples

Caramelized chopped onion gives this dish its special flavor. IF you like, season more highly with nutmeg and cayenne or with allspice and clove (I actually added a little Tabasco sauce and it was lovely)

4 Tablespoons bacon fat or fat salt pork

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 small onion, chopped

4 cups shredded cabbage

2 tart apples, sliced

3 Tablespoons mild vinegar

1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds

Salt and Pepper

Water, stock , or red wine

Melt fat, add sugar, and stir until golden brown. Add onion and cook slowly until golden yellow. Add cabbage, apples, vinegar, and seasonings. Cook slowly until very tender. Add a little water, stock or wine as necessary to keep from sticking. Serves 4 to 6.

Now, I used butter instead of bacon fat, only because I was out of bacon, and believe me I WILL use the fat next time, but the butter was really nice as well. After making this dish, and it was so good, I found this footnote to the recipe:

Braised White cabbage Use 1/4 sugar and only 1 tablespoon vinegar.

That is what I should have done, as I used white cabbage, but honestly, I found it sweet enough and I love vinegar. I also used apple cider vinegar which is a little sweeter. Another thing I noticed was this said it would serve 4 to 6, my hubby and I ate the whole dish full last night at dinner! Another example of modern portions and amounts.

Speaking of this, I am getting ready for my marketing tomorrow which will be for our VICTORY WEEK. I am not sure who is joining me, but the shopping list is in one of my previous blogs, so print it out or write it down and lets make a weeklong move towards Victory over waste, consumption and to better health! I am curious to see how it will end up. We can be thankful it is just a week and not years and years as the UK had it during the war.

I am going to try this recipe tonight with more of our cabbage. (this could be a good one for VICTORY WEEK as well, as it uses very little and you could probably cut down to one egg yolk or use the whites for another dinner and the yolks for this, thus stretching your eggs out.)

Hot Slaw

1/2 cabbage

2 egg yolks, slightly beaten

1/4 cup cold water

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup hot vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt.

Shred cabbage. Mix egg yolks, cold water, butter, vinegar, and salt. Cook over hot water, stirring constantly, until thick. Add cabbage. Reheat. Serves 4.

In my last post, one of my faithful followers Zebu posed the following question:

I agree that two-income families can definitely cut back! What do those of you who work say about your husbands? Would they go along with this cutting way back so that you could stay home? Would they WANT you to be able to stay home?

I am also interested in this. How many of you, who are not already single incomers, would like to be? Would your spouse go for it or be open to the discussion. How do you think your family and friends would react or treat you?

Well, until tomorrow and onto VICTORY WEEK!

7 October 1955 “A trip to NYC 1955, 21st.century Cheering, and Meat Buying”

 

I found this 25 minute video of two young college girls trip to NYC. It is interesting for the fashion and other things. I love how everyone wears gloves and hats and the main blonde girl has the most darling summer mesh gloves. This was obviously done by and for TWA, but interesting culturally anyway.

There is a bit when the girls see a parade and there are some girls in a ‘drill team’. To see their simple movements and long dresses seems so sweet and amateur compared to a cheer or drill squad today. What struck me, and again I am not a prude, is how over sexualized this type of thing is today.

So, as an example of the comparison of what the girls did in the parade in 1955 to today at a High School Cheer Squad.

I cannot believe how much like a strip club these moves are. I am not sure why it has become popular to have young girls be over sexualized. You would think that with sexual freedom one could stop focusing on it altogether, as ‘what is the big deal’. I just keep thinking if I were a parent and this was my daughter, would I feel pride? And for the girls themselves, rather than it being just fun for them, it is again about being sexy and ‘ready’ for boys. Women’s liberation here seems displayed in a way that is more about men ogling you as an object than any personal freedoms or fun. But, that is just my opinion. Maybe I am a prude.

Oh, I promised I would include the video on the return of nylon/stockings. It is sweet and I like the bit about Dior at the end. This is part of a film about post war world that Bob Hope Narrates.

Well, since we are planning on trying our VICTORY WEEK for next week, I have already noticed my own baking and cooking more this week. I like this, as well, because it makes me have more ‘realistic’ moments. I mean, I have not even started VICTORY WEEK yet and I am already noticing things about the amount of food I have compared to what I would have had during the war. For example, I used my entire weeks ration of butter yesterday to make a batch of cookies as well as a considerable amount of my sugar and flour.

I think what will make the VICTORY WEEK such a good test for me is that I can really feel, after it, how lucky I am to have so much available. It will also allow me to remember what it was to not have so much and to then not want to waste.

I have already, this year,  found myself using more of what I would have considered garbage or throwaway last year. Yet, there is always more realizations and more learning. For example, this morning at breakfast hubby and I had grapefruit. When we were done with it I realized I would not (were I lucky enough to have a citrus fruit) throw out that rind! I’d save it and use it to make marmalade. So VICTORY WEEK is going to be a good learning curve for me and this project.

I think if we can, we modern homemakers, not feel we have to ‘punish’ ourselves by using less, but to try and use much less to see how much we do have. The comparison will be good for us and help us to realize where we stand with food and that, yes, we can use less, consume less, spend less and be healthier and less wasteful.  All of this would make it easier to shop local, where it might be a little more than a chain, and still save.

I bet there are many two family incomers out there that could really cut back their food use/budget and maybe some thinks like expensive coffee drinks and allow one or both of them to work one or two days less a week. That would give more time to put into making your own and being less dependent and over time I bet they could become a one income family or two part time incomes. I honestly believe this! So, anyone out there wanting to try and become a single income family, these are the types of things we need to try. Unfortunately, just wishing it will be won’t make it happen, but to realize how much power you actually have in your own spending and abilities is a powerful tool to creating your life how you would like it to be! Apron Revolution, ladies!

Well, on the topic of food and food buying, I wanted to share this article on buying meat properly and not being duped by your butcher. It actually has some good info about meat that I didn’t know. Most of us just go to the local chain, never see the ‘butcher’ and just grab what is wrapped in Styrofoam and plastic. You can click on the image to make it larger and read the article.

Let me know what you think of the article and can we use the information today to shop wiser? I know you can talk and request things from the ‘butcher’ in a chain store. Our big Stop and Shop does have butchers, you just have to get their attention and then request things. I wonder how much their knowledge is diminished from the 1950s? Do they know or need to know as much about meat as a local shop owner or butcher?

I do not have all of my art things as yet unpacked, as they are awaiting me patiently in my future studio, but I did want to dash out a quick superhero. She will evolve and be better drawn in the future and might possibly be in a little comic strip now and again as the mood hits. I just had to draw the image of a homemaker with the apron as a cape and so thought I would share my little scribble with you.

 

4 October 1955 “Wartime Images: can they still be valid Now? Proposed Shopping List for VICTORY WEEK”

I thought since we are discussing rationing and our proposed “Victory Week” I would share some great wartime posters. What I found interesting about these, is really what they suggest are perfect for today’s world of faulty economy and need to conserve and be GREEN.

First off, this shows why rationing was a good idea and the fairness of the system during a time of shortage. I feel now as if this poster should be made to show the top A Wal-Mart large and ominous and little business being squeezed out and the bottom or resolution, a smaller wal-mart and other equal sized local business.

When food is scarce, it is serious business, and I think this poster says it all. However, today, though we have plenty, why do we feel the need to waste it? The amount of food thrown away is criminal, not only in our own homes, but in chains and other restaurants. This is true for clothing as well.This poster shows the horrors of it. When I see this and think of Old Navy and such stores today I want to cry. I worked for awhile when I was younger in a chain clothing store. We moved clothes so quickly from full priced to sales and then we had to destroy and throw them out when they didn’t sell in the alloted time. We could not save them and donate them, they literally had to be cut to shreds in the back room, stuffed in plastic bags and put into dumpsters. I know someone who works at J. Crew and at Forever 21 and all these chains do the same thing. Move in the product, mark it down in a week, second/third markdowns, then destroyed and tossed away. What does this say about our society? Sad.This could help us today as well. Even if you did buy a shirt for 5 dollars at old navy, you know what? if you mend it and not toss it out, or embellish it to give it a new look, you are still spending less money then buying more five dollar shirts! Maybe we could even do a ‘week of mending and no buying’ and see if we could dig out some clothes we don’t wear and see if we can repurpose them for ourselves so as not to buy any new and with any extra donate them.

  I think these two posters could be relevant today, perhaps not the Hitler imagery, but it drives the point home. Don’t waste when more than one person could ride with you. Save on gas, and wear and tear, so true today.Even the concept of ‘staying put’ for “Home Holidays” were popular due to the needs of the war. But, now in a recession time, why not make a local holiday? We always feel the need to get away and rush about and spend money. This poster is still very relevant, in fact we need to bring back more trains to ease the transportation burden away form the gas guzzling cars! Just in my own experience, having recently downsized to one car makes a world of difference. Now, when I have to go somewhere I really need to think about it and plan and not just ‘take off whenever’ and now my bike get’s used more!

  And, of course, the Victory Garden was serious business. It could literally stand between your family and starvation. The concept of giving up some of our lawn and flower garden space to actual food growing is ever important. I was happy to hear our new president, for the first time I think since Roosevelt the first, had a veg garden planted at the white house.

  Even a poster like this could be used to help us in our fight to build community. If we could make it feel as it we are NEEDED, from Father to little sister, then we could make a community. The kids could learn that besides video games, there is a way to work together to make a better place in which to live, so when they meet with their friends to play video games they will have made a change in the physical world as well. Balance. I think video games and computers are not going anywhere, which is fine, but all things need to be balanced and there is enough time and room in this world for video games AND building and making a community, don’t you think? And if we felt a need or a push, as a Nation, to make our local communities, it would take off. I am sad to say, however, that many media outlets (tv for sure) do not want this. IF we learn to get along and make do and men and grow our own food and also know our neighbors then we might ban together and open local shops and if we know mr. jenkins down the road, or Sally up the street and they have a shop we will support them and be treated kindly for our effort. Does anyone think this could ever be?

If we could make our own new ‘1950’s’ that would be our second chance to get it right. We would not be living in the past, but looking to the past to take the chance post war America started and then got lost somewhere in the late 1960’s.

This poster is a good hearld for our proposed ‘Victory Week’.

Now, for our Victory Week, I have been doing a little research. I was unable to find a typical American week of Rations for WWII, so if anyone has such a list, you could post it in the comments in this post.

What I did find, which is staggering, is a normal weeks ration for Britain during rationing. Vegetables were not rationed, but were nearly impossible to come by, so many grew and saved their own, thus the “Victory Garden”. Lawns and parks were given over to vegetables and farm animals were allowed in cities and small plots to aid in self-preservation.

Here is the list of what was allowed then.

Lard or Butter  4 oz. (that is only 1/2 a cup)

Sugar                  12oz.

Bacon                    4oz.

Eggs                        2  (this was supplemented with powdered    eggs, and of course many kept chickens at this time)

Meat                       6oz.

Tea                          2oz.

This was mind blowing for me and I am not going to recommend this, unless some people would like to try it. I would be willing to do it for a week if we wanted to try an actual WWII week. The above was for an entire week per person!  But, for this week, I think we could make a more manageable list for those of us who live in such a food rich world.

Here is my proposed weekly list, let me know if you think we should add or subtract etc. I think this list should be for two people as opposed to one and for every young child under 12 add 1/4 the amount and for every teen/adult extra add 1/2 the amount. No Chips or Candy bars (except chocolate exchange see below), Junk Food etc.

Bread    1 loaf  (purchased, you could choose to use your baking supplies to make the amount of bread you could for the week)

Meat       30 oz. (So basically that is 6 0z. of meat per day for 5 days and the other two days nothing, but divided how we see fit)

Butter/Lard  8 oz. (which is two sticks of 1/4 cup butter each, does this seem too much?)

oil   (corn, etc) 12 oz.

Bacon   1/2 package

Eggs         one dozen (unless you think we should make it less for more of a challenge? Although we would possibly have chickens)

Potatoes    5 lbs or about 14 full size (that is 2 per day used obviously how you want)

Milk              1/2 gallon

Canned fish/meat     2 cans

Canned Veg                 3 cans

Fruit (seasonal for your area) 5 pieces (ex five apples)

Snack    one bag of kernel popcorn

Fresh Veg  (seasonal for area) 5 pieces or exchange (ex 5 tomatoes or one bunch of carrots)

Flour   5lb. bag (this is an opportunity to make things with it, bread, desserts, gravies thicken soup etc)

Sugar 2 1/2 pounds (basically 1/2 of a 5 lb bag. Does this seem too much?)

Oatmeal (not sure size of smallest box, but that one)

Various baking ingredients you already have (baking powder etc if you don’t have then buy for the week in smallest size possible)

Chocolate    one sweet exchange  (this could be one normal sized candy bar or one 8 oz. bag of chocolate chips, make it one small item that you can either spread out, add to a dessert or hide in the closet and eat it behind hubbies back, whatever you choose but only ONE ladies)

Jam (what you have made or one 6oz jar)

Golden syrup (or you could use corn syrup) of Lyles Golden Syrup. I think 1/2 the can or 8 oz is more than a fair amount for the week for two. great in oatmeal or in cooking. Try some on that popcorn for a sweet treat. Those in the UK will know this product but it is not always available here in the U.S., but even my local Stop and Shop carries it and I use it. Here is what it looks like)

So, Meat with bones is always a good idea, as you can save the bone to boil for soup stock. I think there will be no ‘throw away leftovers’ as anything can be saved and added to next meal.

Here are a couple of authentic wartime recipes from Marguerite Patten, who was Britain’s authority on cooking. (Really the first celebrity chef, of course there was Mrs. Beeton before her) Here she is in the 1950’s.

Woolton Pie

Ingredients:

1 lb each of diced potatoes, cauliflower, swedes and carrots;

Three or four spring onions;

One teaspoonful of vegetable extract;

1 oz of oatmeal or rolled oats.

Method:

Dice and cook the potatoes, cauliflower, swedes and carrots in boiling salted water.

Strain, but keep three-quarters of a pint of the vegetable water.

Arrange the vegetables in a large pie dish or casserole. Add the vegetable extract and the rolled oats or oatmeal to the vegetable liquid. Cook until thickened and pour over the vegetables.

Add three or four chopped spring onions.

 

EGGLESS SPONGE

Ingredients:

6 oz self-raising flour with one level teaspoon of baking powder, or 6 oz plain flour with three level teaspoons of baking powder

2.5 oz margarine

2 oz sugar

1 level tablespoon golden syrup

A quarter of a pint of milk, or milk and water

Jam for filling

Method:

Sift the flour and baking powder. Cream the margarine, sugar and golden syrup until soft and light, add a little flour, then a little liquid.

Continue like this until it is a smooth mixture. Grease and flour two 7in sandwich tins and divide the mixture between the two. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until firm to touch, just above the centre of a moderately hot oven.

Turn out and sandwich with jam.

This is a great modern quote from Marguerite for cooking in today’s recession

“"The first lesson is: don't be defeated. Sit there as if you are planning a campaign. Have a look at what clever things you can do with the cheaper cuts of meat or offal. What about hearts? Have you had them? No? Well, that's because you're a modern person. But they're delicious. Stuff them with sage and onion and cook them very slowly so that they melt in your mouth. What about tender, young lamb's kidneys? Mmmmm. Wonderful!"

So, use that as a guide. I love Beef Liver and Kidneys and they are always inexpensive, as is the heart. Great sources of iron as well!

So, Let’s today in comments talk about my proposed weekly list. What am I missing? Should I reduce some things, increase? Let me know and we can revise and make it a set list. Then we can decide to start tomorrow, Monday, if you wish or we could put it off until the following week. Let me know. Let’s get to our VICTORY WEEK!

3 October 1955 “Buy More Pay Less or Pay More Buy Less, a Proposed Project of Rationing”

We are so used to the phrase “Buy more Pay less” that we forget it has led to our “society of entitlement”. We feel we DESERVE to get a bargain on everything which then forces us to not shop locally and force out small business and ultimately ruin our communities.

This image shows people waiting in a rationing line. What is odd, is I often see this in stores today, but people lined up to buy more and more of what they don’t need! I remember when the local IKEA opened, I fell into it as well. I remember standing in this long line just waiting to give up my money for things I honestly did not need. When I think of that now it almost sends a shiver down my spine. I really feel now brainwashed by the consumer culture.

I wonder if these ideas of the wartime economy may someday be our solution to our planet and pocketbook woes?  It would seem the idea of people coming together to solve a problem as a nation is a good solution. It makes us all feel part of it. Unfortunately, those making the money from our overspending don’t want us to believe it is happening so they lie to us and use poor imagery of anti-American ways to fear us into ignoring it. And keep us from coming together by the lazy ways of staying home with tv and computers, who could ever come together as a community and try to change when we are so lulled. When, really, how un-American is it to be ruled by a dictator of consumerism and fall prey to the propaganda TV stations that perpetuate the lies? But, I don’t want to go off on that tangent right now. I think we need to really think about that basic concept of buying more paying less or buying less and paying more (which supports our local business and helps us to economize and be healthy)

I sometimes think about rural central America and feel bad that they were once thriving little communities that sent their children off to school to have them return and make their part of the world better. The young people had dances and listened to the radio and played games. There was community. Now I think of these places as sad dustbowls where the downtown is gone and empty, just outside of town is the Wal-Mart and various fast food places. The teens are ‘bored’ and doing drugs and overdrinking and can’t wait to leave or if they don’t leave, they stay in all the time on the computer or video games. How have we become this?

I am sure there are women today who were homemakers in the 1950s that are so glad to have so many things so cheap,  and to use kleenex and paper towels, but in a way, they really can’t understand where we have come and in some way, let them have it. But, for those of us who are young enough that we are making the country still and preparing new adults for the future, we have to somehow stop the idea that we need to buy more and more and it had better be cheap!

I am always amazed and appalled at the way people in lines at stores will treat the help and with their own feeling of entitlement. If  someone is trying to return something beyond the stores policy or they don’t have their receipt, they go crazy and DEMAND that they get what they want! It is not the help’s fault the person made the wrong choice, or didn’t keep or read the rules on the receipt. But, this feeling of “I want it now and I want it fast and you better treat me like a God” is such a horrible trait and path we seem to be treading down.

I remember my first day out in Paris when I was a young girl.  I was coming form the American stores that treat you, the consumer, as if you can do no wrong. Boy, that was a rude awakening! I actually felt anger and frustration, but the longer I was there I began to realize, “Why do I think I DESERVE to be treated like a queen and at the expense of the people who have to work there or the shop keepers who have to buy and stock the items?”  There should be no rudeness on either side and certainly the customer should not just walk in and expect everything to be just for them.

I see now that even back then we were being groomed to be the consumers that can only be happy at a store that can afford to stock and return without fear unlike a local store.

So, back to shopping locally.  We  go to the local chain and the meat and chips are are half of what they are at a local shop. So, we buy more, spend the same amount, overeat and have more to throw away. I think if we could look to ourselves, we new Homemakers, as those ladies did during war rationing, we could really wean ourselves of the current over consuming habit.

If we said to ourselves, “we MUST shop locally and consume less”, we could just approach it as if we were in wartime spending. So, we cannot buy as much food, well then we have to be more creative about how we use it. Learn how to stretch it. That meatloaf can become two meatloaves with some bread added as filler; those leftovers can go in the freezer or into a pot for stew. So, chips are expensive, STOP EATING THEM, they aren’t good for you anyway. I know it sounds harsh and hard, but you know what, anything worth doing often has some  struggle in it, but when you have succeeded you are happy and content and glad for the struggle. Or one bag of chips for the month, then you have to ration them out! It might sound extreme, but right now we have been taught the other extreme: that we must buy as much as we can and fill our shelves to the brim and then overeat and buy more! It is not healthy for our pocketbooks, our health, our waistlines, nor our sense of being. I don’t like to think that we are training groups of children to think they can just consume and consume for ever and ever, how will that make them understand the consequences of anything?

I was amazed the other day when I was out marketing. I saw, with the produce, these little packages of sliced apples with a little dipping sauce. I thought, “How on earth is ANYONE too busy to slice an apple and put it in Tupperware?” Here is more packaging, plus I know there was some chemical to make the apple not turn brown that we then would eat and the cost!

So, I don’t want to go on another rant without any result.  So, what say you to an experiment we can share in? Maybe we should try a week where in we ‘pretend’ it is WWII rationing and see how we fare. I think that is a safe amount of time. We would simply use only what is the very basics, no chips (crisps) nor very large helpings or seconds, maybe even scale back desserts and only what we can make with the basics, flour sugar butter (Which I know they even ran out of  during the war).

What do you think, would it be a fun project? Maybe in the comments we could discuss it and set the parameters.

For instance we could say we could only use bread we made ourselves or bought at a local bakery (not a chain) and we could only buy one loaf instead of more.  So if we ran out of bread during that week we would have to use our minds to think, ‘what can we do?” I know that during this time many people turned to pancakes/flapjacks as alternatives as they were easier to make than bread and no yeast was required. SO instead of a sandwich you have a pancake with something rolled into it.  You know what I mean, be frugal and see what we could do.

We don’t have to be too extreme, but I would love to see the results, especially for those of you who have children. I think we are made to feel we are bad parents if we don’t have all of these things for our children, but the 1950s homemaker grew up in the Depression and she definitely did without during her childhood and of the childhoods I have heard recalled, so many children actually had fun growing up during those years, as they didn’t know they were poor. They only knew what they grew up with and had more imagination and patience because of it. In some way I feel like every generation we are just training ourselves to be lazier, less independent, more unhealthy etc.  But, I digress, we could make the rules however we want, but for one week, wouldn’t it be interesting? I wonder if we would learn any saving measures we could then adapt to our normal weeks and realize we don’t actually NEED the things we buy.

So, if anyone is up for the proposed week plan let me know. I think we could come up with a ‘required’ shopping list for the week. We could decide how much butter, flour, meat etc we are allowed and then we can stick to that and see how our weeks turn out. If you have children then certain things would be increased per child I would imagine. So, what do you say?

30 September 1955 “The Hankie and the Linen Napkin”

These two simple items and ideas can save you a lot of money and help the environment and give you a little pride along the way.
I know to our modern germophobic minds, the thought of the hankie being sneezed upon and returned to the pocketbook or pocket seems repulsive. Yet, if we launder them and have simply a set of seven (one for each day, though I am sure they could become addictive like potato chips!) we would have a clean one to use daily. Certainly, grabbing a Kleenex is easier and may seem more sanitary, but if it is your germs and you are merely applying it to your face, you cannot reinfect yourself with the sniffles! Now, add to this the added bonus of the money spent on Kleenex and paper napkins etc. I know even my paper towel budget is easily cut in half since I started this project.
The linen napkin. I know use these every day for every meal. When we were first moving and had to share the little cottage with all our things tucked away and no laundry facilities I just bought some paper napkins and paper towel. I could not believe what I went through in that one week! The waste alone! And, you feel good and grown up when you unfold that linen napkin and place it on your lap before you begin your meal. It is as if you are saluting your hard work and preparing for that time you sit and relax at the repast you have created and enjoy good conversation.
It’s funny how our incessant need to make more items that make the day easier and somehow go by faster. Why is that? It seems, if anything, we are running about more and are more frazzled today with all the new things we have. So, though it is impossible to get rid of your cell phone or not have a tv or computer, why not add some old things and remove some annoying modern things that do add to your day. The Hankie and the Napkin. Simple. Easy to add to your life. Now, you are saving money and helping the earth. In addition to this, you have now given your mind and creativity a canvas for some fun relaxing art time. If you don’t have to throw away your hankie or napkin, now you can think, “Hmmm, I wish these matched my drapes or wouldn’t it be lovely to see a little tea kettle come to life and dance around my apron?” We buy at home stores sets of things and all the added bits that are produced to ‘match’ the decor we buy. We can simply buy some piece or something we like and then ‘match’ the decor as much as we want with our own hand, by painting or needle work. Then it is also uniquely ours. There is something cold about the homogenous ‘sets’ of things one can buy at stores. The landscape is becoming the same and now go to any house in America and see that set of sheets, matching curtains and towels bought at Target. There isn’t anything wrong with it per se, but it does stifle the creative element and again, the Homemakers best and most powerful tool is her mind. We should exercise and use it all times as an important part of our job. Rather we are a full or part time homemaker, the mind needs it’s exercise.
   Now,

Look at this adorable child's hankie. The idea instilled early on to have and keep something and use it with care is important.  With Kleenex and Purell (by the way studies have shown that overtly using anti-bacterial items actually reduces your bodies own abilities to fight germs. ) we are teaching our children to be garbage makers. Here is this thing, there is an endless supply, use it and then throw it away! That is a scary message, isn’t it! And with that goes the fun and creativity of having a hankie or napkin. Certainly the dexterity given to a small child (boy or girl) who would be given some simple needlework on a hankie and then the pride from using that is immense. Even the responsibility of sitting down like a ‘grownup’ and using a sharp needle would probably seem bad parenting today, which is silly. But, how can we teach children to be responsible and adult when honestly, are any of us?  No need to learn needle work or drawing if you just use a Kleenex and throw it away. I mean the fact that we even say Kleenex, it is the name brand of the product.
But, I won’t go off on another rant, so here are some cute images of different iron on transfers that were popular from the 30s-60s.
I think you can still find these fairly inexpensively at local antique shops and online I am sure at etsy and ebay etc. I would check local places first. I would love to share these type of items on my new website when it is ready.
Here you can see how one would make their simple dress patterns come to life or have a more unique style. Surely this was an iron on pattern you would follow, but you could also stitch your own design. When fashion has a particular ‘look’ then if you can’t afford the Dior dress you can follow the example of its line and make it your own creation. The power of fashion and industry in YOUR hands, don’t you love it?!
  Here is an example of the anthropomorphized items that were popular. This image actually came from a site I found where the lovely lady was sharing some of her patterns like this. It is an example of the kind of links I want to make on my future site. To have a place we can come to find each other and such lovely people as she who are willing to scan and share patterns. 
There is an innocence about these that I find appealing. Though, once I would have scoffed at their twee sweetness, I now find them rather darling and the art historian in me wonders at this piece of Americana art form that deserves more research. If only I could live to be 300 I could someday write all the books I want. I could see a whole picture book/research book on these transfers alone!
Anyhoo, what was great about these simple outlined pieces of needlework, is they were perfect to teach little hands the art of needle and easy for a homemaker to have in her sewing basket for the odd rainy afternoon when the chores are done, laundry ironed and put away, a pot of tea and some pillowcases or aprons or Hankies that needed adornment. Such an idea today by the masses would be deemed, ‘a waste of time’ but by the very same people who would waste five hours sitting and staring at a box and doing nothing! (That’s TV if you didn’t get my image.)
So, even though I have never done any needlework before but a few stitches to hem here and there, I am going to get a box of plain hankies, sew up some plain aprons and buy some plain white cotton pillowcases and lookout! I actually had a great idea, I am going to copy my Pyrex pattern that I collect ( I once made labels for spice jars check an old post of mine) and use that as a pattern on some kitchen towels. Then I can embroider teal on white towels and white on teal towels, wouldn’t that be lovely? I know I don’t really need one more thing to do, but again, I find as I do more and make it a normal part of my life, I found room for more things. Of course, this might put back my correspondence even more, but just think of the darling hankies and napkins I will have! And what a great gift!
How many of you already do needle work? Have any of you taught your children this art form and at what age? Aren’t you itching to try some now?! I know I am!