I’ve always wondered what it would be like to live in the Great Depression Era. Or through WWII where everything was rationed and homemakers had to do everything they could to save money and use their skills to stretch what they had.
As I’ve gone through seasons of life where it was necessary to pinch every penny, I’ve gathered a few “old fashioned” skills that have been so beneficial to me and my family, even outside of those moments. If you’re interested in elevating your skill set, becoming a more proficient homemaker, or just saving a few dollars…keep reading!
This is more than just an environmental mantra. Reducing your consumption, reusing what you can, and recycling the rest is just plain smart.
When it comes to homemaking, I’ve been able to reduce my consumption a LOT just by making things at home or cooking from scratch (more on that below). More importantly though is reusing what you have or buying things that are reusable whenever you do purchase stuff. Some of my favorites are:
- Reusable grocery and produce bags instead of plastic
- Quality tupperware or ZipTop instead of ziploc bags
- Beeswax wraps instead of plastic wrap/aluminum foil
- Reusing old clothes and towels as fabric for various projects
If you want to grab some ZipTop products for yourself, get them on Amazon here or check out my post on how to make your own beeswax wraps!
My mom has a homemaker and I watched her for years growing up cook a meal every night. It wasn’t until I was married and cooking dinners for my own family that I realized how expensive grocery stores are! Over the years I’ve learned so many new things in the kitchen and every time it confirms that cooking from scratch is the cheapest, easiest, healthiest, and just best option!
To get started, invest in some old cookbooks or take a few from your grandma’s house and get to reading. There is a ton you can learn from these books, but the most important part is that you just get started! I love watching videos on YouTube from my favorites channels like Farmhouse on Boone or The Elliott Homestead.
Pick a simple recipe, get in your kitchen, and just get cooking. You will learn by mistake and by experience, but it’s so worth it. Cooking from scratch will help save you money, allows you to know every ingredient you are consuming, and guarantees you can make the healthiest choice for your family.
Bread baking is one of those things people kind of gawk at as if it’s impossibly difficult. It can be, but it can also be simple and incredibly rewarding. Baking bread from home is one of those quintessential homemaker skills, and really is a money saver. You can spend about $10 on ingredients and end up with a table full of bread loaves! And it tastes WAY better than the store-bought kind.
If you’ve been hesitant to start bread baking, or the word “sourdough” makes you shudder, head over to my blog post on What is sourdough and why you should eat it and give it a whirl.
This is one of those ever useful homemaking skills. Sewing can be simple and practical with as few tools as needed, but it usually evolves into obsession once you’ve gotten into it. However, you will always reap benefits from being able to sew since kids always needs new clothes, there’s always a rip in someone’s sleeve, and you always have someone you can give a sweet homemade gift to.
There are entire blogs devoted to learning how to sew, and YouTube and Pinterest are some of my favorite resources for creative sewing ideas. But if you want to do it the old fashioned way, go to your local Hobby Lobby or JoAnn’s, pick out a simple pattern (many of them are labeled learn-to-sew, or easy), grab a pretty fabric, and get to it! Make sure to always read the whole instruction packet. I always learn something new every time I do, and I’ve been sewing for years!
If you’re looking for ways to save money, start shopping at thrift and antique stores. Sure, the newest Nike airs might seem appealing, but the way that the fast fashion industry is headed is honestly quite appalling. If underpaid child workers in sweat shops isn’t enough to set you off, maybe consider the environmental impact of always creating and buying more. Or just consider your wallet!
If you truly want to pick up some old-fashioned habits, don’t be afraid of secondhand things. People used to barter and trade for used items that were well-loved all the time. I’ve found so many great items at thrift stores for super cheap prices, sometimes clothes still have the tags on them! Giving an item a second life is not just beneficial to your bank account, but to the entire world around you.
Have you ever walked down the cleaning supply or laundry detergent aisle and smelled…ALL the smells? If you didn’t realize, all those synthetic chemicals wafting into your nose are toxic, and the fact that they are that strong in sealed containers should tell you so!
Reducing your synthetic chemical exposure is one of the greatest ways to improve your health, and cleaning supplies is a huge part of that! Did you know that living in too sterile of any environment can actually weaken your immune system and allow you to get sicker easier? Our bodies don’t need for everything to be completely sanitized and disinfected. Instead, try making an all-purpose cleaner for your home from ingredients you probably already have!
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup filtered or distilled water
That’s it! You can put this in a spray bottle and use it to wipe down your counters and cabinets, to add to your mop water instead of Pine-Sol, or dilute 1 Tbsp of solution with 1 cup water to use instead of Windex for any glass windows or mirrors. The possibilities are endless and the solution (hehe) is simple. If you want more ideas, check out this post on Non-toxic cleaning solutions for the home.
*IF* you are totally not interested in DIYing your whole cleaning routine but still want to avoid those nasty phthalates and parabens, I would highly suggest you check out Norwex. They have all natural cleaning and home solutions and their patented BacLock microfiber technology helps the cleaning cloths pull up bacteria and protein off of surfaces with JUST WATER! I love every Norwex product I have and firmly believe they use some sort of sorcery because they are just that good. Check them out here!
A larder you say….like pork fat?
Nope! A larder is just an old-fashioned way to say a well-stocked pantry with seasonal items. While this is probably every homemaker and definitely every prepper’s goal, sometimes it doesn’t seem to feasible. However, a pantry isn’t built overnight. It takes time to accumulate to what you need. And every pantry will look different.
Learning to cook from scratch heavily relies on fresh ingredients…but not everything is always in season or available without astronomical prices. Creating a larder over time allows you to have fresh, healthy, seasonal foods that will last long periods and make your scratch-cooking oh so much easier (also saves money). While I can’t afford a lot of time to canning fresh tomatoes, I can grab a couple extra cans of diced tomatoes at the store each week.
Whether you are able to make from scratch ALL or just some of your pantry staples, or your only option right now is the canned black beans, taking small steps to build a storage of cooking staples will alleviate a lot of stress when it comes to cooking. Start setting aside now, and watch your larder flourish in due time.
I love bone broth for a multitude of reasons: it stretches and makes use of every part of a meal like our grandmas would have, it tastes amazing and can be used in so much, and it has SO many amazing health benefits.
I won’t get into specifics, but bone broth is such a nutrient-dense medicinal food and it’s so easy to make. You can basically throw any of the leftover bones and meat from a meal (I usually store the bones from a whole roasted chicken in a freezer bag) along with any vegetable you have going bad into a stockpot or InstantPot, top it with water, and simmer down some amazing stuff.
I have SO many crochet projects planned for this winter! Not only is the thought of sitting beside a fire, curled up with some tea, while knitting a pair of socks the ultimate winter activity, it’s also just so practical. I personally only crochet, but I would love to learn more than the basic knit stitch eventually, and both hobbies are such quick ways to see progress and back in the fruits of your labor. Yarn is easily sourced, there are tons of options, and there is so much sentiment in a handmade item.
This is one of those homemaking skills I think everyone should know. You can create so much for so little and I love all the patterns I find on Pinterest. Head over to Ravelry if you really want to get serious!
One of the most precious skills we have lost over time is using food as medicine, especially in the world of chronic illness we live in. The food we consume is designed with nutrients that help sustain us and vitamins that keep us healthy. Sadly, so many of us are living with nutrient and vitamin deficiencies because we consume so many processed foods.
Cooking from scratch helps solve the processed foods issue, but we can go a step further and learn about the value that herbs and all other foods bring to our wellness. I firmly believe that every homemaker should have at least SOME knowledge in herbalism and how to create a healthy body and environment with food. Food doesn’t just sustain us, it can heal us. If you want to learning about food and wellness and a few more tips about how to start incorporating holistic food into your diet, check out my post on How to start your wellness journey when you have no idea where to begin.
Homemaking isn’t always easy, but if you’re looking for a place to start, go ahead and start developing some of these old fashioned skills that your grandma would be proud of. Some require a bit of work and time invested, but the profits are so much greater and you’ll find they are great ways to save money too.
Being a homemaker is so much more than keeping a pretty house and making dinner. It’s about doing things with love and care and using the skills you have to create a better life and environment for those around you. Start working on these skills so you too can start to create that aroma of love and care in your home.
Great content! Keep up the good work!