As children coming of age in the forties, we had never heard the word “recycling”. For most families emerging from the great depression, and going into into World War II, we called it “making do.”
For instance, Tupperware was invented in 1946, but it wasn’t until the fifties and sixties that it became popular. Before that, we reused grocery store food containers to store leftovers: Cottage cheese buckets, margarine bowls—anything that could be washed and dried. Tupperware parties were all the rage, but it was expensive. It didn’t cost a penny to re purpose sturdy containers. And most of us did.
Cloth diapers were still used, With two babies in diapers, I spent a lot of time washing and folding them. But I didn’t have to spend money on plastic diapers.
Cloth dishtowels are environmentally friendly, and save money. They’re more absorbent, and feel softer. I use paper towels only for draining fried foods–maybe one roll per year.
Yes, I’ve succumbed to paper napkins. But I have fond memories of using cloth napkins as a child. My mother painted clothes pins with each siblings names to keep them straight. And the napkins were washed every week.
Computers, wireless phones, or others electronic devices weren’t available, so there was nothing to recycle. As a result, our main source of free home entertainment was television. No one paid for Netflix, HBO, or streaming services. If we wanted more entertainment, we went to the movies , a concert or live theater performance.
Hand me down clothes were welcomed. If they didn’t fit, they could be altered. As the youngest of three girls, I seldom had a “new” outfit except maybe at Easter time, when we all dressed alike. However, even my older sisters wore hand me downs. We had 2nd cousins all over the Midwest. Every year, they sent boxes of their outgrown sweaters and dresses, and we were thrilled to receive them.
Flower seeds were cheap, and started plants from nurseries were considered a luxury. Cuttings and starts from other gardeners cost nothing. My husband lived on a farm, and his mother generously shared her wide variety of plants and flowers, Consequently, even a poor person could have a beautiful garden, if they had the time and energy.
Darning socks. Yes, people still did that , even in the fifties. There was something called a “darning needle.” My husband’s grandmother was shocked when I said I would never darn a sock. And I never did. I guess I was ahead of my time.
Brown paper sacks from grocery stores could be repurposed to wrap packages for mailing. Or storing things in the basement or attic. Because brown paper bags are recyclable, they don’t fill up landfills with plastic.
Farm wives repurposed feed sacks to sew men’s shirts , women’s dresses, towels, and other household necessities. If you lived in the city, you got the sacks from your country cousins or friends. Those pretty cotton materials were soft to the touch,,and immensely comfortable.
It looks like the Coronavirus pandemic is going to throw us into a recession. Hopefully not a depression. Perhaps we should take some lessons from the past, and recycle the old fashioned way by Making Do.