The Frugal 1950s
Reporting from Vancouver, British Columbia
June 24, 2008

I’ve been yearning a lot lately for the 1950s, my childhood years, a simpler time before Americans became spoiled by luxuries. I grew up on the edge of Des Moines, the last stop on the streetcar line. My grandparents lived next door in a bungalow that exactly matched our own. Together we owned three acres of mostly untamed land which my elders permitted me to roam at will. And roam I did. It was bliss.

This was pre-television, pre-air conditioning, pre-two-car garage, pre-disposable diaper. Life was slow. My mother hung clothes out to dry on the backyard line and tended an enormous garden complete with orchard. My grandmother canned and froze produce to eat all winter, laundered clothes with an old wringer washer, and bought fresh milk from a farmer down the road, the heavy cream rising to the top, defying gravity.

We lived frugally by necessity, handing down sweaters, coats, pants, and shoes to younger children. When they became too frayed for wear, Mother tossed them into the scrap heap for making quilts and braided rugs. We threw very little away. The giant compost pile by the garden gratefully received our veggie and fruit scraps, autumn leaves, even old newspapers.

Today, 50-plus years later, when global warming threatens our planet’s survival and Americans are reviled throughout the world for being the most conspicuous consumers on earth, we can learn a lot from the frugal Fifties. Here are a few easy tips.

Use a Manual Can Opener
Electric can openers require more resources to build, and take up more space in landfills than hand-cranked models. According to The Daily Green, if every person in America used an electric can opener, it would cost $36 million in energy. Modern hand-crank openers are often ergonomically designed for comfort and efficiency, and are just as fast.

Take Baths, Not Showers
Baths take less water than showers. If you insist on showering, try to keep it to 3 to 5 minutes in length.

Put on a Sweater
For every degree you lower the thermostat in winter, you save between 1% and 3% on your heating bill. A light, long-sleeved sweater is generally worth about two degrees in added warmth, while a heavy sweater adds about four degrees.

Use a Push Mower
What’s better than the smell of fresh mown grass? Fresh mown grass without the smell of gasoline! Today’s reel mowers are much improved over the kind I used as a kid. Electric mowers are increasingly earth-friendly, too.

Save the Rain
Put a barrel under the eave to catch rainwater. Mineral rich rainwater is much better for plants than tap water which has minerals removed and fluoride and chlorine added.

Switch to Cloth Napkins
At two cents per paper napkin, a family of four can save $1.68 a week by switching to cloth napkins. The paper industry contributes to forest clear-cutting, which results in erosion, sedimentation of streams, and loss of habitat. Paper mills then use chlorine bleach to get paper its whitest, releasing dioxins and mercury in waterways. Foregoing paper napkins also helps cut down on trash in landfills—about 40% of which is paper.

Use Cold Water, Not Hot
About 90% of energy spent in washing clothes is used for heating water. Cold water works just as well. It’s also effective when washing hands--friction and soap gets hands clean, not hot water.

Daily individual actions like these may seem small, but when it comes to reversing global warming every little bit counts. Give yourself a pat on the back for doing your part. Your children will thank you.

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