Simple living from the 50s, supermarket-free
Home » Blog » Six Months » Simple living from the 50s, supermarket-freeFour months into their supermarket-free challenge, and happily settled into their new home, Rachel de Lacey and Will Tong are taking inspiration from life in the 1950s.
When Rachel de Lacey and Will Tong began their challenge to live for six months without a supermarket, one of their main objectives was to get back to simple living. And as they planned how they were going to achieve their goal, they were especially inspired by their grandparents and the comparative simplicity of life in the 1950s.
"We've been taking a lot of inspiration from how our grandparents lived. They had it sorted really, in so many ways. It was such a resourceful era and we have moved so far away from that. If I get stuck for ideas I think 'What would my grandparents have done?' We can get so busy and focused on progress that we forget to reflect on how we are living," says Rachel.
In the 1950s, Rachel and Will's grandparents got all their staples from the local grocer, and received a very personalised service. The grocer dished out the order and packaged it in brown paper bags. If the order was too big they would deliver to your home on a bike. By visiting smaller shops and businesses, Rachel and Will are recreating some of that same culture.
Back then, families would swap resources, especially vegetables, fish and meat. If a farmer was killing a beast, friends would go to the farm, help slaughter and butcher the animal, and share the meat. "My dad says he has horrific memories of this!" says Rachel. She has spared her children that experience, but the couple has made clubbed together with friends to swap and share resources like meat.
Keeping bees and chickens was common in the 1950s, and families often had big vegetable gardens and plenty of fruit trees. "Our grandparents worked hard to make sure that their cupboards were stocked with preserves, jams and pickles, and there was always ample baking. Poppa also made a mean home-brew."
Rachel has also been inspired by the cleaning products that her grandmother used. "She kept things really simple. She used to clean everything with vinegar and baking soda, she would scrub her teeth with baking soda and she preferred it to the new-fangled toothpaste that came on the market. She swore by vinegar and newspaper as the best way to clean the windows and she also used vinegar to wash her family's hair. She always said it gave a better shine."
And now, after spending the last four months experimenting with the simple cleaning and beauty products their grandparents used the couple are adamant they won't be going back to expensive cleaning products. "Vinegar is definitely the new black! We use it for everything and it really works, even on the toilet bowl!" Finding a source of bulk vinegar and baking soda has saved the couple a lot of money on cleaning products.
Making their own cleaning products and seeing how well they work has also given them food for thought. "It has made me really aware that we shouldn't believe a product is no good because it isn't in flashy packaging. We are led to believe that the sophistication of the packaging is representative of the quality of the product. In fact it is not necessarily a terrific product, it is often just clever marketing," says Will.
Did you see them on television? Rachel and Will's challenge was featured on Campbell Live.
Cleaning and beauty products
Cleaning products
- To clean window and glass: white vinegar, newspaper and hot water
- To clean drains and toilet bowls: ½ cup of white vinegar with ¼ cup baking soda
- To clean surfaces: equal amounts of white vinegar and baking soda, with a few drops of tea-tree oil added
- To whiten whites: equal parts water and white vinegar
- To sanitise nappies: white vinegar added to hot water
- As a fabric softener: white vinegar and a few drops of essential lavender oil added to a wash
- To improve the odour of smelly toilets: three drops of tea-tree or eucalyptus oil added to the bowl after cleaning
- To remove stains: lemon juice and salt added directly on to the stain
- As a room freshener: 20 drops of lavender in water, in a spritz bottle
Beauty products
- To cleanse/tone the face: cider vinegar, or rose water mixed with glycerine
- To wash hair: cider vinegar
Home remedies
- To soothe sore throats: cider vinegar mixed with warm water and a little honey
- To soothe toothache: cider vinegar mouth washes
- To soothe bee stings: malt vinegar applied directly to the bee sting
Wed April 07, 2010 @ 03:06 PM
