Living a Ration Book Life

[Stray Cat]

It's also a very suburban middle class phenomenon to not have "extra" food on hand and think that people who do are weirdos. People who live pay check to pay check often stock up on food to keep a supply in case those paychecks stop- you throw an extra can of vegetables or bag of beans or rice into your cart when you can afford it, just in case. People who live where grocery stores aren't plentiful (inner cities and the rural areas) tend to have more food on hand because getting to the store is impossible. And in rural areas it isn't uncommon in the northeast to be trapped without power or usable roads for days or weeks in the northeastern U.S., so extra food is a must.

Exactly.
"Save a little - you've saved a lot"
Every time you have a bit more, you get something (as we here say it "For the Rainy Days"). It's nothing spectacular, nothing extravagant - simply being cautious. And if the winter is nearing - make sure to have everything you need in stock and that your larder is full.
What happened to good old "preserving of fruits and vegetables" they did in the old days (and every household here still does)?
Do we consider that pro-rationing?
What was the general opinion on food preservations, canning in particular?

 

[Flicka]

All of the places I've lived get snow, just never when I was actually present. I am the anti-snow. If I moved to Sweden, it would never snow there again.

It's like bears in Alaska...I've been to Alaska, even the remote parts, for work and play a dozen times and have never seen a bear. As far as I'm concerned, there are no bears in Alaska.

In that case, I hope you move here because usually our winters look like Lizzie's photo. My father's family come from the far north of Sweden and they jokingly say that they have two seasons – 9 months of winter and 3 months of poor skiiing. And yet, first snow, we're always a little bewildered, like "already? we thought it wouldn't happen this year!"

Hope is the last to abandon ship, I suppose.

What was the general opinion on food preservations, canning in particular?

It was encouraged. There are lots of posters encouraging it from both the US and the UK, and in my Swedish wartime cookbooks it's encouraged too. If you've watched the Wartime Farm, you might remember that they reenacted a W.I. "canning day", when the local women gathered and canned their harvest surplus which was then brought into circulation.

Generally, anything that meant increasing the access to food available was encouraged – growing, foraging, preserving, raising bunnies and keeping hens. What was not approved of was getting food at the expense of those who might need it more or getting more than your fair share ("fair" being enough to get by on).

As far as stored food goes during rationing, in the US the same principle was followed as with sugar. When you applied for Ration Book 2, which covered meat and processed goods, you were required to report everything you had on hand at the time of the application, and that quantity of stamps was deleted from the ration you were issued, thus preventing the accumulation of private hoards.

That's interesting, because I haven't seen anything about you having to declare your reserves in Britain. I wonder if they didn't have that rule?

I saw an article from a Swedish newspaper during the war where they'd asked people if they thought the rations were "inadequate", "tight" or "more than enough". The one thing most people reported finding "tight" was bread (which was rationed here); about 50% thought so. The same ratio (abt 50%) thought that the meat ration was "more than enough". I think that mirrors how people ate before the war – meat was rare in most families then too, so the meat rationing didn't have such a great impact on most people's lives. But bread was a staple, and so the rather small ration really affected people.

Anyhow, one interesting thing – fuel was never rationed in Britain, at first because they didn't want to and then because they didn't ration things unless they could guarantee that everyone could get at least the rationed amount and there just wasn't enough coal to go around. But the lack of it – for cooking, heating and water – was one of the things that people rated as absolutely toughest about the war years. People worked wrapped up in travel blankets and fur hats, and like someone said "we dressed to go to bed, rather than the other way around". I can't help but think of the poor insulation of most British houses compared to Swedish. Despite our war winters being a lot colder, I don't think people were as cold as the Brits. It doesn't figure as much in accounts, anyway.

ETA: Duh, didn't think of our endless, endless woods. I don't suppose firewood was very hard to come by here!

 

[Stray Cat]

Generally, anything that meant increasing the access to food available was encouraged – growing, foraging, preserving, raising bunnies and keeping hens. What was not approved of was getting food at the expense of those who might need it more or getting more than your fair share ("fair" being enough to get by on).

Basically - all we do here is considered as "desired"?
I got most of the basics covered: no car, growing my own food "growing for Victory", repairing anything repairable, recycling, reusing, making and mending clothes..
OK - I'm definitively in on the game! :thumb:

LizzieMaine,
HOW MUCH clothes am I allowed to have?
(that might become an only issue here - since I am to appear "presentable" at work)

 

[LizzieMaine]

I don't know of any country where existing wardrobes were taken into account under clothing rationing, and not all countries actually rationed clothes. The UK had clothing rationed, but in the US clothing was controlled and regulated at the point of manufacture -- the clothing specifications laid out in my first post in this thread had to be followed by all manufacturers, and clothing that failed to meet the specifications could not legally be sold. You could certainly make clothes for yourself that didn't comply with the requirement, but you wore them in public at your peril. Public censure could be exceedingly harsh, and in some cases -- the Zoot Suit Riots come to mind -- could lead to actual violence.

It was strongly encouraged that you make do with what you had -- it was during this era that millions of closets full of unneeded civilian menswear were remade into women's outfits for homefront wear. People used every scrap of fabric they could find to keep their clothing in repair, and mends and patches were a sign of patriotism.

 

[sheeplady]

What was the general opinion on food preservations, canning in particular?

I know you could get extra sugar if you canned. You had to estimate how much you would be canning in quarts.

Now if you can you're a hippy or a weirdo. But then the years I had a vegetable garden here (can't this year for health reasons) my neighbors thought I was crazy to spend all that time out there... and I'm a lazy gardener who throws the seeds in and lets nature do it's job.

 

[sheeplady]

In that case, I hope you move here because usually our winters look like Lizzie's photo. My father's family come from the far north of Sweden and they jokingly say that they have two seasons – 9 months of winter and 3 months of poor skiiing.

In upstate NY, we say we have four seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and construction.

 

[Stray Cat]

You could certainly make clothes for yourself that didn't comply with the requirement, but you wore them in public at your peril.

I don't see any difference: nowadays I can still make my own clothes and wear it in public at my own peril.. the "peril" being the ridicule from those thinking their clothes are more suitable because it came on a ship from China, but it's generally accepted. Somehow, I get the feeling people are not being rude because they think they are better than me (in my old aunts skirt, redone to fit me "like a glove"). People are being aggressive due to the fact they know there's nothing wrong with recycled clothes.. but it's a "know how" which they don't have.
..and this was bit fftopic:

It was strongly encouraged that you make do with what you had -- it was during this era that millions of closets full of unneeded civilian menswear were remade into women's outfits for homefront wear. People used every scrap of fabric they could find to keep their clothing in repair, and mends and patches were a sign of patriotism.

What you are saying is:
As long as I "make-and-mend" it's OK, and as long as clothing fits the requirements it's OK.
And, one more here: was there any material restrictions?
(I know about silk hosiery, and nylons)
How about materials for sewing - was it "use what you can find"? ('cause I do that, too: I see and old trousers my father wore.. let's say a LONG time ago, and turn it into a pencil skirt)

I know you could get extra sugar if you canned. You had to estimate how much you would be canning in quarts.
Now if you can you're a hippy or a weirdo. But then the years I had a vegetable garden here (can't this year for health reasons) my neighbors thought I was crazy to spend all that time out there... and I'm a lazy gardener who throws the seeds in and lets nature do it's job.

I'm sorry to hear that you're not gardening this year.
We just got our green beans out of the garden and into the freezer - and we're jumping on making apricot jam. :thumb:

 

[LizzieMaine]

How about materials for sewing - was it "use what you can find"? ('cause I do that, too: I see and old trousers my father wore.. let's say a LONG time ago, and turn it into a pencil skirt)

Whether or not raw fabric was rationed depends on the country -- it wasn't rationed in the US, but it really didn't matter because you never knew when you walked up to the dry goods counter if they'd have anything you could use or not in stock. Woolens were all but impossible to get, and you had to take what they had if they did have any in stock. You didn't get much choice in colors or patterns or weight, it was whatever happened to be there at any given time.

Cotton was easier to get, but by no means plentiful. Rayon came and went. Forget about silk -- you couldn't get it.

Cotton was the most common fabric for home sewing, and the simple shirtwaist dress was the most common style sewn -- wartime patterns used only about 3 yards or so of fabric per dress, compared to prewar patterns which might demand 5 yards or so -- and trimmings were very very plain and simple. Forget about zippers, snaps, or hooks-and-eyes -- they were all but impossible to get. You used buttons or ties for closure.

If you could get material by taking apart an old dress, you'd do it. Anything you could salvage out of the ragbag, you would. And you'd use the same patterns over and over again too, because the paper shortage meant the selection at the store was pretty slim.

 

[Stray Cat]

Forget about zippers, snaps, or hooks-and-eyes -- they were all but impossible to get. You used buttons or ties for closure.
If you could get material by taking apart an old dress, you'd do it. Anything you could salvage out of the ragbag, you would. And you'd use the same patterns over and over again too, because the paper shortage meant the selection at the store was pretty slim.

Not using zippers or snaps made sewing easier.
Also, I suppose they reused buttons (we all do that, right?)
I do use the same patterns, mostly for skirts that I find suited me best. Once you find the "best fit" it's like an assembly line: just use different colors of the material, maybe add the pockets. :nod:
Thank you for the answers, I'm getting closer and closer in understanding it.

 

[Alice Blue]

The current turn this discussion has taken has caused me to get out one of my favorite books again: Forties Fashion, From Siren Suits to the New Look by Jonathan Walford. This book has broad international coverage, and gives you a sense of government restrictions and material shortages in many parts of the world, as well as the creative responses by designers and ordinary people.

ETA: Men get short shrift in this book, which primarily focuses on women's fashions.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Something that I just thought of, in regards to the gasoline rationing. Today to get gas we have to prepay either by going inside or using a credit card. How big was the theft of gas? Did pump & run thefts increase?

Thanx!!!
Charlie

 

[LizzieMaine]

Gas siphoning was very common. Keep in mind that the fuel filler pipe on most cars was fully exposed, either on the cowl or on a back fender, and any cheap punk with a rubber hose and a pail could get all the gas he wanted in a parking lot after dark. If you didn't have a locking gas cap on your car when rationing began, you got one pretty quick. (If you could find one, that is.)

Fill-and-run wasn't really an issue, as self-service gas stations weren't common -- you might find some country stores with a crank-powered pump out front where gas thefts would be easy to do, but in general, the average citizen never touched a gas hose, and most attendants were smart enough not to leave the side of the car without cash in hand.

 

[3fingers]

Something that I just thought of, in regards to the gasoline rationing. Today to get gas we have to prepay either by going inside or using a credit card. How big was the theft of gas? Did pump & run thefts increase?

Thanx!!!
Charlie

I don't have any proof one way or the other, but I'd think it would be pretty tough to pump and run, since an attendant would have have pumped your gas. He could see you and your license number as you tried to escape. Also, I would guess the penalty for such behavior, both legal and social, if you got caught would be severe enough to make people think twice. I'm sure that there were folks who would steal gas if the opportunity presented itself, just as has always been the case.

 

[DesertDan]

That's quite a good point. If such an emergency as we experienced in WW2 were to erupt again -- could *modern society* adapt to the changes that would be necessary, the compulsory sacrifices that would be required? 1940s America was able to do so in large part because they had a deep tradition of community to draw upon -- we weren't as spread out physically, and we certainly weren't as spread out psychologically.

I also believe that in general the populous was closer to subsistance level living than we are today. So in a manner of speaking the "fall" would be much greater now. That also plays into the psychological impact a great deal.

 

[rjb1]

The impossibility to get wool, as Lizzie mentions, was in large part because the military wore wool uniforms up until about mid-1944 and they had first priority. (Pants, shirts, coats, overcoats, etc.) And even after the official changeover to cotton uniforms the change in material was never fully implemented.

Since locking gas caps were hard to find you could buy little wire coils that fit down into the filler neck to prevent siphoning.

 

[sheeplady]

Not using zippers or snaps made sewing easier.
Also, I suppose they reused buttons (we all do that, right?)
I do use the same patterns, mostly for skirts that I find suited me best. Once you find the "best fit" it's like an assembly line: just use different colors of the material, maybe add the pockets. :nod:
Thank you for the answers, I'm getting closer and closer in understanding it.

Ok, funny story time. When my high school art teacher was in college he was putting himself through school. His roommate was rich and totally incapable of living on his own. One day my art teacher found an almost new shirt in the trash. His roommate's explanation was that "a button fell off so it was no good."

My art teacher was like, "Free shirt! Score!"

This was at least in the 1970s... so not last year or anything like that.

So no, not everyone reuses buttons.

 

[Gregg Axley]

Tire theft apparently was an issue where my grandfather lived.
So much so, that he and a buddy made alarm systems for vehicles.
When the vehicle was tilted one direction or another (other than flat) a pendulum would shift and hit a metal circle, which was wired into the horn. Someone would jack up the vehicle to steal the tire(s) and the horn would honk telling on them.
He sold quite a bit of these devices, home made of course, during WWII.

 

[3fingers]

Tire theft apparently was an issue where my grandfather lived.

Another form of theft related to tires. My grandfather needed a tire for a farm implement and got approval to purchase a used tire from a Ford garage who had the concession for such sales in our area. When he went to pick up the tire, he recognized it as a tire he had donated to a rubber drive some time before. After visiting with other folks about this fellow, they figured out he was involved in a lot of shady deals like this. He ended up being investigated and
he somehow avoided jail, but he was no longer allowed to be involved with any government business at all and his auto business never recovered after the war.

 

[LizzieMaine]

It was realized very early on in the war that tire chiseling was going to be a problem, and the way the OPA dealt with that was to tie documentation of your tires to your gasoline ration. When you applied for your ration you had to state the serial numbers of each of the five tires you were allowed to own, and a record was kept of these. Every six months you were required to have an inspection of your tires performed by an OPA-authorized service station, and the condition of the tires would be noted and the serial numbers would be checked. If there was any discrepancy between the numbers listed on the record sheet and the numbers of the tires on your car, you were in trouble.

You were required to have your up-to-date Tire Inspection Record form in your car at all times, and were required to show it when renewing your gasoline ration.

 

[Flicka]

In the UK, petrol for priority groups was dyed red so the police could easily check if you had petrol you weren't entitled to in your car--they simply checked the colour of the fuel in your tank and if it was red, you were in trouble. So red petrol being used without authorisation or sold on the black market was usually filtered to get the colour out. In Wartime Farm they make an experiment with several methods that were supposedly used and actually get it to come out clear when filtered through bread. That seems like rather a waste in ration times though, and Norman Longmate claims that everybody knew you just used the filter from a gas mask.