OS tips in today's Guardian

exlibris

My late Dad had a cobblers last, and shoes were repaired on it .Blakey's steel tips on my brothers shoes. It wasn't so much that they needed to do this ,my Dad had his own shop towards the end of the war after he came out of the army, it was that things were in such short supply, and if things were worn out, then it was very hard to replace them.

That takes me back Jackie. My dad did the same and even after the war, new shoes had rubber soles stuck on them (bought from Woolies) before they were first worn. Mum also used to buy big blocks of soap and I got into terrible trouble for using Dad,s shoe knife to cut a lump of the soap. It was the only sharp knife I could see at the time!

Back on thread!!

I used to turn cotton sheets sides - to - middle and when they were worn use them up as tea towels, then dusters then cleaning rags. In fact I still have some in use as tea towels! Poly-cotton sheets are not much good for this though. Has anyone any uses for poly-cotton sheets?

debt4evernot

redspot24 wrote:

I just wish I could get hold of some mutton fat from somewhere!:rotfl:
It's a really interesting article and I thoroughly agree with the author - those who lived during WW2 and the austerity years really knew how to be OS! I'm writing a PhD on the housewives in the 1950s and 1960s and these thrifty ideas stayed with people for a lifetime. I'm always amazed at what they were able to do with so little - it's been great to find this forum and realise that such ways haven't been lost :j

What an interesting subject for your PhD - what course are you doing?