The American Frugal Housewife by Lydia M. Child

March 3, 2009 - Posted by pearsonsprogress

What an interesting little book this is:

american housewife

Originally published in 1832, this extraordinary manual for the homemaker of modest means is far more than a mere “cookbook.”

Here is a quote:

“The true economy of housekeeping is simply the art of gathering up all the fragments, so that nothing be lost. I mean fragments of time, as well as materials. Nothing should be thrown away so long as it is possible to make any use of it, however trifling that use may be; and whatever be the size of a family, every member should be employed either in earning or saving money.”

What a blessing for me as a mom, to see my children, not only loving the Lord, but as wise ‘keepers at home’.

or how about this one:

“In the country, where grain is raised, it is a good plan to teach children to prepare and braid straw for their own bonnets, and their brothers’ hats.”

OOOOkay… I’ll get right on that!!

Here’s one that we all need to HEED!

“It is wise to keep an exact account of all you expend—even of a paper of pins. This answers two purposes; it makes you more careful in spending money, and it enables your husband to judge precisely whether his family live within his income. No false pride, or foolish ambition to appear as well as others, should ever induce a person to live one cent beyond the income of which he is certain. If you have two dollars a day, let nothing but sickness induce you to spend more than nine shillings; if you have one dollar a day, do not spend but seventy-five cents; if you have half a dollar a day, be satisfied to spend forty cents.”

Now, isn’t that the wisest advice? How can we encourage each other in this? Well, I will encourage YOU by sending this on.

You can find this book right here on my blog. Just follow these instructions:

At the top of this blog page.

  • go to Bobbie’s Store
  • then, on the right hand side, you will see  categories
  • Click on: ‘cookbooks and canning’
  • then… click on:page 2
  • the book is available there for $3.16. A bargain!!

We all need this practical wisdom NOW.

Be blessed and encouraged! ~Bobbie

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009 at 4:42 pm and is filed under Blogroll, Bobbie's Store, saving money, What we're Reading. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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