Sunday, February 8, 2009

Hot water and the Great Depression

It was widely reported today that the Sun Journal newspaper in Lewiston, Maine, has begun publishing a daily money-saving tip on its front page. The paper promises a refund to any subscriber who doesn't save at least twice the cost of a subscription.

Reading this news item made me recall reading (somewhere) about the Depression-era practice of placing a bowl of water over a stove-top pilot light at night. In the morning: hot water for shaving.

Reader, do you know of other Depression-era practices that will still work in the 21st century?

comments: 3

Jason said...

This is a well-known and obvious practice that too few follow today: live on less money than you make.

Anonymous said...

If your house has radiators you can accomplish the same water-warming trick without using the pilot light on the stove. (And with the electric igniters they now have on gas stoves, I'm not sure the pilot light method would work universally anyway.)

Anonymous said...

Tack a small metal plate to the heel of each shoe to make it wear longer. My friend's father used to go through two or three of these before replacing his shoes.