So here’s something pretty nerdy I just did:

I read our city’s ordinance codes from the 1940s cover to cover – all 200+ pages

Don’t be jealous!!

Picked it up to see how different life and times were back in the day, but once I got going I couldn’t put it down… Did you know that it was once illegal in our city to dance from 2am-8am during the week? Or you weren’t allowed to work on Sundays?! Or you’d get fined for spitting on the sidewalk or placing carcasses of dead animals in the street?! I mean – COME ON! If you can’t place a good carcass here and there, where’s the joy in living???!

I’m honestly a bit sad it’s all over… Between the antiquated passages and that beautiful “old book” smell, I was entertained pretty well for a hot minute. Though I did find out there’s an even *earlier* version of the code from the late 1800s, so I may have to focus my energy on tracking that down to continue the party… I bet times were even wilder back then! ;)

For now though, here are some of the more interesting snippets from the 1940s… Along with what happens if you dare mess with the law ;)

We’ll start off with something you may or may not be acquainted with lately – quarantining! Followed by venereal diseases, which hopefully you’re not as acquainted with but if you are, at least you’re not treated as a pariah anymore!

Let’s get to the fun…

For reference, $1.00 in 1940 is worth about $21.16 in today’s dollars, and $100 is worth around $2,116.26.

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Quarantine of Contagious and Infectious Diseases — “Immediately upon receipt of the information that any case of smallpox, diphtheria, scarlet fever, scarlatina, measles or other contagious or infectious disease exists in the city, or within one mile thereof, it shall be the duty of the health officer to visit the case and in his discretion establish a strict quarantine or isolation of any or all persons on the premises, or to remove the case to a detention hospital or camp, and quarantine persons remaining for such time, as in his discretion, may be necessary.

He shall report to the superintendent of police the names of all persons violating quarantine and the superintendent shall thereupon cause the arrest and removal to a detention camp of any person disobeying quarantine orders, and upon the discharge of such person from the detention camp, he shall be fined by the police justice not less than $5.00 or more than $25.00.”

(Imagine being arrested or fined for disobeying PUBLIC HEALTH ORDERS?? Covid would have looked a lot differently if measures like these were in play during the first parts of the pandemic, hoo-boy… Could have had our entire national debt paid off from people refusing to wear masks alone!)

Bringing Contagion Into the City — “Any person or persons who, without a permit from the health officer, shall knowingly, bring into the limits of the city any person known or suspected to have smallpox, scarlet fever, diphtheria, or any other severe contagious diseases, or who shall, without such permit, knowingly bring into the city the body of any person having died of smallpox, scarlet fever, diphtheria, or any severe contagious disease, shall be fined not less than $25.00 nor more than $450.00.”

(That’s $500-$9,500 in today’s dollars! Hefty!)

Venereal Diseases — “Syphilis, gonorrhea and chancroid are hereby designated as venereal diseases, and are hereby recognized and declared to be contagious, communicable, infectious and dangerous to the public health. The city health officer is hereby given the power, for the purpose of protecting the public health, to quarantine and isolate all cases of venereal diseases prescribed in section 1 of this chapter, when in his opinion they are a menace to the public health and of the citizens of the city.”

(Yikes)

Report of Attending Physicians — “All physicians in attendance at any hospital or institution, or who are prescribing for or attending any private patient afflicted with any of said venereal diseases, or any physician having knowledge that any person is suffering from any of said diseases, shall within three days after obtaining such knowledge, report all such cases, giving name, address and occupation of the person to the city health officer.”

(Also applied to druggists, hospitals, sanitariums and other institutions in which patients were being treated for said venereal diseases…)

“Any person, firm or corporation violating any of the provisions of this chapter shall, upon conviction, be fined in a sum not to exceed $300 or imprisoned not exceeding 90 days, or both fined and imprisoned at the discretion of the court.”

Spitting on Sidewalks, on Street Crossings or Public Places — “No person shall expectorate on any sidewalk or street crossing or in any church or public building or on the steps or doorways thereof, or the steps or doorways of any store or office building, or on the floor or pavement of any railroad station, or public hall, or other public places. For any violation of this section the offender shall be fined not less than $1.00 or more than $5.00 for each offense.”

(Expectorate – such a great SAT word!)

Carcasses of Dead Animals and Other Offensive Things — “If any person shall place, or cause to be placed, in or on any street, alley, sidewalk, lot or elsewhere within the city limits, the carcasses of any animal or any other thing or matter offensive to the public or liable to become a nuisance, he shall be fined not less than $5.00.”

Stop and Waste Cocks — Not a very interesting section in the least, I just laughed like a teenage boy when I saw “cocks” in there Though I did have to Google what the heck it was, and found out its basically a form of valve used to control the flow of a liquid or gas. Here’s an example of one:

Driving Over a Fire Hose –“It shall be unlawful to drive any vehicle over any fire hose or chemical hose that may be strung or laid by the fire department of the city, within the police jurisdiction of the city. Anyone violating this section shall be fined not less than $5.00 nor more than $10.00 for each offense.”

Parking Meters — “When any vehicle shall be parked in any parking meter zone the owner or operator of said vehicle shall upon entering the parking space, immediately deposit a one cent coin or a five cent coin of the United States in the parking meter adjacent to such zone and the said zone may then be used by such vehicle for the period of time as shown by the parking meter.”

Fine for overstaying: $1.00 if paid within 48 hours, $2.00-$50.00 if paid after 48 hours.

(Love that they specifically say “United States” coin here too, lol… I guess they had problems with people trying to hack it with pesos or other foreign specimens?! One cent got you 12 mins of parking, btw, and five cents got you 60.)

Driving Under Influence of Intoxicants or Drugs — “It shall be unlawful for any person to drive or operate any automobile or other vehicle, car, truck, engine, or train in this city, while under the influence of alcohol, brandy, rum, whiskey, gin, wine, beer, lager beer, ale, porter, stout, or any other liquid, beverage or article containing alcohol or while under the influence of any narcotic drug, or any other self-administered intoxicant or drug, of whatsoever nature.

Any person who violates any provisions of section one of this chapter shall be guilty of  misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars, or imprisonment for not less than one month, nor more than six months, either or both in the discretion of the court or jury trying same, for a first offense, and the court may, in its discretion, suspend the sentence during the good behavior of the person convicted.”

Water, Gas and Sewer — The city charged a flat $6.00 a year for water hookup, and then additional fees “per tub and water closet and cooled refrigerating machine with one half horsepower” Haha… They didn’t do metering much back then, except for those suspected of taking advantage of the water supply (though apparently you could manually request to have a meter put in which the city would do on your behalf).

Similar to water hookup, gas was also charged a flat fee per month depending on the cubic feet of your home. For the first 500 cubic feet it costs $0.75, for the next 2,500 – $1.30, and for the next 7,000 – $1.10 (and then continued to go down from there for each additional 1,000 cubic ft). Of interest is that they also charged for “gas operated refrigerators”?! Can’t say I’ve ever known that was a thing!

As for sewer, that service was a flat $2.00 per year per building.

Injuring or Failing to Return Books — “Any person who shall willfully injure any book belonging to such library, or shall willfully fail to return any book belonging to such library, shall be fined not less than one nor more than twenty-five dollars, or shall be committed to jail, in default of payment of said fine, for not less than one, nor more than twenty-five days.”

(You could have gone to jail for not returning your books!!! They did NOT mess around back then!! $1-$25 was $21.00- $525.00 in today’s dollars too, pretty extreme…)

Procedure for Erection — () “In every case in which the owner of an improved lot in the city shall be desirous of having a new fence erected between his said lot and any improved lot adjoining thereto, and the owner of the said adjoining improved lot shall not agree to pay his share of erecting such fence, the major shall, on application of the party wishing to have a new fence put up, appoint three discreet freeholders of the city to view the premises, and under their hands to say whether a new fence to divide the lots of such parties is necessary or not, and the decision of said freeholders, or a majority of them, shall be binding on the parties. And the party desirous of having the new fence put up may proceed to have it erected, and on the completion thereof, shall recover by warrant, from the owner of the adjoining lot, one-half of the cost of such fence, with the cost of such proceeding: Provided, that the cost of said fence be estimated as a fence formed of good posts and rails, with undressed paling, and not exceeding six feet high.”

(So basically, if your neighbor wanted to build a fence you were on the hook for paying half of it! Which I suppose kinda makes sense since you would also benefit from it, but still…)

Street Walkers — “Street walkers shall be fined not less than five dollars no more than twenty-five dollars, or imprisoned in jail not exceeding thirty days, or both in the discretion of the police justice.”

Solicitation for Immoral Purposes — “Whoever shall invite or entice any person or persons upon any avenue, street, road, highway, alley, open space, public square, or enclosure to accompany, go with, or follow him or her to any place for immoral purposes, or who shall invite or entice any person from any door, window, porch, or portico of any house or building, to enter any house or go with, accompany, or follow him or her to any place whatsoever for immoral purpose shall be punished by a fine of not less than ten dollars and not more than five hundred dollars, or by imprisonment for not more than one year, or by both such fine and imprisonment.”

(I wish they would have spelled out what other things they meant by “immoral purposes!” The section only specifically called out prostitution…)

Adultery and Fornication — “If any person commit adultery or fornication he shall be punished by a fine of not less than ten dollars nor more than five hundred dollars, or by imprisonment for not more than one year, or by both such fine and imprisonment.”

(There would be quite the number of fines and jail time if this were still around today!)

Indecent or Insulting Language — “Any person convicted of the use of indecent or insulting language to another person, or of making any indecent, insulting, or immoral proposal to any female shall be punished by a fine of not less than five dollars, or imprisonment in the city jail not less than ten days, or by both such fine and imprisonment.”

(Also: rap music wouldn’t exist )

Sunday Labor – “If any person on a Sunday be found laboring at any trade or calling, or employ his agents, apprentices or servants in labor or any other business, except in household, or other work of necessity or charity, or in those businesses enumerated in the next following section hereof, or if any person bring into or carry about this city on a Sunday, any fowls, chickens, eggs, fruit, vegetables, meat, or any other thing whatever, for sale or barter, such person shall pay a fine of not less than two nor more than ten dollars.”

(Pretty wild – no one was allowed to work!)

Opening Places of Business on Sunday — “If any person, not being a druggist or operating a diary, confectionery, inn, restaurant, hotel, news agency, filling station, storage or repair garage, or ice plant shall keep his or her store, shop or place of business open on Sunday, at any time of the day, such person shall forfeit and pay five dollars for every offense.”

(Chick-fil-A is the only company I know of these days that deliberately chooses to be shut down on Sundays… Gotta love the reason behind it too: to let employees rest “and worship” if they choose.)

Furnishing Cigarettes or Weapons to Infants Under 16 Years of Age — “If any person sell, barter, give or furnish, or cause to be sold, bartered, given or furnished to any minor under sixteen years of age, cigarettes or tobacco in any form, or pistols, or dirks, or bowie-knives, said person shall be fined not less than five dollars.”

(Had to look up what a “dirk” was – “a short dagger of a kind formerly carried by Scottish Highlanders.” Also, Dirk Nowitzki’s first name :))

Disturbing Religious Meetings – “Any person who shall willfully disturb any assembly of persons met for the worship of God, whether he be in or outside of said assembly, shall be fined for every such offense not less than five dollars nor more than twenty-five dollars, or confined in jail not less than five nor more than thirty days, or both in the discretion of the police justice.”

Dancing — “It shall not be lawful for any person to promote, assist or engage in dancing in any public or private room or hall in the city between the hours of 2 A.M. and 8 A.M. on weekdays, or between midnight on Saturday to midnight on Sunday. Any person violating this section shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of not less than $25.00 no more than $200.00.”

(It’s Footloose up in here before Footloose was even a thing!)

Desecration of Flag — “It shall be a misdemeanor for any person within the said city to willfully desecrate in any manner of the flag of the Commonwealth of Virginia or that of the United States of America, or for any person, other than the owner, his agents, servants, and employees, without the consent of said owner, to remove from buildings said flags in said city or from any street or public place in said city where said flags may be placed, or to mutilate or destroy said flags. Any person guilty of violating the provisions of this section or any of them shall be fined not less than $5.00 nor more than $100.00 or confined in jail not less than five nor more than thirty days, or may be both fined and imprisoned.”

Horses Not to Be Driven Over Six Miles an Hour When Attached to Drays and Carts — “No person shall drive any horse or horses, when attached to any dray, cart or wagon, within the limits of this city, faster than six miles an hour. Every person violating this section shall forfeit and pay two dollars for every offense.”

Fruit-skins on Sidewalks and Floors of Public Halls — “It shall be unlawful for any person to throw fruit-skins or peelings on the sidewalks, or floors of public halls. Any violation of this section shall subject the offender to a fine of not less than two nor more than five dollars.”

(Weirdly I’ve seen people do this in the streets in modern days… I’m guessing they feel it’s okay because it’ll naturally disintegrate, but every time I see it I always brace for someone to cartoon-slip and fall on their ass because of it, haha…)

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But there you have it…

Laws of yore to help you for when Jeopardy starts back up again :)

TL;DR: Dancing, fornicating, furnishing cigarettes or weapons to infants, laboring on Sunday, soliciting for immoral purposes, throwing fruit-skins on the floor, injuring or not returning library books, placing carcasses of dead animals in the street, indecent language, driving over a fire hose, expectorating on the sidewalk, and not reporting venereal diseases can all cause you hefty fines and/or jail time.

Different times, different fines!

PS: for more fun time traveling…

• Lessons of Thrift From 1875
• Save Your Dimes, Enjoy Better Times!
• 46 Tips To Save You Time, Money, and Trouble (From The 1950’s)
• How to Get Health, Wealth and Comfort… in 1890

Photo cred: Unseen Histories

[This post, Life and Fines of the 1940s, was first published by J. Money on Elite Edge Money]

It’s time to go back in the financial time-machine again!

This time to 1890 where this magnificent pamphlet was created to help you get more health, wealth and comfort at the turn of the century…

[“Peerless Rockville: How to Get Health, Wealth, Comfort” by Henry N. Copp]

There’s a hidden agenda inside (the publishers want you to buy a lot in their new community they’re building in the countryside!), but sales tactics aside, the financial nuggets in here are always tried and true no matter what century we’re talking about ;)

And the fearmongering littered throughout only makes it that much more interesting, haha…

Here are my favorite clips from it:

On saving money…

“Ninety-nine persons in a hundred can become wealthy only by the old road of economy, and the sooner they make up their minds to this ofttimes disagreeable fact, the better it will be for them.”

“Now, then, where can you economize best? Plainly just where you can get the best health, namely, in the country. The temptations there are expensive dress, costly amusements, and high living are far less than in the city. Americans are ruined by their desire to make as big a spread as their neighbors, to give as large amounts in church, and on subscriptions, orchestra chairs in theatres, &c. The dread of being called mean or penurious is a frequent cause of unnecessary expenditure.”

“Have you ever thought how few people trouble themselves to remember, and nobody cares a picayune, how you dressed five years ago? Do you suppose anybody will think the better of you for wasting your money in the year 1890 or 1891? Whereas, if you save your money and give up your pleasures for a few years, the fact that you are a real estate owner will insure the respect of all your neighbors and acquaintances.”

“Most people want to have “a good time.” It takes only a little while to appreciate the fact that wasting money is not the best kind of “a good time.” There is a joy and comfort to every man and woman in saving a little money every day and every month, to know that if sickness and death come to him he will not be dependent upon charity in the one case, nor will his family be compelled, in the other, to beg from a heartless world.”

On growing wealth…

“The wisest patrimony a man can leave his family is a good sized lot or lots in a growing village near Washington in addition to a life insurance policy. “Land is the basis of wealth,” and the sooner a young or middle-aged man or woman gets hold of real estate, the sooner will he or she become wealthy and the larger will be his or her estate at death.”

“To make a profitable investment, one must buy where people will make their homes. In other words, a profitable investment can only be made in a locality that will some time be occupied by houses. This is the sure and only test. A person who buys lots simply because they are cheap, frequently would do better to put his money in the fire, as there he would not have to pay taxes on it.”

“Look at a few figures: 75 cents a foot is about the lowest price for a lot on the city outskirts. 3,000 feet cost $2,250. About the cheapest brick house that can be put up for an ordinary family will cost $3,500. Total $5,750. Annual interest $345; taxes, water, and repairs not less than $25 more. Here is a monthly cost of $30 or interest and taxes. How is a man on a small salary to pay the principal? Allowing $20 a month on the principal, more than 0 years will be required to own his own house in the city.”

“Now see how easily a man can acquire a home in a suburban village. A lot 50 x 175 feet can be bought for $400 (from 3 to 5 cents a foot) in a desirable locality near a growing town at $5 a month, frequently without interest and no taxes until paid for. A handsome frame house with 6 to 8 rooms can be put up for $2,500, payable $30 a month. Here is a monthly expense of about $35, allowing $6 a month for car fare (which is less than he will usually spend on horse cars in the city), the purchaser will be spending less than $45 a month, or about what he now wastes, yes, wastes, in rent. In six to eight years he will have a proud satisfaction of owning his own home. And these few years will pass quickly and pleasantly. Keep in mind the fact that they will be sure to pass whether he buys or rents.”

On the unhealthiness of city living…

“Do you appreciate what is ruining your eyesight? Do you know the cause of that constant irritation in your throat? Are you aware why your ears require attention so frequently? The fine dust arising from the asphalt pavements is doing much to injure the delicate membranes of the eyes, throats, and ears of Washington residents.”

“Hundreds of cubic yards of sewer gas are arising into the atmosphere hourly. The thousands of chimneys are belching forth tons of poisonous gases into the air daily. The Potomac water is often slimy and brown with mud and all that it implies.”

“Walking on hard sidewalks jars and irritates the spine, physicians say, and affects the nerves generally. the many and varied noises of a city are said to be the cause, to a considerable extent, of insomnia and other nervous troubles.

“How about the children? Why have they thin hair, saucer-like eyes, sunken cheeks, and emaciated arms and legs? A few months in the country will generally show that it is not a lack of constitution, but the destructive environment of city life, that gives them their present unhealthy appearance.”

On the unhealthiness of city outskirts living…

“What refined lady wants to buy a house near a dirty shanty whence lice, bed-bugs, roaches, and other vermin are likely to overrun her household? What man wants his children to associate with the unfortunate offspring of dirty, ignorant, profane, and riotous neighbors? Living near them, his children must be polluted by the contact.”

“By purchasing within Washington’s limits, on the outskirts, among freight-yards, brick-yards, pig-pens, &c., you can save all railroad fare — every cent of it; and after enduring such nuisances for twenty years or so, until the growth of the city sweeps them away, you will be the owner of some valuable property, even if your children all die in the meantime.”

On the unhealthiness of low valley living…

“It is surprising to hear people, apparently otherwise sensible, say, “Malaria doesn’t affect me.” Such a person ought to hunt out some small-pox or yellow fever locality to live in. There would be just about as much good judgement displayed. A man who will deliberately take his wife and children into a malarious neighborhood to live ought to be sent to an asylum for the feeble-minded.”

So where are sensible, good judgement displaying people best to live?

“A location in cool Rockville, 500 feet above Washington, promotes sound sleep at night during the summer. Mind and body are so refreshed next day as to enable a man to think and work fast, and make more money than he otherwise would. This is only the immediate money-value of the case. When health and social advantages are compared with the inducements held out by other localities, Rockville will persuade thoughtful people every time. And nice, sensible, thoughtful people are the ones the West End Park desires to secure for residents.”

“Not the least of the many advantages which Rockville possesses is the cheapness of living compared with the same expenses in Washington. It is in the midst of a rich farming country. Milk, eggs, butter, fruit, and produce are sold at much lower prices, and, mark you, how fresh and pure they are. This fact is worth more than money. It costs but little to keep a cow and to raise chickens. In a good sized family, these four articles of food — milk, butter eggs, and poultry — go a long way towards maintenance.”

“In addition, when the temptations to spend money presented in every show window in Washington and by every poster on its walls are removed, the economy of Rockville living is decidedly increased.”

“It has 1 National Bank; 3 newspapers and printing offices; 3 hotels; 8 boarding houses; 6 general stores; 1 grocery story; 1 dry goods store; 2 drug stores; 1 jewelry store; 1 furniture store; 1 millinery store; 2 tin and stove stores; 2 meat stores; 1 tobacco and cigar store; 1 barber shop;  1 tailor shop; 3 blacksmith shops; 1 ice cream saloon and bakery; 4 livery stables; 2 wood and coal yards; 2 building associations; 3 real estate agencies;  3 painters and frescoers; 2 paperhangers; 5 contractors and builders; 3 shoemakers; 2 harness maker and carriage trimmer; 2 dentists; 1 civil engineer and surveyor;  2 undertakers; 1 monument works; 3 allopathic and 1 homeopathic physicians; 11 lawyers; 8 churches; and 5 public schools.”

“The pleasures as well as the advantages of a home in the country cannot well be over-estimated; the bracing atmosphere, freedom from the heat, noise, dust, and crowds of the city, the pure and health-giving water, the bright emerald of the fields, trees, the fragrant flowers, the seclusion where genuine rest may be found, and where the children may sport in unrestricted happiness, present attractions that must strongly appeal to every thoughtful person.”

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So there you have it :) Move to the country, avoid malaria and saucer-like eyes, keep your children alive, and sleep peacefully under the stars while you’re health and wealth are all the better for it, haha…

If anyone wants to pick up a copy of this titillating 24 page document, you can score it for the princely sum of $1.99 at Rockville’s historical society, and then take a stroll through this no-longer-countryside hamlet to see what the fuss was about ;)

Lots of changes go down in 100 years, but the foundations of money always stay the same! It really isn’t that complicated!

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For more fun time warps, see:

• Lessons of Thrift From 1875
• 46 Tips To Save You Time, Money, and Trouble (From The 1950’s!)
• Save Your Dimes, Enjoy Better Times!

[This post, How to Get Health, Wealth and Comfort… in 1890, was first published by J. Money on Elite Edge Money]

Check out this gem I just picked up at an antiques store!!

A “Thrifty Savers Book” – with slots for adding 30 dimes into!

And super clever marketing to boot, haha…

When you fill this Dime Saver, visit the FIRST FEDERAL SAVINGS and open your account — put those savings to work for a safe profit!

Imagine the days when $3.00 was a lot of money? :)

Actually, I’ll tell you – it was back in the 1950’s/early 60’s (the $10,000 FDIC part gave it away), and running it through a handy dandy inflation calculator tells us that $0.10 back then had the buying power of roughly $1.04 today.

So really, it’s “Save a dollar, become a baller!” haha… And comes out to about $30 to open up your first account, which is more typical to today’s times.

I had fun coming up with a bunch of other slogans though before I knew the updated value… Feel free to steal these if any banks are watching right now ;)

• Save your nickels, stay out of pickles!
• Save your quarters, become $$ hoarders!
• Save your halves, avoid being sads!
• Save your fives, enjoy living before you dies!
• And the ultimate crowd pleaser… Save your twenties, get lots of honeys! ;)

If only banks cared for our well being as they at least pretended to back then – womp womp…

Fortunately though, you don’t need savings booklets to get going these days – automation has taken over and allowed any of us to save, save, save without lifting a finger, finger, finger! It’s a beautiful thing!

And almost anyone can spare an extra $30/mo too. So if you’re not hip to the game yet, I challenge you to create your first auto. transfer for exactly that – $30. After a year you’ll have $360 without accounting for interest/compounding, after five you’ll have $1,800, and after ten you’ll have $3,600! Or divert it to investments and you have a good shot at doubling it – without noticing a blip in your lifestyle! And really isn’t that what we all wish for?? Not hating our lives while we’re being financially “responsible”??

Saving really can be as easy as plopping dimes into a booklet or just setting it and forgetting it. A lot of things change over the years, but the basic principles of finance do not! Spend less than you earn and bank the difference – that’s really it in a nutshell.

If you don’t believe me, check out this book on “thrift” circa 1875:

(Free on Kindle or at Gutenberg.org. // Blog post on it here.)

Stash those dimes, enjoy better times indeed!

It’s not that complicated!

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For further reading on years gone by:

• 46 Tips To Save You Time, Money, and Trouble – From The 1950’s! (blog post)
• “Tonight I decided to see what wisdom lay in my set of 1939 Readers Digests” (twitter strand)

[This post, Save Your Dimes, Enjoy Better Times!, was first published by J. Money on Elite Edge Money]

Here’s something you don’t see every day: a pamphlet from 1958 giving you over 300 tips “to save you time, money and trouble!”

Found it on Ebay for $3.00 and just had to pick it up for the blog :) (You’re welcome)

There’s a ton of stuff that’s no longer applicable (sewing machine tips, typewriter hacks, and a bunch of not-so PC comments around house wives), but by and large it’s actually a pretty solid brochure even in these days. Our parents would be so proud seeing us talk about them today ;)

In fact, why don’t you *email them* this and get some good bonding in? I’ll wait…

Alright, so here are my favorites from the batch…

If you feel like frugality has been lost in your lives, hopefully this will bring it back for good. And then you can pass it along to your future generations in another 60 years too ;)

If we don’t save frugality, who will??

My Favorite Frugality Tips:

#1. To remove water marks from furniture, use several drops of spirits of camphor on damp cloth and rub over mark.

#6. An emergency ice bag can be made by folding a wet towel and freezing in an ice cube tray. Put frozen towel in a plastic bag and tie end shut.

#11. Keep your shower cap pinned to the inside of your shower curtain with a small plastic clothes pin. It will drip in the tub and always be there to use again.

#17. Run hard candy through a food chopper and sprinkle it on ice cream or frosted cakes. A joy to see and eat.

#21. If you are remodeling your basement, don’t throw away left over moldings. Some shapes make very attractive picture frames.

#29. Cut the bristles of an old toothbrush down to 3/8″ and you have a good fingernail brush.

#33. Fresh vegetable salads of all kinds are greatly improved by adding a little lemon juice.

#47. Squeaky floor boards can usually be stopped by pouring hot melted soap in the crack.

#66. Peanut butter mixed with honey and raisins make an ideal sandwich.

#68. Removing rust spots from metal tools can be done safely and easily with a typewriter eraser.

#70. Temporary counter space in a kitchen can be provided if you pull a drawer out part way and put a cookie sheet on it.

#71. A belt to match any dress can be easily made by folding material over an old belt and fastening the center on the underneath side with iron-on tape.

#79. Don’t throw away that old large hand bag. It makes a good first aid, sewing or what-not kit to carry in your car trunk for emergencies.

#83. If you have trouble threading a needle, push it through a piece of white paper; the white background will help you see the eye better.

#89. A periodic wiping with a cloth dipped in turpentine, of the tile and shower stall in the bathroom, will renew its look.

#94. Too many shoes on the floor, fasten a curtain rod to the inside of your closet door and hang them by their heels.

#100. Dental floss is ideal for sewing on buttons. It’s stronger and will last longer than thread.

#108. Green leaves on the outside of lettuce contain more vitamins than the inside ones, so don’t throw away more than necessary.

#113. When reading and mixing from an open recipe book, place a piece of clear glass or plastic over it to keep it clean.

#119. Left over scraps of floor tile or linoleum can easily be made into very nice coasters for beverage glasses.

#125. If the canary refuses to use his bath bowl, put a little sand in the bottom of the bowl. He may be afraid of the slippery bottom.

#127. Iodine will cover a scratch in mahogany furniture just fine.

#137. If the wire in your cheese cutter breaks, you can replace it with a wire violin or music string.

#144. If you need a bed tray, some ironing boards make a good substitute.

#149. Melted marshmallows make ideal toppings for cup cakes. Ten minutes before the cup cakes are finished baking, pace a marshmallow on top of each cake. When finished baking, they are covered with a delicious topping.

#156. Seldom used luggage is a good place to store blankets, if short on storage space.

#161. You can mend small tears in many curtains, by merely applying colorless nail polish.

#162. To keep plants fresh when you are away, stand them on bricks covered with water in your bath tub. The bricks will absorb enough water to keep the plants moist.

#180. A mason jar of ice cubes, if packed with your picnic lunch, will keep it cool and tasty. When ice cubes melt, you have a jar of good drinking water.

#185. Grapefruit seeds if planted thickly in rich earth about half inch deep and kept well watered, will sprout into a beautiful green center piece in about two weeks.

#193. Bake potatoes in a muffin pan. The potatoes will not move around and will be easy to remove from oven.

#195. Shoe or boot laces that lose their metal tips can be prevented from fraying at the tips with several light coats of fingernail polish. (Editor’s Note: I personally just burn the tips with a lighter to fix any frayed cords, but nail polish definitely sounds like a better – and safer – option :))

#201. Those small clear glass jars with screw tops are invaluable for holding nails, tacks, screws, bolts, herbs, spices or what-have-you. If you nail the lids to the underside of shelves, they are out of the way, easy to reach and easy to see.

#221. Your house key will be easy to locate in your handbag if you tie it to a cord and the other end of the cord to the top of your handbag. Just fish it out.

#223. A finger cut from an old rubber glove and slipped over the top of your broom or mop handle will keep it from falling when leaned against the wall.

#236. For a special occasion cake, stick short pieces of macaroni into icing as vases to hold tiny flowers.

#252. A small amount of vinegar in your dishwasher will protect hands and make dishes sparkle.

#260. Envelopes attached to the inside of drawers with thumb tacks or scotch tape will hold many small items and keep the items easy to locate.

#278. Pieces of maraschino cherries, oranges, grapefruit, etc. frozen in your ice cubes will add color to your iced drinks.

#281: Store your folding summer chairs in the garment bags you get from your cleaner. It will keep them clean and dust free.

#284. When hanging a picture, mark the spot for the nail with a moistened finger; the spot will stay until you drive in the nail.

#286. You can keep neckties unwrinkled when traveling if you pack them between the pages of a magazine.

#291. To use the last bit of ketchup from a bottle, why not pour in a quantity of oil and vinegar and make a delicious salad dressing.

#293. If your medicine cabinet or shower has sliding that stick, just rub a little soap on the slides.

#299. Put a cup hook near your sink to hold your rings when washing dishes. This habit may save a precious stone from coming loose and going down the drain.

#303. Ivy leaves make unusual and attractive place setting cards for your dinner table. Write names on leaves with white ink.

************

Not too bad, right?? Anyone already doing any of these? Anyone find some good ones they think they’ll try out?

I was LOVING the marshmallow one and the little macaroni vases, haha… How do you even come up with that? Accidentally drop macaronis on the cake and think – “Hey! I could put a flower in that!?”

Either way – some solid ideas and something our generation is not the best at ;)

The back cover also had some interesting items from back in the day…

Here’s a snapshot of the banking ad that was attached, and whom apparently the pamphlet was made for (or in partnership with anyways – looks like there were spaces for the producer to market it to a handful of businesses which was pretty slick!)

Christmas Clubs!! Those used to be all the rage back in the day! I remember a good friend telling me about them a few years back – pretty cool concept that seems to have fallen by the wayside. From Wikipedia:

The Christmas club is a savings program that was first offered by various banks and credit unions in the United States beginning in the first half of the 20th century, and including the Great Depression. The concept is that bank customers deposit a set amount of money each week into a special savings account, and receive the money back at the end of the year for Christmas shopping.

And you’ll see similar ones up there too like “Vacation Club” and “Tax Club”… Though sadly no “Early Retirement Club” – yet ;)

So there you have it – a bunch of tips that would make your mother proud. Or even The Frugalwoods, for that matter! Who actually just dropped their first book yesterday: Meet the Frugalwoods: Achieving Financial Independence Through Simple Living 

Might make for a great companion piece?

But yeah – big ups to Morgan H. Wilt who published this pamphlet for us over half a century ago… Your work lives on good sir/madam – even in the digital age!!

And if anyone would like to pick up their own copy of this, here’s how to do so ;)

To bringing frugality back!

******

UPDATE: Want to go back in time even more? Check out these lessons of thrift from 1875 I plucked out of another fantastic resource a few years back ;) Gotta love how relevant it all still is!

[This post, 46 Tips To Save You Time, Money, and Trouble (From The 1950’s!), was first published by J. Money on Elite Edge Money]

Over the holiday season, I came across an antique book called “Thrift” at a used book store. It was by a guy named Samuel Smiles (Hah! Bad ass!), and was printed in November of 1875 as part of a “self help” series.

I really wanted it bad, but for $15.00 I just couldn’t get myself to pick it up. I mean, what would Samuel Smiles think of that? $15 for a book that’s almost 150 years old? ;) So I placed it back on the shelf, and it had been haunting me since.

“It’s only $15 bucks! How awesome would that be for your blog?? I wonder what’s changed in 150 years??? Why didn’t you just freakin’ buy it??”

These thoughts continued to bounce around my head, until one day I decided to go back and see if it was still there. If it was, I’d buy it and once and for all see what I’d been missing this whole time. After two months of thinking about it, it was quite obvious I wouldn’t have to deal with any buyer’s remorse at this point ;) And if it wasn’t there anymore, well, at least I tried and can move on with my life. (I’m so dramatic, haha…)

Well, as fate would have it, not only was the book STILL there, but a friend I took along with me had some store credit saved up and offered to buy it for me. At first I declined because again, it’s $15!, but he loved how happy it made me and had wanted to use up his credit anyways before he forgot and lost it. So the book has finally become mine!!! WOOHOO!!!!

And, now, you get to share in this awesomeness as well ;)

Starting today, I’ll be sharing snippets of the book so we can all see how smart people dealt with money back in the 1800s too. Which, spoiler alert, is pretty much the same as today. Only with cooler words and different examples ;)

Here’s today’s feature passage!

“Thrift does not require superior courage, nor superior intellect, nor any superhero virtue. It merely requires common sense, and the power of resisting selfish enjoyments. In fact, thrift is merely common sense in every-day working action. It needs no fervent resolution, but only a little patient self-denial. Begin is its device! The more the habit of thrift is practiced, the easier it becomes, and the sooner it compensates the self-denier for the sacrifices which it has imposed.”

BAM! The takeaways in paragraph #1:

• Anyone can be thrifty – it doesn’t discriminate!
• It can be practiced in every day actions
• Just start!!!
• The more you do it, the easier it becomes.

It then continues with…

 “The question may be asked: Is it possible for a man working for small wages to save anything, and lay it by in a savings-bank, when he requires every penny for the maintenance of his family? But the fact remains, that it is done by many industrious and sober men; that they do deny themselves, and put their spare earnings into savings-banks, and the other receptacles provided for poor men’s savings. And if some can do this, all may do it under similar circumstances, without depriving themselves of any genuine pleasure or any real enjoyment.”

Takeaways in paragraph #2:

• Even if you barely scrape by, you can save money!
• But you have to be sober and deny yourself equally enjoyable things ;)
• You also have to have savings-banks.
• Or other “receptacles” of the poor man, perhaps a can or mattress to hide it under?
• If poor people can do it, so can you!

Doesn’t look like much has changed in 140 years, huh? :) But what I find interesting about this, is that the more I read it HERE – in these crisp yellowing pages – is that the words seem to sink in a lot more than when read elsewhere. Maybe it’s the novelty to the whole thing, or maybe that old “book” smell is releasing some freaky gases into my nostrils (haha…), but whatever the case I’ll take every last ounce of motivation I can get. If Samuel Smiles could do it before the age of the internet, or cell phones, or cars, online banking, debit cards, medicines, etc, so can we!

I’ll let you know how the rest of the book goes as I continue running through the pages, but for now just remember: Anyone can save money no matter what your circumstance. And even more so if you’re sober and have tons of poor man receptacles laying around ;)

See you back in the 21st century!

——-
PS: Perhaps next time we’ll dive into “How to Get Strong” by William Blaikie, circa 1879. Who wants to bet nothing’s changed in that department either?

UPDATE: Want to own/read this yourself? You can find the original for $120 on Amazon (Hah!), or a modernized one for $10 :) Or, you can read it for free on the Kindle or at Gutenberg.org. Big thanks to my readers for alerting us of this!

[This post, Lessons of Thrift From 1875, was first published by J. Money on Elite Edge Money]