Reviews for The American frugal housewife

The average rating for The American frugal housewife based on 2 reviews is 2 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-11-11 00:00:00 Aaron Reed How did housewives clean and cook in the early 1800s? I picked up this book to find out. However, I didn't learn as much as I wanted because it's almost written in a different language. Lost to us is having ashes to make lye, having bear or goose grease, finding whortleberries or having loaf sugar on hand. While I found several good tips about cleaning and cooking, I would really like to see a "translation" of this book published. What is the equivalent to whortleberries today? Burnt alum? Oil of Cajput? There is a treasure trove of information in this book, but it's locked away in terms we no longer use. Her advice on frugal living is still applicable - live within your means and save for what you want. Don't waste anything you could use. Find ways to use substitutions for expensive food items. Develop useful skills. "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." This is the book's opening quote. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in the old-style of living and homesteading. Perhaps one day, someone will bring this up-to-date so it could be a very useful reference.

Review # 2 was written on 2015-04-04 00:00:00 Brandon Le This book was just okay. Not great but not bad either. Descriptions of daily life in the early 1800s. Hard to say whether I would recommend or not. I guess everyone will just have to judge for themselves.