In honor of Frugal Friday, I will be sharing an excerpt from The American Frugal Housewife each week. This book was a special gift from my Mother. If you missed previous excerpts, catch up here.
The beauty of this book is that it was first published in the year 1833. The author, known simply as “Mrs. Child” dedicated her book to “those who are not ashamed of economy”.
Browsing through the book, I am amazed by all the frugal tips Mrs. Child has shared. She was an expert in her time at running a household without waste. She has a solution for almost every household dilemma.
She included some, uh, interesting recipes, including several that turn my stomach. For example, if you are ever in need of a recipe for “Egg Gruel” or “Calf’s Foot Jelly”, this book is an excellent resource.
In our modern age, we probably would not heed all of Mrs. Child’s advice. However, I find it fascinating to discover how families lived in 1833. Instead of seeking medical care, a household may have implemented some of these simple remedies:
“Cotton wool, we with sweet oil and paregoric, relieve the ear-ache very soon.
A good quantity of old cheese is the best thing to eat, when distressed by eating too much fruit, or oppressed with any kind of food. Physicians have given it in cases of extreme danger. (I’ll stick with my Tums, thanks).
Honey and milk is very good for worms; so is strong salt water; likewise powdered sage and molasses taken freely.
For a sudden attack of quincy or croup, bathe the neck with bear’s grease, and pour it down the throat.
Loaf sugar and brandy relieves a sore throat; when very bad, it is good to inhale the steam of scalding hot vinegar through the tube of a tunnel.”
However, we can apply these “general maxims for health”:
“Rise early. Eat simple food. Take plenty of exercise. Never fear a little fatigue. Let not children be dressed in tight clothes; it is necessary their limbs and muscles should have full play, if you wish for either health or beauty.
Avoid the necessity of a physician, if you can, by careful attention to your diet. Eat what best agrees with your system, and resolutely abstain from what hurts you, however well you may like it. A few days’ abstinence, and cold water for a beverage, has driven off many an approaching disease.
If you find yourself very ill, send for a good physician. Have nothing to do with quacks; and do not tamper with quack medicines.
Wear shoes that are large enough. It not only produces corns, but makes the feet misshapen, to cramp them. Wash very often, and rub the skin thoroughly with a hard brush. As far as possible, eat and sleep at regular hours.”
Some very sound advice, indeed. I wonder what Mrs. Child would say if she saw a pair of Jimmy Choo’s today?
She would have been an amazing blogger. I love the way she fearlessly asserts her opinion, which probably was not mainstream at the time.
Taking care of our health is an important part of frugal living. Obviously, not every illness is unavoidable, but proper diet and rest goes a long way!
And by that last tweet, I meant she wants us to eat healthy and that place isn’t always the healthiest…and when you often eat healthy and visit an establishment with tator tots and chocolate banana cream pie shakes it gives you the same results as the alli diet drug 🙂
Some good advice! Some of those recipes sound real interesting…
Actually, that comment was not DJ, but me!! Apparently my husband was signed in and I didn’t know. Oops!