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Everything new is well forgotten old. What our grandmothers invented 50 years ago is relevant again.
Yes, they came up with all sorts of life hacks not for a good life, but for the sake of economy. And in our era of universal consumption, we are trying to live more consciously. Well, the savings, too, have not bothered anyone yet. We have collected 7 habits from our Soviet past that are back in fashion.
1. Bags
We call them eco-bags or shoppers. A reusable grocery bag can be bought in almost any large (and not so) chain supermarket for an average of 100 rubles. Fashion brands offer their own shoppers, and these string bags can be very expensive. DKNY, for example, can be bought for 26 thousand rubles, Ralph Lauren – for 65-70 thousand. And ordinary shopping bags tied in a large cell cost about 70-100 rubles.
It’s worth buying a reusable bag for several reasons. First, if we talk about high, it will reduce the amount of plastic on the planet. After all, polymer particles are found even in our blood. Secondly, you can save on packages. Now they cost about 5-8 rubles, so a fabric bag will pay off in 10-15 trips to the store.
2. DIY tools
Do It Yourself – that is, do it yourself. Previously, it was not so much to save money on household chemicals – it was extremely difficult to buy them. Therefore, they masterly learned to mix soda and hydrogen peroxide, stains were removed with citric acid, and the floor was washed with salt. Then the boom of manufactured goods began, and miracle cleaning products suddenly became available. And now the housewives are again trying to minimize the amount of household chemicals and return to basics. Moreover, a mixture of soda and vinegar often copes with the tasks set no worse than the popular store products.
3. Sewing to order
It was not so easy to buy a coat or dress in Soviet times. Firstly, there is not much for that, and secondly, there is nowhere and nothing. With the fabric, things were a little easier, so they sewed to order – either themselves, or in an atelier or from familiar craftswomen. Now we are doing exactly the same, but already because store clothes do not suit in some way – the material is not the same, it doesn’t fit the figure, or we simply came up with an ideal model, and clothing manufacturers haven’t come up with such a thing yet.
This applies not only to clothes – furniture is made to order, shoes are sewn, even perfumes and creams are made up. Our mothers could only dream of this.
4. Twists for the winter
Once upon a time it was vital. Now the fruits from their own six hundred square meters on an industrial scale are harvested only by residents of rural areas, in the city there is simply no such opportunity. But many housewives also make spins for the winter: they buy vegetables, apples, berries from summer residents, make jam and even share recipes for exotic jams, for example, from Jerusalem artichoke or from oranges and mangoes. So what? At least that way you know exactly what you eat.
5. Homemade food
When it became possible to order fast food to go or with delivery, many used it. Eating outside the home was a novelty and was even considered a sign of some kind of wealth. Now, snacks in a cafe or a semi-finished lunch is a common thing. So much so that normal homemade food sometimes seems like a luxury, because often there is neither time nor energy for it. However, the fashion for a healthy lifestyle dictates its own conditions: you need to eat properly and of high quality. You have to cook.
6. Second life of old things
You can make a bunch of all sorts of useful things from your favorite T-shirt – the same string bag, for example, or a decorative pillowcase. Obsolete things with skill and imagination can be turned into useful and completely new ones. Our mothers also knew how to do this: trousers or coats can be changed, children’s pants can be sewn from an old skirt, a dress for a daughter can be made from a shirt. However, they did it because there was nowhere to go. And we do this because it’s interesting, and besides, any hand-made is in vogue now.
7. Rational use of products
This year, they calculated how much food is thrown away in Russia – about 17 million tons. Insane waste. Our parents could not afford this, in the era of total deficit, there is no time for fat. They ate everyone to the last crumb, any housewife knew how to cook several different dishes from one chicken. Now this trend is gradually returning to our lives: conscious consumption is becoming fashionable. And this cannot but rejoice – more and more people are realizing that they cannot treat their planet thoughtlessly and consumeristically, like children who have grasped for sweets.