The Lost Arts?

Posted on September 25, 2007 by Melissa
Filed Under Food, Frugality, Household

Sometimes I wonder if I should have taken Home Economics in high school. For me, it was a choice between that and computer science and I chose the latter. Although computer science helped prepare me for a career in the tech industry I feel like I missed out on learning some of the essentials for running a household that could help save money.

It seems most of my friends didn’t take Home Economics either. Are students are getting this knowledge at home instead? I didn’t and neither did a lot of my friends. Are frugal household skills that were once widely practiced becoming less common knowledge with younger generations? Are you proficient in these “lost arts”?

Sewing & Repairing Clothing

Sewing I have absolutely no idea how to sew. How many people do you know actually sew? The other day a button fell off Eric’s pants and I realized I’d have to dig up my little sewing kit and figure out how to sew it back on. I just never had the opportunity to learn. I view this as a tragedy because repairing (and making) clothing is economical and can save money. It seems to be a skill that isn’t getting passed down as often as it once was.

Not only is sewing important for repairing clothing it is also useful for creating wonderful household goods from scrap fabrics like bedding and window hangings. One of my very best friends makes the most beautiful quilts and even made a successful home business out of it. I am amazed by her and this talent she has. I haven’t been able to figure out how to properly sew buttons yet she can make works of art.

Cooking From Scratch

Homecooking I feel strongly that cooking is becoming a lost art outside of professional kitchens. I love to cook but none of my close friends routinely cook from scratch. Not one. Many of my friends lack even the basic fundamentals of cooking and they have no interest in learning. It’s a shame because cooking from scratch is a valuable skill that not only saves money but helps pass down family traditions. I am lucky I happened to really enjoy cooking as an adult despite having very little exposure to it growing up.

Once upon a time learning to cook was essential; you simply had to feed your family and convenience foods weren’t an option. These days, you can accomplish the same task without really needing to learn how to cook with ready-to-eat meals. Unfortunately, these prepared foods are more expensive than their homemade counterparts. Perhaps the ease of convenience foods has made cooking from scratch less desirable so less young adults are trying it. To get good at homemade cooking you must practice. That is why everyone loves Grandma’s cooking - practice makes perfect.

Balancing A Checkbook

First Checkbook Toy I haven’t balanced a checkbook since high school. I don’t even write checks anymore. With online banking, budgeting, and Quicken I have essentially lost the desire (and maybe the ability) to hand balance my checkbook down to the penny. I remember my mother teaching me how to do this when I was young but I never really got in the habit. Only one of my friends still does this and the rest don’t. Is the joy of having that checkbook ledger balance perfectly a thing of the past?

Gardening

Homegrown Veggies I always have considered gardening and cultivating homegrown food an art form. When I lived on a farm we grew fresh green beans and my grandmother always had a garden full of fresh food. When we moved to the suburbs we never again had a garden and I missed out on developing that skill.

Around here, I see people tending flower beds but not vegetable gardens. Imagine how much you could save if you could harvest your veggies from your backyard rather than the grocery store! How wonderful would it be to have fresh herbs around? I think we may see a rise in this “hobby” now that vegetable gardening is more in vogue. I am planning to learn how to garden in our new home.

I could go on and on with topics (canning/food preservation, ironing, even household budgeting, etc) that seem to be fading out with my generation. Maybe some of the need has been replaced by modernization. I think it is interesting to look at these “lost” frugal household skills and see if people are still practicing them.

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Comments

10 Responses to “The Lost Arts?”

Kyle on September 25th, 2007 11:53 am

Great points. I think these are becoming lost arts because of the increasing popularity of dual-income families where both parents work and have little time for cooking, sewing, gardening, etc. Sad, because in many cases a stay-at-home parent could counter-balance the loss of income by doing some of your frugal living tips. Plus, the obvious benefits to children having a parent at home.
Jo-less on September 26th, 2007 2:45 am

I can’t sew other than putting buttons back on and things, and I have never balanced a cheque-book (do we do that in the UK?) but we do cook from scratch about 90% of the time and are attempting to grow veggies in our city back garden (without much success though)! We have friends who also love to cook and grow their own food too so it’s not a totally lost art.
Melissa on September 26th, 2007 9:49 am

Kyle -

I agree that the rise in dual-income families could have something to do with this. My mother knew how to sew very well and perhaps if she hadn’t been so busy with work she would have had more time to pass that skill down to me. Maybe when time becomes a more valuable commodity than money it is more desirable to pay for these tasks.
Melissa on September 26th, 2007 10:04 am

Jo-less -

We are definitely not the only ones daunted by a needle and thread! It’s great that you cook from scratch, I find it’s rewarding in more ways that just saving money. I can’t wait to be able to try my hand at gardening, too. I hope you start having better luck with it.

I’m glad you commented!
The Festival Of Frugality Is Collecting Social Security. | My Two Dollars on October 2nd, 2007 5:34 am

[...] presents The Lost Arts? posted at A Penny [...]
94th Festival of Frugality on October 2nd, 2007 7:14 pm

[...] The Lost Arts at A Penny Closer talks about things that used to be common (such as repairing clothing or cooking from scratch) that people no longer do. (I still remember my mother sewing patches on the inside of my play clothes when I was little.) [...]
FIRE Finance on October 7th, 2007 2:26 pm

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HistoricStitcher on October 9th, 2007 10:58 am

I love this post! Thank you! They are, indeed, fast becoming lost arts.

You ask whether folks are still practicing these arts…

In my house, we work hard to ensure they survive. There is no television watching, which leaves plenty of time for our “hobbies” of spinning our own yarn, knitting, and weaving our own fabric. I have been sewing since I was 2, and received my first sewing machine (not a toy) on my 6th birthday. I have since worked as a seamstress, alterations-sewer, an embroiderer, and a costume-shop manager. It is as normal to me as it is for others to know which stores have the “best” jeans.

Cooking form scratch is routine. I have been making all our bread since 1999, and regularly make meals from “real” food. My garden has not been thriving, as the deer think it is tasty, too, but I’m looking for ways to repel them.

The checkbook - well, I admit to using Quicken. I am frequently tempted to return to a 19th century housewife-like form of record-keeping for my household, but have not yet instituted it. We’ll see.

Life is good. Without television, we have plenty of time for being outside, reading, cooking, gardening edibles (as opposed to look-at-ables), and other simple pleasures. I’ve found this way of life to be less stressful and more relaxing than the mainstream American way of life. We’re healthier, too.
Melissa on October 10th, 2007 8:31 am

@HistoricStitcher - I’m glad you enjoyed the article. I think your lifestyle sounds wonderful. Make sure to pass down those skills, it sounds like you know what you are doing!

I have heard that human hair cuttings in old pantyhose help repel deer but I haven’t tried it. I’m not even sure why that would work.

Thanks for commenting!
Heidi @ Carolina Dreamz on October 19th, 2007 3:24 am

…I was reading A Penny Closer finding the change to get there, and saw this post about The Lost Arts…

So, yes, I agree, that these are lost arts. But they are so important and I teach them every day, because someone needs to be keeping up with passing down what they can. I don’t know how today’s generations will survive, financially, without some of these important skills.