The fine art of making do

By Judi McLeod —— Bio and Archives November 17, 2010

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Most folk didn’t need a Harvard professor to tell them that cosmetics sales were up 25% in the decade following the Great Depression. They had already heard about it in stories passed down from their Grandmothers’ day. Housewives saved pennies, nickels and dimes in their piggybanks to replenish their lipstick. The coupon was not something tossed out after the postman left the mail, but a standby.

Homemade birthday cakes were lovingly made, their decorations more creative than store-bought ones. When eggs weren’t readily available for cakes, some one came up with recipes for cakes with no eggs. People don’t change in hard economic times. They make do.