Listen, the hard candy cost 9 cents a pound, cream 15 cents a pint, nuts two pounds for 35 cents. Some change! – Ina Dobson to son Vance, December 1932
We can laugh today at the inflation noted by Ina during the Great Depression, but in the days when every penny counted, I guess those were terrible prices. Strictly speaking, she didn’t need hard candy and nuts, but she wanted them as treats to serve at her annual Christmas party. She said that others were unable to contribute, so it fell to her to provide for everyone. She added that the store gave her an extra pound of hard candy, and she was grateful.
Previously I have said that we can afford to have whatever we want from the grocery store. I now say, “We can, but do we want to?” Food items keep going up. For 30 years, I have mixed myself a cup of hot chocolate with a touch of instant coffee every morning, but given the price of chocolate and coffee, I’m about to let it go. We have a stash of tea in the cupboard, so if I don’t find an outlet for affordable hot chocolate, I’ll switch to tea. What happens if you drink bedtime tea first thing in the morning?
But
– we have to eat. The question is, what are we going to eat? I think Mike and I
will stick to the basics – produce, dairy, bread, and meat. Maybe we’ll eat
foods that are better for us. Relatively speaking, processed food has always been
expensive.
What about other shopping? I might not buy 30 dolls this year. Maybe I’ll only buy two. I thought about buying a Maplelea Girl, the Canadian answer to the American Girl, but I don’t need another doll. In fact, I don’t need much – hardly anything at all. My stashes will hold me for a while. It’s just that something new now and then boosts the morale.
Here’s
a small project I just finished – two Halloween quilt-as-you-go mug rugs, kits
from the Fat Quarter Shop. They were quick to make and added to my enjoyment of
the season. And the pineapple upside-down-cake that Mike ordered turned out
well, too. (Not everything turns out well these days.) KW