With the cost of living continuing upwards, especially the rising cost of food, it’s more important than ever to be organized when it comes to daily household routines and expenses. My focus this year is to remember both of my grandmothers’ and their advice and values about living simply. For them, being resourceful, saving money and engaging in activities that mattered most defined how they experienced life, and there is so much we can learn from their generation.
Read further and I’ll share with you a delicious recipe for Ham Bone Soup, which is also easy, economical and healthy! BTW it is also Lactose and Gluten Free!
My mom always said that there are 2 types of women, ‘we are either cooks or cleaners but rarely both,’ she said. I tend to think we all lie somewhere on a spectrum, but that statement is pretty true in my family. My mom was a cook! Like a lot of us, I had 2 grandmas growing up. They were born a decade and an ocean apart. There were differences in personality and culture, but there were also so many similarities that was influenced by eras they lived through, the depression era and WW2. They experienced it differently, but the impact on values were the same. Both followed husbands for work, but engaged in an active personal life for themselves.
My Canadian Grandma was born in Montreal, Canada in 1921. Her home was clean and tidy. She was not a cook (my gramps did the cooking), although she did make a ‘mean turkey sandwich.’ Her experience of wartime was as of a soldier’s wife, who got the call within weeks of my mom was born. She was 21 and he 22 when he left to fight in Europe for 3 years. She did not like fuss, frill or excess. Her colour scheme was muted, beiges, greys and white. Married at 17, she chose not to wear a wedding gown, but a tailored grey suit and she wore grey pencil skirts with black pumps into her 90’s. Her daughters’ names were one syllable, choosing the version with the least amount of letters (Gail and Ann). Every item in her small apartment had its place and was always returned immediately after use. Shopping bags were folded and placed into a box on a shelf in the front hall storage closet right beside the front door. When we were on dish drying duty (immediately after supper), we had to hold each glass up to the light to ensure there were no spots before it was placed just so in back in the cupboard. All linens were ironed smooth and everything was lined up and straightened on a shelf or in a cupboard. If something had a stain, we gave it to grandma to work her magic! Gifts were a small but thoughtful age-appropriate token for Christmas, and money, a dollar matching how old you were for birthdays.
My Irish Grandma was born in Belfast, Ireland in 1911. She was a cook yes, but not particularly for the love of cooking. She was all about the social and loved looking after people. Her wartime experience was as a young mom with a toddler and also giving birth in a city subjected to bombing. Her home was not particularly tidy, it was lived in but not messy either. She was a very active ‘church lady’ supplying loads of hospitality through food, functions and get-togethers. She enjoyed crafts such as sewing and knitting and often made her own clothes. There were always guests for tea, lunch or dinner and lots of silliness and laughter. This was the grandma who baked cookies and after we’d had a few would ask my mom if we could have ice cream. When the answer was no and the adults left the kitchen she would immediately go into the freezer and load up a cone of ice cream, instructing us where to take it so we wouldn’t get seen until we finished it. There was always a garden and canned pickles. Christmas and birthday gifts were usually something small like a cheap wallet with a coin in it for good luck. The good luck wishes and secret ice cream were the gifts.
I loved both my grandmas!
As someone who organizes professionally, I wouldn’t be able to do it without the influence of my two grandmothers. Decluttering is important, I help people go through it all the time. It feels good to clear the clutter and reset our homes and I highly recommend it. However, only decluttering without understanding the why and how of what got you there, is like treating a symptom and not figuring out the cause. Without understanding your values, giving your spaces purpose, and making sure systems are in place within your home and lifestyle, the clutter will only come back. My job is to get clients to a point where they don’t need me any more. When that happens it’s a successful project!
New years are always a perfect time to reset. 2025 for me will be all about acknowledging practical lessons taken from women who lived through the depression era and wartime. Women who thrived as they functioned through chaos and difficult times. Now more than ever this just makes a lot of sense. We also have the bonus of modern technology making some tasks easier and quicker! There are things we can do to simplify our lives and lighten the work and make better use of our space by planning ahead and using things we already have instead of buying more.
Grandma’s Values:
- Every meal was home cooked, usually simple and always nutritious.
- There was always a day scheduled for shopping, and they bought what they needed for the week.
- Keep every blessed piece of paper (I learned this when clearing out my aunts home which had also been my grandparents). I am not going to keep paper, but explore better options of keeping records and documentation.
- Both my grandma’s worked and had their own responsibilities outside the home paid or unpaid, with a healthy work/life balance.
- Both were affiliated with a Church which gave them a foundation, a sense of belonging, and most importantly community and social connection.
- Beds were made every morning. It wouldn’t occur to them not to.
- Homes function as intended and everything had a place within it.
- Purchasing items second-hand in good condition was always considered before new, and only if you needed them. This also highlights the importance of donating.
- If an item was reparable then it was.
Thank goodness for these modern ideas and technology!
- Dishwashers
- Partners pitching in with household and childcare duties
- Larger freezers
- Wrinkle free fabrics
My blogs this year will feature tips on home organizing that is timeless and current. Ways to use what you have by shopping your home, keeping you out of the stores and saving money. Budget friendly recipes for reducing waste in the kitchen, and maybe a crafting idea or two.
I’ll start with this tip. Cooking a ham or turkey is an economical way to feed a crowd. Stretch it even further by using the bones to make soup. Here is my recipe for Ham Bone Soup. It’s simple to make, uses only a few ingredients, economical and very delicious!
RECIPE:
A couple tbsp’s of your favourite cooking oil (I use an olive canola blend)
1 onion, or about a cup
1 large carrot, or about a cup and a half
2 celery stalks, or about a cup and a half
1 lb navy beans, soaked overnight and drained, (about 2 cups dried) (I picked them up with my Christmas Turkey at Fenwood Farms in Ancaster)
1 ham bone with some meat left on it
6 cups water or stock (I use water and a dollop of Better than bouillon, seasoned vegetable base)
Directions:
- In a large pot, sauté the onions, carrot and celery in the cooking oil until the onions are translucent (about 5 minutes).
- Add the soaked/drained navy beans, water or stock and the ham bone.
- Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer for a couple of hours, until the beans are tender. The exact time will likely depend on how fresh your navy beans are.
- When the beans are soft, you can use an immersion blender which will create a creamy soup. I like to leave about half of the beans whole for a chunkier texture.
- Take any meat off the ham bone, stir them into the soup and discard the bone.
Tip: Ham bones can be salty, so don’t add any salt until you’ve tasted it and feel it needs more.
Enjoy!
