"The cost of living also rose rapidly during these early months of the war..." The Home Front - New Zealand society and the war effort, 1914-1919" by Steven Loveridge and James Watson
It seems as if history is repeating itself once again when it comes to the cost of living. "The Home Front" book is a fascinating book about World War 1 in New Zealand, the run up to the war and war being declared, political decisions, the war economy, conscription and the effects of this war on our country. In chapter four, The Emerging War Economy, it talks about how even in the beginning of the war the cost of living and food prices rose rapidly.
It is interesting to note that it talks about how people had stockpiled groceries at the beginning of the war before the inevitable price increases that would come. Sounds familiar doesn't it? I also find it interesting that in World War Two, the first thing to be rationed here in New Zealand was petrol and following that was the rationing of other goods, including various food items. Just a couple of weeks prior to the war in Iran and the following global fuel crisis, I wrote about rationing here in New Zealand during World War Two and how the first thing to be rationed was petrol.
The food items listed in this book that were affected early on concerning price increases were, bread, eggs, potatoes, flour, oats, sugar, butter and meat. All these items were also grown and/or made here in New Zealand and there was some outrage over the cost of some of these items. Such as butter. Dairy prices were stable to start with at the beginning of the war, during the spring time, as this was when production was at its highest. There was a big demand for our butter from Britain which kept prices stable, however, there was soon to be a drought across the Tasman in Australia and this increased butter prices dramatically as Australian merchants brought large stocks of our butter which at that time of the year were usually held in reserve for the New Zealand market for the following winter. Interesting to note how farming practises have changed and that even dairy is now available all year round. New Zealanders were large consumers of butter and it is noted that as costs rose and poorer people couldn't afford to buy as much butter they resorted to beef dripping.
"It is only at a time like this, when prices are so high, that people in such a prosperous country as New Zealand turn to dripping." Quote from chapter four.
We are in exactly the same position again here in New Zealand where the cheapest 500gram block of butter costs just over $7.00 and the most expensive is nearly $10.00. Prices vary throughout the country and depending on the supermarket.
There were also shortages on some items coming from the northern hemisphere such as Mediterranean sultanas and raisons and imports of cream of tartar which was produced largely in France or Germany were no longer available for a period of time as imports were usually carried on German ships. It is quite interesting to think that over 100 years ago they were importing and exporting food all around the world already.
The shopping habits of a 1914 wartime housewife here in New Zealand and other countries as well, would have been vastly different to today's experience that we have in a modern supermarket. Pantry staples were simple compared to today with the basics of flour, sugar, tea, coffee, rice, dairy products, a select amount of tinned foods which were mostly imported from Britain. Grocery stores were hands-off with service counters, where the grocer would take your list and gather the items for you from the shelves. Vegetables and fruits were often sold in specialist Chinese green grocers and meat was from the butcher. It would have taken housewives a lot longer to do their shopping going from store to store and then they would have had to carry it home. My understanding is that they often made several trips per week plus most would have had vegetable gardens and kept backyard chickens as well.
So, what can we learn from the economic hardships of 1914. Well for a start, people were preparing for what was to come. Price increases on groceries were inevitable then as they are now so putting away some extra food to see you through tough times was exactly what housewives were doing 112 years ago. In fact, people have been doing this for thousands of years. That's why traditionally the harvest season was a time of gathering and storing for the coming winter season. Preserving food and stocking the larder was an essential way of life. As the world has progressed and we become ever more reliant on supermarkets and imports it can be easy to think that food will always be there. I believe it is very prudent to keep well stocked and have extra put away for hard times.
Here is a list of essentials to get started on if you are wanting to put away extra just like the housewives did at the beginning of World War 1 in 1914. This will look different for everyone and it depends whether you are single, have a family, any dietary requirements you may have and of course, budget.
- Flour and raising agents ( yeast, baking powder, baking soda )
- Oats or other cereal grains
- Dried or tinned beans and lentils
- Long life milk ( dairy or plant-based )
- Powdered milk
- Tinned fruit
- Tinned vegetables ( corn, peas, tomatoes, beetroot, potatoes etc )
- Tinned meat
- Peanut butter, jam, marmite
- Pasta and sauces
- Sugar
- Tea and/or Coffee
- Butter ( this freezes well )
- Olive oil
- Baking ingredients
- Rice
- Salt, pepper, herbs and spices
- Pet food
- Essential medicines, supplements etc
- Toiletries
- Anything extra required for dietary requirements that you don't want to be without
- Treats ( for hard days )
This is not an exhaustive list but just the staples to give some ideas. My Nana always used to say that if you have a bag of flour you can make many things so even if you are not able to put away a large quantity, just having the basics that can cook filling staple meals will see you through. Many different meals can come from a bag of flour, bread, tortillas, pancakes, fritters, quick breads and muffins and also pasta.
I hope you can take comfort and inspiration learning about how housewives from the past have made it through difficult times, trying to stay ahead of economic hardships so they could continue to provide for themselves and their families.
Wherever you are, I hope you have a healthy and safe week.
Many blessings and thank you for visiting here.
Love, Fiona
"She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness." Proverbs 31:27
