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What an interesting topic!

I often think about how complicated life has gotten and thus more expensive. In the old days if an appliance failed you could call Ralph's Repair Shop and someone came over the next day & was likely able to fix it right then. Today appliance companies use insurance companies to cover the costs of repairs under warranty.  These insurance companies then contract with repair shops to come to your home. When you can get an appointment may be far into the future & then there's the wait for the part.

I don't think most people could do your 1960s life much less 1930s today. 

I find it's hard to maintain a simple life when the rest of your family doesn't want to. 

First, are you having storms and, if so, are all okay? We are flooding, yet again, in the mountains. Will it ever stop!?? 

Now, then, as I was reading this I started thinking about when I set up home keeping in the 1970s. My husband and I learned $360 a week before taxes and our health insurance deductions. We lived quite well, but we saved nothing. All that changed when it was just me and my son in the late 1990s. I cut back my budget, started canning, and tried to be more frugal. There are so many things that sneak into a home -- bottled sparkling water, paper napkins, fabric just to have "in case", sets of dishes and pans when one only uses a few, and all the things bought for a rainy day. It's such a slippery slope. Lately, when I go to estate sales, I buy old Pyrex for storage or the 1930-40 refrigerator dishes so I have broken up with plastic wrap. I look for baskets so I can dump the plastic (besides, baskets are cuter). I carry a snack when I am out so I won't be tempted to stop to buy something --- convenience adds a lot to a purchase! 

I am interested in how you will cut your expenses and hope I can do the same! 

We've actually created a world that makes it difficult.  Sewing a shirt cost more than running to Target or grabbing sale item. Then there's the time. No one has it, because everyone works the vicious cycle.  Two incomes = two cars, two car insurance, clothing budget, lunch budget, etc.  You have HOA's that dictate what you can and can't do with your own yard. You have required insurance whether you can afford it or not.  They now make poor appliances that cost a fortune and health insurance is a game to keep you on drugs rather than fixing the problem. It's pretty hard to live like this when the world has other plans.  But I do it anyway because I'm grateful I have lived in an era I remember it being simple and reuseable!  I don't know if people realize they don't have to live like a crazy person or if we're so all into wants that we forget to slow down and just enjoy the basics. No decision fatigue, making time to prepare dinner and do the dishes - my dd loved it when we did dishes together!!  It really is peaceful this way.  I think everyone is too competitive. The glorification of busy, the competitive world, ease of buying/advertising, and the overuse of rules, have overruled sense, healthy families, and basic needs.   But I'm a Type C person, so what do I know. LOL. 

I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with! 

We found a family-owned eatery near us (1.1 miles, so walking distance!) that serves hamburgers, hot dogs, corn dogs, tacos, food like that. It's not a franchise. The people who own it now bought it from the original owners. They have the best soft-serve ice cream cones! Real old-fashioned flavor. Everything is very cheap compared to the franchises, but pretty good stuff for the kind of food that it is. Excellent onion rings. We have decided that this place is our only occasional going-out treat. I think it's a very 1930s thing to do. :)

I've been weeding my spending down to the essentials, but I like the idea of replacing categories with the 1930s' categories. I'm going to work on that and see what I can do. 

I really like the way the budget sheets are laid out.  Putting the entries in not only on a monthly basis but also on the day of the month the expense occurred.  I wonder if there is somewhere we could get one today?

Your last line.  I could, but my dh would n.e.v.e.r. Lol.  So much I would do without.  I called an appliance person to come out to fix my washer and they wanted $100 before they showed up and $350 to come out.  I said what if the part is $75?  Needless to say, I said heck no. LOL. It's sad really. I agree - complicated and expensive.

Hello and thank you Grandma Donna for the time and thought you put into your post, as always.

I noticed you mentioned insurance was something you didn't start out life with, and that there is no column or row for insurances of any kind in the photos of the 1930s budget.

Just to be clear, I'm not saying that insurance isn't a good idea - but I think that it's something that maybe people didn't have in times past and now, by necessity, are going without today because it's becoming too costly.

I was talking to a woman yesterday whose house is on a floodplain. She said that many people who live in the town have stopped insuring their homes because the cost was tens of thousands of dollars a year (we're in Australia). 

When I asked how they get by when they flood, she said they all help each other; tradespeople, neighbours and businesses all pull together.

I can't picture exactly how it works. I suppose people still have to put money aside for building materials and to replace items.

While this is not a situation I would like to be in, it does say to me that there is value in community that money can't buy. Also that skills are important and if real value, which of course is one of the core themes here in your posts, and which we've seen you and Charles put into action after storms and cyclones.

As to what categories might my family be able to take out of today's budget to get closer to the 1930s budget? Not much at first glance; we have pretty basic categories.

In our house, we have a big budget for our pets, but because they are "seniors", we feel like we need to allow for more regular checkups and for their medications. I remember in the past that veterinary care was more affordable. Interestingly, the cost of the vet rising seemed to be around the time that pet insurance became a thing - I'm not sure whether there's a connection.

When I was growing up, there weren't expensive treatments and medications available for pets.

We wouldn't stop now the level of care we provide to our pets, but maybe learn more about how to clean their teeth and adjust their diets to minimise the effects of ageing, such as arthritis. That might mean that much of their expenses could be covered more easily just in the grocery bill. It's a shame that many people now hesitate to keep pets because of the cost involved.

Grandma Donna Wrote,  

Isabel R wrote, I really like the way the budget sheets are laid out.  Putting the entries in not only on a monthly basis but also on the day of the month the expense occurred.  I wonder if there is somewhere we could get one today?    

Isabel, I have several times taken pencil and paper and drawn out my own forms from looking at the sheets in the book and copied my drawings for work sheets. My scanner broke several years ago and these old budget books are a bit brittle.  It goes faster than you think once started drawing the lines.  I too like that the budget sheets are laid out in a nice and simple way, including the daily and monthly expenses.  Everyone has their own way to do budgets and each of us prefer a certain way.  I enjoy looking at all the options and normally keep my certain way but try their way too so I can follow along with the history studies to see how it feels to do it their way.  

Sorry, I just noticed insurances further down the page. 

Grandma Donna wrote, Kellie O, there is an area for insurance on page 2.  The next to last photo of the budget pages, it is very easy to miss, I did not see it at first either.  It says, Insurance, Life and Accident and is under the Building and loan Payments.  

I have had many people to tell me that if their insurance goes up anymore they will have to drop their insurance.  These costs are about to break people, the vet expenses are doing the same.  Charles and I have always had a special savings for our pets and we have emptied that many times now.  You have a good point about the pet insurance timing with increasing costs but then if our costs are going up so are theirs. 

Many people are already at a point that one more increase and they will have to drop whatever that is.  Charles was just sitting at his desk and called out to me to tell me that another one of our insurance bills just went up again.  We may need to drop that particular insurance.  This 1930s study is needed.  Donna

Grandma Donna Wrote,  

Matty H, we are doing okay here with storms.  We had two storms to roll through this afternoon and thankfully they were regular summer thunderstorms and rain.  Do you have any damage from your too much an too many storms?  We do have the tropics rumbling down below us though, wonder where it will go, I do not wish it for anyone and to just disappear.  It seems that the weather is getting really strange.  

That is really interesting reading! I know I miss my first house. It was a townhouse, about 900 sq ft and felt way bigger! Insurance is just gotten completely out of hand. I had a customer tell me (I work remotely for a pet supply company and I chit chat with people) that in her area, 10 days before a big storm was going to hit, all the ins companies came in and canceled ALL of the policies. They knew there could be a storm and all these people that had been paying all those years were suddenly canceled. And yep, the area was hit hard. She said it was an elderly occupied area and several had heart attacks and died before the storm even hit just from the worry of what they did. She hired a lawyer and they said they can do this. We have lost our way with corporations running amok with power and greed. We pay all this money every month but when something happens, they don't pay and then either raise the rates or cancel the policies. We just had a big storm (for our area) and sure enough, a bunch of scammy roofing companies were out in droves ringing doorbells trying to scare people into saying they have damage and don't worry insurance will cover it, you only pay 5%. NO! Even if they do cover it, all that will happen is your rates will go up and they will recoup the cost. BUT there is a high probability there is no damage to begin with. My son in law worked for a roof company and showed me emails where the company told them to pull up shingles and CAUSE damage and take pics. Most homeowners do not go up there. I watched my neighbor have someone come out to look at his and I watched them do it! One of these scammers came to my door despite my signs saying do not even think of ringing or knocking and trying to sell me something. He said, oh I am not here to sell you anything, I noticed damage and I just so happen to work for a roof company.I was driving by...um, the next day, 11 signs on my street of victims of this company.Oh, I had my roof inspected just in case...zero damage and said I was good to go for years. This roofer believes in repair first and would never knock on doors for business.He said they scam the old folks really bad.Just makes me mad! I have done a sit down with myself to see what else I can eliminate. I eat basic, don't run the air until evening, don't shop unnecessarily (well, usually!). I did just get a new to me (aka used) car. I had a huge pickup truck that I loved, but was not practical for my life nor was I able to get my mom in it to to take her to drs etc.(I take care of her and her house). I did trade it in and i paid cash for the balance.I had been saving for it. I also had been saving for house repairs, so if I did need the roof I could pay for that as well. I do carry all the insurances but mainly because in this day and age people want to sue way too easily. I am just really tired of watching companies exploit their employees and cash in on greed. Rant over, lol. I do love your blogs as they give me some new ideas and a bit of calm in the craziness of today. Thank you!

This article is very timely. I have been trying to look at everything I buy or use and think "how does this fit in the 1930's".  I don't buy paper products except TP. I also sorted out my glass refrigerator dishes for use and I bought some wax paper because I am trying to phase out the cling wrap, I have had the same tube of cling wrap for about a year and when it is gone it will not be replaced.

I think I will try to figure my electricity costs for the freezer and fit that in the line that says ice..... I will also see what else I can plug into the categories. Very interesting, I like the way it makes me really think about things instead of automatically doing something.

My next craft project is to make bees wax cloth bowl/dish covers. We keep bees and have the wax I want to pick up 100% cotton shirts at the thrift store to cut up for use. 

I don't comment often, but I do like to read all of the wonderful, educational, and inspiring comments from all of the lovely people here!

I went down the Cities Service rabbit hole out of curiosity. I think it was the original company that provided gas and electricity to public utilities, so the Cities Service payment might simply be the gas & electric bill. Nowadays it's an oil company and doesn't appear to be involved directly with public utilities

I've been reworking our budget, so this post is very timely for me! We are cutting everywhere we can. On some things we are cutting back instead of cutting out. For example, instead of our usual week long vacation, we are just doing a couple of day trips every month. Most of them have been free events, like a day out hiking on a nearby island or going to an art festival in another town. We are splurging to take an all-day cruise around the San Juan islands, which costs $100 plus lunch. We have wanted to do one for years (they sail out of the port down the road from us), and decided to do it this year since we aren't spending on a vacation. 

It's funny, but without a lot of summer plans these small, simple days out with homemade picnic foods have been so much more exciting. Planning and looking forward to the upcoming event is almost more fun than the events themselves!

My little gardening business has really taken off, which is a relief with all the layoffs at my old nursery job. I'm mainly working with seniors, and most of my clients like to sit out with me in their gardens and chat while I work. It's wonderful to hear stories of how it used to be, both the good and the bad. I also love seeing how happy people are when their gardens are beautiful and productive again, since many of my clients are no longer able to fully maintain them anymore and their gardens were once their pride and joy.  I now consider many of my clients to be friends, and I will stay and visit with them, "off the clock," sometimes. 

I feel I made a wise choice to return to self employment in a small, personal service business. I wish we still lived in a day and age where most businesses were small, local, and personal. My partner and I want to make a concerted effort to move most of our business to such places, and to give less of our money to multinational companies that don't care about their customers, employees, or the communities they are supposedly serving. We have started a list of alternatives, from locally owned hardware and art supply stores to grocery stores and even gas stations. We may pay a few cents more doing this, but I think the long-term rewards may be worth it. Another reason to cut back on unnecessary expenses!

We have learnt to haggle over the price of car insurance, and breakdown cover, and the house and contents insurance, getting similar quotes and asking the company to match them. We haggle over the price of the daily online newspaper each year when they try to charge more. 

It is fun to haggle a price up occasionally, to pay a bit extra for a jar of local honey or homemade pasties at the market, or a hand knitted item at the summer fair, knowing the amount of work involved. 

The 19th century City Accident Hospital was partly financed by a Saturday Fund where the workers paid two pence a week so they could be treated there for injury or acute illness. The fund provided the first basic ambulance service. The other public hospital in the area was connected with the Workhouse for the destitute. 

The Saturday Fund still exists and as a hospital worker, now retired, I get a good rate for the two of us. It helps to pay for our medical expenses, our varifocal spectacles, NHS dental charges, chiropody and chiropractic. 

The National Health Service started a year before DH was born, a wonderful institution to come out of post war rebuilding, when the country was in ruins and bankrupt. It was funded through general taxation and National Insurance. Everyone in work had National Insurance Contributions deducted from their pay, (9% of my salary, and then there was tax at 20%.) It worked for decades, but now it is falling apart. 

How many cookbooks do you suppose a 1930s homemaker had? I'm guessing maybe one or 2. Yet I see at my library dozens of new ones every year. Someone has to be buying those. To me that's an example of searching for the next better thing. THIS cookbook will make my life easier. We like variety.  We want more and better. 

Joyce C, I'm curious about making bees wax cover. I was going to buy the supplies but chickened out. The directions I saw called for melting the wax on the fabric in the oven. Since we had a serious oven fire last year I decided not to do it. I was able to buy some already made for 50 - 75% off.  

Oh what fun. This is right up my alley.  The “household equipment” is the one that has me scratching my head.  Would that be like having the furnace serviced or a new hot water heater?  The utilities are listed out down below or I would have thought that’s what was meant.  You mentioned pets which is a category in our budget also. My budget looks pretty similar.  We have electric of course but I put internet and electric etc in the utilities column.   The one in the filled out on the table had a maid.  I could probably use one of those:-). The other category I have is yard/garden.  Budgets really are individual things.  
Also interesting is it has estimated and actual so you could see how much you budgeted and how much you really spent.  That is probably a good idea as it’s a reminder if we go over and encouraging if we stay under.  
Thank you for sharing

I've always lived a frugal life.  One time a friend, her adult dd, my mom, sister and I were talking about our growing up years.  Friend's dd spoke up and said mom, I had no idea you grew up so poor.  Friend's immediate comeback was we didn't know we were poor because no one told us.  Our mothers made most of our clothing and were excellent seamstresses.   Most of our friends also wore homemade clothing.  

Regarding life insurance, Met Life and other companies used to issue what were called industrial policies with premiums pennies per week.  Agents would go door to door to collect.  The policies might be for as little as $300.  Those were no longer issued by the 1960s.  

Up to probably the early 1950s flour, chicken feed and other items came in cloth sacks.  I remember my mother and other ladies gathering with their supply of sacks and trading to get enough fabric to make a garment.  My sister and I wore feed sack fabric clothing as young children.  

Bread used to come in waxed paper bags.  Those were reused for storage, covering dishes and probably many other things I'm unaware of.  I know that we used to beg for those bags because when flattened out and sat on to go down the slide at the park, you got a quick trip to the bottom.  The bags were too important to be given to kids often.

Most of my pans and other household items came from estate auctions.  Auctions supplied me with Revere Ware, cast iron, Pyrex, Corning Ware and a lot of old utensils that are much better quality than new.  

I've purchased boxes of linens at auctions some of which I use.  Large linen tablecloths with stains or holes, got cut down and hemmed into dish towels.  Perfect lint free dish towels.  I have a large supply of cloth napkins from thrift ships, auction boxes and garage sales.  I have not purchased paper napkins for 25 years or more.  I use cloth handkerchiefs and have not purchased tissue since Covid.  

I set my summer thermostat at 80 degrees and winter at 68 degrees.  I live in Northern Iowa and our temps vary from 100 F in the summer to -30 F in the winter.  If the house feels too warm inside in the summer, I just go outside for a bit and then the house feels cool when I come back in.  The same works in the winter.

Such an interesting post GDonna thank you and I have really enjoyed reading all the comments above.

I was born in the UK in the 1960’s and I’ve been trying to think back to all the things we did or didnt have in my childhood home and especially Mum’s kitchen. For a start with her washing there was no fabric conditioner to use just washing powder sprinkled in the top loader machine and off it went, no Calgon needed to ‘clean’ the machine! The clothes were then either dried on the line or on a pulley above the stove if  the weather was bad. The washing up was done in the sink bowl with just a squirt of liquid so no dishwasher tablets or salt. Any leftover food was put in a glass bowl, covered with one of many little cloths that had beads around the edges to weigh them down and popped in the fridge so no cling film or paper towels, we used cut up clean rags for cleaning down. That was just in her kitchen and it makes me think about all the extra stuff we are told we need nowadays to make us happy ha ha!

I don’t think we can personally go back to living like the 1930’s, my DH works from home a lot so needs the Internet etc but I can certainly make sure that I run the home as sparingly as possible where eating out goes back to being a now & again treat rather than a weekly occurrence and definitely no ordering in, those Just Eat adverts drive me mad!

Grandma Donna Wrote,

Lady L, you wrote. Oh what fun. This is right up my alley.  The “household equipment” is the one that has me scratching my head.  Would that be like having the furnace serviced or a new hot water heater?  The utilities are listed out down below or I would have thought that’s what was meant. 

I too wondered what this is so I did some research about Household Equipment. What I found is the equipment in the house that is used to run the home.  The article stated, the electric bell, all lights, whether electric or gas, electric or gas iron, washing machine, perhaps a mangle (which is a laundry roller to squeeze the water out), vacuum cleaner, carpet sweeper, gas, coal or electric range, sewing machine, electric grill, toaster, waffle iron, and then there was kitchen Equipment. 

Lady L, I am glad you asked that question so now we know, Donna :)

Over the years I have tried to strip down what I buy and reduce use of anything disposable.  Also moved my diet to something that even my great-grandmother would have recognized.  Well, someone's great-grandma anyway because mine would perhaps not recognized the kimchi or miso or yogurt (but a great-gran from another culture would).  Neither my taste buds nor my digestion have any desire to return to change it back the other way.  

My last kid is finally mostly an adult although he still lives here for another year or so.  He takes care of most of his own food and if he wants something specific outside of the basics he buys it.  I noticed that recently he has stopped bringing in any chips, processed food, sugary drinks, etc. so they are just not a part of his diet anymore unless he is hanging out with friends.  I did used to buy certain things just so my kids felt a bit more like others.  

Plastic wrap left my life years ago although I do keep a small stash of ziploc bags that are reserved mostly for food giving.  For storage I mostly use bowls of different sizes with a silicone cover that creates a tight seal and fits different size bowls.  That and Mason jars of various sizes.  

Last year I went to a local quilt show and was just chatting with some of the vendors that were making lovely things often from old buttons and things.  Somehow a few of us started talking about our 40 or 50 year old revereware pots and pans that we were all using. Some inherited from our mothers, others thrifted.  We were all laughing because we just understood each other. 

Less stuff means more money in the bank, less stuff to clean, and more time to be yourself.   My lifestyle isn't going to be too 1930s as I work a full time job (from home now) that requires a very fast computer and two, occasionally three, computer screens to process, not to mention lots of zoom meetings.  But I have learned things from that era from my grandparents, from you G.Donna, and others that have made my life so much easier and more enjoyable...  

As always, I loved your post : )  Donna I hope that you know how much your posts cheer us all up!

I've got my basic categories written down and listed, and they are not far off from the 1930s' categories. I've listed them separately, but a number of my separate categories bunch together under the lettered categories on the budget. I really like the thirties' budget and am going to write it out in my ledger. The biggest difference is the Internet. There was no Internet in the thirties, so I'll switch that out when I start on Part 2, which is looking at the separate items in each category. The other difference is that I have TV listed, but I think that would be going to the movies in the 1930s, so not much of a difference. 

My categories are

1. Housing, which includes a mortgage right now, but I hope to get it to just taxes and insurance as soon as possible 

2. Water from the city

3. Bottled water that we have delivered (I've been watching a lot of movies from 1932 and have been surprised to see so many water dispensers in them. I guess it was quite common back then so I consider it a 1930s' item, not a modern one)

4. Phone

5. Trash

6. Internet 

7. Electricity 

8. Car insurance (this was available in the 1930s but not required as it is now)

9. Medical costs (our insurance is automatically taken out and we have no control over the cost, but this includes our out of pocket costs too)

10. Clothing costs (my husband needed some new summer clothes with the increased heat we experience now, and I bought him some seersucker summer pajamas because the fabric is cooler and so he can look like the 1930s :) )

11. Personal care costs

12. Household cleaning/maintenance costs

13. Household repairs costs

14. Gardening

15. Car maintenance 

16. Magazines, books, TV (I thought it was interesting that the budget had books and magazines grouped with education and separate from entertainment. They must have read more improving books and magazines then than we do now!) 

17. Decor for the house

18. Bedding, towels

19. Groceries 

20. Pet costs

21. Hobbies

22. Vacations (we've decided that our vacation destinations will be no farther than can be driven to in one day and will be to relatives who can put us up so no motel costs) 

23. Savings/investment 

24. Gifts

I didn't put taxes separately since they are taken out automatically. I looked at what the cities service securities were, and it looked like investment to me, so I would put our investments under that category. The next step for me is to write out the 1930s' budget in my ledger and see where everything on my list goes. When that is done, I'll start making lists of the items in each separate category and see what items I can make more like the thirties. I'll have to figure out where to put the Internet too! Is it communication, or mail-order, or an information reference? It's all of those things so it's hard to decide. 

I'm glad to know what household equipment is.

We don't have high insurance costs. I don't know why we don't when others do, but maybe it depends on the state you live in. 

We have life insurance, but it's through the employer and it's free.

I do pay $15 a year for membership to the local historical society, so I'll have to remember to include that. I've been thinking of joining our local bird group too. I think their dues are about the same. I guess these would be under hobbies. I need to remember my newspaper subscription too, under books and magazines. 

I had totally forgotten about waxed paper on the slide ????.  As you said, it was a rarity but a fun little memory:-)

Thank you G Donna for that explanation. It didn’t really dawn on me that it was a time of many new inventions so a column for those things made sense. 

Last night I put the cost of ice delivery into a calculator and on two different websites it said that it equals around $67 now.  That is very close to my internet cost, so I will call that my "ice payment."  

As a kid, we never used plastic bags in our trashcans, but we wrapped garbage in newspaper - how many get physical newspapers now? - and put it in a separate can, which was picked up by the town.  We were allowed to burn our other trash, which we aren't anymore.  Not everyone can compost the garbage; I've tried it three times and ended up with either a massive fire ant invasion or a feral hog/opossum/raccoon invasion, so I quit trying.  I feed some to the worm farm, but the rest I end up storing in the freezer in plastic (!) store bags until time to empty the trash cans. I am required to have my trash bagged up and tied shut, whether I have pick up, which is only available to me with a private company out here in the countryside, or if I take it to the county trash drop site myself.  I would love a more 1930's plastic-free method for trash, but am unsuccessful so far. Right now, I recycle what I can and keep my trash to a minimum.  I usually have one bag a week, which is not always full. 

I do reuse meat bones to make broth. I  pressure can broth and some other things.  I use vacuum sealer bags for longer term storage of some meats, fruits and vegetables that I don't like when canned.  The food bags are plastic, but they preserve my food in the freezer better, so I keep using them.  I steam can jellies and pickles.

Someone mentioned feed sacks here: I knew a lady whose aunt lived on a farm. The aunt's dog food and sweet feed for the horses came in big paper bags, sewn shut at the top with cotton string.  One just pulled one end of the string and it pulled out, all in one piece.  The aunt saved all that string and crocheted hot pads and dish cloths out of it.  Pretty neat, I thought.

On my budget I also have categories for annual expenses for which I set aside money monthly.  I will need to keep these.  This includes car and homeowner insurance, and property taxes.

I have to have car insurance to be legal to drive, and after the recent hurricanes, I want to keep my home insurance if I can - I had to replace my roof and all the windows, plus the roof of a shed and half of my fence, and they helped with almost all of that.  I don't have household appliance insurance - the kind that repairs or replaces your furnace, air conditioner, and major appliances.  It would be around $100 a month for us, last time I checked!  I have health, eye and dental insurance because we've had massive bills that would have broken us without it.   

I have a line for pets, too.  They are important to me, and since I have them, I will take care of them.

I plan to see what I can cut out of my budget.  This was a good idea for a post.

Grandma Donna Wrote,

Stephanie G, your doing good figuring out what you will do with the catagories in the 1930 budget.  I also and including a clipping for you to ponder on about the water cooler. I am editing here to include this is when they used paper cups to drink the water. This comes from a 1931 article. They were mainly for offices but also started home delivery. 

Sarah M, you all cheer me up as well. :)

Everyone, I am happy that so many of you are embracing this post and all of you are adding much information and stories that help us along in understanding this study.

For A Food I put groceries and bottled water

For B Shelter I put mortgage, insurance, taxes, repairs, maintenance, decor, and bedding and towels.

For C Laundry, Cleaning, and Services I put soap and household cleaners. 

For D Household Equipment I put repairs and maintenance. 

For E Carfare, Traveling I put vacations. 

For F Auto I put fuel, repairs, maintenance.

For G Education I put magazines, books, TV, and newspaper. 

For H Amusements I put pets, gardening, and hobbies.

Under Personal I put personal care costs, and medical costs other than the insurance. 

For the utilities, I put trash instead of gas since we don't use gas, and Internet instead of ice and fuel. 

I really like that there's a section for Interest on Money Borrowed. Our mortgage interest will be listed there. I think that if everyone had to list their mortgage interest, they'd pay their houses off sooner! 

Under Club and Lodge Dues I put the membership to the historical society.

It's interesting that the budget assumes that you loan people money. :)

Under Insurance, Life and Accident I put car and health insurance.

Under securities I put our 401k contributions. 

I found it strange that there was no category for savings. 

EDIT: I don't know how I missed the Health category, but that's where medical costs go instead of under Personal. 

Grandma Donna thank you so much for the ad! It makes the past so real to see things like that. :)

LaineyT_2 mentioned not using plastic wrap to cover leftovers.  When I got married 56 years ago I must have gotten this set of Corning Ware as a wedding present.  There were four small ones 5"  square and almost 2 inches high and two others 5" square and 2 1/2" high.  The best part was that the short ones came with plastic covers which make them stackable when filled with something and the larger ones came with glass lids so they could be used in the oven. All the lids/covers were interchangeable.  They have been used constantly through the years and I have only broken one of the plastic lids.  I have several other  casserole dishes of Corning Ware and they are so, so, so useful and durable.  I wonder if Corning Ware is still even still around?   

Corning Ware is certainly still around, and the older designs are now collectibles.  The French White bakeware is still popular as a wedding gift.  I have the little square dishes with the plastic lids as well!  I also have three covered casseroles of different sizes and a large baking dish that is about 9" x 12". 

We can find a way to do anything we set our minds to.  In reviewing my own budget I find it aligns quite nicely with your 1930s budget sheets.  By streamlining and cutting out the nonsense that doesn't serve me I don't have a lot of money heading out each month, just the basics.  I consider my internet bill to be my education as I mostly use it for Youtube "university" and reading blogs like yours where I learn a lot.  On the whole I have everything I need and most of what I want without feeling deprived or like I'm missing out.  In the long run I think a lot of it depends on our state of mind.  Rather than cutting back or doing without I choose to filter out the less important. ;)

I don't have time to read all the comments right now, but one expense I do miss from my younger years is the Cobbler!!  I know that's the opposite, but I wish they were around now.  That's a shoe repairman, if the term is unfamiliar.  I remember my grandma taking several pairs at once for various repairs.  I started using him for heel repairs in my 20s.  In addition, he'd treat the leather, replace the soles, reline the inside, re-attach broken straps, and repair purses !  All for a tenth of the price of new shoes.  When my shoes wore out back then, they literally fell apart lol.

Grandma Donna wrote,

I just want to mention a couple of things on the budget categories.  Where it says Gas, Light, Phone, Ice, Fuel, Water.  They are talking about what we may see as utility bills.  There were still gas lighting in homes in the 1930s. They called the electricity bill the light bill, and it was called that for many years even when I was an adult my grandparents and parents would say, I am going to pay the light bill.  That would have been the electric bill,  

When electricity came into the homes, generally it was lighting first before anyone would have plugs where they could purchase an appliance.  There were some cities very modern long before the 1930s but not so much in other parts of the country.  They used fuel in the household as well.  The combination of those would be somewhat our "Utility bill is which includes our Electric, Water, sewer, trash and garbage.  

Many still had laundry service in the 1930s because many people still could not afford a washing machine.  Just because they sold them, many did not have them. The wash places would go on routes and pick up laundry to be washed and brought back home wrung out but still wet. This was going on in my studies in 1900.  This was phasing out a bit by the 1930s as people were starting to get washing machines and Laundromats were opening.  The laundromat used the old wringer style machines and rollers to squeeze the water out.  My mother in law Madge, would describe her trips to the Laundromat and the steps from the wringer washer, manually through the wringer into the rinse tub and it took two tubs to rinse. They brought it home wet and put on the clothesline. This was done still into the 1940s.  This is separate from the cleaners.  Those were for suits and well made clothing and other types of laundry.  Donna

Add on here, Love the picture Sibylle. :)  

Debby B, glad that you brought up the cobbler, I miss them too and those nice leather shoes.  We have one cobbler left in our town that we know of, and Charles and his father had the same size shoe.  Charles took a pair of his Father's shoes to the cobbler and had them re-soled again only two years ago.  He also can repair leather items.  When he is gone I wonder if anyone else will come about.  Maybe they still have them in large cities with expensive stores and real leather goods. 

Dear Donna

I too was curious about the Cities Services budget line items under Securities. Then I noticed from one of your photos of the several budget books you had out on your table, one is titled the “Cities Services Personal Budget Book - 1930”. I searched the booklet title (without the year) and noticed quite a few of these being offered on eBay and other sites (oldest 1928 then one from the 1950s, lots from the 1930s). Some of them included images of the foreword page as well as some the basic pages you shared.

The foreword mentions the booklets were originally designed for employees, shareholders, and friends of the organization. The built in advertising at the book of the brochure emphasized the idea that people could invest in their company; and there was also an ad for the petroleum service stations where you could purchase their products. A later copy of the booklet (circa 1937) did not include those two specific subitems on the “securities” budget line item. I wonder if the newly formed  (1934) Securities and Exchange Commission made it more difficult for individuals to purchase “securities” directly from the companies.

So, I would say for the purposes of comparison, that budget line item would be similar to “investments” for us today.

A most interesting item featured a copy of a letter from a company thanking someone for responding to a radio offer for the booklet. Apparently Cities Services sponsored a musical concert series radio program and offered these booklets to anyone who wrote in to request one. (Not unlike today’s businesses who offer a “printable” download in exchange for your email.) The booklet also contained a schedule of these concerts and the call signs of the radio stations broadcasting the concert.