[staceyy]

I was born after World War 11, so I am not familiar with rationing. I was surprised to read something on it recently. From what I gleaned, sugar, butter, coffee and beefsteaks were in short supply and every member of the family in the US (I'm not sure, but I think this might have also applied overseas) were issued ration books that would only allow them to purchase a certain amount each week. I understand the amounts per person were very small. Does anyone out there have firsthand experience with this or know someone that has given them some input? I'd like to know more details and if there were other items on the rations list. Also, do you think this is likely to ever happen again? Are these the items we should stockpile first?

I think I also heard somewhere that you were not allowed to stockpile and that the government was allowed to take anything you had stockpiled. Was this true and was it ever enforced?

 

[Darlene]

Lots of info for you here.
http://www.worldwar2exraf.co.uk/Online Museum/Museum Docs/foodration.html

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/homework/war/rationing.htm

http://www.larchmontgazette.com/guide/history/1942/1942rationinga.html

 

[staceyy]

Thanks! I forgot to add that gas was rationed.

 

[Sara Noel]

Here are some pictures of ration cards. Sorry Darlene if your links had pics of them too. I didn't click through.

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=ration card&sa=N&tab=wi

 

[staceyy]

Thanks Sara. I find this all pretty interesting as although I heard of rationing, I never took the time to really see what it entailed. I found some info at www.u-s-history.com also. I put the words "World War 11 Rationing" in the search box. I suppose this could conceivably happen again, which would be all the more reason to be prepared with our stockpiles.

 

[SewCrafty]

Staceyy, my mom is a member here (duckduckgoose007) and she remembers the rationing. I remember her telling me that they used lard for butter and had a little packet of yellow dye to mix into it to make it look more like butter.

Hopefully she will see this post and answer it for you. I also think it is an interesting topic.

 

[YankeeMom]

We actually have some ration cards that dh's uncle saved from way back in the day. They are pretty neat! I can't imagine that happening nowadays though, but I guess anything's possible.

 

[staceyy]

Dee, I hope your mom does respond to this thread. Heather, dh reminded me of the fuel crisis in the US in 1973 and that we had gas rationing then. I had forgotten all about that. So yes, I think it could happen again.

 

[Laurie in Bradenton]

My aunts and uncles remember and often tell stories about how they all moved back to the family farms in northern Wisconsin because there was more food there. They had been living in Milwaukee and grandma and grandpas were still on the farms up in Crivitz. The farms had vegetable gardens that got expanded, milk cows and chickens. One farms house in our family ended up with 3 families living in it. With son and daughters coming home with their children. Also it helped with child rearing while husbands were over seas fighting. Not to mention that Dobbs the horse got an added work out when there was no gas for the car.

LAurie in Bradenton

 

[staceyy]

I read people in the country fared the best because of the things you mentioned Laurie.

 

[sunshine]

I forwarded your request to my mother, who was born in 1933. Here's her response.


I remember the rationing but I was very young then also,
less than 10 years old. I do know sugar was our big thing
that we needed, and had to be careful with, now coffee we
could do without or butter (we made our own) and meat we
slaughtered our own pigs and cows.
I do remember gas being rationed and rubber tires, if you
had a blow out or lost a tire, you just drove on the rim from
then on. All the rubber was used for army vehicles..

People had different attitudes back then. . . we'd do anything to help "the cause". I don't remember the government actually taking anyone's supplies- but I'm not sure they would have had to-- most gave it up willingly. I'm not sure that would be the case today. I also don't think the governement of that day would have considered it, again- I'm not sure that's the case today.

 

[duckduckgoose007]

Hi Staceyy,

Yes I remember rationing. The ones we had were like little cardboard round disks. As I remember it was "red" for meat..."yellow or white for dairy & I think there was a green one also...I don't remember what this was for.

My Mom always called her grocery order in to our neighborhood store & they delivered the groceries.

I remember my Grandma using a pound of lard & a pound of butter & then there was this little package of orange coloring you mixed in & when you were done it all looked like "butter". I always had the mixing job.

I also remember my Sister & Mother standing in line for Nylon stockings.

Gas for the cars was also rationed. I don't remember how much each household got.

I don't remember how many rations each person received...after all I was just a "KID" lol

I hope to God it never happens again in our country.

I never heard the rule about the stock-piling.

 

[brainyblonde]

I remember the gas rationing in the 70's - odd/even days and the long lines. I believe it could happen again.

 

[QuilterMom]

I think I also heard somewhere that you were not allowed to stockpile and that the government was allowed to take anything you had stockpiled. Was this true and was it ever enforced?

This is true for current times (the govt. being allowed to take anything you have stockpiled).

 

[Sari]

This is true for current times (the govt. being allowed to take anything you have stockpiled).

How can that be legal?

 

[QuilterMom]

In a state of emergency, they can seize. This is often discussed on preparedness type sites.

 

[jamiet]

While I was doing research for a paper years ago, I read about Nazi Germany and how the actual Germans lived.
One man said that in his opinion, cooking oil, shortening, lard etc were the most prized food products. They had more street value than any other thing. He said if you had some oil, you could make the grossest thing taste edible.
I guess by the latter end of the war, they weren't rationing and the people were starving- along with the rest of Europe
I've never forgotten this and have since kept extra cooking oil and shortening at my home. I make sure to rotate and mark dates well, keep oil in the dark and not store them above my stovetop (due to heat).
Jamie