Overwhelmed by your home and life? These 1950s homemaking rules can help you have a more put-together home and less stressful life.
The most popular posts on here are about the 1950s. This doesn’t surprise me because it was such a glamorous time and it’s so highly romanticized.
I’ve talked before about how the 1950s had its share of problems and I honestly don’t want to go back to those times but we can still bring the good from the era back into our lives.
I’ve noticed many people wanting to live more simply. It’s something I find myself wanting as well. We are so connected now and overwhelmed with entertainment and media it can be easy to get lost in it all.
We see the 1950s as idyllic and simpler. And in many ways it was and the great thing is now we can learn from the things they did well in the 1950s and keep the good we have now from learning from the mistakes of past eras.
One thing we can learn a lot about from the 1950s is homemaking. We are into automating everything now and have lost some of the things that could actually make our lives better and less stressful.
These 1950s homemaking rules aren’t some crazy list that will make you laugh and think “no way.” They are usable in the modern era and can actually make your life a lot easier.
1950s Homemaking Rules
1. Have a Routine
Having a routine can help you automate your day so you don’t have to really think much about what needs to be done. You know what needs to be done and when you need to do it.
You will likely need to change these routines from time to time as your life changes but as long as it’s working well for you and your family, stick to it.
Related Post: 1950s Housewife Cleaning Schedule
2. Clean as You Go
It’s much easier to keep up with a clean house than to try and play catch up when it’s become a disaster. This is something my great-grandmother was an expert at.
Another bonus to this is your home is always ready for guests. No one likes when people show up unexpectedly and the house is a mess. This is my main motivation because I always want to feel good about welcoming people into my home.
It doesn’t have to be perfect at all times and especially if you have young children there will be messes but you can keep them at a minimum by tidying throughout the day.
3. Get Dressed Every Day
This one seems to be a bit controversial these days. Leggings all day seems to be the dream of many and if they are a full-time homemaker it seems to be the norm. I fell into this trap for a while as well.
Now I try to get dressed each morning and even do my hair and makeup at least by early afternoon. This is not something I encourage you to do for anyone else. It is actually a mood booster for you.
They say dress for the job you want well if you want to be a put-together homemaker then you don’t want to be in workout clothes all day.
Find something comfortable but also attractive. The go-to for many homemakers in the 1950s was a house dress. I have several dresses I like to wear at home because they are very comfortable options and the best thing about dresses is there is no trying to match pieces to create an outfit.
If you feel most comfortable in pants try and find some that are comfortable but still look cute and dress it up with a cute top instead of a ratty t-shirt. It’s all about being comfortable but still feeling good about how you look.
Related Post: Ditch the Yoga Pants, Embrace the House Dress
4. Have a Plan
This goes along with having a routine, having a plan for your days is important. You want to plan deep cleaning, your meals, errands you need to run, appointments, and all those other tasks that you don’t do every day.
My husband and I share a family calendar on our phones that have any that both of us need to know about. I have an Erin Condren planner that I use for my personal planning.
Use whatever system works for you and stick to it. Having a place with everyone you need to do and events is important if you don’t want to forget things. It also can be good for our brains to not have to try and remember all of that information.
Related Post: The Best Planners for Homemakers
5. Stop Putting Things Off
I’m really good at this and ironically this post is a day later than I had planned. Procrastinating can get us in a lot of trouble if we do it too often.
Things can come up and that’s one thing but if you keep putting things off just because you are procrastinating you need to break the habit.
I tend to do this with phone calls because I hate making them. The thing is it’s much worse to keep thinking about the phone calls I need to make than actually making them.
If this is an issue you have to make a list of all the things you keep putting off and try to tackle as many as you can. After that go back to #4 and plan these things you often end up putting off and make yourself tackle them on the days you assign them to.
6. Be Kind to Yourself
Every generation has had issues with burnout and 1950s housewives were not immune to this. The ones that faired the best were the ones that took care of themselves.
If you think self-care is a new idea it’s not. Women often went to the hair done once a week. This was necessary for many of the era’s styles but it also was a form of self-care. Women would talk as they had their hair done and it was something to do away from the normal busyness of life.
We are seeing a bit of this idea again with dry bars. It can seem like a silly thing now because we had gone so far away from the days of shampoo and set hair salon visits. However, it’s not silly to want to look your best and relax for a bit.
Other forms of self-care were also common in the 1950s. Baths have been a form of relaxation for generations, Sunday drives were a nice relaxing way to spend a few hours, hobbies like knitting and sewing were popular and also useful, reading, lunch with friends, there were so many ways women of the past took care of themselves and it’s something we need to still do today.
You are your best when you are well cared for. Let go of the guilt of taking time for yourself and remember why it’s important.
More 1950s Housewife Posts
If you are interested in learning more ways you can use lessons from the 1950s be sure to check out some of my other posts.
GIULIA says
Honestly I find really interesting this post, thanks for sharing!!!
Lisa Sharp says
I’m glad you liked it.
Amy Clark says
While wearing a dress to clean the house sounds like being dressed up for us a 50s house dress was a step up from a nightgown and really wouldn’t have been worn outside of the home. It was the “leggings and tank top” of the day 🙂
Marilyn Noyes says
Please nohigh heels to do house work and a no iron house dress !!! ??????
Lisa Sharp says
I rarely iron and have terrible ankles so no ironing or heels in the house around here. 😉
Steph says
The whole high heels to do housework was never a thing. Its a fable that came from the show Leave it to Beaver. And June, the mother on that show, only wore heels because the oldest boy, Wally had a growth spurt, and they wanted to keep June taller than Wally. On that note, June’s ever-present pearls were not the uniform of the day, either. She wore them to cover a blemish on her neck.
TV shows from the 50’s were no more “real” than they are today. You can stop using them as a gauge now. You’re welcome.
Instead, look at old family photos if you have any.
Heels were for going out. No, not shopping. I mean out to dinner, dancing, etc. For shopping you had a pair of shoes that may have had some heel, but not a high one. No one could comfortably grocery shop in high heels.
While you’re at it, if you want to embrace the goid things of the 50’s housewife, VOLUNTEER.
Lisa Sharp says
I never said people wore heels, though some wore kitten heels. If you are talking about photos those are just cute stock photos. 😉 These tips are from real 1950s magazines not TV shows.