Craving a more simple life? Living a more vintage life may be the answer. There is so much we can learn from the housewives that came before us.
Originally Posted: 5/26/14
I’ve always been enamored with the ’40s and ’50s. Even as a kid I watched a lot of Nick at Nite and was very interested in the time periods. Sure TV glamorizes the time, sexism and racism were rampant and most women weren’t really cleaning the house in heels and pearls but I see no reason to throw the good out with the bad.
I long to be able to put on a dress, heels, and pearls and go sit in a soda fountain. My small Oklahoma town did have a soda fountain while I was growing up but sadly it closed several years ago. Coffee shops are great but I’d much rather sit on a barstool at a soda fountain drinking a shake, even if I am a bit lactose intolerant.
There is a very cute cafe (see in the photo above) in a town near me, I had high hopes but the shakes were not as good as the decor. They used soft serve ice cream, this is not how you make a shake! They do however have their own chocolate soda which makes a pretty amazing float.
Over the last several years I’ve learned that I’m not alone in this love and that many still try to live a more vintage life. While I have no plans to get rid of Netflix, my laptop, or smartphone, I do want to incorporate more vintage into my life and I have some tips for you if you want to join me.
How to Live a Vintage Life
Unplug More Often
When you are away from home try to skip pulling out your phone and getting on social media. We tend to feel like we need to be connected at all times but we don’t.
Most texts aren’t urgent and we don’t need to check social media every hour. We are spending more time online than living our actual life.
Social media can also cause us to compare our lives to others and this can make us unhappy. What we are comparing isn’t even someone’s full life, it’s just a snapshot of likely the best parts.
Have a Cleaning Schedule
We tend to keep really busy these days and that often means our homes suffer. Creating a cleaning schedule that works for you can help.
I like to do my main cleaning on Sunday that way we start the week with the house clean. I then do extra cleaning tasks and normal picking up throughout the week.
If you want some vintage inspiration, be sure to check out the 1950’s Housewife Cleaning Schedule. It’s more than you likely want to do every day but it may give you some motivation
Dress the Part
If you love these eras you likely love the fashion and there are some great online shops out there making vintage-inspired clothing. These are some of my favorites-
If vintage-inspired fashion isn’t your thing, consider at least ditching the yoga pants and getting some cute house dresses or other outfits that look more put together but are still comfortable.
We can learn a lot from our past and sometimes it’s nice to put those things we learn into action. Adding these things to my life has been very beneficial, I’m sure you will find some benefits here as well.
Want to dive deeper? Check out How to be a 1950s Housewife.
Shel Harrington says
I do like vintage – I’d say I’m most drawn to 30s and 40s – such elegance! But the 50s and 60s seemed fun. I did a post on ‘4 Things We Did Better in the 50s’ regarding marriage. LIke you, just because I don’t want to trade in gender equality doesn’t mean I don’t wish there were some things we could get back to – like manners and etiquette (as in NO phones during dinner!)
Lisa Sharp says
I like the 40s and 50s best, but the 30s are great as well. I liked the post you did. 🙂
Colette says
So true! The values and social decorum were so much better. I think that ADDS to progressive values of honoring and treating everyone with dignity! 100% agreed!
Stephanie @ Hugs, Kisses and Snot says
I love your desire to live a more vintage life. There is a fine line between being online and being obsessed by being online. It’s hard when your job requires a lot of screen time.
Love the skirt! I’ve found great vintage stuff on Etsy
Lisa Sharp says
So true! And I’ve saved so many vintage items I want on Etsy, it’s crazy. 🙂
Mari says
I like doing it from scratch, that’s how I do it “vintage”—cooking, hand crafts, that sort of thing.
I love the classic clothing styles from the 50s (pencil skirts, sweater sets, loafers) but most days find me in cut-offs and a Ramones T-shirt! Then I mix in the classic pieces to put my own twist on it.
Lisa Sharp says
I’m pretty much a walking advertisement for ModCloth everyday, ha. I also love the from scratch cooking and making things by hand as well.
Colette says
I’m more into the 1930s and 1940s as well but loved your post. I, too, balance feminisim with retro lifestyles. If that includes chocolate soda…I might be in!
Lisa Sharp says
Chocolate soda is the best! 🙂
Jenn says
My personal loves are the 13th & early 14th Centuries. The clothes are so feminine & pretty. You get that swish & sway from the Gowers (Gores) inset from the waist, & the lines, while not princess, are delicious.
Even earlier Anglo-Saxon dresses are pretty: a long tunic w embroidery at neck & cuffs.
Kathryn says
So how does one make a good shake? I’ve never really tried.
Lisa Sharp says
Just put whatever ice cream you like in a blender with some milk. Blend until it’s thin enough to drink. Just be slow with adding the milk so it’s not too thin.
giulia Lombardo says
I love ’50 style clothes, are always elegant and perfect for every occasion…totally agree with entire post!!!
Lynda Meyer says
Sorry, I lived then and you are all clueless. No this isn’t about being cute and acting like you are “retro”. This is about how simply your lifestyle impacts the environment (really, it was different then). Bread wrapped in waxed paper which was then used to wrap a sandwich, milk in bottles, eating foods that were in season and local. For clothes there was mending, ironing, careful laundering, patching cotton, wool, linen and hand me downs. Walking not for exercise but as a way of actually getting somewhere. One car families. What can I add? It was a peaceful and more tranquil time. My mother had no recipes or cook books. She went along with the simple things she knew-like a pot of beans or a meatloaf, or everyday checking your groceries and food stocks and knowing what needed to be cooked soonest. Simple. No waste. Mended and patched shoes-yes there were men who had little shops and did these things. And we polished our shoes and took care of them. And mended the hles in our socks. And people actually visited one another-not online or even by phone but often by walking to neighbors home and being in person. I’m afraid it’s lost. We are spoiled and sad and hopeless now. We had a cash economy and didn’t buy anything we couldn’t afford. How’s that for a thought? No credit cards. NO CREDIT CARDS! How can I make do until the next paycheck? Well I have 3 potatoes and a can of tuna and half a loaf of bread. No more butter but I have a little peanut butter and some homemade jam I made when the peach tree produced. People had power then. No longer. Think about it.
Lisa Sharp says
This is a fun blog for those that have an interest in bringing a bit of the past into their lives. There are many posts on this blog that talk about things being more simple, frugal, and environmentally friendly. There are many good things from this time as well thought. It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows in the past, especially for some parts of our population.
Sara says
I love your comment so much.. me personally I’m more on a anti consumerism type of lifestyle,it’s not about cute clothes , those are a bonus , consumerism if ruining America, our fast paced life have also destroyed family units along with the internet and lack of more compass, I want to normalize for people to stop “Keepinup withe Jones” rather there Kardashians in 2022 .. and get back to the basics and that’s how we make take down corporate America, where every American has a chance to have something, and if for nothing else to actually slow down and live our lives … Thankyou so much for your insight..