Old Fashioned Homemaking Skills We Still Need Today

It’s no secret that I love homemaking. There’s nothing better than having a comforting, cozy place to call home. I see it as my job to help make our home a haven. Since I took on this role of modern homemaking back in 2007, I have tried working on different homemaking skills that I seriously lacked. Today I want to talk about old fashioned homemaking skills that we still need today!

Old Fashioned Homemaking Skills

Growing Food

I think most people have figured out by now the joy of growing your own food. I’m actually pretty bad at growing plants, but my husband does really well with it. Even though we don’t have a garden here in our current house, we do grow food in containers. This year we great some herbs and tomatoes. I’d love to have a bigger veggie and herb garden, so that’s on my list for next year. We may expand to square foot gardening.

Baking Bread

There’s nothing like fresh, baked bread. The very first loaf of bread I learned to make was just plain white bread. I then expanded to French bread and I’m working on learning how to make other breads. I know sourdough is really popular these days and healthier than regular bread. I have yet to expand to that, but it’s also on my list of things to do.

Sewing

I would absolutely love to learn to sew useful things like clothes and curtains. Even if you aren’t aiming to become a seamstress, learning basic sewing skills is a must. I learned to hand sew when I was a little girl. It’s come in handy when repairing my kids’ stuffed animals, stitching rips in my chair slipcovers, and sewing patches on my kids’ Scout uniforms. I’ve also learned the basic functions the sewing machine to make sewing those patches on even easier. 

Handicrafts

It’s no secret I love all kinds of handicrafts. It feels good to make something useful yourself. We’ve made lip balm, Christmas ornaments, and candles. Handicrafts are great for making beautiful things for your home, as well as for others.

Preserving Food

If you garden a lot, it’s important to learn how to preserve your harvest so that it doesn’t go to waste. My grandparents grow lots of food in their backyard gardens, and they make jams and jellies, pickles, salsa, and all sorts of yummy preserves to be enjoyed throughout the year.

One of my favorite resources for preserving and canning food is the Ball Blue Book of Canning and Preserving.

Cleaning Routines

Back in the day, homemakers would set up cleaning schedules to keep up with their homes. A good housekeeping routine is essential for keeping your home clean and tidy throughout the week. I have lots and lots of posts on my different cleaning routines.

Home Remedies

Finally, it’s always good to have some home remedies to pull out when you need them. I’ve dabbled in using herbs for various things and I now make our own elderberry syrup to take as a preventative for illness during the fall and winter months. I buy these dried elderberries.

And that’s it for some of my favorite vintage homemaking skills. What do you want to learn? Let me know in the comments!

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