Learn what old fashioned homemaking is, how to embrace it, and whether or not its for you!
Recently I added a sub page to my ABOUT page, with the Back Road Bloom manifesto. I wanted to have a short and sweet version of what Back Road Bloom is all about and I wanted to showcase the things this community values.
In short, Back Road Bloom inspires and guides women in all things country living and old fashioned homemaking. Country living seems self explanatory;) but what about old fashioned homemaking?!
Homemaking in general can usually be defined as the art of keeping home.
Its the practice of digging deeper into your home and creating a space for yourself and your family that’s nurturing and fulfilling.
Old fashioned homemaking, to me, is doing all of that the slower, simpler, and more intentional way.
RELATED: Homemaking 101: Ultimate Guide for Beginners
Its a whole lot of homemade! Homemakers in the past didn’t have the conveniences that we do. We can learn to enjoy and appreciate those conveniences, but at the same time strive for self-sufficiency and intentional living with our homemaking.
There are a lot of different areas of your homemaking that you can start to incorporate some old fashioned principles in. Let’s take a look at some!
Hey homemaker! I have something super exciting to share with you. I’ve been working hard for YEARS to come up with schedules and routines that can help (not hinder), our homes and our old-fashioned goals. I finally have a tried and true method and I’ve put it all together in an easy-to-follow guide for YOU! Get your copy today by clicking HERE 29+ pages of tips, ideas, and printables to make it your own.
Cooking: From Scratch Recipes & Meals
Cooking and meal planning are an important part of homemaking. Modern society has made it quick, easy, and convenient to cook and prep food. You can pick up a pre-made meal from the store (even an organic one) and heat it up in a few minutes for dinner.
Almost anything you can think of you can buy pre-made and pre-packaged: crackers, bread, sausages, cereals, flavored yogurts, etc. Homemakers used to make all of these things!
I am so thankful that I don’t have to make all of our food from scratch and I can indulge in prepackaged foods when needed. I’m so thankful because it allows me to really enjoy cooking from scratch and to treat it as a form of entertainment and pastime.
…in a world where so few of us are obliged to cook at all anymore, to choose to do so is to lodge a protest against specialization–against the total rationalization of life. Against the infiltration of commercial interest into every last cranny of our lives. To cook for the pleasure of it, to devote a portion of our leisure to it, is to declare independence from the corporations seeking to organize our every waking moment into yet another occasion for consumption…. it is to reject the debilitating notion that, at least while we’re at home, production is work best done by someone else, and the only legitimate form of leisure is consumption.
Michael Pollan
Instead of giving into the modern idea that our food has to be convenient and we have to be consumers, try cooking from scratch on occasion and being a producer. It can be so fulfilling! You are fully capable of learning to cook anything and everything from scratch.
Of course there is always a balance, and sometimes all you can do by the end of the day is make a box of mac and cheese for dinner. In general though, old fashioned homemakers strive to cook meals from scratch as often as they can. And they enjoy it!
Cleaning: Natural and Homemade
Homemakers didn’t used to have the wide variety of cleaners that are available now. They stuck to the tried and true basics: baking soda, vinegar, hot water, and a few good cleaning tools.
Most modern cleaning solutions have a lot of chemicals and toxins that can be harmful to us. I don’t like to look into the specifics of it, because its not worth it to me.
I’d rather be cleaning with all natural products even if it turns out the ‘toxic’ ones aren’t that toxic, than be cleaning with the ‘toxic’ ones and it turns out they really are harmful.
Besides, it can be such a joy to make your own cleaning products and to know exactly what you’re using! It can also save you a lot of money.
Related: Homemade Citrus Dusting Spray
Related: DIY Moisturizing Liquid Hand Soap
Seasonal Living
Homemakers in the past used to embrace the seasons more fully, usually out of necessity. Seasonal living can be weaved into every area of your homemaking.
As an old fashioned homemaker you can try using fresh, seasonal ingredients in all of your meals. This may mean planting your own vegetable garden if you’re able, shopping at a local farmers market, or just being aware of what’s in season when you head to the grocery store.
Decorate your home with the change of seasons pulling things from the outdoors and nature. A fresh pine wreath for your front door at Christmas time, and a bouquet of wildflowers from the side of the road in the summer.
Spring and summer are for filling your days full with activities, projects, and chores, while fall and winter can be reserved for resting and recharging.
Seasonal living is more sustainable and can be really satisfying! It can help you to appreciate and embrace each season as it comes.
Related: 7 Ways You Can Embrace Seasonal Living Today
Simple Living
Old fashioned homemaking is about living life more simply. You don’t have to have all of the latest and greatest gadgets, you don’t have to keep up with the Jones’s, all you have to do is spend time creating a beautiful, comfortable, and nurturing home.
Slow down and enjoy your time spent cooking. Shop at the thrift store. Spend time outside. Buy less and use less.
When living simply as a homemaker, busy and stressed should not be your default mode. Of course it can happen, but ideally you’ve curated your life and your home to be peaceful and simple.
Old fashioned homemakers didn’t have the constant pressures from society to do more and be more. They just lived their lives and worked hard to make their homes clean and beautiful and keep their families fed and happy.
It takes more of an effort to tune out what’s going on in the rest of the world and to not give into the ideal of fast-paced living. You can do it though!
Check out my post HERE on 10 Steps Towards Living Simpler!
Embrace slow and simple living as a homemaker, I don’t think you’ll regret it.
Sometimes, having the time to slow down and be more intentional in all of the areas above, means you may have to sacrifice time spent in other areas of your life. This could be less time on social media, less outside activities, etc.
After all, it does take more time to cook food from scratch, make your own cleaning products, and challenge yourself to decorate with thrifted goods rather than the first thing you see at Target.
You want to have all of this but you still want to keep things simple and not feel like you’re going crazy. One of the biggest struggles I’ve had as an old-fashioned homemaker, is managing my time.
If you want to live simple and old-fashioned, keep a clean home, cook from scratch, AND grow a garden (just to name a few things), without going CRAZY, I have something for you….
I created an all-in-one guide for the old-fashioned homemaker. It will help you to create schedules and routines to manage your home the traditional way, even in our modern world. Get your copy today! I think it will really help you! You can have that Ma Ingalls home, and simple lifestyle, I promise.
Happy homemaking friend!
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Check out our other homemaking posts!
How to Clean Your House in 15 Minutes or Less With a Tidy Up Routine
How to Feel More Successful With a Homemaker Morning Routine
