Day in the Life of a 1950s Housewife

If you are looking for a unique way to break up the mundane week, why not try living a Day in the Life of a 1950's Housewife?! In this video I follow a daily routine inspired by 1950's housewives. You can find the links below:

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[verikeri]

My grandmother was a 1950's housewife, and still follows the same routine today and she is 90+years old. My siblings and I used to visit our grandparents for the summer when we were little. I remember my grandmother doing exercises everyday. She would get her ironing board and had a basket full of clothes that she would iron while watching Soap Operas. She made every meal from scratch. It took her 2 days to make bread/rolls because the yeast had to rise several times. She had a huge garden which she had us help her with. She canned food for the winter months. She managed to keep a very tidy house even with us 4 grandkids there. I think that was partly because we helped with the chores and we weren't allowed to play inside. We played outside all day unless we were doing chores. She sewed most of our clothing and handmade most of the home decor like drapes, tablecloths, napkins. She even made the stuffed animals and dolls we played with. My sister still has her Raggedy Ann doll she made. On Sundays she would get up early and put dinner in the oven. We would go to church and after church she would have church friends over and dinner was ready to come out the oven. She made it all look so effortless. She seemed to love catering to my grandpa. My grandpa really appreciated her. She still does her exercises, stretching and walking every single day. She is in better shape than me at 92 years old.

[Blankenshipable]

My mother stayed home and raised 3 daughters. We had hot cereal in the AM - lunch was a hot school lunch, dinner was always home cooked meal. My mother is now 81 and she is up dressed and making her own breakfast by 8.
My dad never went to a nursing home, she was his nurse. He died in their home in peace. It’s not just an act, it’s the real deal. They lived it every day

[anitas]

Ok my mom was a 1950’s housewife and she definitely didn’t do all that. We had oatmeal during the week. She did put on makeup in the morning but wore comfortable clothes during the day. She would change clothes to go out or for the evening before my dad got home. I never saw her make homemade bread. We always set the table for meals but kids helped with that and dishes. She did cook dinner from scratch every night. She only cleaned house (other than dishes) on Saturday and kids helped. I think this is an idealized version most people didn’t do, just like most people don’t live perfect Instagram lives today. Fun experiment!!! To watch, anyway😉

[greenwillow]

Loved your vintage dress! My mother got married in 1953 and so was a 1950s housewife. I once asked her about the high heel wearing. She laughed and said she and her sisters and friends wore flats in the house during the day. They also wore house dresses with snaps. When the husbands came home they did freshen up, put on a pretty dress and sometimes, but not always, heels. She said heels were for going out shopping, to dinner parties, or church. Normally the kids, not the mother, did the dishes after dinner. They took turns with the washing and drying on different days. Saturday was usually the big cleaning day and everyone in the house helped. The fathers did yard work also. Children lived in the house so we're expected to help with chores. It was part of living in a family and of growing up. The girls helped with cooking and baking too. It was not all on the mother's shoulders. This was such a fun video . Poor Cass, you looked exhausted at the end!

[Katiecooks]

My grandma was a 1950’s housewife with 5 girls. She made sure my grandpa was fed breakfast and out the door with lunch packed for work. Then she pretty much took it easy for the rest of the day until about a half hour before he got home. It was then that her and my mom and aunts made a mad dash around the house picking up and cooking dinner. He came home to a home cooked meal and a tidy house. He had no idea. My grandma was a genius!

[donnacampbell]

I was a 50s housewife. There is also cloth baby diapers to hang on the line and if it’s raining you may have to hang stuff all around the house. I had to walk my kids to school because hubby had the car. I would pick some roses and wrap wax paper around them for the kids to take their teacher. No dishwasher of course. Lots of cooking and washing dishes. And yes, we much get fixed up before hubby comes home and make things nice for him to relax when he got home. Guess what? I was happy and fulfilled and never thought I was mistreated. HA!

[triciajohnson]

I've been a "housewife" for 38 years, raising 8 kids. I loved serving my family in this way! While I never wore fancy dresses to do the work around the house, I certainly "got ready" for my day and treated the housewifery as a real job - because it is a real job! Yes, I made most meals from scratch and didn't even have a dishwasher until I had 6 kids. Serving others is a very rewarding thing.

[littleflower]

My grandma was a 50s housewife. At 5, when her husband came home, they would both sit down and have a cocktail together, every single day!

[nancygraceful]

🤣 you are too funny!
So I showed this to my 89 year old momma who actually was a 50’s housewife...she said you were spot on!🤯😂. But no dishwashers then🙅🏼‍♀️

[catherinecox]

I worked outside of the home and felt like more of a slave then than I do now being a stay at home wife and mother. Yes I am intensely busy, but I’m happier, in better shape and much less stressed. Bring on the domestic life....I got this and I love it.

[monamorgan]

My mom never wore heels to clean and she didn’t have a dishwasher. That was mostly TV moms lol
But she did cook three meals a day and she was an awesome cook🥰

[debbiemize]

Lol! I loved watching you as a 1950s housewife! I remember being home with my mom in the 50s (my sisters were born in 1947 and 1957, I was born in 1952) and I never saw her dressed like this during the day 😂. She wore peddle pushers (now called capris) and a shirt. She did make a full breakfast every morning, and a hot supper. Laundry was done with a wringer washer and hung on the line. My dad had to wear a uniform and his pants were hung on the line using “stretchers, ”. A metal form that went inside the pants legs to keep them from wrinkling as much. Our floors were all hardwood, no carpet. They were swept and mopped daily, and I, at 3-4 years old, did the dusting. My older sister was in school, and we would walk up to the school each afternoon to meet her and then the 3 of us walked home.

I get such pleasure out seeing videos such as this! Brings back such fond memories ❤️

[jamiepollard]

Probably no dishwasher in most 1950’s homes.

[melanieleszczynski]

I think serving your family is a joy and a blessing.

[KimberlyAnne]

I usually love these and find them really motivating. Not only did she not actually follow the list very well, but she added some random stuff… like no where on any of the suggested lists was make a dessert for every meal. Honestly, with the cake and the cookies, she made enough dessert to easily last her family at least a week if not two! You also “freshen up” for yourself, not for your husband, so you feel good and ready to enjoy your family time. She didn’t take the recommended breaks. No schedule recommends you wear heels. Most housewives wore house shoes that were very comfortable and wore short heels when they went out. Speaking as a modern personal trainer, The workouts were designed more to keep you flexible and your joints limber because housework was more strenuous than than it is with all the conveniences of today. Also, the set up a tray for the husband thing, was more of a courtesy and often included cocktail ingredients so that he could make his wife a drink 😉 Full breakfasts were only made on the weekends because they would have been time and cost prohibitive, so it was either hot or cold cereal. Few families baked homemade bread by the 50’s. Sliced, store bought bread was commonplace. Rural wives would however make fresh biscuits in the morning. I’ve learned a lot from this short era of American history, and I’m sorry she didn’t have a more enjoyable time with the experience. The inspiration video she mentioned is great though! That’s how I found this one.

[rosetealatte]

My Popop was a lovely man who pampered my Nana and put up with all of her amazing quirks. They were a wonderful couple who treated each other with love and respect. One day my Popop came home grumpy and angrily demanded to know where his dinner was. He was seated in his lazyboy chair waiting for my Nana to bring him his dinner. She had been on her way to serve it to him. She placed the dinner tray on his lap, then slammed down the full dinner plate upside down onto the tray, and said "Here it is, and if you ever talk to me like that again, it will be the last dinner I ever make you!" True family story. He never did talk like that to her again, and she always treated him like a king. They were the best.

[beatrixkiddo]

🤣🤣🤣 " I'm gonna rage-cook a pot roast".

[mickeyc]

When I was a kid we had a neighbor(I was a friend of her granddaughter) who always wore a “ house dress” and sensible heels. Always looked put together. Not sure if she wore jewelry. She would sweep her sidewalk In the same outfit. She made the best bread and butter sandwiches. Her house was spotless. It was early 60’s.

[scraphappyjen]

50’s dresses should totally make a comeback post lockdown life, we’ll all be sick of wearing sweats and want to dress up nicer again when we get to see people more. I for one am totally on board, those styles are so freaking flattering on everyone.

[kellyq]

We didn't have a dishwasher so all those dishes were done by hand. Lol, dessert was usually only occasionally, and ice cream was a favorite or pudding . We did have pot roast on Sunday . Porridge was the norm for breakfast, made the night before . Chores were shared by every kid that was able. I have pictures of my sisters standing on chairs to wash dishes . We made our own beds. Floors were washed on your knees to get a good clean and my mother did it twrce, the second time was a rinse. The washing was done using a wringer washer. You had to manually feed the clothes through rolling bars to wring them out, empty the tub portion and refill to rinse. Then we took them outside to hang on the line after wringing them again. In the winter she hung them on a line in the basement.
Dusting was done by the kids. It was easier for them to dust the chairs and legs of the dining room table . Lol
Exercise involved doing housework and chasing toddlers. We all chipped in. We lived on a fruit farm and there was plenty of that work to do. I don't remember being overworked and had plenty of play time. I was taught how to iron by the age of 10. Kids set the table and cleared. All valuable life skills that most kids don't learn until they move out.