Old-School Home Economics Can Improve Family Finances
Sharon L. Secor
March 06, 2009
As the world´s leading consumers, it´s been quite a while since Americans have appreciated the old-school values that the almost archaic phrase home economics represents. Decades ago, home economics was a standard part of the education program of many schools and those skills were valued. With the current state of affairs in the realm of the economy, many are rediscovering such skills and their importance in helping to maintain and improve the family finances.
Many families today find themselves in the unfortunate position of being upside-down with their mortgages, perhaps even struggling to stop foreclosure , overburdened with credit card debt, and dealing with rising living costs, while worrying about job security in a tightening job market, as lay-offs and unemployment soar. In this era of increasing economic stress, many of the old skills can make a real difference in the fiscal bottom line of a family.
The home economics classes that used to be a part of typical school curriculums taught a variety of skills that many young adults – and even a significant number of older adults – today have not yet mastered, such as budgeting, balancing a checkbook , and a basic but solid understanding of nutrition. Typically, a host of other practical skills were taught as well, skills that have fallen by the wayside for many, such as cooking and sewing.
As the New York Times suggested in a recent article on the topic, it is worth considering the relationship between the near epidemic number of obese and overweight children and the decline in the usage of curriculums and courses that include such basic and practical skills as nutrition, meal planning, and cooking. In addition to promoting better health, mastering these skills can go a long way towards keeping costs down in the home, leaving those funds for other things.
Learning about the care and cleaning of things around the home, as was usual in the pre-1960´s home economic classes, helps to keep those things functional and in good condition, avoiding the expense premature replacement. Learning a bit about sewing can aid in the repair of clothing, making it last longer and saving the family money. Food preservation learning, such as canning skills, can help make the most out of the produce from a family garden while reducing the family grocery bill.
The history of home economics classes is an interesting one, starting out in the early years of the 20th century, as explained by Cornell University, applying science to domestic life, a means of integrating the modern technologies and theories into daily life to promote the health and well-being of the family and of society as a whole. It is unfortunate that such valuable, practical learning has been set aside due to being negatively associated with gender issues, despite its historical role in helping women to enter higher education during the era before equality. Perhaps we would all have been better served by expanding such programs to ensure that both sexes received such practical education rather than virtually eliminating them altogether.
The economic predictions for the near future make it clear that those with practical life skills are going to fare better than those without. The amount of money that can be saved monthly by applying the common sense and practical life skills that many home economics courses used to offer can make a real difference in the amount of money that can be applied to eliminating debt, keeping a home out of foreclosure, and increasing personal savings.
Many families today find themselves in the unfortunate position of being upside-down with their mortgages, perhaps even struggling to stop foreclosure , overburdened with credit card debt, and dealing with rising living costs, while worrying about job security in a tightening job market, as lay-offs and unemployment soar. In this era of increasing economic stress, many of the old skills can make a real difference in the fiscal bottom line of a family.
The home economics classes that used to be a part of typical school curriculums taught a variety of skills that many young adults – and even a significant number of older adults – today have not yet mastered, such as budgeting, balancing a checkbook , and a basic but solid understanding of nutrition. Typically, a host of other practical skills were taught as well, skills that have fallen by the wayside for many, such as cooking and sewing.
As the New York Times suggested in a recent article on the topic, it is worth considering the relationship between the near epidemic number of obese and overweight children and the decline in the usage of curriculums and courses that include such basic and practical skills as nutrition, meal planning, and cooking. In addition to promoting better health, mastering these skills can go a long way towards keeping costs down in the home, leaving those funds for other things.
Learning about the care and cleaning of things around the home, as was usual in the pre-1960´s home economic classes, helps to keep those things functional and in good condition, avoiding the expense premature replacement. Learning a bit about sewing can aid in the repair of clothing, making it last longer and saving the family money. Food preservation learning, such as canning skills, can help make the most out of the produce from a family garden while reducing the family grocery bill.
The history of home economics classes is an interesting one, starting out in the early years of the 20th century, as explained by Cornell University, applying science to domestic life, a means of integrating the modern technologies and theories into daily life to promote the health and well-being of the family and of society as a whole. It is unfortunate that such valuable, practical learning has been set aside due to being negatively associated with gender issues, despite its historical role in helping women to enter higher education during the era before equality. Perhaps we would all have been better served by expanding such programs to ensure that both sexes received such practical education rather than virtually eliminating them altogether.
The economic predictions for the near future make it clear that those with practical life skills are going to fare better than those without. The amount of money that can be saved monthly by applying the common sense and practical life skills that many home economics courses used to offer can make a real difference in the amount of money that can be applied to eliminating debt, keeping a home out of foreclosure, and increasing personal savings.
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