What I Learned About Frugality from Ken Burns, ‘The War’

October 3, 2007 · Filed Under · 7 Comments 

Poster From World War IILike many of us, I have been completely enthralled with the Ken Burns, World War II documentary, “The War”, airing this week on PBS. Having been born in the early 1970’s, I only knew the big facts of WW II but few of the details. I have not missed a minute and would like to thank Mr. Burns for his dedication to this project so future generations will know the true meaning of sacrifice. In particular, I found the dedication to the war effort by U.S. families and civilians very powerful. Almost every person on every street in America lowered their standard of living for the greater cause. Here are some thing I learned about frugal living from Ken Burns as well as conversations I had with my Grandpa who was in the Army during the War.

  • Auto makers stopped producing passenger cars and started producing trucks and tanks for the war. There was gasoline rationing and Americans starting carpooling, walking more, riding bikes, and public transportation was heavily used. No one complained, it was just what had to be done.
  • Very little flour, sugar, and baking supplies were available. Women understood the conservation effort and created new recipes for foods that were readily available. Streets and neighborhoods created community gardens where everyone pitched in and shared the fruits and vegetables.
  • Recycle and Reuse….Very little was wasted. Recycling campaigns all across the U.S. encouraged the recycling of oils, metals, aluminum, plastics, paper, and rubber tires, all of which went to help the war effort. From talking to my Grandpa, there was a great sense of personal responsibility when it came to conserving and recycling everything possible. Aluminum and metal was turned into airplanes to fight the Nazis and Japanese. An old shirt had the buttons cut off and then was used as a hand towel. From the big things to small things, American citizens pitched in and did their part.

During World War II, most Americans lived a simple life without many of the thrills and frills we have today. They did it for a greater cause, to help insure victory in Europe and in the Pacific. In terms of conservation and frugal living, hopefully we can take something from this powerful documentary that we can put into practice in our own lives. I think the world would be a much better place if we could. Godspeed Mr. Burns.

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Comments

7 Responses to “What I Learned About Frugality from Ken Burns, ‘The War’”

  1. Andrew on October 3rd, 2007 10:16 am

    Interesting post, Kyle. A bit different than your usual, yet you managed to get some real frugal thinking in there.

    I haven’t seen this show yet, but I know Burns is awesome at documentaries (his baseball and Civil War ones are just mesmerizing). It is astonishing how much waste our country blows through on a regular basis.

  2. Kyle on October 3rd, 2007 1:38 pm

    Andrew, if you liked Jazz, baseball, civil war, you will be equally impressed with The War. Not too late you watch it, I noticed that starting next week PBS will be re-playing an episode every Wednesday until completion.

  3. Jerry Aanenson on October 3rd, 2007 6:19 pm

    The War is a must see. I am a 59 year old man and cried many times during it. I watched it with my sons who needed to know what happened. My hero is my father Quentin Aanenson. He was the fighter pilot in the documentary from Luverne MN.

  4. Kyle on October 4th, 2007 8:14 am

    Jerry, I thought your Dad’s commentary on his experience was some of the most powerful stuff in the entire documentary. You and your entire family are really lucky to have his story preserved forever! Your Dad, along with all Americans who fought for our freedom are my heroes. Thank you for finding this post and leaving your comment.

  5. Jenny on October 13th, 2007 5:59 am

    I’ve put this movie into my Netflix queue and look forward to watching it.
    My husbands Grandfather fought in the WW II and talked about it often. He wore the same dentures that he was issued in the military when he was in his early twenties until he died last year at 87.
    You might also enjoy the PBS show “1940s House” as they deal with daily life in war time Britain.

  6. Kyle on October 16th, 2007 8:33 am

    Jenny, thanks for the tip on 1940s House, I will keep an eye out for it!

  7. Julie on February 28th, 2008 9:22 am

    I watched this series when it premiered and was quite simply blown away by it. I learned that I knew a lot less about this time in history than I thought I knew. I also understood, for the first time, why Tom Brokaw referred to this generation as “The Greatest Generation”. Sadly, our current generation is lacking in many ways…

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