In November 1942 Americans were waking up to a week-long freeze on the sale of coffee in U.S. grocery stores – that was the bad news. The good news was that coffee had now been placed on the rationed goods list and "Stamp No. 27" from the Sugar Book, could be used to purchase a pound of coffee. Each registered ration book recipient would be able to obtain one pound of coffee every five weeks. That measured out to about one cup of coffee per day.
I was a young child during those days but I have vivid memories of the use of ration stamps, especially the shoe stamp. My parents would forgo buying new shoes with their allotment and save the stamps to buy new shoes for my rapidly growing child-feet. I have good feet today and maybe I have my parents sacrifice to thank for not having to grow up with too-small-shoes on my little feet.
World War II was a time when all Americans were part of the war effort, whether engaged directly by going off to war in a uniform or making sacrifices on the home-front with their limited availability of goods such as gas, tires, sugar and coffee. This was a time, decades before we became the ever growing disposable nation that we are today, that Americans bought only what they needed and recycled and reused without a second thought of being green. I am glad I lived then and that at least a portion of my growing up years was tempered from life's excesses. I think this life experience has left me with a foundation that I use to draw upon today.
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