Grandma June's Home Secrets
Grandma Etta's Must-Haves
Every section of the book sends you here. This is the short list of what each one actually calls for — so you're not standing in an aisle guessing which borax I meant.
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I only list things I use or would tell a neighbour to buy — and nearly every
method in the book works with what you already own, or with the cheapest version on
the shelf. Where the yard-sale one is better, I say so.
Section One
Heat, Cold and the Power Bill
The whole section runs to well under fifty dollars. It is the fastest change you can make to what your house costs you.
- Caulk & caulk gunThe single cheapest comfort you will ever buy. Methods 1–2Buy Now
- Adhesive foam weatherstripSo the door shuts against foam, not bare wood. Method 2Buy Now
- Door sweepThat gap is a brick-sized hole in your wall. Method 2Buy Now
- Outlet & switch gasketsTwo minutes each. The cold coming through surprises everyone. Method 2Buy Now
- Window insulation film kitShrink it tight with a hair dryer and it disappears. Method 3Buy Now
- Hot water bottleA warm bed lets you sleep in a cold room. Etta used a brick. Method 4Buy Now
- Water heater blanketOnly if the tank is warm to the touch. Read Method 7 first. Method 7Buy Now
- Foam pipe insulationThe first six feet off the top of the tank. Method 7Buy Now
- Low-flow shower headA third less hot water. The modern ones don't feel weak. Method 7Buy Now
- Retractable clotheslineCosts once. Saves forty to seventy cents a load, forever. Method 8Buy Now
- Folding wooden drying rackThe indoor half of the same idea. Works all winter. Method 8Buy Now
- Smoke & carbon monoxide alarmsThere is nothing in this book worth risking that. Methods 9, 62Buy Now
Section Two
Keeping House
Four ingredients replace a cabinet full of bottles. Buy them big and decant into the sprayers.
- Spray bottles (pair)One acid, one degreaser. Keep a set under every sink. Method 10Buy Now
- White vinegar, by the gallonScale, soap scum, hard water, glass. Never on stone. Method 10Buy Now
- Baking soda, big bagThe paste in Method 11 does half the jobs in this section. Method 11Buy Now
- Washing sodaNot baking soda. This is the one that cuts grease. Methods 18, 24Buy Now
- Zip-strip drain toolBeats every chemical in the aisle and costs three dollars. Method 13Buy Now
- Window squeegeeWorth it if you have a lot of glass. Newspaper is free. Method 14Buy Now
- Nylon scrub brush setFor grout, the oven, the racks. Soft enough not to scratch. Methods 11–12Buy Now
- Two good doormatsOne outside, one in. Removes most of what you'd otherwise mop. Method 19Buy Now
- RagsOld towels and t-shirts. Cut them up — don't buy these.Free · Method 22
Section Three
Wash Day
Three boxes make roughly sixty loads for under twelve dollars — about a nickel a wash.
- Fels-Naptha or Zote soap barGrate it. The base of the laundry powder. Method 24Buy Now
- BoraxLaundry powder, and the ant bait in Method 33. Methods 24, 33Buy Now
- Oxygen bleach powderFor whites. Not chlorine — and never mixed with anything. Method 24Buy Now
- Mesh laundry bagsOne of the few modern things Etta would have approved of. Method 32Buy Now
- Wooden clothespinsBuy the springs, not the push-on kind. They last. Method 29Buy Now
- Hydrogen peroxideBlood, collar yellowing, scorch marks. Method 27Buy Now
- Wool dryer ballsIf you must use the dryer. Better than any softener sheet. Method 25Buy Now
Section Four
Pests Without Poison
Take away food, water, or the way in. Everything here does one of those three.
- Food-grade diatomaceous earthA bag lasts years. Dust it thin — a pile does nothing. Method 38Buy Now
- Dust maskHarmless powder, but no fine dust belongs in your lungs. Method 38Buy Now
- Steel woolMice chew foam. They cannot chew this. Method 36Buy Now
- Snap trapsSet perpendicular to the wall. Peanut butter. Method 36Buy Now
- Peppermint oilOn cotton balls, refreshed weekly. A genuine deterrent. Method 36Buy Now
- Cedar blocks & lavender sachetsSand the cedar once a year to reopen the scent. Method 35Buy Now
- Airtight glass jarsPaper sacks are an invitation with a wrapper. Method 37Buy Now
- Bay leavesOne in each flour container. Costs a penny, works. Method 37Buy Now
Section Five
Linens, Mending and Make-Do
A basket by the chair. The whole kit costs less than one pair of the socks it will save.
- Hand sewing needle setAssorted sizes. Sharps for cloth, darners for wool. Method 40Buy Now
- Darning egg or mushroomA lightbulb works. This works better. Method 42Buy Now
- Cotton thread setGet a range of neutrals. Matching matters more than you'd think. Methods 40–43Buy Now
- ThimbleIf your fingers are tender. You'll know by the third button. Method 40Buy Now
- Small sharp scissorsThread snips. Keep them out of the kitchen drawer. Method 40Buy Now
- Darning yarnWool, for socks. Match as close as you can. Method 42Buy Now
- Buttons, zippers, patchesCut them off old clothes before they leave. Don't buy notions.Free · Method 45
Section Six
The Garden Patch
Feed the dirt and the dirt feeds the plants. Most of the rest is free if you're patient.
- Shop light / grow lightThe one thing people get wrong. Two inches above the seedlings. Method 51Buy Now
- Seed-starting mixNot garden soil. It compacts and carries disease. Method 51Buy Now
- Soil pH test kitOnce every few years is plenty. Tells you about lime. Method 48Buy Now
- Heirloom / open-pollinated seedHybrids won't come true. Check the packet for "F1". Method 50Buy Now
- Garden forkFor turning the compost. Buy the old one if you can find it. Method 49Buy Now
- Five-gallon bucketsDrill holes. They grow as well as any pot on the shelf. Method 56Buy Now
- Mulch, leaves, grass clippingsYour own fall leaves, run over with the mower. The best free thing in gardening.Free · Method 54
Section Seven
The Dooryard, Porch and Tool Shed
Buy the old one. A flea-market shovel with a hickory handle beats anything new at any price.
- Mill fileTen strokes twice a season and a hoe becomes almost pleasant. Method 58Buy Now
- Boiled linseed oilWhy hundred-year-old handles are still sound. Method 58Buy Now
- Rain barrel & spigot kitScreen the inlet — that part isn't optional. Check local rules. Method 60Buy Now
- Window screen meshKeeps mosquitoes, leaves and small animals out of the barrel. Method 60Buy Now
- Shallow bird bath or dishWater brings them when food won't. Stones for landing. Method 59Buy Now
- Zinnia & wildflower seedHer row along the fence had no purpose but the bees. The tomatoes knew. Method 59Buy Now
- Builder's sandA bucket of it by the shed door, oiled. Cleans and protects in one motion. Method 58Buy Now
Section Eight
The Pantry and Putting Up
Start with refrigerator pickles and freezer jam. Neither needs a canner and both are nearly impossible to get wrong.
- Wide-mouth canning jarsWide mouth, straight sides — the only kind safe for the freezer. Methods 64–66Buy Now
- Freezer-jam pectinNo boiling pot. The one to make with children. Method 65Buy Now
- Refrigerator thermometerMeasure your cold corner for a week before you trust it. Method 63Buy Now
- CheeseclothFor straining rendered lard, and for stock. Method 68Buy Now
- Food-grade storage bucketsFor flour, cornmeal, rice, beans. With gamma lids if you can. Method 70Buy Now
- Heavy freezer bagsPress every bit of air out. Air is what makes freezer burn. Method 67Buy Now
- Cotton stringHerbs, peppers, apple rings. The oldest preservation there is. Method 66Buy Now
Section Nine
Stretching the Grocery Dollar
You're paying somebody to use a knife you already own. These are the few tools that let you stop.
- Chef's knifeBuy the good one, once. It breaks down a whole chicken in ten minutes. Method 74Buy Now
- Stock potEight quarts at least. The scrap bag needs somewhere to go. Method 71Buy Now
- Box graterBlock cheese is a third cheaper and melts better. Thirty seconds. Method 74Buy Now
- Fine mesh strainerFor stock, and for the grease can. Methods 71, 90Buy Now
- Pocket notebookThe price book. The most effective grocery method I know. Method 76Buy Now
Section Ten
Thrift and the Household Ledger
Cheap things that change what a year costs you. The writing is the mechanism — that's why the paper matters.
Section Eleven
Etta's Comfort Remedies
These are comfort measures, not treatments, and they don't replace a doctor. Read the warnings at the head of Section Eleven before you use any of it. Store it out of reach of children, and lock it if anyone in the house needs it locked.
- Digital thermometerThe one thing on this list you shouldn't be without. Method 88Buy Now
- First aid kitBandages, gauze, tape, tweezers, elastic wrap — simpler to buy assembled. Method 88Buy Now
- Oral rehydration saltsDehydration is the actual danger, not the upset stomach. Method 84Buy Now
- Saline nasal spraySterile or distilled water only in a rinse pot — never from the tap. Method 86Buy Now
- Local honeyKeeps indefinitely. Never for a child under one year. Method 83Buy Now
- Lockable medicine boxEtta's was a tin on the top shelf. Yours may need a lock. Method 88Buy Now
Section Twelve
Etta's Kitchen
She cooked for eight with about six objects. A yard-sale skillet for three dollars will outcook a new one.
- Cast-iron skillet, 12 inchThe rusty second-hand one is better. Method 89 brings it back. Method 89Buy Now
- Flaxseed or grapeseed oilFor seasoning. Wipe it all back off — that's the step people miss. Method 89Buy Now
- Grease crock with strainerThe highest-value object in her kitchen was a coffee can. This is prettier. Method 90Buy Now
- Biscuit cutterA glass works. But never twist — twisting seals the edge. Method 91Buy Now
- Dutch ovenThe bean pot. Ran most weeks of her life. Method 95Buy Now
- Flat whiskFor gravy. It gets into the corners of the skillet. Method 92Buy Now
Section Thirteen
Traditions and the Table
Twelve people or two — the table gets set either way.