Things were very different back in the 1950s– but a clever idea is still a clever idea

LIFE was different in the 1950s. The differences might be difficult to explain to young people in these times of relative prosperity which have endless kitchen gadgets and shop shelves stacked with cleaning creams, fluids and sprays for every conceivable purpose.

Some things that were problems then might not be problems now.

For instance, how many pairs of shoes do you own? If you only had one pair, and they didn’t fit, this is what they did: TIGHT SHOES— Leave a peeled raw potato overnight in a tight-fitting pair of shoes. You’ll be surprised at the comfortable fitting afterwards.—Mrs M. Martin, 43 Auldhill Ave., Bridgend, Linlithgow.

And do you remember when bins didn’t have hinged lids? BIN LID— To prevent your lid blowing away on a windy night, place it upside down on your bin. This prevents the wind getting under the rim.—Mrs H. M. Young, Reid’s Buildings, High Street, Banchory.

Or when people re-used things? CORKS— Boil a cork for five minutes and it can be made to fit almost any bottle.—Isabella A. Webster, Hazeldene, Oldmeldrum.

Remember how dirty you got cleaning out the coal fire? SOOTY HANDS— After working

with soot, always rinse hands with cold water first. Hot water opens the pores and makes the soot more difficult to remove.—Mrs S. B. Guy, 121 Hirst Road, Harthill.

And have you ever lost a bird? CATCH YOUR BUDGIE— If your budgie escapes out the window, get a hand mirror and dazzle it with the reflection of the sun. Keep the light trained on it. The bird will fly towards the beam of light, allowing you to catch it.—Mrs E. Brown, c/o 50 Sheffield Road, Portsmouth. It might work! It is certainly interesting. Some problems never go away. NO SPILLS— After opening a tin of soup, squeeze the sides to form a spout. Contents pour without spilling.— Mrs M. Kelsey, 23 Gartons Road, Barmulloch, Glasgow.