Homemaker's Club--What's Old, Is New Again

Once upon a time—12, 15 years ago?—a woman approached my farmer’s market stand and asked me to give a soapmaking demonstration at the local homemaker’s club.

I had no idea such a thing existed, but I was happy to go and show them the soapmaking process. The club was made up of elderly women who had been part of the same club for decades. (Adorable!) I badly wanted to ask to join, but at that time, it would have taken too much time from my home responsibilities. They probably would have been shocked to have someone their granddaughter’s age wanting to join.

I think homemaking clubs have largely faded out, but that’s a shame. For decades, they were a thing. I went down a rabbit hole reading about them a while ago. Most of them were started through the USDA’s extension programs to teach women in rural areas skills like gardening, canning, and sewing. There were thousands of clubs around the country.

And when homemakers weren’t meeting together in person, they had magazines (like these in my recent article) and newsletters. I found this homemaker’s newsletter tucked into an old cookbook I bought. It’s from 1971 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The women listed were just the assistants in the program. How many women were actually involved?

It makes me a little salty that I missed out on so much of the fun. Sure, I guess I could start my own homemaker’s club, but there are a few problems. 99% of you wouldn’t be able to come (all those cookies and just me eating them, not good). And more importantly, I’m not the last word on all things homemaking.

Running a home isn’t a very social endeavor. After all, we have our own homes and styles and we can’t run them remotely. Outside of social media connections, we’re kind of isolated these days. We’ve lost the comraderie of past generations with their occasional get-togethers and mailed monthly inspiration, and of course, fellow housewives in the neighborhood.

I’ve long been wanting to do something that’s a taste of the old days but in our time. I think collectively we’ve decided this year that the digital world is useful but the analog life should have a place alongside it, right? And now, all of a sudden, getting personal mail is so rare that it’s become a special occasion.

Wouldn’t it be fun to get a real letter in the mail that contained a sampling of inspiration from the golden days of homemaking? Some encouragement and motivation that you can put to use in your modern home? That’s the idea behind the Homemaker’s Club, 2026 style.

To kick things off, give this post a heart through July 3rd and you’ll be entered to win one of five of our July Homemaker’s Club mailings. The Club mailings will be different every month, but will include things like recipes, bonus articles, crafts, etc.

For now, our paid subscribers will receive a mailing every other month (click “upgrade” on my profile to become a paid subscriber during the months we mail out the Club mail), although our goal is to send them out monthly in the future.

We’d love to have you join us!

I’m the co-author of A Housewife Writes and author of Two Years as an Amish Schoolteacher, available on Amazon. (affiliate link) I love history and learning about the lives of our grandmothers who loved their families and managed their households. I share their stories and wisdom that are still meaningful as well keeping a modern home in the spirit of past times.