During the Depression and World War II, conditions were very tough. In the suburbs, it was quite common for two families to live in one house. The barter system existed. If you had fruit, you swapped it for eggs or vice versa. People helped each other out. Nothing was wasted. One example was butter wrapped in greaseproof paper. The paper was used to grease the inside of a cake tin and then used to light the fire in the stove.