My mother saved bacon grease, not just my grandmothers and great-grandmothers. I have her glass bacon grease container that was always on the stove. She cooked with it, never made soap. That was for flavor, not to save on grease. Everything is better with bacon.

She was very frugal in other ways but appreciated the conveniences of electricity, indoor plumbing and modern appliances. Her mother made her (and her sisters') dresses on a non-electric sewing machine out of flour sacks, which were printed cotton fabric.