Oregon Secretary of State

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“How to Shop with War Ration Book Two”

"...to Buy Canned, Bottled and Frozen Fruits and Vegetables; Dried Fruits, Juices and All Canned Soups. YOUR POINT ALLOWANCE MUST LAST FOR THE FULL RATION PERIOD. Plan How Many Points You Will Use Each Time Before You Shop. BUY EARLY IN THE WEEK. Foods are going to our fighting men. They come first! Your ration gives you your fair share of the foods that are left. BUY EARLY IN THE DAY." The following poster panels provided shoppers with advice on how to make the most of processed foods rationing:"

Illustration of war ration book on a table surrounded by cans of food.

1.) "USE THIS RATION BOOK. You may use one or all of your family's ration book when you shop. You may not shop with loose ration stamps."

Illustration of a sheet of stamps from a ration book. It reads, "A, B, and C stamps are good in the first ration period."

2.) "USE BLUE STAMPS ONLY. All blue point stamps marked A, B, and C are good during the first ration period. They add up to 48 points for each member of the family."


Illustration of stamps from a ration book with different point values from 1 to 8.

3.) "THE NUMBERS SHOW POINTS. You will not be able to get 'change' in point stamps, so save your low-value stamps for buying low-point foods."

Illustration of woman at grocery store taking a can of food from a shelf.

4.) "LOOK AT THE POINT VALUES before you buy. Points have nothing to do with prices or quality. Point values will be the same in all stores."



Illustration of woman holding ration book in front of a man holding a piece of paper with 56 cents eualing 39 points.

5.) "GIVE THE STAMPS TO YOUR GROCER. Tear out stamps in the presence of your grocer - or tear them out in the presence of the delivery boy."

Woman in the fresh produce section picking up a cauliflower from a section with a sign reading "Not Rationed."

6.) "FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES are not rationed. Use them instead of rationed foods whenever possible. Try out recipes that make your rations go further."


(Text and image source: Rationing Poster, Office of Price Administration, February, 1943. Box 5 of 28, Education Dept. Records, OSA)