Consumer Reports revives a 1940s-era newsletter for cash-strapped Americans on Substack

“DOWN WITH NECKTIE GIVERS! One civilian sacrifice which BREAD & BUTTER recommends this year is elimination of the Christmas tie.”

This advice appeared in the Nov. 20, 1941 issue of Bread & Butter, a weekly print newsletter from Consumer Reports (known at the time as Consumers Union). That issue, published just about 84 years ago today, also includes advice on “putting up” your car for the winter (“the shortage of anti-freeze compounds and the high cost of fuel may make it worthwhile”), warns against purchasing “hosiery made by joining rayon tops to nylon legs” (“the nylon price situation isn’t any more reassuring than it’s been”), and stresses the importance of making do with the carpets and rugs you already have (“Bread & Butter readers don’t have to be told the difficulties of the cotton and linen situation”).

Though the World War II–era, hosiery-centric specifics of Bread & Butter are dated, worrying about prices is back in style for 2025: Americans are deeply concerned about grocery prices and are losing confidence in economy. At the same time, shopping recommendation sites like Wirecutter are trying to cut through the clutter and pull in affiliate revenue at the same time. No wonder Consumer Reports decided it was the right time to revive Bread & Butter for a 21st-century audience.

This time around, rather than being sent via mail for $0.05 per copy or $1 per year, the newsletter comes to subscribers for free via Substack each Wednesday, written by Consumer Reports home and garden writer Yasmeen Khan. The first issue, out today, delves into deals — the best ones staffers have ever gotten (like a $10 Le Creuset Dutch oven) and how Consumer Reports “filters out the noise” of supposed good deals online.

Consumer Reports wouldn’t share details with me about the average age of its readers, but The Atlantic reported in 2016 that its average print subscriber was 65 and its average digital subscriber was 56. It seems fair to say that the relaunched Bread & Butter — with an introductory post titled “Your dad may have mentioned us” — is aiming for a younger crowd. (The brand also has other email newsletters and podcasts, is on social media, and so on; Paris Martineau’s recent investigation into lead in popular protein powders made waves across the internet.)

“I have such affection for this brand. The organization is about to turn 90,” Khan told me. “It’s this trustworthy, unassuming friend that is full of knowledge and information. I want to be able to introduce that friend in other spaces.”