To help prevent a shortage of food and goods necessary during World War II, the federal government began to ration everything with a strategic value. Special coupon books were issued to every man, woman, and child in the united states. Without the coupon books, you could not buy certain items like sugar, meat, tires, or fuel oil. Americans were asked to turn down their thermostats to conserve fuel in colder months and grow more food in their backyard gardens. Learn more with this segment of Iowa Public Television's Iowa's WWII Stories.