Eighty years ago today, the January 11, 1943, issue of Life magazine showed these shoppers preparing to pay for their groceries with not just cash, but with ration coupons. And this would become a more common scene as more foods, such as those shown below, were to be rationed.

The magazine noted that canned goods had been an important part of warfare since the days of Napoleon, and this war was no different. Starting later in the month, a new ration book was to be issued, and those coupons would be required for the purchase of canned or bottled soups and juices, as well as most canned, dried, or frozen, fruits or vegetables.