tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2541083431029092303.post5557318802238083429..comments2024-02-14T12:40:57.415+00:00Comments on A New Life in Wales: How Frugal Am I?Pamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406981075860636289noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2541083431029092303.post-71607910626054805042013-05-04T06:59:03.852+01:002013-05-04T06:59:03.852+01:00This reply is for every one who reads this post. T...This reply is for every one who reads this post. The 3 comments all come from women of a similar age group. Life was different when we were young.<br />There were no supermarkets, no chain stores, coffee shops, glossy cook books and celebrity chefs. Television was in its infancy and Radio ruled.<br />Rationing had recently ended and people were accustomed to not just having little money to spend but having little to spend it on.<br />Takeaway food was Fish and Chips and was regarded as a very special treat. Fizzy drink was homemade ginger beer and sweets were for birthdays and Christmas or homemade.<br />There had been 2 World wars in a relatively short space of time and just about every body was in the same boat.<br />The whole country runs on spending, if people stopped buying ready made food, new clothes, furniture, electrical goods willy nilly we would have a disaster scenario. Manufacturing would stop, factories would close, transport companies would fold, shops would close and the benefit bill would bankrupt the country.<br />Perhaps Home Economics should be taught from primary school onward. There will always be the few who do not wish or are not able to learn. I work with people of my generation who have forgotten all they new as children and they are forced to retire and then their lives will be misery, with only the retirement pension to live on and no life skills. There now, I have run on again. Bye for now. PamPamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18406981075860636289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2541083431029092303.post-91714782505621765402013-05-03T23:43:22.194+01:002013-05-03T23:43:22.194+01:00Excellent post, Pam, ad I don't consider you h...Excellent post, Pam, ad I don't consider you have 'run on' at all. I was particularly impressed with your comments starting with '.......I know that I have run on.....' These points are just SO PERTINENT to life these days. You should send that into a national newspaper. I bought a bought a couple of years ago, a re-print of Delia Smith's 'Frugal Foods', and this seems to be the only one around addressing the situation. When you think about the huge audience television has you'd think there would be national programming on budgeting and living frugally - menu planning, careful shopping, meal preparation etc etc. I would say, I think schools DO have a part to play, but only in tandem with the rest of society. Is there anything we can do, as bloggers? Lynnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15385150635938870512noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2541083431029092303.post-39584348638188213642013-05-03T21:42:43.870+01:002013-05-03T21:42:43.870+01:00This is a great post Pam even if you did get a lit...This is a great post Pam even if you did get a little side tracked, I really enjoyed reading it.<br /><br />We didn't have horse drawn deliveries but everything came by those big black bicycles even the ice cream man came by bike with an ice box on the front.<br /><br />My great grandad had the nickname Squealer as he went round killing other peoples pigs for them, I expect he would be paid with a bit of meat, he died long before I was born. My Mum was always a great frugaller and an amazing cook, Dad had 4 large allotments and provided food for the table most of the year. I'm so glad they taught me the value of money, how to budget and how to make the most of what we have, these skills have been passed on to my sons and their wives. I fear for the people on benefits and the really low paid workers who don't have these life skills and are now relying on the food banks to help them along. Like you I could be more frugal if I had to, at the moment we are very comfortable with the way things are.<br /><br />Karen xKarenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11228988475838309316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2541083431029092303.post-86632161145892830042013-05-03T21:40:03.406+01:002013-05-03T21:40:03.406+01:00I was brought up by a mum who could make a meal fr...I was brought up by a mum who could make a meal from nothing, and a grandma who always seemed to be jamming, pickling, baking or growing something so I also just picked up how to do these things as part of growing up.i don't even see it as being frugal it is just the way I do things. I hate waste and like to get the best value from things so the frugality is an inevitable by product. Even when we had two large incomes I cooked the same way as that was the way I had been brought up. Now I realise what a good grounding my mum and grandma gave me. We spend very little on food but we eat well, I grow lots of our veggies, keep chickens, have a neighbour with ducks, and get given or barter for. Pheasants, geese,wood pigeon, salmon and trout. I can gather cockles, mussels and razor clams nearby and can forage for wild greens, apples and different berries when they are in season. I am learning all the time about wild foods and adding to our repertoire. The main aim of all of this is not to save money but to eat more natural foods and be more in touch with nature. It wouldn't have been too many generations ago when people would have been taught these skills as par t of their everyday life. I think it is sad that so much of it has been lost and people now rely on big industry to provide food for their families. dreamerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15569512066931951883noreply@blogger.com