Good Old Fashioned ????? and Moneysaving - bedspreads

janb5

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

Oh, you lucky minx! I've had weighing-scales envy for such a long time but just can't justify spending the amount of money they seem to go for these days, even second-hand.

They are the old shop type ones with stainless steel tray. A few years ago, I was lucky to find someone who used to regulate scales etc so checked its accuracy for me and also a friend of mine had found an old pair of scales without its basket and he had one to sell to her. Of course it is in imperial but that doesnt bother me being an oldie! I remember my ex complaining all the way home that I inisted on bringing it home. Cost me £20 in 1993.

champys

ChocClare wrote: »

And - sorry if it sounds like I'm terribly grand, which I assure you I'm not - I wouldn't be without my dinner gong.:rotfl: It's just a small one, not a big J Arthur Rank thing. I bang it 5 minutes before dinner and the family come straight in, like the Pavlov's dogs they are. Much better than yelling myself hoarse - it seems to carry over the garden, cut through Ipods and computers and telly - brilliant. Plus, when the kids were little, they used to take it in turns to bang it - they're far too old to care now, but small visitors still like it.

Oh, I'm so jealous - I have never found a real gong so all my life I have used a Swiss cow bell instead for the purpose. Also very effective, my mother used one too when I grew up, so I just copied that.
And like you I cannot eat properly without a cloth napkin. This is now my own personal privilege (I have a silver napkin ring, and I iron my napkins too!), as DH doesn't see the point of napkins and won't use one.

And as we are on tableware - what about proper egg cups for boiled eggs?

Justamum

boultdj wrote: »

Sorry if this comes up twice me and the computor r disagreing today, lucky janb5 on the scales only one's i can find have half the stuff missing.

I used to have a set of those balance scales. They look really nice, but the pan was too small, and you can't add and weigh with them. I much prefer my electronic ones.

Justamum

ChocClare wrote: »

And - sorry if it sounds like I'm terribly grand, which I assure you I'm not - I wouldn't be without my dinner gong.:rotfl:

My parents used to run a hotel, and we had a big dinner gong. I'd love to get one now as my DD1's bedroom is in the attic room, and I really think a gong would be a good idea.

BitterAndTwisted

How could one eat a boiled egg without an egg-cup? Surely they can't be outmoded as well? What do people use instead?

ChocClare

champys wrote: »

Oh, I'm so jealous - I have never found a real gong... And like you I cannot eat properly without a cloth napkin. This is now my own personal privilege (I have a silver napkin ring, and I iron my napkins too!), as DH doesn't see the point of napkins and won't use one.

Gong came from a junk shop YEARS ago. It is a wooden stand with a brass gong about the size of a salad plate hanging from it and a little wooden and padded leather mallet-y thing to hit it with. I just liked the look of it but it has been brilliant!

Oh yes, napkins definitely need to be ironed. My good ones (white linen, brought out on special occasions) are starched to within an inch of their life as well. I also have silver napkin rings, but don't use them with my old faithful Madras check everyday napkins . I am pleased to say that my kids grab a napkin even if they're just getting themselves a microwave pizza for lunch and eating in front of the telly. As my 17-year-old DS's napkin is inevitably COVERED in ketchup by the end of the week, this is obviously a very good thing (especially as we don't even eat ketchup that often, so goodness knows where it comes from or where it would go if it were not for the napkin :rotfl:)

Maybe it's just me, but even if I eat a sandwich, I feel the need to wipe fingers and/or mouth at the end of it. OK, so you could use kitchen towel, but why burn down the rain forest when you've got something green and reusable right there?

Alison_Funnell

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

How could one eat a boiled egg without an egg-cup? Surely they can't be outmoded as well? What do people use instead?

SNAP! I was wondering that too.

thisuseridistakenagain

i hate boiled eggs, but i know my dad never uses an egg cup, Just egg in the hand spoon in the other, it doesn't last long! lol

katholicos

I have a fairly thin bedspread on my bed, it's over the top of the duvet...a recent thread here about 'hospital corners' has proved very instructive and i have now started using the hospital corner method with the bedspread and it has stayed in place all week. I fold it all back in the morning to air the bed.

BitterAndTwisted

Back to cloth napkins: the idea of using the same one for a whole week just doesn't appeal to me at all. I'd much rather use those nice 3-ply paper ones instead, which I do. They're dead handy as a decent-sized handerchief and a give quite good shine on shoes as well.