Can we ever change where we came from?

Errata

My gran made me knickers from 'parachute silk'. Of course, it was neither parachute nor silk but some kind of crepe fabric. They were horrible things despite her working for many years for a Court Dressmaker.

I've had to kick one habit into the long grass! I was brought up to eat everything on my plate (thank you Mr Hitler) but I've recently been a few degrees under the weather and off my hay so I've had to learn that not eating everything isn't one of the seven deadly sins.

Still can't stop adding to the button tin !

Tigsteroonie

I remember my mother turning collars on my dad's shirts -she did show me how but, fortunately with the advent of cheap supermarket/primark clothing, we can afford to replace such items instead. I vaguely remember a turned sheet too, but I think it was only kept for laundry emergencies.

I am currently enjoying the fact that we no longer have to root through charity shops for 50p items of clothing for littl'un and I can afford to buy new at supermarket/Primark instead. Maybe one day we'll have the money to buy him clothes at M&S/Debenhams/Next - but I'm not sure that we would choose to until he stops growing out of clothes well before they get worn out.

Some moneysaving habits die hard though :money: That's why we are still both avid users of MSE I have a button tin, and I will often thread new elastic into old summer skirts.

Marisco

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

The point is, in 'the good / bad old days', you couldn't pick up sheets for next to nowt. With rationing, you had a stark choice. If they started to wear out, you'd mend them.
.

Yes, I know that, but I thought we were talking about nowadays on the thread, not donkeys years ago.

[Deleted User]

But this whole thread is about why we do things.., for some of us, its either a total rejection of the past, or we are influenced by our pasts.., or a mixture of the two. We are talking about why we do things like trying to cut costs. Our past histories have to be part of that discussion.

For me, I take lessons learned from the past to inform my present/future. Others decisions will be different. Not bothered, its only my present/future that I can influence.

Gingernutty

Gingernutty wrote: »

The sheets get worn down the middle.

The trick is, to cut the sheets down the middle and turn each half so that the best bit of the sheet is now in the middle.

Sew the two halves together again so that the best areas of the sheet halves are sewn together in the middle of the sheet.

You can cut lengthways or across the middle, but you're left with a seam running either the length of the sheet or across the middle.

ETA : No.. I don't do this, although I've seen it done.

AubreyMac wrote: »

That can only work with plain dye sheets or ones with same pattern all over. Wouldn't work with mine as it'll make some of the pattern look wonky.

Wouldn't doing so just make it too tight for your matress or duvet?

This technique is/was for flat sheets - those new fangled fitted sheets are beyond help.

The patterns didn't matter. If you could match or complement the pattern that was fine, if you couldn't, tough.

RuthnJasper

No-one can ever change where they came from - but you CAN influence where you are going.
J.K. Rowling is a good example of this.

fierystormcloud

RuthnJasper wrote: »

No-one can ever change where they came from - but you CAN influence where you are going.
J.K. Rowling is a good example of this.

:T Yes indeed.

CathA

Turtle wrote: »

I'm actually surprised that standing bottles on end to get the last bit out is seen as being particularly frugal. I just thought it was common sense! I was brought up in a household without much money so maybe it's just ingrained, but I thought it was something every one did.

I wish!! The number of times my OH or kids will throw away a tube of toothpaste that's too hard to get any more out of drives me mad. I have on several occasions fished them out the bathroom bin and cut them open to use up the remains myself. And what is it with teenagers and loo roll? Our consumption drops dramatically when she's not here!!

lostinrates

Tigsteroonie wrote: »

I remember my mother turning collars on my dad's shirts -she did show me how but, fortunately with the advent of cheap supermarket/primark clothing, we can afford to replace such items instead. I vaguely remember a turned sheet too, but I think it was only kept for laundry emergencies.

I am currently enjoying the fact that we no longer have to root through charity shops for 50p items of clothing for littl'un and I can afford to buy new at supermarket/Primark instead. Maybe one day we'll have the money to buy him clothes at M&S/Debenhams/Next - but I'm not sure that we would choose to until he stops growing out of clothes well before they get worn out.

Some moneysaving habits die hard though :money: That's why we are still both avid users of MSE I have a button tin, and I will often thread new elastic into old summer skirts.

The thing is I'm not sure I want to change these habits, nor do I think its particularly healthy to.

Some new spend is essential for a healthy economy. But cheap clothing from primarK etc? How good for us/ our economy and the planet is it? I'd rather my money went to good skilled employment in my own economy or in an ethical production manner if not, using good quality product good for skin and recyclability, not 'poly' stuff, and then is used well, not going to landfill.

mishmogs

I grew up in Manchester and we were really poor. My brothers hand down shirts became mine at home. I remember my mum sewing up dads canvas sheets which he used on his lorry and her hands were in a state. A couple of months ago, I started to darn DH socks and he took the mushroom and sock off me and told me we can afford new socks. We recently sold our old dining table, chairs and dresser which had been my nans, mums and then mine and DH said he had hated them for years and wanted new stuff. Why did he wait 25 years to tell me? So yes, you can change where you come from, it's a mindset and I can see that my DH was right.