Is frugal the new normal?

suki1964

My mum was born just before the war and so yes she must have known times of very little food which I dare say accounts for her paying out on what she sees as luxuries

But in the same breath we never went without during the 70's when times were very hard, I've recounted many times in threads like this one how food was very poor then and we ate what was given and were grateful for it. It wasn't untll mum and dad divorced that we did see really tough times. Mum had left , dad had no work and hadn't any stamp so no dole. We had the family allowance to live on, 3 kids and my dad. I remember one time my sister had made a stew out of two chicken legs for us all and relatives arrived. Rather then show how little we had, me sis and dad went without the meat so we could share

Dinner was often just potato bread

I think that's why I'm so dead against wanton waste as I do remember being hungry and cold all to often. My elder sister is also a great cook and can turn anything into a meal for how ever many decend on her. Yet little sister has followed in mums footsteps and buys whatever she likes the look of

So mum keeps stock piling. I keep coming up with inventive recipes to use it up, she thinks mmm that was nice, must get more
Salmon lol

Justamum

Caterina wrote: »

Ah, don't start me about the trend on "poor" food! I have the hysterics when I see the price of "polenta chips" (polenta being the staple of the poorest people of Northern Italy) or rocket (a weed!). Or offal! Not that I eat it, being vegetarian, but at one point offal was really only for the poorest people, now you get it served, in minuscule portions, at ridiculous prices, in the fanciest London restaurants!

It's the same with passion fruit. They cost a small fortune, but they grow in great abundance - like blackberries - in South Africa! The plant is a weed.

lessonlearned

suki1964 wrote: »

Well she's not sick in that sense. She has cancer and has had a stroke but still drives and runs her own business still.

No with her it's just plain simple she sees something and she has to have it, regardless as to whether it will get eaten. She always piles her plate up and sits surrounded by chocolate in the evenings. She has always been like that. She just has to stock pile, yet can't cook to save her life- hence the tins and packet smash. She shops like those families on the Greg Wallace show, blindly putting stuff in a trolly with no idea if she already has 12 tins of it already

I daren't divulge how many tins of salmon we have :eek:

I'm glad your mum doesn't have dementia.

And at least if it's not food that perishes quickly it's not quite so bad.

My mother suffered from vascular dementia after a series of strokes. It was so so sad. I honestly wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

Yes I can understand why many older people stockpile food, especially those who went through the depression and the war years or who had childhoods marred by poverty.

I do like well stocked cupboards. I have back problems and it can "go" at any time so I like to keep food in reserve "just in case".

My sister hardly ever seems to have food in but I couldn't live that way. .I would feel uncomfortable to skate so close to the edge.

Mum always kept quite a lot of food in reserve because she was Belgian and had lived under the German occupation when food had been very scarce. She was very organised so nothing went out of date, it was all used up in sequence.

However after her death I had to clear the house......I now have enough cleaning materials and toiletries to last a couple of years.

I doubt that I will ever have to buy hairspray ever again:rotfl:

Bless her.

[Deleted User]

lessonlearned wrote: »

Yes I can understand why many older people stockpile food, especially those who went through the depression and the war years or who had childhoods marred by poverty.

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That is me, a pigs head lasted about 4 days for nine of us. Potatoes with sour milk etc, no garden to grow anything. I don`t know how on earth our parents kept us fed. One pair of second hand shoes and it goes on. Believe me, life was very hard as the oldest child and a girl at that

There is a deep psychology in the real old stylers. I have tried so hard to reduce what I keep in and my home is now flowing with energy, after downsizing my stuff. However my large fridge is full and everything is used in rotation. I have lots of stored home produced dehydrated foods and frozen foods. I have tins of food and packets of rice, oats etc, not just packets because the thrifty part of me makes me buy in bulk, then I vacuum pack and store in a cool dark place.

I have been trying to loosen the psychological strings and have managed that with my money ie I now spend on things I want, always though to make life nicer or to help my children eg I bought each of them a top of the range roomba, something they never could have afforded. They each come back home to a house with spotless floors and that is psychologically nice for them

My house is pretty well cleared, my affairs are in order, it was hard enough to sort everything after my husband died, so I resolved to make it easier for the children. My house is an oasis of calm and tranquility, even though the fridge and the food cupboards are full

[Deleted User]

As one of the ...err slightly older generation on here I too can see that often my generation do tend to have a fairly big stock cupboard I admit I do too.I remember all too well there being not a great deal in the cupboard, not that my parents couldn't afford it, it was just not available because of rationing.My late Mum would have died rather than buy anything on the 'black market' she thought people that did were 'cheating' when so many folk had to do without.but that was how her generation were brought up (she was born in 1900)

I have a decent stock cupboard ,so much so that when I returned home from my holidays at the end of August I decided to make some inroads into it and have been using up some of my tinned stuff over the past couple of weeks.

I still have quite a bit to go and my freezer seems to be permanently stuffed full, but slowly the cupboards are reducing and my purse for this month has been quite full still :):) its the 22nd September and I have over half my food budget left and only 8 days to go.

I have nothing on my shopping list to buy this week at all so I am hoping that any left over cash will go into my 'holiday account for next year I do like to plan in advance

I am also trying to use up some of the freezer stuff and get a bit of room in there as at the moment I am playing freezer tetris with the stocks

The upside ,apart from not having to shop quite so much this month, is that I also have extra cash left, win-win I think;) .My DGS Ben took two boxes of stuff back with him when he went back to Uni last Saturday which helped us both :)

I too abhor waste of any kind so it will be will be used up in time no doubt,and having more time to do what I like to do in my spare time (what there is of it ) instead of having to think as one does almost automatically 'Its Friday so I must go shopping '

I have found since changing to long-life milk instead of fresh I don't have to think 'I'll just nip out and buy some milk' and end up buying even more food as once in the shop your eyes are always caught with something

I now buy half a dozen litre's of long-life ( find very little difference with that and fresh as I don't use a lot of milk anyway
so I am more than pleased at how, with slight adjustments, my shopping bill is slowly coming down

[Deleted User]

Supermarket prices!!! visit to town this morning ended with wandering chin on floor through T*sco and M&S and putting back empty baskets as even the very few reduced items they had (mostly Fillet of Beef in the case of MrT) were still quite a way above my means. I got the bus back to the local centre and went to W8rose where there were not only reductions I was able to afford (essentials frying steak £1.99) but decent offers like 500g essentials mature cheddar cheese for £2.25 and a large rye loaf for £1.32 which I took advantage of. I then went to the butchers and greengrocers there and got everything else I needed at really good prices for good quality produce. I shall think carefully about where I shop in the future as W8rose seems to be the place that is the best value for your money at present.

meritaten

I wasn't born until 1954, but was brought up by parents and grandparents who really knew the meaning of poverty! and yes I do ensure have store cupboards with ample supplies of the essentials (though not as bad as mum who had to be forcibly restrained from buying bags of sugar as she already had TWENTY -ODD in the cupboard).
I do however, often have a bare fridge as I am careful to not overstock on fresh goods. would rather underbuy there as I HATE having to throw away food.
I am sure most of you know I was a miners wife and went through two long strikes (most people only remember the one), and thanked my nan daily for her early years training me in frugality and 'making something from nothing'.
I think its sensible to have at least a weeks supply of 'essentials' such as sugar, tea, coffee, flour etc. sometimes crap happens and you cant do a shop! and I always have eggs and butter so can make a 'treat' of biscuits or cake without having to pop out and buy the ingredients.
I also have a well stocked 'baking and flavour' cupboard where I keep stuff like Herbs and Spices and sultanas etc. has been a real boon many times.
I think I have a good balance between a good stockpile and not 'overdoing it'. some may disagree.

Lynplatinum

Evening All

My Great Aunt and her daughter were bombed in the war. They had gone down to their cellar kitchen and survived because the heavy old fashioned dresser fell against the robust kitchen table. she had been squirreling away canned stuff since before the war because she did not trust Herr H! They survived for 3 days on the canned foods!

therefore our family always have a stock in.

Am currently preparing to move house and it makes me feel very insecure to only have a few cans in!! Just eaten up choccy spread; all jams; kidney beans; rice noodles; can1 of tomatoes (I always have 2 in!); 1/4 bottle tequilla; 1/4 bottle cherry brandy!!! Hic! :rotfl::rotfl:

More to go!!! Have been doing washing/ tidying up ready for house inspection on Friday - Why oh Why did I not do this all sooner! :eek: Declutter now!!!! folks!
Nite all

[Deleted User]

I have always kept a stock of tinned sardines in 'just in case' and the times they have got me through lean patches, or sudden visitors.I once made a couple of pizzas for my DD when she brought three of her college friends back unexpectedly.He 'posh' friends were very impressed with them expecially as I decorated them with stuffed olives (left over from Christmas ) and grated parmesan on top.Cheap as chips to make and her wealthiest friend was so impressed and said 'My Mother wouldn't dream of making this we would be sending out for something, but it wouldn't be as tasty as this '

I felt like the Queen has bestowed an honour on me as she was seriously upper class this lass, her Granny had a butler !!! :):)

I have rewritten my stock lists yesterday and there is very little iI need today ,but I may pop to get the few bits tomorrow .

I have a charity quiz to go to tomorrow night and need to make some 'nibbles' to take with me.I will be scouring the shops for some glace cherries as I have a yen for a tray bake of some sort with cherries and sultanas.I'm also going to make some cheese straws as they always go down well.

Last night I had a portion of left over lasagne from the freezer and tonight I will be having a chicken salad(the chicken is also from the freezer.) I am determined to get the stock down a bit more :):)

ivyleaf

Ooh, good luck with the viewing Lynplatinum! :j