The Simple Bare Necessities feat. Gratitude & Recipes

beanielou

Glad that you had a lovely day.

I dont think there is an answer on food.
It just seems to get more & more expensive

Cheery_Daff

You are doing an excellent job Greying :j don't ever forget that xxx and also don't forget that while food expensive indeed, I THINK I may be right in saying as a society as a whole we spend a lesser percentage of our household budgets on it than in the olden days? (Although I confess I have no idea where I read that, or indeed which olden days...) so perhaps our expectations as a whole have changed.

But in fact that's irrelevant, because it's our very own perceptions and experiences that matter here, not how they relate to what someone 150 years ago might have done :rotfl: you have stayed under your grocery budget, and made a massive food bank donation (and I personally think you were doing yourself a disservice trying to get that out of your grocery budget too )

You are doing a grand job lass, don't you forget that :kisses3:

So very pleased you had a lovely day out :j

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning :hello:

Cheery_Daff wrote: »

............ and also don't forget that while food expensive indeed, I THINK I may be right in saying as a society as a whole we spend a lesser percentage of our household budgets on it than in the olden days? (Although I confess I have no idea where I read that, or indeed which olden days...) so perhaps our expectations as a whole have changed.

Cheery, I think that that fact is correct. What I'm not sure about, is - at a 'national' level, is whether the food budget as a percentage of household income' has been affected by a propensity to eat out more. So ie, a household may now only spend...... I don't know, 8% of their monthly income (made up figure) on groceries, but 12% on dining out. Whereas... 40 years ago (again, made-up timescale) we might have spent 20% of our income on groceries, and very little (per month) on eating out. I can never remember whether the ONS - or whoever provide the figures - have just made more categories. Although I agree, that in that case, we're still doing 'ok' (not great), because we rarely, if ever, eat meals out of the home. Tea & cake has been more prevalent this year, because we want to sort of introduce BG to the concept of behaviour/manners in cafes etc. But it's proving difficult from a MSE :money:point of view, because of such varying degrees of quality and price-points......



There was a tie-break question on Radio 2 the other day (was it in the Glasto tickets competition?) that said that the UK munches 11.5 BILLION sandwiches a year! What wasn't explained was whether that was just pre-packed sandwiches - although I assume it was, as I've never had a person with a clip-board turn up in me kitchen when I'm prepping sangers for a picnic.......... :rotfl:DH will occasionally have to buy sangers for snap, but again, we rarely purchase sangers from the supermercado.


And yes, we are having to fund more and more ourselves, aren't we? I was only thinking yesterday that the previous generation on one-side of our family were all housed through being in tied accommodation with their occupations. All of their children have gone on to be owner occupiers. OK, changing a rent payment for a mortgage payment, but in 40 years the figures have changed dramatically from 'peppercorn' to ££££'s. Mind, the wages to go with that peppercorn rent were peppercorn too, so no bucolic existence really.........



Greying X

maddiemay

Good morning Greying, I too think that you do an amazing job.

My friend, who married her OH 50 years ago this week, still has her little housekeeping/shopping book for that time, if I can remember (not guaranteed:() I will ask her to work out what percentage of their weekly wages she spent on food. I also married about that time, but sadly didn't keep any records. I do remember being able to have a lovely joint of meat from the butcher each week until we started saving for a house and then it was rubber (but free range in those days) chicken every week...........

Greying_Pilgrim

maddiemay wrote: »

Good morning Greying, I too think that you do an amazing job.

My friend, who married her OH 50 years ago this week, still has her little housekeeping/shopping book for that time, if I can remember (not guaranteed:() I will ask her to work out what percentage of their weekly wages she spent on food. I also married about that time, but sadly didn't keep any records. I do remember being able to have a lovely joint of meat from the butcher each week until we started saving for a house and then it was rubber (but free range in those days) chicken every week...........

Oh, that is SO interesting! I am actually somewhat surprised that it is something that my mum hasn't done!



But I remember for long enough (but I can't actually remember which point it started), Mum's grocery money - out of Dad's (cash) wages - was £40 per week. which sounds an awful lot of money, until you think that it had to feed 4, was for ALL food (again, we rarely if ever ate out of the home - the occasional picnic was about as exotic as it got......), and for stuff like washing powder - the money had to do the market/town shop as well as the (fledgeling) supermarket shop. But yes, it too included a joint of meat or a chicken (more likely a chicken, but bought from the market, after sitting out on a trestle table, uncovered.......with its legs tied together with butcher string - no elastic bands - and popped straight in your shopping bag, wrapped in off-white coloured butcher's paper!), dad did grow alot of vegetables, but cakes and puddings were normally made from raw ingredients - we rarely had shop bought stuff. Any 'extras' had to be from that budget - so holiday icecream pennies, that sort of thing.



If i costed out breakfasts, lunches and dinners/teas, I suppose my grocery budget isn't too bad. I was just reading something on the BBC site about how much folk spend on a 'night out'. OK, so it may only be once a month, but it was anything from a quarter to half my grocery budget. We no longer go out 'dancing' So we all just divert what money we have in different directions - different stages of life, where you live, differing income disparity or differenct priorites to factor in too.


I'm just gonna keep trying to keep to my budget though. Food is important, but we've only so much household income to divvy up.



This is what I value about MSE - intersting conversation! there is always much I can learn!


Edit to add: I think Cheery's point about the 'cost' of food years ago comes into play here too. I do think that food cost more historically, so again, whilst £40 per week sounds alot, what you could buy for that, whilst in some ways more 'simple' and far less exotic, cost 'more' in unit price. For instance, I'm convinced you can purchase a chicken in a supermarket today for less than mum was paying in the market 40, 35, 30 years ago....... they were 'farm reared' and not overly intesively, the quality was good, but I wish mum had kept the price tickets as it would be an interesting comparison exercise that would prove the point.




Greying X

UncannyScot

An interesting and thoughtful discussion there on costs vs budget.
I think it kind of evens out really... for example £40 around 40 years ago was possibly equivalent to nearer £150 today but bought similar quantity of produce?
I remember as a wee laddie going for the weekly shop with my Mum and Dad and them filling up the trolley for less than £20... (this was back in the 70's mind...)

teapot2

Greying_Pilgrim wrote: »

Oh, that is SO interesting! I am actually somewhat surprised that it is something that my mum hasn't done!



But I remember for long enough (but I can't actually remember which point it started), Mum's grocery money - out of Dad's (cash) wages - was £40 per week. which sounds an awful lot of money, until you think that it had to feed 4, was for ALL food (again, we rarely if ever ate out of the home - the occasional picnic was about as exotic as it got......), and for stuff like washing powder - the money had to do the market/town shop as well as the (fledgeling) supermarket shop. But yes, it too included a joint of meat or a chicken (more likely a chicken, but bought from the market, after sitting out on a trestle table, uncovered.......with its legs tied together with butcher string - no elastic bands - and popped straight in your shopping bag, wrapped in off-white coloured butcher's paper!), dad did grow alot of vegetables, but cakes and puddings were normally made from raw ingredients - we rarely had shop bought stuff. Any 'extras' had to be from that budget - so holiday icecream pennies, that sort of thing.



If i costed out breakfasts, lunches and dinners/teas, I suppose my grocery budget isn't too bad. I was just reading something on the BBC site about how much folk spend on a 'night out'. OK, so it may only be once a month, but it was anything from a quarter to half my grocery budget. We no longer go out 'dancing' So we all just divert what money we have in different directions - different stages of life, where you live, differing income disparity or differenct priorites to factor in too.


I'm just gonna keep trying to keep to my budget though. Food is important, but we've only so much household income to divvy up.



This is what I value about MSE - intersting conversation! there is always much I can learn!


Edit to add: I think Cheery's point about the 'cost' of food years ago comes into play here too. I do think that food cost more historically, so again, whilst £40 per week sounds alot, what you could buy for that, whilst in some ways more 'simple' and far less exotic, cost 'more' in unit price. For instance, I'm convinced you can purchase a chicken in a supermarket today for less than mum was paying in the market 40, 35, 30 years ago....... they were 'farm reared' and not overly intesively, the quality was good, but I wish mum had kept the price tickets as it would be an interesting comparison exercise that would prove the point.




Greying X

I think that whole chickens were much more expensive relatively when I was growing up and we used to have them only for a special meal. There wasn't much money around and we ate a lot of awful offal :eek:- tripe, potted heid :eek::eek: no wonder I became vegetarian. We knew what we'd be having for dinner or tea depending on what day of the week it was . Fruit and veg were very seasonal; the grocer would cut cheese as required and lots of dry goods were available in the quantity you chose to be scooped into a brown paper bag. My mum did a lot of baking as well and aubergines or kiwi fruits were unheard of :rotfl:

Greying_Pilgrim

teapot2 wrote: »

I think that whole chickens were much more expensive relatively when I was growing up and we used to have them only for a special meal. There wasn't much money around and we ate a lot of awful offal :eek:- tripe, potted heid :eek::eek: no wonder I became vegetarian. We knew what we'd be having for dinner or tea depending on what day of the week it was . Fruit and veg were very seasonal; the grocer would cut cheese as required and lots of dry goods were available in the quantity you chose to be scooped into a brown paper bag. My mum did a lot of baking as well and aubergines or kiwi fruits were unheard of :rotfl:

I hear you sister! :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:


I remember thinking that hazlet (sp?) was soooo exotic when we had it for Sunday tea


I also remember trying a kiwi fruit for the first time when L1ttlewoods foodhall started stocking them - late 70's? early 80's? Me and mum used to buy them as a treat - but I've since developed that reaction too them, and can't eat them now without feeling violently sick


And i'll wheel out the old chesnut of .... olive oil was only sold in little bottles in b00ts and it were for dandruff............... :rotfl::rotfl:


Times have changed so much. Not all better, not all worse, just very different in some ways, I suppose. Which sounds better than 'I'm becoming a walking museum piece.......' :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:



Greying X

teapot2

Greying_Pilgrim wrote: »

I hear you sister! :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:


I remember thinking that hazlet (sp?) was soooo exotic when we had it for Sunday tea


I also remember trying a kiwi fruit for the first time when L1ttlewoods foodhall started stocking them - late 70's? early 80's? Me and mum used to buy them as a treat - but I've since developed that reaction too them, and can't eat them now without feeling violently sick


And i'll wheel out the old chesnut of .... olive oil was only sold in little bottles in b00ts and it were for dandruff............... :rotfl::rotfl:


Times have changed so much. Not all better, not all worse, just very different in some ways, I suppose. Which sounds better than 'I'm becoming a walking museum piece.......' :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:



Greying X

LoL I forgot about the olive oil, my F-i-L used to rub it liberally into his hair, always had to put on double pillow cases when they came to stay And I seem to remember it was used to soften ear wax?? by placing cotton wool soaked in the olive oil in the ear - not a good look

I felt like a walking museum piece y'day. Was my birthday, great nephew asks how old I am now. Me; 'you are 4, well I am 60 years more than that..' GN;.... long silence then, 'wow - thats old!.......' :rotfl:

gemini12

Just to butt in on changing costs and prices. I got married 46years ago and my housekeeping money was £10.00 a week and we ate very well ( I could only cook certain things and have a fussy eater DH).