The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

Si_Clist

pollyanna_26 said:

 ... Our bedrooms had fireplaces and we had a fire in them in Winter ...

Blimey!  Luxury or what?  I grew up in a 1912 three bedroom terraced house which had two fireplaces.. The one in the living room was the only form of heating for the whole house, but on Christmas Day the one in the "parlour" was ceremonially lit.  That was instead of, though - not as well as!

We too had a butler's sink, and I well remember being bathed in it.  I only grabbed hold of the hot tap the once ...

Best of all though was the bathroom.  Instead of being in the roof, the water tank was high on the bathroom wall, directly above the taps.  This was fine, until the evening upon which I was sitting happily in the bath playing with my toy submarine when the tank decided to overflow.  The overflow pipe directed the sudden outpouring of cold water straight on top of little old me, I jumped out the bath PDQ - and then I got a rollocking for yelling and wittering about it ...

I guess kids nowadays miss out on fun like that

pollyanna_26

Si_Clist said:

pollyanna_26 said:

 ... Our bedrooms had fireplaces and we had a fire in them in Winter ...

Blimey!  Luxury or what?  I grew up in a 1912 three bedroom terraced house which had two fireplaces.. The one in the living room was the only form of heating for the whole house, but on Christmas Day the one in the "parlour" was ceremonially lit.  That was instead of, though - not as well as!

We too had a butler's sink, and I well remember being bathed in it.  I only grabbed hold of the hot tap the once ...

Best of all though was the bathroom.  Instead of being in the roof, the water tank was high on the bathroom wall, directly above the taps.  This was fine, until the evening upon which I was sitting happily in the bath playing with my toy submarine when the tank decided to overflow.  The overflow pipe directed the sudden outpouring of cold water straight on top of little old me, I jumped out the bath PDQ - and then I got a rollocking for yelling and wittering about it ...

I guess kids nowadays miss out on fun like that

It was a large Victorian terrace house. I must have been 3 or 4 when we moved there after living in a bright post war prefab. I never found out if it was landlord or council ownrd but a rent collecter called each Friday.

Like yours the parlour fire was rarely lit  except on Christmas and New Years day  and if one of us was ill with measles or some other illness mum would light the parlour fire and make us a bed on the sofa so she could keep an eye on us while doing the housework.

It was the only house in the road with a bathroom. Was a large 4 bed but one bedroom had been converted in to a bathroom with a green bath and wash basin first time I'd seen a colouerd bathroom. Oddly there wasn't an indoor loo but an outside one at the bottom of the back yard. Scary in the dark so mum used stand outside talking to us.

There were many things I loved but I'd been used to gardens and my dad and grandads allotments and missed them.

We moved when I was eleven and about to go to Grammar school after passing the 11+ A bright, large fairly new house we got the big gardens and mum got longer washing lines. I lived there until I married . Lived near after a year . It was the mid seventies when I bought this house over 20 miles away but I keep my memories and moving here was a good choice.

Each of the 3 bedrooms had a fireplace in the Victorian house fires in winter or if we were ill.

The day I went to live there there was a street party. I later discovered it was the Queens coranation day so a long time ago.

pollyx

ETA. I forgot to mention the house we moved to when I was 11 had a seperate loo next to the bathroom. That was a real blessing. I had two younger sisters and in the old house thet would bang on the door saying their hands were dirty and they needed to wash them. There were other taps downstairs but they tried it every time.

The seperate loo had a small corner basin so that put a stop to the door banging. and I could have a bath or wash my hair in peace.

No more outside loo and watching a big spider looking at me after we moved and mum could sit down rather than be outside in the dark.

pollyanna_26

-taff said:

pollyanna_26 said:

 There is a decluttering thread and similar things on the Forum and I ask myself how on earth people got so overloaded with stuff they're physically and mentally struggling to deal with it.

Well, in my case, I learned from parents to keep things just in case, which is the reason I had so much stuff. It was also the reason that they had so much stuff that we [my sister and I] had to pay people to take it away. They were born during the war and were taught how to mke the most of everything even if that meant collecting things just in case. Thats' how on earth I was physically and mentally struggling with it.

I've just read your reply again taff and hope my post didn't upset you. I was pondering various things and wondering about the change in my life from people not having a lot to having stuff they never used.

Some of the neighbours I mentioned re the house repossessions just bought and spent as though there was no tomorrow.

I'm also aware it can be a comfort thing for lonlieness and poor physical and or mental health.

My youngest dd with many physical illnesses and overwhelming anxiety, nerve deafness , agoraphobia and many things  struggled to fit in and understand the right things to do as a teen. She thought clothes , make up etc would change her life but they didn't and lay unused. It took very good intensive counselling over a number of years to finally give her the lightbulb moment. She'd prefer to be in good health.

She has managed through the last two years to find the person she was meant to be  and has grown in confidence and is her own person not a copy of someone else.

She's still in pain and short of sleep but she developed her interests beyond Terry Pratchett and Rebus plus other books.

She's started again the hobbies from long ago Knitting and Crafting and other things while supporting others online.

There was a bit of a panic last year when she had potted up lots of babies from her big spider plant.

I got an email " I've killed ther babies" Bit of a chat she'd forgotten to water them while everything was flaring , she had each one in a tiny pot of water and the roots were tangled and turning brown.

I replied Roota Wilko cheap and effective order it online , The babies are grown up now and there are many of them. She started with other plants and for Christmas her boyfriend bought her a surprise coloured light set to help all the plants thrive indoors,

IF I remember I'll bring home the Spider plants she set aside for me. We always had big hanging ones here . They're good for health so time to hang some up again here.

pollyx

ETA  Re the decluttering thread I've looked at it a number of times and MrsSD has just the right balance there , kindness and understanding but also motivational and some humour along the way. I don't know where she gets the energy from but it's a very valuable part of the forum.

maryb

it’s often hard to get the balance right re holding on to stuff.  If you are a prepper, minimalism probably isn’t for you.  On the other hand, having too much and having to have the space to house it can be a burden.  Sometimes downsizing to maintain financial resilience is a very important way of prepping for an uncertain future 

pollyanna_26

maryb said:

it’s often hard to get the balance right re holding on to stuff.  If you are a prepper, minimalism probably isn’t for you.  On the other hand, having too much and having to have the space to house it can be a burden.  Sometimes downsizing to maintain financial resilience is a very important way of prepping for an uncertain future 

I

I'm a prepper  so do allow for shortages , bad weather etc so do stock up and have the large freezer in the garage and fridge freezer in the kitchen and cupboard stores. I bought two cheap thermometers a while back and check both fridge and freezer reguarly. It was the first thing I did after Storm Arwen which gave us a battering here.

I don't overbuy and keep a check on dates.

I do stock up on other things needs not wants toiletries etc.

Downsizing is a good point but I'm mortage free , have never been in debt. If I use the credit card I pay it off when the bill is due. I'm quite frugal really it's the way I was brought up. Lucky to have a real old style upbringing which served me well in tougher times.

I don't drink alcohol or smoke. I do like good quality clothes and footwear but don't spend stupid money some of my best clothing was from sales I spotted in town and got big reductions on boots, coats etc. Years old but still in perfect condition many years on. I take care of clothes footwear and everything in my home.

One hero in the last couple of years has been my milkman in his vintage milk float. I've always had milk in glass bottles on the doorstep since childhood.

I often hear people say they went to the corner shop for milk and came back with all sorts they never intended to buy.

I miss my chats with my milkman when he called to collect the money. Dairy put us all on direct debit for our safety the milkmen and others.

One day he'll be back and we'll catch up on our families and put the world to rights and things will feel normal.

BBC NW news are showing Snowdrops in Chester. I'm doing well with virtual walks and now I'm looking at the ones in Chester . Really beautiful. Harbingers of Spring.

pollyx

daz378

Yes i got off the consumerist lifestyle 10 years ago...just  as i paid a big loan off   cost me 350 a month   for the previous 5 years...vowed not to get in debt again   only buy what i need now and trying to save up so i can retire in 5 years....every shop  i do now  i buy a couple of extra prep items

pollyanna_26

daz378 said:

Yes i got off the consumerist lifestyle 10 years ago...just  as i paid a big loan off   cost me 350 a month   for the previous 5 years...vowed not to get in debt again   only buy what i need now and trying to save up so i can retire in 5 years....every shop  i do now  i buy a couple of extra prep items

I hope you get your wish to retire in 5 years daz. Peace of mind is priceless , you can't buy that.

Take care.

pollyx

MingVase

Whew just caught up. I'm a minimalist and a prepper, and it's easy - just have to be organised and focused. Currently in a teeny wee house so the main prob is having to keep stuff all in it's place and tidy. You have to be tidy to live in a small space.

pollyanna_26

MingVase said:

Whew just caught up. I'm a minimalist and a prepper, and it's easy - just have to be organised and focused. Currently in a teeny wee house so the main prob is having to keep stuff all in it's place and tidy. You have to be tidy to live in a small space.

The wanderer returns. Lovely to see you back Mar it isn't the same without you.

Don't look at the Fence I may have been talking about you! Patios were mentioned.

pollyx

MingVase

Patios.

Sigh.