2021 Fashion On The Ration Challenge

Cherryfudge

Laura_Elsewhere said:

@Cherryfudge - in fact, thinking further... have a look at your stash and just think how much of it you would actually buy now? If you were on your way out to lunch with me, and we'd both saved up enough to have all three courses somewhere really nice, but for whatever reasons were without any other money at that moment - and you passed a market stall on the way, what in your stash would make you think, "soddit, I'll lose the starter in order to spend the money on this!" and what would make you think, "ah, who needs dessert, anyway? I could buy this instead!"? 
And how much of it would you think, "hmmm, well, no, probably not worth getting it..."

A really interesting question and one which I've been turning over in my mind quite a bit now you've posed it!

Simply put, if I saw some of my stash for the first time, there are quite a few items I wouldn't buy, but probably a few that I'd be willing to say 'I'll just have a coffee'. However that's because I had a bit of a 'moment' once when my underactive thyroid was still undiagnosed and every meal out meant a pound gained that would take a month to lose. I had to steel myself to avoid dessert but once I'd uttered the magic words 'I'll just have a coffee' while others were debating the relative merits of cheesecake and Death by Chocolate, the spell was broken. I survived it! So while the call of the pud is strong, the wool might call louder.

My latest thing (I have a fascination with nutrition) is that there is a link between amounts normally consumed and longevity. I'm trying to be more aware of when I'm 80% full... and the call of a good stash might help me in that direction! However, point a) remains... there are items I'd leave on the stall. So perhaps I am slowly learning to be realistic.

I still want that ball of yarn I saw yesterday... not sure I could actually use it... what could I make with 100g of flecked grey DK, anyone?

PollyWollyDoodle

How did I miss those boots!  I had to go back and find the link, they are fabulous @maddiemay. I’ve got a couple of pairs of biker type boots, so comfy and I get lots of wear out of them; I love DMs but like you I found them too heavy. 

@Cherryfudge you have just given me two new phrases for my vocabulary!  ‘Good fabric in the wrong form’ - that sums up quite a lot of my stash. And ‘Wonderful If’, sadly that would also cover quite a few of the items. I’m going to look at my stash in a new light, I really need to reduce it because I’m thinking of moving later this year and the thought of having to pack it all is slightly sickening. 

dolly84

maddiemay/Polly - I love docs, I have a pair of the 1460 boots in black and a pair in crazy horse, I also have a pair of Lette chelsea boots which they don't make anymore, the are really soft, grained leather and a very cute rounded style and I have a pair of black shoes too.

VickyV

Good grief, it’s been very busy here, what an industrious little hamlet! Anyone mind if I nab a flapjack? 

I’m so envious of all your crafting skills! You make me want to attempt knitting (or more accurately, painstakingly yet haphazardly knotting a single row of yarn onto a stick before somehow finding that I have done it all wrong and can’t figure out why or where the hell the last 2 hours went!) again. I can’t sew much more than a button but would dearly love to be able to use a sewing machine without risk to life and limb! Maybe when I grow up, I’ll have the patience to master something! 😳

Anyway. I’ve been having pain, itching and swelling around my very-close veins so needed to spend 4 coupons on a couple of pairs of support tights. I’m hoping they last but my track record with hosiery is dubious - being a jeans and jumper kind of girl! 

Vicky x

Liverpool_Anne

Cherryfudge, I have a spray pump thing to water my plants on a very high window sill in the conservatory. It has some small bore clear plastic tubing so maybe you could use something like that for the handles on your bag. You could probably get some at bandq or other hardware shop if you have one near you.

Baileys_Babe

VickyV said:

Good grief, it’s been very busy here, what an industrious little hamlet! Anyone mind if I nab a flapjack? 

I’m so envious of all your crafting skills! You make me want to attempt knitting (or more accurately, painstakingly yet haphazardly knotting a single row of yarn onto a stick before somehow finding that I have done it all wrong and can’t figure out why or where the hell the last 2 hours went!) again. I can’t sew much more than a button but would dearly love to be able to use a sewing machine without risk to life and limb! Maybe when I grow up, I’ll have the patience to master something! 😳

Anyway. I’ve been having pain, itching and swelling around my very-close veins so needed to spend 4 coupons on a couple of pairs of support tights. I’m hoping they last but my track record with hosiery is dubious - being a jeans and jumper kind of girl! 

Vicky x

You can come and join me @VickyV in supporters corner. I will be looking up to you as you have mastered buttons. A couple of weeks ago @Laura_Elsewhere wrote me some very detailed instructions, which I have read through a couple of times but I haven't found the time to practice.

dolly84

I think I may need to revisit my rather rash decision to count the coupon value of secondhand clothing as I have bought two things which are currently winging their way to me - they are secondhand.  Years ago I had a lovely pure wool grey skirt from M&S, it was when they were still St Michael and I wore it to my first day at a new job in December 1997 and it wasn't new then, it was grey, maxi length, cut on the bias and fully lined.  I don't know when or why I let it go as I did wear it a lot, I imagine it was when I had my first child and probably couldn't get into it anymore but I have thought about it often over the years and have been looking for one for ages, I found one this weekend for the grand total of £10 + P&P, I have had to size up quite a bit due to the sizing changes in the last 20 years or so.

Cherryfudge

Liverpool_Anne said:

Cherryfudge, I have a spray pump thing to water my plants on a very high window sill in the conservatory. It has some small bore clear plastic tubing so maybe you could use something like that for the handles on your bag. You could probably get some at bandq or other hardware shop if you have one near you.

thank you, @Liverpool_Anne, something along those lines would be ideal. I've just had a look and it's not too costly on the internet, but as you say, I may be able to get it locally. The string bag is rapidly getting longer (it's a loose net so it grows gratifyingly fast) and at this rate it will be ready for handles in a few days.

thriftwizard

A thing I sometimes use for handles on my woven-rag bags is packing tape - that woven-plastic stuff they put round big cardboard boxes - wrapped in fabric. You just cut two pieces to length (if you need two handles) thread them through, then melt the ends together (a gas hob is handy!) & wrap them as required. It's tough stuff & will take a lot of weight. 

PipneyJane

thriftwizard said:

A thing I sometimes use for handles on my woven-rag bags is packing tape - that woven-plastic stuff they put round big cardboard boxes - wrapped in fabric. You just cut two pieces to length (if you need two handles) thread them through, then melt the ends together (a gas hob is handy!) & wrap them as required. It's tough stuff & will take a lot of weight. 

That's really clever!

This morning, I got distracted and tried to work out how much the Meat Ration would be worth in modern money.  I couldn't find the value of a 1942 shilling anywhere.  According to the Bank of England, £1 at the end of 1941 has the equivalent spending power of £51.63 today.  The meat ration was 1s2d per week, so that works out as £3.01 in today's money.  Since I only shop for meat every couple of months, I reckon I could stick to that.  In fact, I probably already am.  It'd work out between £15 and £20 per person per month, while DH and I set aside £40/month for the "Meat Fund".  (I detailed what we last bought at the Butchers' in this post in February's Grocery Challenge.)

- Pip