2022 Frugal Living Challenge

ladyholly

The 3 day week power cuts only lasted for the first three months of 1974.

Primrose

I do remember the panic buying episodes which occurred during the 3 day week too.  

In our neck the woods it was sugar!  You couldn,t buy a bag of it anywhere for love nor money.  Whether it was for all those comforting cups of tea people were drinking I don't know, but January & February have always been the traditional home made Seville amarmalade making minths somperhaps some of it was for thwt.  These days I guess ever people bother to make their own. .

For  us it was when we revised iur Haybox cooking skills.and yes, I do believe there was a threat of petrol rationing too.  I vaguely remember coupons may even have been printed but were never used.

newlywed

I remember power cuts as a child but can’t have been the 1974 ones as I wouldn’t have known those. Might have been 1979 unless there were more during the 80s.

we got out the candles and monopoly board.

MazzieD

I won't bore you all with lots of detail about why I work at home but I go to Head Office every 4-6 weeks for 2-3 days - more frequently if needed so have a desk there.  

And the rain finally arrived this morning at 7.30am, no drizzle or thunderstorms just steady rain on and off but such a joy to see it.  

dreaming

Primrose said:

I do remember the panic buying episodes which occurred during the 3 day week too.  

In our neck the woods it was sugar!  You couldn,t buy a bag of it anywhere for love nor money.  Whether it was for all those comforting cups of tea people were drinking I don't know, but January & February have always been the traditional home made Seville amarmalade making minths somperhaps some of it was for thwt.  These days I guess ever people bother to make their own. .

For  us it was when we revised iur Haybox cooking skills.and yes, I do believe there was a threat of petrol rationing too.  I vaguely remember coupons may even have been printed but were never used.

I worked for an electrical wholesaler during the 3 day week but we still worked 5 days a week. It was quite eerie going round the metal racks looking for sockets, switches etc. using a torch. As for the sugar panic buying - we moved into our house in 1976 when we got married and an elderly neighbour moved out shortly afterwards to a nursing home. When her children came to empty the house they found bags and bags of sugar in her cellar but it was absolutely rock hard like bricks as the cellars tendedt to be a bit damp. Apparently she used to go round all the shops in the area buying what she could (I think it was rationed to 2 bags per customer) and got her husband to do the same separately, but also asked her relatives and neighbours to pick her a bag up if they were going shopping too. My (then) husband lost his job a year or so later when we had just had our first baby so I utilised the cellar for storage of tinned foods etc. if I saw any bargains (the big pram had a basket underneath that was great for carrying things home). Ex-H used to call it my "nuclear bunker". I still do keep quite a stock of tins and dried goods in the cupboards, especially in winter as I am a bit dodgy in icy weather, but not quite on the scale as before as I live alone now. It was useful during the lockdowns - my son (who was shielding with his disabled partner) used to ask if I had a spare few tins in the "apocalypse  cupboard" when online shopping slots were hard to come by.

annieb64

In 1970 when I was working in Manchester somebody came into the office to say that MacFisheries on Deansgate had sugar. We were allowed to leave work and all trooped along to the shop.There was a pallet in the middle of the shop and they were rationing it to one bag per customer.  I was so pleased. Most of the local shops where we lived were reserving sugar for "regular" customers. 

I still try to keep a good store cupboard.  We lived in the Peak District for over 30 years and were nearly always snowed in for a couple of days every winter.

annieb64

Sorry should have said 1979 not 1970!.

London_1

zafiro1984 said:

cw18 said:

Floss said:

Those of us around my age (late 50s) can likely remember 3-day weeks of the early 1970s and power cuts in the late 70s.

I'm 56, and have absolutely NO recollection of either.

I'm in my mid 70's and was working at that time, juggling work and children. I didn't find it too stressful but I was in my 30's and could probably cope better then, than I would now. I know petrol rationing was on the cards as well although I don't think it was implemented. I know, because DH had exemption vouchers due to his nature of work.

Edward Heath was PM, he lived nearby and would often be found in the pub/restaurant which the locals used. He was smaller and rounder in real life than his pictures show, always had a smile on his face. Never talked politics, he was all about sailing. Despite peoples view on politics he was always inclusive to all ages, kind and considerate. He was what you would call an old fashioned English Gentleman. I think politicians are a bit different now!!!

I lived in Bexley at the time, and he was our local MP for awhile, seemed a nice enough bloke and would sometimes turn up unannounced at weddings of local people . I remember the power cuts, and three day week vividly.Using my childrens wooden toybox lined with a duvet and pillows to make a hay box to finish off cooking a stew, or at times scooting down the road to my friends house with a half cooked dinner as I was all electric and she had a gas cooker. White's candles became as valuble as gold  not nice smelly ones just ordinary white ones.
Every time you went to buy something it was often out of stock, and the favourite excuse was "Don't you know there's a world shortage :? Be it potatoes, or sugar, and the threat of petrol rationing as well The 1970s was a decade I was glad to see the back of. Hopfully we don't have those sorts of things happening again Back then I had an open fire in the sitting room and no central heating as it was an old bay fronted victorian semi with sash windows that rattled in the wind ,boy was it cold at times 
JackieO xx

boxer234

I went blackberry picking today something I’ve not done for years.  The drought has definitely caused an issue with the amount grown. 

 I’ve managed to get in quite a few prolific surveys.  The down side is use of petrol this week.  I’ve had a few engagements I’ve had to drive to.  

Floss

annieb64 said:

I still try to keep a good store cupboard.  We lived in the Peak District for over 30 years and were nearly always snowed in for a couple of days every winter.

We lived in Saddleworth halfway up a hill so had snow every winter too.