2023 Fashion on the Ration Challenge

Gem-gem

Also, just popping into the hall to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! 

To anyone unwell, I hope you make a quick and full recovery and get to spend some time with your loved ones. 

I'm also in for 2024, please - like others, this challenge has helped keep me focused and think about the clothes that I purchase. 

basketcase

Just popping my head round the Hall door to leave a note saying MERRY CHRISTMAS to anyone who's come here needing a quiet spot. 

Also have some mince pies I was given.  A very kind thought but, even if I were a fan of mincemeat, I'm wheat intolerant and can't eat them.  So have guilt free treat on me!

Laura_Elsewhere

Oooh, thanks, @basketcase, very nice of you! Would you like one of these banana-oat-bites that I make to take along for my vegan or GF swimming-companions? Just bananas, oats, maple syrup, chopped dried apricots and sultanas, mashed up together, pressed into a tray and baked for umm er about that long   

Auti

I can add chocolate biscuits to your mince pies @basketcase - gf here too - you are welcome to a couple of my choccy fingers (Schlar) which I keep hidden away as they are very moorish  

Laura_Elsewhere

We have quite a feast! 

I was given some gorgeous sock-wool for Xmas, so I am trying out ideas using wool I already had which I really should have used ages ago...! I really do need to use up or get rid of some of my supplies...

thriftwizard

Wishing you all the merriest of festive seasons! And {{{{hugs}}} to all who need them too. Slumping into a chair in the village hall after feeding 8 (including my 97 y.o. mother) for Christmas lunch, with another 3 "popping in" for the afternoon, I'm delighted to report that I don't need to part with any coupons for a pair of barefoot trainer-style shoes; I've been given some for Christmas! Very comfy they are too. And please count me in again for next year; I still own far too many clothes, often not at all relevant to what I actually need (unless someone wants to throw lots of parties) so it'll do me a lot of good to think carefully before I buy anything, and to deploy my sewing machine (ok, machines) & alter, re-design, re-make and generally not buy stuff!

Cherryfudge

Oh, those goodies look nice! Thank you so much everyone.

@Laura_Elsewhere, it's a good job I've run out of bananas as those banana-oat thingies wouldn't last round here and I have all the other ingredients.

Christmas so far has included three pairs of socks, the books 'The Diaries of Nella Last' (which I heard about here), a Sewing Bee book, another called 'Patterns from finished clothes' and 'Ursula's Cook Book' (1946): the author, Ursula Bloom, was a prolific and lively writer, but I love that a previous owner has left some newspaper cuttings of recipes in the front, measured in ounces and quarts.

Baileys_Babe

@Laura_Elsewhere please could you share quantities and a temperature to bake at for your banana-oat bites?

They sound delicious and will make a change from my usual bakes.

Laura_Elsewhere

Baileys_Babe said:

@Laura_Elsewhere please could you share quantities and a temperature to bake at for your banana-oat bites?

They sound delicious and will make a change from my usual bakes.

Oooh.... well, it depends on the bananas
But the bananas' weight, peeled, is the basic unit. It works best with over-ripe bananas you forgot about; if you use normal bananas you may need to blitz them with a hand-blender. I just forget my bananas and use a fork to mash them up

Anyway, weight of bananas, let's call two of them 200g. 
Weigh out the same weight of porridge oats and set those aside for now. 
Into the bananas, add 10% by weight of maple syrup, ie 20g in this case. 
Add a quarter-weight, ie 50g, of sultanas or raisins, and another quarter-weight of chopped dried apricots or cranberries or glace cherries (chopped) or whatever you like, dates, chopped apple, anything really... 
Mix it all round with the banana, and then add the oats and mix and stir and knead if you find it easier, just make it into a wodge of stuff    
I use a square 9"/20cm pan and it makes a decent thickness, but really it's most forgiving and you can use anything you want, to any depth you want. I try to push raisins back down under the surface as those scorch if on the surface, I find. 
I tend to put it in at 200ºC which is what the original recipe that this is a far-deviated version of said to use, but I think it's a bit too hot, so I preheat to 200, but then when I put it in I drop it to about 180, and sometimes put a sheet of greaseproof paper over the pan to stop it scorching... it's just all a bit hit and miss, really. In theory, 20 minutes at 200ºC but I reckons half an hour at 170-180 works better (fan oven). The edges can stick to the pan- I just live with that as I make this for vegan friends, and I don't use margarine at all so only have non-vegan fats but you could grease the pan with a bit of margarine if you have it or butter if vegans are not involved    
It can make a lovely boingy texture, which I love, but with crispy crunchy edge bits. I just cut it into squares and keep it in a tin, not refrigerated. It lasts a week, ime. 

I find it really useful for mid-afternoon snack, as it is really slow-burn fuel, so no sugar-slump like most sweet snacks would give. 

retiredinfrance

Hello chums . Some months ago I said I would like to join you all in the village hall to chat about how we’re all making-do and managing our coupons. 

Here goes - and I don’t know if my sums are correct , so please check for me. Thanks.
in the order they were bought First lot were bought during visit to DS in England and were more or less considered before I went - in true 1942 manner. 

1 bra@1.5
5 prs pants@4- 20 coupons
5 short trainer socks @1-5 coupons 
1 pyjamas @8
1 trousers @6
1Tshirt @4
1 shoes @5
The last three were unplanned , the trousers were good quality and half price in the sale so war warranted. The T shirt was pretty as were the shoes , and again , in wartime anything nice that suited  would have been snapped up . In July I thought I had lots of coupons left. 

Then I visited DD in September . Actual needs dictated my purchases.
1trousers warm corduroy and quality @ 6
1pr brogues for winter @5
2prtrainer socks@2-these and all underwear are much cheaper in the UK than in France. 

So
total 62.5 /66 Am I correct? I thought I would be way over. 

I can see that I’m behaving as my mother would have done in wartime, considering the needs rather than wants . The underwear is a thing that wears out fast and pants are an expensive item. I can also see that with the September shoes and trousers I am moving up the quality ladder and have noticed already how warm the cord trousers are. 

Of course I’m buying second hand as well as we have two very good charity shops within reasonable distance. Of course with no
petrol……..