2023 Fashion on the Ration Challenge

2Scratters

In response to @Gem-gem wearing passed peoples clothes there is no doubt we have all done it or still do. My thought is to always appreciate what has been given/got/donated. My thought process of using any item is to be grateful, it is being used for the purpose of the original purchaser had it for.  The item has cost me little to nothing and allows me to be more frugal with spends and assist me with making my money go further by savings heading into retirement. I will definitely be on the poor side when that happens in the not too distant future.

2 Scratters xx

PollyWollyDoodle

My dad was in a care home for about three weeks before he died, in a shared room. He was in bed and pretty much asleep all the time by then.  I was on my way to visit him when I heard that he'd died, so my brother and I decided to clear his possessions there and then. There wasn't much, as he hadn't been there long, so we bagged up his clothes and gave the toiletries to the home for other residents.

Our route out took us past one of the lounges with windows on to the corridor. As we passed I saw his room mate in there, wearing what was unmistakably my dad's cardigan. Luckily I found this highly amusing, and it still makes me smile! 

Baileys_Babe

Yes, @Gem-gem I do wear clothes that were worn by deceased family members. Including some very practical fleece gilets and some tops my Grandma knitted and wore. When I pick up one of these items I take a moment to remember them.

thriftwizard

I wore my deceased M-I-L's lovely big woolly cardi/jacket in black & white houndstooth check with big gold buttons for many years, until it fell apart. It was just a really useful garment, always smart, & made OH smile. And I made my step-father's favourite "gardening" shirt into a knitting bag for my Mum after he passed away, which he'd have been very happy about - she was never allowed to throw it out, frayed cuffs & collar notwithstanding! Now DD2 uses it. I'd be delighted if anyone wanted any of my somewhat eclectic clothing once I'd gone, even just to turn into patchwork!

4 pairs of knicks duly constructed from my offcuts, and I'm cheering an excellent find at the recycling warehouse this morning. I took DD2 down to find more jumpers to frog & knit into socks - her second-favourite occupation just now, after turning our bedding into pretty little sun-dresses & pyjamas - and picked up an almost brand-new pair of hiking boots. They're not a "good" name (Jana-tex) but they are extremely comfortable, with that extra width over the toes that I need, good grip on the soles & the proper seam & tongue welts to keep the mud out. It's not as if I'm doing long hikes, just a few miles down at the riverbank or over the coastal hills, so comfort is my watchword - £2 well spent! And I've just ordered some smart-looking vintage granny-boots from an Etsy seller; they're a make (Reiker) that generally does fit me well, and I do have an Occasion to look smart-ish-but-relaxed coming up which they'd be perfect for; I'll just have to sell them on if they don't fit! I found a smashing velour peplum jacket and a fabulous skirt in the charity shops in the posher end of the conurbation last week, when out with DD2, which are also perfect for said occasion, depending on the weather at the time - late April, further north.

Elisheba

Hi all,
I'm not sure if I signed up for this yet for this year, but I want to do it again.

I have 15 coupons left over from last year, so 81 in total for this year.

So far I have bought:
4 pairs of leggings which will come out of my special vouchers and don't need coupons. 
1 jumper x 5 coupons
1 shirt x 5 coupons
1 t-shirt - I suppose this is 5 as well, although that seems a lot for one thin t-shirt.

So back to 66 coupons left for the year 

CapricornLass

If your father's care home was like the home my parents are in, PollyWollyDoodle, I think the carers just reach into a cupboard or drawer and pull out the first thing to hand.  I've lost count of the times I've found my dad in my mum's trousers! 

Gem-gem

2Scratters said:

In response to @Gem-gem wearing passed peoples clothes there is no doubt we have all done it or still do. My thought is to always appreciate what has been given/got/donated. My thought process of using any item is to be grateful, it is being used for the purpose of the original purchaser had it for.  The item has cost me little to nothing and allows me to be more frugal with spends and assist me with making my money go further by savings heading into retirement. I will definitely be on the poor side when that happens in the not too distant future.

2 Scratters xx

What you have written resonates with me. My sister wouldn't wear second hand. In fact it would make her vomit. My brother won't but as said previously he can see the sensibleness of it all. Me, I have used / received and worn /bought secondhand things for years. Like you it has enabled me to save and I will also soon be heading into retirement. Also, like you 2 Scratters I won't be wealthy by any means but enough to get by. I am in my early fifties and it is a lifestyle choice that I am making/ have made. 

Gem-gem

Thank you everyone for your stories about the clothes that you wear from deceased people. It is comforting to know that I am not alone in these thought. 

DH and I have also come home with two rucksacks, a weekend going away bag, some special hand wash and body lotion for people with very sensitive skin (the three containers have saved my DH about £20); three new tooth brushes and a brand new hair brush and comb. 

Update on the coupon front. No new clothes bought so 66 coupons still intact. (Mind you one of my favourite shops had 15% off over the weekend - probably just as well I was busy). 

Laura_Elsewhere

@Gem-gem, I wear things beloinging to various now-dead relatives, but had never even thought of it like that til now!  

Most of them were given to me during the person's lifetime, so it's not that I started wearing "dead people's clothes, oo-er, spooky music" but that I just carried on wearing the things, with a sad smile and a few tears at times, but often with a cheerful grin and happy memories... I like it - like others have said, it's a way of still having the person in your everyday life, which is nice. 

Gem-gem

Laura_Elsewhere said:

@Gem-gem, I wear things beloinging to various now-dead relatives, but had never even thought of it like that til now!  

Most of them were given to me during the person's lifetime, so it's not that I started wearing "dead people's clothes, oo-er, spooky music" but that I just carried on wearing the things, with a sad smile and a few tears at times, but often with a cheerful grin and happy memories... I like it - like others have said, it's a way of still having the person in your everyday life, which is nice. 

My DH is going to wear my step fathers black shoes to the funeral. He said his is going to do it in his memory. I'm going to wear his socks. 

I like the idea that when you wear someone's jumper it is like they are giving you a hug. 😀

it is like when you crochet / knit something for someone, you think of them as you make it. ♥️