2023 Fashion on the Ration Challenge

thriftwizard

Aaargh aaargh aaargh aargh argh! Another 5 coupons gone! Clocking the weather forecast for next week, it looks like wearing granny boots all day might be a tad too warm (and thereby set my athlete's foot off) so a pair of lighter-weight Mary-Janes have been acquired to change into. Who knew that a "quiet, no fuss" wedding could cause so much expenditure?! But they'll be useful for other events anyway, I suppose - I'm short of "sensible" shoes TBH & I can't wear flip-flops to everything...

Nelliegrace

Have you tried crystal deodorant? @thriftwizard Holland and Barrett sell Salt of the Earth, plastic free, it is on offer sometimes. I have found that using it between toes and under boobs keeps itchy infections away. 

Laura_Elsewhere

Nelliegrace said:

Have you tried crystal deodorant? @thriftwizard Holland and Barrett sell Salt of the Earth, plastic free, it is on offer sometimes. I have found that using it between toes and under boobs keeps itchy infections away. 

I had an athlete's foot infection so long it actually could have gone to secondary school - no, seriously, I had twelve bloomin' years of it, with doctor after doctor telling me it was eczema when I knew perfectly well that eczema doesn't suddenly appear in early middle-age, only in one small area of the body, ie my left foot, and that the inflamed area had no eczema symptoms but was behaving exactly like textbook tinea pedis, aka athlete's foot... I discovered that it's a dreadful terrible idea to go back and ask to see a different GP at the same practice because they closed ranks summink 'orrible, and then I discovered that guinea-pigging for the Dermatology Dept as a volunteer had tons of uses as they were quite happy to take samples and send to a lab which confirmed tinea pedis, so the two Dermatology Consultants gave me the paperwork to take to my GP for anti-fungal meds, and then, incredibly, the GP refused to prescribe, argh... 

Anyway, what did work in the end was old-fashioned rosewater and glycerine - about 1 part glycerine to 2-3 parts rosewater, apply as often as you like but definitely nightly and then wash your hands - I eventually found that glycerine's humectant properties mean it actually out-competes the fungus for the available moisture in the area, and so the fungus dries up and dies off. They use glycerine to treat fungal diseases of some plants that can't have modern chemical-warfare anti-fungal treatments  

Anyway, I definitely recommend making a little bottle - glycerine cheapest from a chemist, and rosewater cheapest in the 'world foods' aisle at Sainsbury's - never buy rosewater from the baking aisle where it's half a million quid for a teaspoon  

PipneyJane

Nelliegrace said:

DD buys SNAG tights, so I have ordered for both of us to get 25% off warm tights for next Winter. 
I bought three pairs of their Special Edition, merino wool-mix tights for £38.23 instead of £50.97, and no delivery charge. 

2 points a pair, 6 points.
28 points used.

< cough > You haven’t used your special “stockings vouchers” have you, @Nelliegrace?  Spend those instead.  (One voucher will give you a multipack of nylon stockings/tights or a pair of thermal tights or leggings.)

- Pip

Nonnadiluca

I have my DGD"s wedding in the summer so will need something other than my usual dog walking clothes! Apart from underwear, socks and walking shoes I buy pretty much everything second hand but, just in case nothing suitable turns up, I had a look in Seasalt yesterday, inspired by @thriftwizard, and found a lovely dress that would do nicely. Pleased to have a plan B .
Apparently the Sewing Bee is going to be aired this month but I can't for the life of me find out what date. Looking forward to it as I love to see people making things I could never manage! Still miss Joe Lycett tho!

PipneyJane

Nonnadiluca said:

I have my DGD"s wedding in the summer so will need something other than my usual dog walking clothes! Apart from underwear, socks and walking shoes I buy pretty much everything second hand but, just in case nothing suitable turns up, I had a look in Seasalt yesterday, inspired by @thriftwizard, and found a lovely dress that would do nicely. Pleased to have a plan B .
Apparently the Sewing Bee is going to be aired this month but I can't for the life of me find out what date. Looking forward to it as I love to see people making things I could never manage! Still miss Joe Lycett tho!

Agreed @Nonnadiluca.  Sara Pascoe is perfectly fine, but he was a much better host.

- Pip

Laura_Elsewhere

I was relieved when Joe Lycett left - I just felt his frequent comments about quite graphic aspects of anal sex, butt plugs and so on, really didn't fit with the programme. 
I could easily imagine watching it with family, with the other hosts, no problem, and a great way to get younger people sewing, maybe learning from or with help from their older relatives - but with Lycett, I think the excruciatingly graphic comments would have just caused a lot of people not to bother watching again. 

I've seen him on other programmes and he's been great - his "Who do you think you are?" was really interesting, and he really came across as a lovely man and very very funny. 
But for some reason on Sewing Bee he decided to go far far beyond just camping it up, and made it quite unpleasant. 

PipneyJane

Laura_Elsewhere said:

I was relieved when Joe Lycett left - I just felt his frequent comments about quite graphic aspects of anal sex, butt plugs and so on, really didn't fit with the programme. 
…
But for some reason on Sewing Bee he decided to go far far beyond just camping it up, and made it quite unpleasant. 

I must admit that I had forgotten about that, @Laura_Elsewhere.  I got the distinct impression from watching Sarah that most words said by the host was scripted, because she frequently said things that sounded as if they could have come from Joe’s mouth, but all delivered in a strangely flat tone of voice.

Laura_Elsewhere said:

. 
I could easily imagine watching it with family, with the other hosts, no problem, and a great way to get younger people sewing, maybe learning from or with help from their older relatives 
.

Agreed.  

I didn’t watch it with earlier hosts, so don’t know what they were like.  

I do wonder if part of the reason for using a comedian as host is that there’s still quite a bit of inverse snobbery surrounding sewing in Britain, and the production company think that having a “name” as host will make the trendies watch it.  (God knows, beyond this village hall, the only people in Britain I know who sew are all foreigners like me.)

- Pip

Laura_Elsewhere

@PipneyJane afaik the first several series were Claudia Winkelman as host, not a comedian...

I've known lots of people who made their own clothes, all ages, all kinds, but all with one thing in common - every one of us doesn't fit bought clothes We all have proportions that made it a very good idea to learn to make our own early in life...

Nelliegrace

I used the skills I learned at school to make my daughter dresses and dungarees and keep her supplied in jumpers when she was little. The local indoor market had fabric and wool and button stalls. 

There is no mention of handbags on the ration. Perhaps the men in Government did not dare to interfere with this most precious item, though prices and tax would have made women look after them well and have them repaired. Granny made a hand stitched leather purse in one of the many useful craft groups of the time. 

I have checked TKMaxx for a replacement leather crossover handbag for over a year now and found just the right one yesterday. It is from the same Yorkshire company as mine, which is about ten years old and with a good polish it will last a bit longer. I won’t need to pay more to replace it in a hurry if it fails. 
The price on their website was £45 and I paid £29.99. I like a fairly small bag with handy pockets inside for mini hand gel, clean mask, angina spray, a day’s medicine and prescription sheet, aspirin, notebook, pen, pencil, mini sewing kit, tissues, Swiss Army knife, mini torch, whistle, glasses screwdriver, etc. Someone tried to take my purse with a bit of distraction from his partner. I found the bag zip open, but everything was still wedged in tight. I have little tinkling bells on the zip now.