From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

Humdinger1

Two beautiful Christmas memories.  One aged 4, sliding down a small slide wearing a feather headdress over and over.   Even simpler was my grandfather getting 20 brown paper bags, blowing air into them all and then lining them up so I could run down the row, bursting them all in record time.  It may have set an unreasonable standard of excitement for ever after, but I'm so grateful for the memory.  Love Humdinger xx 

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

Waves 👋to Humdinger 😁

I was watching a couple of frugaler blogs, and as they happen to be based in the US, the content at the mo is slanted towards making/securing Thanksgiving catering on a miniscule budget.  It got me to thinking about how important it is (or perhaps not), to "do" what is expected - whether that is to provide "Turkey" as your main meat, in what form?  Whole Bird? Crown? minced? sausages? sliced deli meat?  or all the 'sides' pigs in blankets, roasties, sweet potato casserole (depending on your celebration and traditions....) all the desserts - Xmas pudding, pecan pie, pumpkin pie, xmas cake etc etc etc.  

Does participating have a deeper meaning than just "this celebration looks identical to everyone else".  I'm sort of posing the question (purely to myself), as I think I've moved quite far away from 'tradition' - certainly in terms of food - and I'm wondering whether it's a good thing LG rarely gets (HM) xmas pudding, white sauce, iced xmas cake.  I will buy a tray or 2 of mince pies, MrM used to do good in-store bakery ones, but last years were...... different....  But don't bother making them myself - I am rubbish at pastry making.  With meals now - everyday or 'celebration', the goal with me is to put something on the table that everyone will eat. that everyone likes, that is (perhaps) a treat, that fills a belly, and is no/minimal waste.  It works for us.  

Anyhoo.  It was only a thought as I saw people struggling to get a 'feast' on the table, for a miniscule budget. And the struggle is real - throw in no money, no supermarkets nearby, no transport etc etc etc  It could be anyone of us.   

Washing is on (workwear).  Snap is prepped.  

First xmas present bought for LG last night 😱 Only a 'stocking filler' type gift.   I thought they would have outgrown it by now, but they mentioned they would still like to have another one this year, so.....

Greying X

Watty1

(reflective now) the struggle is real outside of those times. It maybe focuses the mind on what is really important to each of us.  As a young child our Christmas meals were simple but equally during times of struggle we ate the same meal over and over (oxtail soup is my overriding child memory).
Anyway your thread made me thing and my favourite Christmas memory is the same decorations for the tree every year,  We had this old box and I can still remember the pink feather angels and the multi coloured glass balls.  They were old, some were my grandmothers. At vintage fairs I always look for the Christmas decorations to see if I can see anything I remember.  
i also remember making snowmen with my mum from toilet roll cylinders and cotton woo. 

It really is the simple stuff we remember isn't it.   And yet at school the whole thing centres around "how many gifts" and "how much"   

Greying_Pilgrim

Yes Watty - it is the 'simple', in most things in life.  That's why I really wish 'confidence' was a curriculum subject.  I don't mean arrogance, showy-offy, me-me-me-ism, I mean quiet confidence to 'do' (hopefully 'good', 'correct' 'legal' etc), and elicit joy from that 'doing'.  Run round on a footy field - not because you expect to play for [insert relevant desirable team], but for the sheer heck of racing around with team mates chasing the ball; have confidence to eat porridge for [insert relevant desirable occasion], because you like porridge, and it's something you enjoy eating.  Never mind that the TV add says you have to eat X, never mind that competition for the top football teams is intense, never mind that someone has just attended a party in a £1m dress......You do you, and know that it's enough.

I try to add a tree ornament to our collection each year Watty.  We didn't have a tree when we started out together.  Our first tree was bought - with cc vouchers, from MrT for LG's first xmas, and LG has been enamoured with it ever since.  In time, I'm hopeful that they can start decorating their tree with decs from 'our' tree.  I bought this years ornament when we went to an NT place at the end of summer - using our newspaper vouchers!  😁 If possible, I try to fit a tiny sticker on the ornament with where and when it was bought.  My dad's tree ornaments were sparse, but we had a set - probably of 9 (may have started out as 12.....) small 1 inch???? glass baubles - there was green, red and gold.  And then some 'crackers' that dad had make with crepe paper, with a tube of cotton wool formed to make the barrel, and they had a black cotton (probably button cotton, it was a bit thicker), 'straps' to hang them off the tree.  I distinctly remember an orange one and a purple one......

We get alot of our 'edu-tainment' from the internet these days. There is always benefit to show how a good meal can be put on a table for less, or by using ingredients sourced from the corner shop - because that is based on reality.  But I also just wonder if we could begin to learn that it's OK to not struggle to put a turkey on the table (especially if no one really likes it), and that shepherd's pie/lasagne/tomato soup/pizza or whatever, is perfectly good, and will be eaten.  I had hoped that LG would experience xmas dinner through school meals, as up until relatively recently, the catering system did actually do quite a fair roast dinner.  But they've never been interested enough to try - and I suspect that meat may now make them ill, as their system isn't adapted to processing it.  Although they have eaten mash, roasties, bread sauce (didn't like it ☹️), gravy (vacillates between like and not), sprouts (not a fan, but will eat - especially shredded) and mince pies (likey).

Only musing - not saying that there is not value in frugal videos (far from it), I just wondered if instead of trying to come in 'low', it was equally valid to show 'different'.  But because I've only ever know simple - and to a certain extent, subdued xmases - I was just pondering whether it was, in fact, very important to be doing as everyone else is doing.  Take no notice of me, I'm just pondering and seeing what applies/sticks to our own situation.

On MSE we're not all the same - far from it - but very often you find 'like-minded-ness', which is very re-assuring, particularly if it doesn't exist in your RL.

Thanks chums,

Greying X

greenbee

There will be a lot of people looking for advice on how to eat on no money in the US at the moment. The government shut down means that people aren't being paid, and the food stamp programme isn't being funded. Lots of news about the airports starting to reduce numbers of flights, less news about the fact that US troops overseas are being advised to use food banks. 

Greying_Pilgrim

Yeah - I know the 'why' greenbee - I was just pondering more about the human need (or not) to follow traditions, to fit in and do what others do.  There are arguments for and against, and I was just trying to see where my own thoughts 'fit in' - and whether I was being fair to LG (principally), by diverging more and more away from a 'modern' festive season.  My own background included modest, simple, a bit bahumbuggy, a bit "I can't believe the xmas stock is in stores on September 1st" type situation.  There's lots of that, which I wouldn't want to lumber LG with.  Neither can I bring myself to splash my face all over social media with a tower of presents, all gift-wrapped and put on the cc to demonstrate how I'm going to give LG the best chrimbo ever.

We're not a religious family, we don't have the hook of church to peg xmas on.  We're not a huge family, we don't have the 'gathering' hook to peg xmas on.  We've veggies, we don't have the 60lb turkey that won't fit in the oven to peg xmas on.......  I'm not deriding what I've seen on u tube (some of it has been inspirational and creative), I'm just trying to shuffle thoughts about how to shape our way of going on - in fat years, or in lean years.

Greying X

greenbee

Some of your ideas might be very useful for those US families facing the consequences of the shutdown. Let's hope the politicians stop playing games and get on with governing. 

Greying_Pilgrim

greenbee said:

Some of your ideas might be very useful for those US families facing the consequences of the shutdown. Let's hope the politicians stop playing games and get on with governing. 

I couldn't agree with you more. 

And actually one of the u tubers I was watching made - because she couldn't get tinned chicken in the shop she was using - patties/burgers from deli ham slices.  She said herself that it sort of worked (they fell apart though, and made warming through difficult), the patties were entirely edible, but if she did the exercise again, she would add the ham to one of her casserole dishes (as you know, US casseroles are usually different constructs to UK casseroles), and make that the 'main' part of the meal.  So there was tremendous value in what she was doing - if only because she could make "mis-steps" with ingredients that perhaps others couldn't afford too.  

Greying X

in_need_of_direction

One of the covid Christmases when dc couldn’t come home, we decided to forego the turkey as neither of us were the biggest fans.  Guess who ran to Iceland for a turkey joint on Christmas Eve? A lot of Christmas food is definitely programming

ladybird1106

GP you posed an interesting question. When the kids were younger we used to have a picnic (soup and a sandwich) Christmas Day after a nice walk somewhere. We did get some strange looks sat on a bench wearing Christmas crowns, the kids loved it. As they got older or the weather wasn’t great then we would have the full Christmas Day ( not turkey though). Last year we each had what we wanted the youngest had a pizza and the rest of us had picky bits. Both OH and I have been ill on Christmas Day and I think we had soup. Once when I was younger my mum and I had beans on toast with cheese because neither of us could be bothered to cook. We don’t bow to tradition we just do what is us. Although this year I’m having the in laws and tradition well it’ll happen a la ladybird🤣. 

Love 🐞