2024 Fashion On The Ration Challenge

PollyWollyDoodle

Thanks to inspiration from someone on here - sorry, I can’t remember who it was - I requested Patrick Grant’s book ‘Less’ from my library, and it arrived this week. I was very surprised as I expected to wait weeks for it.  

I had bought the 99p Kindle version, but my Kindle isn’t working so I had been reading it on the laptop and hadn’t got far. I much prefer reading a ‘real’ book. So that’s what I’ll mostly be doing today 😄 I have really enjoyed the chapters I have read so far.  

Nelliegrace

I have washed and line dried some winter jackets with a little pure liquid soap and added a drop of white vinegar to the rinse. My thick corduroy trousers and warm pyjamas are washed and put away. I have taken the jumpers out and given them a good shake, and I shall do that regularly. I have the warm scarves, hats and gloves I have been wearing to wash still. 

I am sure that there is a suitcase of cotton nightdresses in the attic, the ones which shrunk suddenly when I reached middle age. I think they should fit again after a couple of years of ration book cookery.

The chocolate ration is a bit short this week because the bar we share on Sundays is 10g smaller. I have cut mine into little squares to last the week while DH has guzzled his in one go. I have found that the craving for sweets has gone when I read of some of the ersatz stuff in them. 

I found some unused, pre-war handkerchiefs being sold second hand, so no coupons were needed for a present for my niece. 

Gem-gem

Two spends to declare: 

a pair of gym leggings 2 coupons. Really pleased - £88 down to £44. I then had £5 off and a £25 voucher from my CC which brought them down to £14. Rest was paid for with birthday money from brother. 

A pair of Russell and Bromley loafers 5 coupons - Mum and Dad bought these for my birthday. I think they were ashamed with how tatty my other pair had become. I had them resoled and rehealed more than once. 

Also, raided my Mum's wardrobe - she has given me two summer dresses and a linen jacket that she no longer wears. 

Finally, last week I took six items of clothing  down to a secondhand shop to sell. 

Spend 2024:

1 x jumper 5

3 x yoga pants 6

3 x t-shirt 12

1 x hoodie 5

1 x shirt 5

1 x trainers 5

1 x shoes 5

43/66 spent  

23 left. 

PipneyJane

Gem-gem said:

Two spends to declare: 

a pair of gym leggings 2 coupons. Really pleased - £88 down to £44. I then had £5 off and a £25 voucher from my CC which brought them down to £14. Rest was paid for with birthday money from brother. 

A pair of Russell and Bromley loafers 5 coupons - Mum and Dad bought these for my birthday. I think they were ashamed with how tatty my other pair had become. I had them resoled and rehealed more than once. 

Also, raided my Mum's wardrobe - she has given me two summer dresses and a linen jacket that she no longer wears. 

Finally, last week I took six items of clothing  down to a secondhand shop to sell. 

Spend 2024:

1 x jumper 5

3 x yoga pants 6

3 x t-shirt 12

1 x hoodie 5

1 x shirt 5

1 x trainers 5

1 x shoes 5

43/66 spent  

23 left. 

Are Russell & Bromley loafers still hard soled @Gem-gem?  Or have they gone moulded plastic, like so many other brands?  

Also, since the loafers were a present to you, the coupons spent were the gift giver’s not yours.  That takes your total back to 28.

- Pip

Gem-gem

PipneyJane said:

Gem-gem said:

Two spends to declare: 

a pair of gym leggings 2 coupons. Really pleased - £88 down to £44. I then had £5 off and a £25 voucher from my CC which brought them down to £14. Rest was paid for with birthday money from brother. 

A pair of Russell and Bromley loafers 5 coupons - Mum and Dad bought these for my birthday. I think they were ashamed with how tatty my other pair had become. I had them resoled and rehealed more than once. 

Also, raided my Mum's wardrobe - she has given me two summer dresses and a linen jacket that she no longer wears. 

Finally, last week I took six items of clothing  down to a secondhand shop to sell. 

Spend 2024:

1 x jumper 5

3 x yoga pants 6

3 x t-shirt 12

1 x hoodie 5

1 x shirt 5

1 x trainers 5

1 x shoes 5

43/66 spent  

23 left. 

Are Russell & Bromley loafers still hard soled @Gem-gem?  Or have they gone moulded plastic, like so many other brands?  

Also, since the loafers were a present to you, the coupons spent were the gift giver’s not yours.  That takes your total back to 28.

- Pip

Hi Pip, thanks for the returned coupons. 

The loafers and sandals that I have are hard soled. When they need doing I take them back to the shop and they send them to a specialist who will resole and or reheel them using their products /materials. 

Nelliegrace

It is summer at long last.
I got my sturdy, old, Clark’s men’s sandals out for yet another season. I bought them in the sales of course, a good buy. They are nearly 30 years old. Men’s clothes are often better quality than those sold at higher prices for women.

PipneyJane

@Gem-gem thanks for the info.  Next time I buy loafers, I will definitely look for Russell & Bromley, so that I can wear-and-repair them for years.  (I have a pair of leather soled RM Williams jodhpur boots, which I purchased in 2003.  Wear them to death then take them to RM Williams’ London shop, who send them back to Australia to get reheeled and resoled.)

Nelliegrace said:

It is summer at long last.
I got my sturdy, old, Clark’s men’s sandals out for yet another season. I bought them in the sales of course, a good buy. They are nearly 30 years old. Men’s clothes are often better quality than those sold at higher prices for women.

Agreed, @Nelliegrace, on both counts.  I’m finally wearing shorts and sandals.  My current shorts-of-choice were purchased in America in 2006, while my Teva-brand sandals must be at least 12 years old.  (I know I bought them in Bicester, but can’t remember when.  They were old when I went to New Zealand in 2018, because I purchased their replacement in Wellington.)

Yesterday, I had my eyes tested and, while waiting, browsed the latest edition of Elle.  Not impressed by the fashion stories.  Only two modelled and then you couldn’t actually see the clothes. Apparently the latest fashions are drainpipe jeans and everything mid-1990’s.  It didn’t look like what I remember.  There were also some capsule wardrobes presented, unworn, so no idea how the clothes would fit.  Everything cost between one week’s and one month’s wages.

Also went to Bravissimo for a much needed bra fitting.  Depending on the brand, I’m now either a 34E or a 32FF, which is about to send me into that box, to check out the bras stored there from my thinner days.  Four new bras purchased, at the cost of 6 coupons.  I’ll update my signature in a moment.

- Pip

Laura_Elsewhere

Lavender won't actually protect against moths but it definitely smells beautiful- I had to do some emergency-gardening yesterday for someone, and came away with huge bags of hacked-back rosemary branches and enough lavender stems to make four little lavender bottles!
It's been years and years since I made any- use an odd number of stems, tie the heads together (leaving a long end dangling) and then weave ribbon round, alternately under and over (hence the importance of the odd number so you keep going in a spiral) til you've enclosed all the heads and then bring the dangling end through the stems, wrap the two ribbon-ends in opposite directions a couple of times and tie in a bow. 

It felt good to spend an hour doing non-essential things... 

(the red one is for m-i-L who hates pastel shades and loves rich reds!)

Baileys_Babe

I have never seen or heard of lavender bottles @Laura_Elsewhere they all look good but my favourites are the middle two.

PipneyJane

Baileys_Babe said:

I have never seen or heard of lavender bottles @Laura_Elsewhere they all look good but my favourites are the middle two.

Ditto, but they do look lovely.  How long do they last, Laura?

- Pip