Generation Skint

carolt

borntobefree wrote: »

What you don't see a washing machine, hoover, kettle, toaster and central heating as essential Where do you live? What's bizarre about kitchen appliances?

No, I don't.

Would you rather live on the street, but with your own kettle, toaster etc?

Have you never heard of kettles you put on the hob? They existed in 'the old days', you know. You can make toast on the grill too, you know. I've lived without washing machines - happy memories of washing clothes in the bath... I've also certainly lived without central heating - haven't you?

What a cosseted world you must live in. Do toughen up - I can certainly manage without all the gadgets. You'd clearly find it rather hard.....

tomstickland

I've never fully embraced consumer "culture". The people I mix with generally aren't impressed by consumer goods. I like it that way. I want my friends to like me, not be impressed by an ever bigger tv screen.

hhow much happiness do you really derive from owning thousands of gadgets?

Exactly. Marketeers would like us to confuse owning things with being something, but it's not true.

I like being content with a reasonably modest lifestyle. I can afford to eat and drink. I have clean water, shelter and heat. I don't expect to be happy by spending money on goods. This approach coupled with a decent enough income means that I live a debt free life. Apart from a mortgage which is also small by modern standards.

Benefits_Blagger

carolt wrote: »

No, I don't.

Would you rather live on the street, but with your own kettle, toaster etc?

Have you never heard of kettles you put on the hob? They existed in 'the old days', you know. You can make toast on the grill too, you know. I've lived without washing machines - happy memories of washing clothes in the bath... I've also certainly lived without central heating - haven't you?

What a cosseted world you must live in. Do toughen up - I can certainly manage without all the gadgets. You'd clearly find it rather hard.....

Even the homeless have ipods now, although i guess the older tramps tell the younger ones that it was harder in their day as there wasn't any about to nick off people.

fc123

carolt wrote: »

No, I don't.

I've lived without washing machines - happy memories of washing clothes in the bath... I've also certainly lived without central heating - haven't you?

The first house we bought han no proper bathroom or kitchen. No central heating and an immersion that didn't work properly.
We were so bust from buying the place, that we couldn't do anything to the house for a year.
The one gas fire broke, called out a repair man, who hung a label on it saying
'Condemned' and presented me with his bill....then left my son and I in minus 3 degrees.
Washing clothes in a sink? Never again. Our son was 3 or 4 and wore cute little arran jumopers to bed (second hand of course)

Now I should post how character building it was and go on about it being the 'good old days'...but, actually, it was total rubbish.

I loved the garden and the neighbours though....oh and it had lots of original features.

SingleSue

My kids get in all a panic when the electricity fails (usually due to someone digging something else up 50 miles away) but then get these strange looks on their faces when I start lighting candles for light and boiling a saucepan of water on the gas hob to make a cup of tea.

And when on holiday (cheapo holidays in a static caravan), mum doesn't go use the camp washing machines, oh no, she gets the hand wash powder and washes them either in the shower unit or the kitchen sink - then they go into complete shock when the clothes go out on a washing line (or hung from windows,doors, shower curtain) to dry and not into a magical machine that dries them.

They think it's amazing mum can do all these things and that I am somehow brilliant...nah I just remember the power cuts from my youth!

* I'm not that old either, 2 years off 40.

BACKFRMTHEEDGE

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7418180.stm

I would have been 6 when the last steam train ran....I'm only 45:rotfl:

BACKFRMTHEEDGE

Oliveru wrote: »

Now here we are again, coming to the end of our last magic solution for the economy and what is left? Consumer culture? Nope that will die when inflation slowly erodes our income.

So what will be the next big thing? Of course there will be one.:D Try this one http://www.struttandparker.com/html/farm-prices-rocket.php

Fancy being a farmer?




So are you telling me your generation are not going to consume:rotfl:Of course they will. They will have families and be driven just as every generation before them. I have a keen interest in family history (along with half the population) you will be amazed what people will do to better their lives. Ancestors in my tree have sailed to Australia (some died on the journey), then sailed to the USA and then walked:eek: across America to find a better life.

We are a breed of crazy creatures clinging to a rocky ball hurtling through space. The rocky ball isn't even stable - it's crust keeps moving. The gallaxy we inhabit we don't even understand, but we keep going. That's what we do.

Chin up, have to say you sound very negative and nothing has really happened yet. Most of the worst wont hit until 2009 really.;)

BACKFRMTHEEDGE

carolt wrote: »

No, I don't.

Would you rather live on the street, but with your own kettle, toaster etc?

Have you never heard of kettles you put on the hob? They existed in 'the old days', you know. You can make toast on the grill too, you know. I've lived without washing machines - happy memories of washing clothes in the bath... I've also certainly lived without central heating - haven't you?

What a cosseted world you must live in. Do toughen up - I can certainly manage without all the gadgets. You'd clearly find it rather hard.....

Hi CarolT,

Oh I see - you really do want to take us back to the 50's. I'm afraid my memories are not as rosy as yours of this era. Life for my mum was very hard without kitchen appliances and central heating. Have you ever tried to light a fire on a cold winters morning when the blasted thing just wont light and you have 5 freezing kids at your knees? Not to mention the horrendous pollution that comes from burning coal, but each to their own. So really you want HPs to crash and the economy to tank because you want us all to go back to the 50's when life was rosy and Enid Blyton ruled the world

moanymoany

I think you would like the programme 'Affluenza' it is on youtube in two or three parts.

What it says is not that people 'back then' had more stuff, what it says is that they were more content with their lives.

All the physical work and walking they did have kept the current oldies going really well - despite not having the great medical advances we have now. Ironic to know that the overweight generations we have now (I know not everyone) are not going to live as long as their grandparents - despite the gadgets, gizmos and healthcare.

Watching the chubby teenagers getting into the cars blocking my road at school chucking out time I can't help thinking that a walk home might do them a bit of good.

Maz

carolt wrote: »

No, I don't.

Would you rather live on the street, but with your own kettle, toaster etc?

Have you never heard of kettles you put on the hob? They existed in 'the old days', you know. You can make toast on the grill too, you know. I've lived without washing machines - happy memories of washing clothes in the bath... I've also certainly lived without central heating - haven't you?

What a cosseted world you must live in. Do toughen up - I can certainly manage without all the gadgets. You'd clearly find it rather hard.....

I can relate to this. When I go into other peoples homes, I'm staggered at the 'appliances' and gadgets they have, not just in the kitchen but throughout the entire place! Tellys in just about every room, amazing bits of kit in the kitchen, ipods etc.

My kitchen is smallish so no microwave, have a hob kettle, do my toast under the grill and got rid of the telly long ago. I see all these appliances as unecessary clutter for me and more importantly, as a waste of my money!

Fond :rolleyes: memories of doing the washing for a family of four in the bath too! Usually in cold water as we only had a back boiler behind the coal fire and could only afford to light it every couple of days. Then a friend of my Mum's donated an old washer to me. It was round and had an electric mangle on the top! Did the job tho and we didn't have central heating for years, until we bought our first house. Washing still goes out on a washing line, I did have a tumble drier many years ago but couldn't afford the leccy to use it, sold it in the end.

As time goes on, I find myself simplifying lots of areas in my life and even growing my own veg this year (that's a first for me!)

I do have a hoover tho............