The comments on yesterdays post are an interesting read. A right mixed bag on what constitutes an emergency and what doesn't. Thank you all for airing your views, and welcome to the new readers. Sorry I haven't welcomed you before, I do take note of the new faces which appear in the sidebar, and I do look at your blogs.
I think we have got it pretty much ok here in the UK when it comes to things we have to pay for, and things we can get help with. I reckon we have little to moan about compared to our neighbours across the pond. Not wanting to get political on this issue, politics always seems to creep into it when austerity, scrimping, managing on little, and feeding the poor, come to the forefront of conversation. I am not into bashing the system, because in my mind there is no difference in the parties that govern our country. It's a bloody hard job to have, and I wouldn't volunteer for it in a million years. That's not letting them off, just stating my view. No, I am not a campaigner at all. so no politics please. .
My stance is that we have to do the best we can with what we have, we owe it to ourselves, which is what this blog is about. I look at my home, my life, my income, as my own little powerhouse. It is my domain, I decide what I do with the resources I have within these four walls. I could go down the pub and pee my money up the wall, but I don't. I could splash the cash on a flat screen TV but I don't. What I do instead is to monitor every penny that comes in and every penny that goes out. Everyone has that option, some do it amazingly well, some just scrape by, by the seat of their pants, and those in between make an fairly decent job of it. Monitoring movement of money in and out, and making a plan is essential to survive. Sorry, I am getting a bit preachy now, don't mean to be, will move on.
Something Sue said reminded me of how it used to be, the pleasures of saving up to buy kitchen utensils one at a time. Yes, I remember that. Not that I ever did it, but my friend did. She had a boyfriend not long after she left school, things were getting pretty serious, one thing led to another and they became engaged. After that she started buying bits and bobs from homestyle shops, bedding, towels, utensils, pots and pans and suchlike. She made a list of what she had, and asked for household items for Christmas and Birthdays presents, and stashed them all in a 'bottom drawer'. Every so often she would empty the drawer to show me what was in there, everything had to match, and it was all lovingly put back in after inspection. This went on for a year or two, and by the time she got married she already had most of what she needed to make a nice home.
It's funny how things change. I haven't heard anyone mention a 'bottom drawer', for years. Shame really, because it was a symbol of a serious relationship, a commitment to a future together with a partner. It all seems a bit rushed these days. Mind you, you can set up a new home a lot quicker now, and probably a lot cheaper, by visiting car boot sales and charity shops. There wasn't any of those options when I was a mere slip of a girl.
My friend with the 'bottom drawer' is now a pensioner like me, she is in the process of giving away most of her stuff. She wants an uncluttered life, so her bottom drawers are slowly emptying. It's funny how our priorities change.
Where is this post going? I have no idea, I've come to a dead end, so I'll finish :o)
Toodle pip.
No comments:
Post a Comment