The little birds...

If you watch little birds you will see they are busy and happy! Using whatever they can find they create the most gorgeous little nest.
I would be the little bird with some glittery thread in her nest!
We can be like this. Happily working away with the things that are available to us to create a beautiful and happy home.
All the while with a little song in our heart.

Banner by Free Pretty Things for You.

Tuesday 6 August 2019

How to beat rising prices like Nana did.

For a few years I blogged several times a week up and we had a series on preparedness and lots on things such as crock pot cooking,  sour dough, various ways to save money and get ahead.
Then life suddenly changed and we moved to the farm!   It is amazing to think this time last year I don't think we were even sure we would be moving.  Look at us now!
But all this meant I have had much less time to write so I continued my Friday posts and I have The Tuesday Afternoon Club as well.
But lately it has been on my mind to write a new series as I keep noticing so many interesting things. And many of you have too.  Now we come from different locations but many of these will still be things in common.

First we really battled rising electricity and water costs.  They doubled then they doubled again. They just kept creeping up.  Being winter here there was a report the other day of people dying of hypothermia in their own homes simply because of the price of electricity.  Heaven help us if we have one of South Australia's heatwaves at any time as people will die.

Water and electricity were once just things you took for granted.  Now they are so expensive that people are really struggling.  Watering a garden is so out of the question for many as well.

Another has been the price of meat, butter, eggs and many basics.  One day I went to buy lamb chops for my Granddaughter who loves to hold the "little handle" and eat them.  That day they were suddenly $45 a kilo!  I wondered if there was a mistake!  A block of butter is easily $8 unless you get a special or Aldi.  Eggs are up to $8. Toothpaste is $8 and $10.  Laundry liquid is up to $20!  There used to be cheaper alternatives but they are becoming less.  And wages haven't risen with all of this.
In fact house prices have fallen.  So this asset has lost value while peoples debts and living costs have risen.
Interest rates have fallen so low and if they fall more where will we be? In negative interest territory. That is so mind boggling it is hard to get a handle on. You would have to pay the bank to keep your money in it.  Before this the government is trying to stop people from using cash for larger purchase meaning stuffing your money in the mattress won't work either.

Petrol (gas) prices are high also.  It is not long and this is passed on to the cost of groceries also.

What were treats like takeaway and a coffee and a cake out are also now shocking prices.  Many of us have had a fright when we have bought something at a bakery or a cafe and found out a slice of something is $8.

Our British sisters have their own worries. I was just reading an article "No deal Brexit: Delays and food shortages expected."   It was so interesting and a bit frightening and from very mainstream media.

Our USA sisters have very possible price rises and shortages as the vast majority of farming land just had very bad weather this season.  Even absolute champion gardeners like Vicky have struggled to get a harvest.  They just keep getting washed out.

Today I read that our government is trying to quickly fix the issue that Australia only has 21 days of fuel supplies.  If any issue (and there are some right now) blows up the whole country would come to a standstill in 21 days.  Many people don't even consider what that would mean.  It would mean no food on the shelves, no medicines and no transport!  Just for starters.

Next I notice so many on social media asking genuinely for advice on how to stretch the food in their child's lunch box, how to lower their food bill, how to cook from scratch... how to make it to the end of the week on $10.

My eyes nearly fell out of my head when I saw in a popular Australia home living magazine a few pages devoted to winter.  They had a beautiful room and pointed out ways to stay warm.  They hung a curtain rod across the front door and hung a quilt on it ... like they used to do in England to limit the gush of cold air coming into the home when the door is opened.   Heavy curtains, door snakes, blankets to snuggle up in on the lounge.   It was a direct address to power prices.  I have never seen this in a mainstream magazine.  It is the new normal.

Then I noticed constant requests for cakes and meals with no butter.  And war time recipes with no butter and no eggs...
Articles on how to grow the most you can in a small amount of land.
More people keeping chickens even in the city.
People wanting to learn basic skills so they can save from cooking from scratch to mending, sour dough, yoghurt making etc.

Another big trend is re useable items and less throw away and waste.  Some of this is from concern about the environment and some is to reduce costs.  Mostly I think it is a bit of both.   This is a good thing as they go hand in hand.   So now reusable lunch wrap and containers, drink bottles, serviettes and cloth napkins, even cloth menstrual pads, nappies (diapers) drier balls, baskets to take shopping and cloth bags,  everything that we don't have to buy and throw in the bin any longer is a saving in more ways than one.

I am glad to see this and have a smile because it is not new, it is how Nana lived.  She would be so cool right now.   Her shopping basket and change purse, her veggie garden and fruit trees,  cooking from a few basic ingredients,  swapping food and help with neighbours and relatives,  mending and making do, fixing things or trying to!   She did not think  "mmm what will I go buy for dinner?"  or "what do I feel like for dinner?" she worked out how to use up what she had and what was in the garden to come up with a meal.   The shopping was not to a set plan or to a list of favourites so much as shopping to get the best deals THEN making a list from what  was on hand now and to get the most possible meals and lunches to pack from all of this.  Anything looking a bit tired was quickly made into something before it was "past it" so there was rarely any waste.  Throwing large amounts of food in the bin would have been seen as unbelievably stupid and terrible waste.


You had fruit you picked and used it.  
You had plums you made plum jam, cake, cobbler and you ate plums! 


Nan and Pa would head off with lunches packed and a thermo of coffee and cold drinks.   They studied the catalogues for the best specials and shopped many stores.  Nan cooked everything.  Pa grew veggies.  Nan spun her own wool and knitted gifts.  If there was fruit nearby it was time to make jam and pies.   One of my Nans had a kind of fruit tree radar, she knew every fruit tree in about a 50 kilometre radius.  Especially lemon trees.  I inherited this gene.  haha!
If you had a lot of eggs you cooked with eggs!   If produce was fading fast you stayed up late getting preserves made!



You gathered what was useful to your family and you shared the rest with others.
Nan washed out her plastic bags and used rags to dust and clean.  Her house was spotless and her linen smelled like sunshine.  The clothes dried on the line and Pa helped her fold the sheets so they were so neatly stacked.



Nan was always busy.  She was happy.  She got on with her work and helped the extended family.
They saved.
They rescued any stray animal and it became one of the gang.  One time I remember Nan and Pa saw a dog had been left tied to a tree just outside their closest town.  This town had about ten people population.  Yep that was our town!   Anyhow we headed off in their little car to see if this dog was still there.  If it was the conclusion was that it had been dumped.  And it was still there and it had obviously recently had puppies yet there were not there.   So it had been dumped and the puppies got rid of we though...   into the car she came.   Her feeding up and looking after began instantly and she was part of the family for many years.
So even pets were what came your way you just looked after.

Neighbours moved in next to Nan and Pa.  They had fled the war and came from Latvia.  None of them could speak any English so Nan taught them.  They became life long friends of us all.

Nan and Pa didn't take big fancy holidays.  For many years they and my parents and my Aunty and Uncle all shared a holiday house at the beach about an hour away.  This became an annual holiday for many years.  Once there Nan still cooked the usual meals and Pa took us to the beach and swung us over the ways.  He never grew tired of us saying "do it again!"
Nan and Pa's carbon footprint was miniscule.   A while ago I said how I have realised I would much rather be home making jam then in a jet.  It is true.  And this was the way Nan felt.

When they built their house they actually made the bricks.  Mum and her brother helped and they made large bricks until there were enough.  This is how they got their house!

When I had Chloe Nan and Pa came to help.   I was supplied with hand knitted baby dresses from Nan plus many of her friends and tiny soft smocked gowns and so many things all of which I still have.  Nan kept us all warm with knits and now Mum does the same with knitting and crochet.



So here we are.  For one reason or another we are going back to Nan's ways.  Electricity is not freely used.  You put on slippers and a dressing gown and have a hot drink and a blanket on the lounge.  You collet the eggs and work out what you can make with what you have and how to stretch the roast with a ton of veggies and sides and consider how soup beforehand or desert after will further fill everyone up.  Then they might not notice the reduced meat portion. You might even have meat left over to make the lunches or pies.




Food was quarrelled away and much of it was done via stretching things, substituting things, being inventive, growing things... but there was always a pantry and it was important.  There was always a back up plan.  An emergency meal wasn't takeaway it was a sandwich.

There are just so many things we buy now as we think we need them but Nan never heard of them.  There are a lot of things we can drop from the list!
There are a lot of things that if we dropped them from the list we would be healthier as well as save money.  Mind blowing amounts of money.

So we are going to work through this one subject at a time.  We are going to start out with the laundry.  I hope between us we can greatly reduce laundry costs.  We are going to work through the whole house and garden and then also Christmas, birthdays, pets and holidays.

I just wanted to introduce the idea today to get us going and thinking.
What did your parents, Grandparents or Great Grandparents do that would be considered ridiculously cool and trendy now?   Do you know much about how they got through WW1, WW2 and the depression?

For those interested in this subject Wartime Farm is a great series on You Tube and I love Great Depression Cooking with Clara Cannucciari.  She has a book too that I am just reading.  The old cookbooks are the best!  They take basic ingredients and make beautiful homely nourishing food.  What more could you want!?

See you next time for "How to beat rising prices in the laundry like Nan did." xxx






123 comments:

  1. I am looking forward to this! Nancy

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  2. Well said Annabel on all points. I have my Mum's old 'Commonsense Cookery Book', and still find new ways of making things. I also have a Flying Doctor cookbook that I bought when I first went to Alice Springs in the mid 80's. This was recipes made by those living on remote Stations. Some were very inventive. Many of the cakes are egg and dairy free and totally delicious.
    One of the items that I am gradually changing over to with laundry, are the clothes pegs. I am using the plastic begs until they are completely broken and replacing them with stainless steel pegs. These aren't a cheap option but they work really well and are lasting. The first set of the steel pegs were purchased two years ago and they are still going strong.
    I'm looking forward to learning more from this series.

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    1. Dear Jane, Thank you. Those old cookbook are amazing. I have The Green and Gold Cookbook and The Nursing Mothers Cookbook (from 80s also) and they are so good. Cheap, easy, delicious.
      Pegs are a good subject to go in with laundry... I will add the in. I still love the old wooden pegs with the groove but they can leave marks so stainless steel is probably the best bet.
      I will do a week on saving on butter etc so the recipes you have tried and tested would be so wonderful then. I am working on this as I can, rather than say it will be every Wednesday I am just doing it when I can. Jane it started raining this afternoon! I hoe it keeps coming! With love Annabel.xxx

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    2. Jane, it sounds interesting, I have never heard of stainless steel pegs, would love to know what they look like and where you purchased them. All I can find here are cheap ones from Walmart.

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    3. I bought my stainless steel pegs on line via Amazon. They are spendy,about $1 US each, but they have a lifetime guarantee. My daughter, who lives in Australia, already has claimed mine "when I don't need them anymore". They will even hang heavy quilts and denims and to me are worth every penny rather than continuing to buy the cheap ones that don't last.

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  3. Dear Annabel and Bluebirds, I absolutely love this post (I love all your posts!). This really struck a chord with me. I will definitely check out those series on Youtube. I have just read a good book called the Radical Homemaker. Basically, I found it really interesting that over time we have (as a general society) lost more and more skills in the home and there are reasons the governments want this. So bit by bit I am trying to learn more. It is funny that when I do something, my Mum will say that's what Grandma used to do! That is a big compliment coming from her. Grandma never had fancy holidays either- only went somewhere locally with the family and all stayed in a house together. She took in work, that was flexible and fitted in with the family (i.e. ironing and some child minding at her house). She crocheted and never went to restaurants. She often made soups and had desserts, like rice pudding. She had a chicken coop that was sourced from free materials. Her furniture wasn't new, but it was well-kept and loved. Presents weren't over-the-top, but were thoughtful, suited to the recipient and made with love and care. Mum dearly remembers a crocheted top she was given. Time was spent playing cards with the family.If she got the opportunity she would go fishing, kind of like mindfulness today, but with an added benefit of adding fish to the freezer. She always had something growing. I loved hearing about your Nan. It makes me happy to hear about it. Thank you for inspiring us. What a great series, Annabel. Love, Bridge.

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    1. Dear Bridge, It is so good you still have your Nan. Ask her everything! Write it down. Ask that one day you might be able to have her cook books. The old cook books are the best and make the cheapest meals.
      You mentioned a good thing... something I think of very much... hobbies and pastimes that are enjoyable and a benefit... fishing, hunting, gardening, sewing ... then there are things like canning, brewing, fermenting.. so many to think of! And you also mention another good one... Mum and Dad never had new furniture nor Nan and Pa. Wooden crates featured! And playing cards and games!
      Now when you said Nan had a chicken coop made from free materials... well maybe that will be you too! Bridge having your own veggies, herbs and eggs is an enormous help, food security, you have things to barter and gift too.
      We have slightly discussed before how being in the home is just about radical these days and you will be virtually bullied because of it. So that was a good book for you to read. It is also true about skills. It is the old thing of knowledge is power. It truly is. Skills give you many options from getting by, saving to earning and trading. Plus it is fun! It is so much fun to learn new skills like the fun I think you have had with crochet.
      I am working on our laundry and cleaning post. I am excited as I am just noticing how we need to do all we can, learn all we can and get as far ahead as we can. With love Annabel.xx

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    2. Bridge I love what you say about the gifts - thoughtful and well suited to the recipient. Really, that is the definition of a good gift! The price tag/size etc is not relevant. I always find the ideas for 'stocking fillers'in the lead up to Christmas shocking. A $50 gift is not what I call a stocking filler! I truly think handmade gifts are the most beautiful thing to give and receive.
      Jen in NZ

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    3. Dear Bridge,
      I loved reading about your Grandma. She sounds like a wonderful lady. What a blessing to be following in her footsteps. We are in the minority these days, but our families will undoubtedly reap the rewards from our efforts within the home.
      Love, Kelsey

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  4. Annabel, this is amazing - I've been writing on this very topic for almost a month! What you said about paying the banks to hold our money is true in some countries right now. They are in negative interest, that means you pay them each month to store your cash! I was listening to the ABC radio this morning and I just felt like I needed to go and pull out as much cash as I could. Now I didn't, if everyone did that it would cause huge problems, but honestly I had the urge, I almost turned the car around to do it. As you know,we are getting ready to be running two households for a while, so right now I'm working on doubling our stockpile so we'll have one in the city and one in the country when we finally move. I'm preparing now, for the future, as much as I can. In the last few weeks I've added pasta sauce, diced and sliced capsicum, blackberry and raspberry and apricot jams to our pantry. I've double the amount of flour I'm keeping on hand, while at the same time I've halved the amount of butter we're using. All those stewed apples I put away last year are coming in handy to use in place of butter in cakes and muffins and they were free, off our tree. Like you and your nan, when I see fruit that needs to be preserved I just do it, even if it means I stay up later or get up earlier. Last week when I had some shirts that were only fit for rags, I made sure I took all the buttons off and added them to the button jar. Thomas was putting some very old, completely worn out shoes in the bin, so I took the laces out of them - they're good to use in the garden. Getting prepared isn't one or two big things that take a lot of time and money, it's all the little things we do everyday to get ahead and build up stockpiles that take just a few minutes and cost nothing or very little. Can't wait to see the rest of the series. xxx Cath

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  5. Such a brilliant article. This has bought back so many memories for me. I am of the older generation now and I can remember by Nana and my Mum and the meals we would have and the way we lived. One thing that really stands out is the fact that there was never any plastic wraps. Now the subject of so much damage being done around the world and in the oceans. Mum would wrap sandwiches in grease proof paper. I can remember hearing stories about the depression era and I so wish I could talk to them all again and really take notice. We could all learn so much. I will look forward to seeing your next articles.

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    1. Thank you Ellie, I wish I had Nan still to ask so many questions. I learned a lot from both my Nans but there are things I would love to learn now. When the girls were little my neighbour was an old lady. She had been in a concentration camp. So I learned a lot from her about the war and what happened to her. She was so frugal and careful. I am glad this brought back memories for you of your Mum and Nan. With love Annabel.xxx

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    2. My grandmother was born in 1881 and I was lucky enough to learn from her. My sisters and I all have kept full pantries and have been frugal throughout our lives. My favorite cookbook was a wedding present to my mother, a 1942 edition of The Woman's Home Companion. Not only does it have wartime recipes but also instructions on butchering, making soap, etc. We should never stop learning.

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    3. Wow, Deb--1881. And your mother's Woman's Home Companion. I so wish I had my mom's old home economics class cookbooks. My Gma was born in 1888 and I wish I could pick her brain for millions of things! You are so blessed. Mary in San Diego

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  6. Well done on a great article with many valid points. No one in my family gardens and I need to start on some simple basics to reduce some costs. I also try to use things before they are no longer useful. Tonight I have a piece of pumpkin that cost 50cents. This will make a soup that will feed us twice or more. To increase the nutrition I make a topping of seeds and nuts. Very filling and quite cheap when compared to meat meal.

    I live near Brisbane and our water is very hard. I find soap based detergents don't do well. I buy expensive detergents and make sure I use as a little as possible. It works well for me. Nothing beats line dried washing.

    I look forward to learning more.

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    1. Dear Suzan,
      Your soups sounds so good. Hard water is hard to deal with. We were just been able to change to rain water for everything and goodness that is the opposite and soft. Where as before we had bore water which is hard!
      Many thanks, love Annabel.xxx

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  7. Annabel this is a very encouraging post. I am looking forward to learning from you as I have been from the ladies in the Tuesday Afternoon Club. My granddaughter invited me to join and I have been amazed at all the lovely ladies accomplish and share there.

    I am looking forward to all you teach us!

    Colleen C. Oregon USA

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    1. Dear Colleen,
      Thank you! I am so grateful to your Granddaughter! I am so pleased to have you here! And the club! Sorry for a slow reply this has had a big response! Week by week I think we will come up with many savings! With love Annabel.xxx

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  8. This is going to be a really good series Annabel! I will send you the link to the cake I was telling you about with no butter or eggs (I've just made another two today! Because of you I always make two cakes whenever I bake now lol).

    I'm really keen to hear about what others are doing in each area. I think it's really interesting that so many 'trendy' things are actually things that were commonplace only a couple of generations ago. I'm going to check out the YouTube series you have suggested.

    Personally, I think attitude is so important. I often have people ask how I have time to bake, and with the price of butter etc it's not really much cheaper. I know a packet of biscuits is only $2, but the reality is that they don't fill up my kids. And one packet a day for each day of the week is $14. I do try out recipes that don't need butter or eggs etc, but I also do things like only using half the quantity of buttercream when I ice a cake. I have started telling people that I can't afford to not find the time to bake! And so many of the tin-filling recipes take all of 30 minutes from start to finish anyway. I just think you have to make it a priority.

    Anyway, these are all things you will be bringing up so I won't keep going! I'm so excited to see what everyone comes up with. Thanks so much for the time you take to put these things together. You are already a very busy lady!

    Hope your week is going well
    Jen in NZ

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    1. Jen I have a recipe that uses an ounce (tablespoon) of butter, it started out as a carrot cake but I tweaked it and use to make apple and cinnamon or pear and ginger as well. Just depended on what was the cheapest or needed using up.

      Lynette

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    2. Dear Jen, Thank you! When I look at bakery item prices then I see how much home cooking is worth. Like here one scone is $4+ a slice of cake can be $8, pies and pasties etc $5+ Goodness we are saving a lot. Apart from knowing what is in it.
      It has taken me a while to reply but thank you and I hope we come up with many ideas as we go along! With love Annabel.xxx

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  9. I always enjoy your blogs Annabel you are very inspiring. I too try to live in a style a bit more like our nannas did, it is great to connect with like minded people as we can all learn from each other. I will eagerly wait for and enjoy your new series.....Sharlene

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    1. Dear Sharlene, Thank you so much! There are probably more people than we know just wishing for simpler lives and common-sense. But it is so nice to have a group of us here! With love Annabel.xxx

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  10. Hi Annabelle
    The Brexit uncertainty is causing anxiety in all sorts of areas. I think I have been sticking my head in the sand for a while and trying to pretend nothing much was going to happen but now I'm adding extras to my grocery shop like tinned fruit to keep in the larder. We grow as much fruit and veg as we can in our garden and the UK produces wonderful foodstuffs but we can't grow grapefruit and the like. Maybe we need to only buy UK food - this would be a bit like wartime when exotic fruit wasn't available. Maybe we're worrying about nothing and all will be well - we just don't know!
    Looking forward to this series of posts.

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    1. Dear Penny, It seems a bit of an uncertainty and nothing compares in history so no one really knows what to expect. I did see hospitals are preparing. We had a fair few articles here.
      If I was there I would take precautions and stock up on things that keep, that you use and have long shelf life. All at bargain prices. Then if everything is fine you have lost nothing and if there are any delays or shortages then you are fine too. We can all live without expect food and fruits and get by one apples and basics. It certainly is an interesting time. I am hoping it goes smoothly for you all ! with love Annabel.xxx

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  11. Thank you, Annabel.
    Patricia/Fl/USA

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  12. I can't believe the way the prices have skyrocketed in Australia! We can see food prices creeping up here in the USA too. So it's a good thing to learn to live a different way.

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    1. Dear Vickie, Some things were gradual and some things were massive right before our eyes. Meat especially. And there are reasons like drought. But you have to become a very good shopper! xxx

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    2. Hi Vickie, I noticed food prices start to go up dramatically back when the gas prices first skyrocketed in the mid 2000's. The gas prices came down, but they kept the food prices high. They continue to rise in Missouri, too. We've eaten lots and lots of cucumbers this summer, since that's what's grown best in the garden! I even stir-fried some with cabbage and mixed with scrambled eggs last night! Eggs have been $.58 a dozen here at Aldi. Great timing since I can't really afford meat this month.
      Blessings,
      Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage

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  13. Annabel thank you for doing this series and I really look forward to learning more.

    You are so right about cooking from scratch, keeping a well stocked pantry and repairing, reusing and recycling.

    I wish also that I had spoken more with my grandmother about the great depression an era in which she was bought up in. She did teach me a lot and could cook beautifully and was so handy at sewing and doing leather work, knitting and crocheting. She did fortunately teach me a lot as she mostly bought us up on school holidays and we spent a lot of time at her home in the afternoons after school too.

    Sewingcreations15 (Lorna).

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    1. Dear Lorna,
      That is a great blessing that you had so much time with your Grandmother. A lot of her skills have rubbed off on you plus you must have taken it all in. With the things you do as a matter of course weekly you are well ahead in so many ways. This all is a great insurance policy against pretty much anything! With love Annabel.xxx

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  14. Great article, Annabel. I recently bought a WonderMill and have started grinding my own flour. I got large buckets of organic whole oat and whole wheat and milo from my cousins farm harvest to make the flour. And I get fresh Jersey cow milk from them. I trade dehydrated foods with them, as they don't use electricity, and this is something different. And baby chicks, I trade those, too.

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    1. Dear Amish Heart,
      This is so good! To get fresh cow milk would be wonderful. And to be able to trade dehydrated goods. I think you and your cousins would have so much valuable information, I really hope you will share a lot as we go on in the series. Thank you so much, with love Annabel.xxx

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  15. Hi Annabel, I still have my Commonsense Cookbook since my first year of high school way back in 1963. I also was very involved in the Nursing Mothers of Aust started way back when my 3rd child was born in 1979. I have 2 of their cookbooks.
    I am looking forward to this series and hope that I and also lots of others are able to contribute as well with some of what we to do or how to do's.
    Love Lorraine

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    1. Dear Lorraine,
      The nursing Mothers Cookbook got me through many years! I still have and use mine. Gosh so good.
      I will need lots of contributors from other countries and older than me who might remember more years back. I think it will be so interesting! With love Annabel.xxx

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  16. I love this post and look forward to reading this series. Yes, even in America food prices are skyrocketing and wages are at a standstill. My husband works for a large electric company and hasn't had much of a raise in the last 5 years. I am thankful that he still has a job as he is headed toward 60 now and age discrimination is a real problem here. We have to search out the best prices and cheapest discounts for our budget. I am thankful that I had a grandmother and parents who taught me how to cook from scratch and make do with what we had.

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    1. Dear Tammy,
      It is so good your parents and grandparents taught you so much. The skill of cooking from scratch is a huge one.
      Thank you for your observations in the US too. With love Annabel.xxx

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  17. The is such a good post and I am looking forward to more on this subject. I remember my mom sometimes having to use a wash board and a bar of soap to do the laundry. I also remember her having a wash tub and putting water and soap in the tub and putting clothes in and us kids got to take turns stepping on and shuffling through the clothes to get them washed. We didn't think we were working, we were having fun. My mom would forage and salvage whatever she could find. I remember her making all of our own closets using wooden apple crates that the stores through out when empty. I remember being so excited and happy with mine that I always kept it neat and clean because it was beautiful. Thank you for all you do Annabel. Paula in Kansas

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    1. Thank you Paula. You have great memories! My Mum had a washing machine with the wringer you fed the clothes through and it squished the water out. It was still hard work! I love the apple crates for your wardrobe. I hope you enjoy the series and look forward to hearing more of your memories.xxx

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  18. Dear Annabel,
    I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to this series! It has come at the right time. I feel like there are a lot of things that we can't control but the key is to focus on the things we CAN do to be prepared and take care of our families. Costs can be cut within the home even when it seems like there is not much left to cut. You even mentioned cloth menstrual pads, something I said I would NEVER do, but guess what I've been sewing lately? A little embarrassing, but there it is.
    Colton and I are going a bit extreme these days. We were debt free but have since purchased two new (one used) vehicles. That is our only debt but we don't like owing so we are on the fast track to getting out of it. We have goals beyond this debt and we are determined. We are sticking to buying groceries, gas, animal feed, and that is basically it. And even then we are shopping for the best deals. This means a lot of making and making do but we are already saving so much. Plus we are making things to sell using what we have so that we can recoup the cost of the things we have to buy.
    My FIL recently got a new couch. I asked what he was going to do with his old one because I really like it. My SIL informed me that she likes it too but it is SO old. I told her everything we own except John and our underwear and toothbrushes are secondhand lol.
    I have been blessed to hear stories from both sets of grandparents of how they used to live. When my grandpa on my mother's side passed away, she and her siblings basically fought over one of his books called "Back to Basics". My grandma told them, "No that is going to Kelsey." I felt so blessed by that as I never even knew about the book but my grandma knew it was meant for me. My other grandma shares how they were so poor but they never knew it because they were so happy.
    I could go on and on but I will leave it to you, Annabel. You have taught us all so much already and have influenced so many of our lives for the better. I know you are very busy on the farm so thank you for taking the time to write this extra series. It is needed and appreciated!
    With love, Kelsey

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    1. Dear Kelsey,
      Thank you! I am with you. We cannot worry about what we cant control. We can be watchful, wise and prudent though!
      The cloth pads... I became interested when my brother worked on a cotton farm. The chemical usage on cotton is incredible. One of the highest chemical crops. Now with tampons that cotton is going internally. Of course women are going to absorb chemicals. Well with pads it would be less I guess but I became very wary. Cloth pads seemed a very good idea and I began making them.
      You will be a wonderful help on these subjects. You are both doing so well. Keep up the amazing work. With love Annabel.xxx

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    2. One of my daughters tried the Diva menstrual cup. She finds it to work well. Once purchased, it lasts indefinitely.

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  19. I love this post and look forward to more.

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  20. Annabel,
    What a timely Post! At this time worldwide it is needed. I doubt there is a place on earth where the prices on everything hasn't increased.

    I was brought up frugally, I didn't realize it at the time, it was just a way of life. My Mother's Mom lived with us and my Father's parents next door.
    I was taught so much and none of it seemed like learning, it was just what we did. Nothing was tossed, everything was used and re-used.
    Dad was a the mechanical side of the household, you name it, he could fix it, from plumbing to electrical to engines. His philosophy was if you used it, you had better know how to fix it. Really as a young teen I didn't care how a brake pad went on a car wheel or a head gasket on the engine. But boy the knowledge sure came in handy later.
    Mom was all the cooking, canning, shopping with coupons during sales and stocking our pantry. She could make a penny cry. If your sandwich was wrapped in wax paper you had to remember to bring it back home wiped to be reused, aluminum foil was used till it was to small to wrap and at that point it was added to a ball of foil to scrub the pots.
    The wrapping on butter was saved to oil the cake pans. There are so many small little things that added up.
    If a shirt collar was worn, it was removed, turned and sewn back in. Socks were mended, clothes were mended, if they were beyond mending they were turned into rags, buttons, zippers were saved. Oh how I loved my Mom's button jar.
    So many ways to save that they go on and on. Though I felt blessed to be taught everything and I never felt like we were poor, well till I went to high school and was made fun of for my clothes. Mom gave me a good comment to say back. "Sorry I don't follow fashion, I follow my own likes!"

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    1. Dear Rosanne, Fashion in clothes and household goods etc sure is a way to get people to spend money! I also like what I like and pretty much just stick to that.
      With your Grandmother living with you this probably meant you learned a lot.
      Haha about your Mum making a penny cry! I always save and re fold al foil if it is ok.
      My Nan used the butter wrappers. Here we are on the opposite sides of the world and doing the same things!
      I know you will be a big help to me with this series! With love Annabel.xxx

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  21. Dear Annabel, I love this new series post. I lost my Grandma when I was young but do remember spending time with her, she was a fabulous cook and baker. I always think that's where my love for cooking and baking comes from. I'm looking forward to the new series.
    Thank you, LaurieS Oregon USA

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    1. Dear Laurie, I know so much of me comes from both Nans. The love of flowers, picking fruit, preserving, crafts. So much! Thank you so much I hope you love the series. With love Annabel.xxx

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  22. Love this post. I have to admit when I started reading this I thought "oh no Annabel has gone all panic mode on us". LOL - Then as I read, I saw the direction.
    I was raised this way. My parents used absolutely everything to the full extent of usefulness.
    They could stretch a dollar farther than most. We didn't have a lot of money and yes things started increase in price - but their money didn't budge. Mom kept the same grocery budget for years - she just found new ways to stretch it out.
    They grew all fruits and veggies and at one time raised rabbits, chickens and goats. Dad hunted squirrel and he fished.
    We ate simple home good honest and real food and it was wonderful! We never went hungry. Mom could make any treat or dessert you could imagine. I learned from two of the best.

    I see people today and I know many will never survive if it really gets bad. People are soft. Some days I see people ask questions that make me laugh - and I think how have you survived to this age you are and how much money have you wasted?
    Then I remember, not everyone had the wonderful role models we did, and not everyone paid attention to the great life lessons we were taught.
    I am so glad we all can MAKE DO and MAKE DO WELL.
    I love the encouragement and bonds this has formed with ladies all over the world.

    Thanks again - a great post.

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    1. Dear Cheryl,
      Thank you! Well I think I am more like you... we can be very positive about things if we do our best, are watchful and practical. Be prudent. But I am never doom and gloom.
      It sounds like you learned a lot from home and that is wonderful. What a good start in life!
      Yes people are soft. Many will simply wither and die if their cell phone and latte dont happen haha But everyone has the chance to learn. Learning is free these days. If we weren't blessed with good family and want to learn we still can. I really feel like a time is coming where some will do well others will be in a lot of trouble. A couple of years back now our state had a blackout, the whole entire state. One town was out much longer than others. I think over a week. Of course that meant shops close, no banking, nothing. Later the mayor was interviewed. He said he had two groups. The first group were the older ones mainly who hunted, fished, had caravans and went camping etc. They were all fine, fishing and cooking up seafood on their gas BBQs. The other group had nothing and couldnt cook, heat water ... nothing. they did badly. Now this was in the space of a week. I thought ok I need to make sure I am in group 1!
      Thank you so much Cheryl. It is true ... what good friends and helps to each other we can be even from far apart! With love Annabel.xxxx

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  23. AnnaBel, this is such a great idea and I am looking forward to the next installment! Prices are also going up in the states while social security and wages, for the most part, are not. You always share the best information :D.

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    1. Dear Pam, I hope the series will be helpful. Together we can all learn a lot. There are ways and means to do better for less, that is my belief! With love, Annabel.xxx

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  24. Oh boy, I am looking forward to the great series...so many talented ladies here, there will be such a wealth of information to glean!
    Ha! I had to chuckle at your comment about our grandparent's everyday skills be so popular now. :) About 20 years ago my sister in law, thinking she was hurting me, and placing a good dig, accused me of someone who should have been living in the 1800's. :D Oh my, at times...so correct.
    I have been a little lax in this department, skimming by a bit in recent years. So this series is a welcome event to learn and rekindle some of those skills I've let become dusty.
    Thank you Annabel!
    Have a blessed day Ladies!!
    -Kath

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    1. Dear Kath,
      Thank you! I think the same as you. Between us all we will come up with a lot. Now and then I find something amazing and think WHY did I never know this or think of it? That is what I am hoping for, lots of moments like this.
      Seriously the way the world is I think it is a compliment to be old fashioned!
      Many thanks, Love Annabel.xxx

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  25. My parents and older siblings lived through the 2nd world war but even when I was a child after the war, lots of things were still rationed. Even though dad worked full time we couldn't afford to waste anything. Dad Had a cobbler's last to mend our shoes. We kept chickens, grew our veg and made our own fun. I enjoyed your post.

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    1. Thank you very much Jean. That is interesting how long things were still rationed. I hope you will enjoy the series! xxx

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  26. I am so excited for this post and your upcoming ones. I love frugality and now that we are 69 and 70, living on Social security and a few odd jobs, it is harder to make ends meet and have any extra. Thank God my hubby is a true handyman and can fix anything, always has so this helps immensely and I love to be frugal. Nannie

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    1. Dear Nannie, Thank you! Having a husband who is a good handyman is a true blessing! Thank you so much, love Annabel.xxx

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  27. One of the most useful cookbooks I've used is the More-with-less Cookbook by Doris Jansen Longacre. It has great info on how to stretch your food, food combining for nutrition, and how to "gather up the fragments".The book is written from a Mennonite perspective, and has many recipes from all over the world. Worth every penny I spent.

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    1. I've got that too. Actually I'm on my second one as I wore my first one out. Nannie

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    2. Thanks for the reminder of that book. It is on my cookbook shelf and it is time to take another look at it for sure.

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  28. I love this blog post and can not wait to read more. This is a very timely post as prices are rising and salaries are not. Can't wait. Hugs, Cindy Jane

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    1. Thank you so much. That is exactly what I am observing... prices rising, wages not and many house values fell too. Thanks Cindy.xxx

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  29. My dad grew up in the depression and he made do. If something was falling apart and nothing seemed to work, duct tape was the answer. He saved as much money as possible. His only debt was a mortgage. He never put money in the stock market - certificates of deposit and savings bonds were his conservation ways. I have done the same. I have friends and family members who don't want to take the time to do a garage sale or sell on local FB sites or ebay so they give me everything so I am hearing the cha-ching in my pockets. Like my parents and grands, I garden, czn, bake as much from scratch as possible. I barter with some of the items for things I can't do well. Thank you for creating tbis series.

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    1. Thank you so much! You are wise and smart! A lot of people throw away perfectly good things that could be sold. I hear of it all the time. I think if you dont want things at least donate it dont just dump it! But if you can turn it into cash then go for it! Thank you for this you are going to be an asset in this series! With love Annabel.xxx

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  30. Hi, love this post. Long time reader. I had to use anonymous as I have issues with using my google account and posting comments ;(. Thanks for this new series, it will be very interesting and helpful.
    Hilogene in Az

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    1. Thank you Hilogene. I am glad to have you here. xxx

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  31. I am looking forward to these posts. My mother in law always rinsed out plastic bags to reuse and my mother can't throw any food away. It just kills her for someone not to eat it all.

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    1. Dear Sandy, I couldnt always understand some of the things Nan and Pa did. Now I realise they lived with so little that waste to them was just a terrible thing. Now it makes sense. Now we need to learn the same. Thank you so much! Love Annabel.xxx

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  32. Dear Annabel, I loved the original posts you did on this theme and am looking forward to this one. Next week we will have no kitchen and bathroom and a barely working laundry so I will be noting things down to read when I have peace and quiet around me.

    I have just made 3 batches of scones (last bake in the oven) and remembered I had packed my recipes away but then I remembered my mother in law's book that no one wanted (I took it) and found her scone recipe (the one I always use). As I was looking for the scone recipe I noticed a cough mixture recipe, unfortunately it is based on a particular cough mixture that is no longer around but I bet it worked really well otherwise my mother in law wouldn't have kept the recipe.

    I only had 1 grandmother when I was growing up and she was a working lady so not much information was passed on even though I did spend a lot of my school holidays with her and grandpa. Things were very basic, they had a rhubarb plantation out the back and a worm farm. I learnt how to lay a net to catch rabbits and which were mushrooms and not toadstools and to be careful when picking blackberries because they grew in a gold mine area with deep mine shafts hidden by the grass and trees.

    I have a stock of various items that we use all of the time but with limited storage space I haven't been able to stock up as much as I have wanted. That will be taken care of once the extension is all finished. I will have so much storage that my husband thinks I will have problems filling it.

    My 'next thing' is calling me - cleaning cloths to be popped into their jar and soaked with miracle cleaner so that they are ready to go. Then I will work out what my 'next thing' will be.

    Lynette

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    1. Dear Lynette, When you have your extensions fished and have more storage space it will be fantastic. I love the cleaning cloths. Now and then I get caught on the phone. I will get a couple of theses and wipe down everything biro the phone call is over. The house smells so clean. Damp dusting is the way to go I think.
      I would treasure that recipe book. I hope that as we go along you will find many good things that can be your next thing! I have just been doing so much in my laundry which is why I made it the first subject. I really changed my ways and supplies enormously.
      Those scones sound so good. Now I am hungry! (late afternoon!)
      Many thanks Lynette, with love Annabel.xxx

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  33. Hi Annabel and Bluebirds
    Yes this new series is very timely and will be greatly appreciated. It can be overwhelming when you stop and think of the problems, costs, and never ending higher and higher bills we are facing. And it is depressing that even the basics do cost so much now too... so it will be great to tackle this together one small step at a time and focus on what we CAN do and what we can control or improve on. Thanks so much for being such a positive and uplifting mentor. I for one (and I'm sure I'm not alone) definitely need it at the moment and will greatly look forward to this series. With love and thanks, Kelly

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    1. Dear Kelly,
      I truly hope this will be a help to you. We can think outside the square a bit! I do think we should be positive that we can be resourceful and learn totally new skills. I am working on the laundry as a subject. Nan didnt have fancy products or a fancy machine and her linen was always spotless, smelled fresh, clothes were all kept beautifully. So much to learn! With love Annabel.xxx

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  34. I have been rewatching Wartime farm on YouTube. I wonder today if we could pull together and make it work. I live in the U.S. and have been hearing about canned veggies shortages. Too much rain for too many days.

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    1. Dear Cheryl, We saw on tv about your poor farmers struggles with this season so it made international news.
      I think War time farm is excellent. I certainly feel country people would help each other like this. There is quite a strong sprite of helping each other. I am not too sure about cities. Many out in the suburbs. You would hope people would get together co ops and clubs etc to help each other. In the war years they had pig clubs and chicken clubs and all kinds where a number of families would split the work and costs and skills and share the produce. Love it! Thank you! With love Annabel.xxx

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  35. incredible post!
    i don't have much experience with my parents making do (they were both heavy drinkers) & i was very young when my grand parents died; i became one of those convenience shoppers when i left home & bought everything if it meant less cooking time, thought why not, i get paid now & should be able to eat what i liked; never really learned to cook totally from scratch, sure a roast meal was easy but was a hopeless baker. these days is different what with all the food allergies i have, so all the 'convenient foods' were scratched off the list... then i found Rhonda & her DTE blog & haven't looked back; she really helped me to put in perspective 'the self sufficiency in the home' on a much smaller scale than most information i was researching.
    looking forward to see what you have in store for us, i need to relearn how to cook for one (after kids left home stopped cooking & did easy foods)
    i love reading how you always make or get extras to share with the rest of your families
    thanx for sharing

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    1. Dear Selina, It looks like you have learned so much and good on you as not having learned these things in your family it takes determination to make these changes as an adult. Down to Earth is full of information and common sense. Like an encyclopaedia of living simply!
      If I was living alone I would still batch cook. Just divide things up into single portions and label. Then you have many nutritious meals put away. Soon you would only need to be cooking once or twice a week to have plenty of beautiful home cooked meals. I do plan extras to help the family so that is another option. This week I am planning lots of spaghetti sauce and pasta. Everyone will get some, plus our meals plus some for the freezer.
      Many thanks I am so glad to hopefully help you more with your journey! With love Annabel.xxx

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  36. Dear Annabel,
    What an absolutely wonderful post!! I am so excited for the series on saving and preparing the home for hard times. It is so pertinent in so many locations.
    I have felt, strongly, to get our food storage back on track as health issues derailed us for several years. This week, I have been going through the food storage room and shelves, pitching expired foods and donating what we no longer eat. For me, I feel that over the next month, I need to make sure that all we have is current, the meal plans for the food storage are set and in one location, and all the food is either vacuum sealed or long term storage packaged. I finally burned out the vacuum sealer that we have had for years and just took the new back up out today. If anyone vacuum seals a lot to preserve food a backup can be a lifesaver.
    I have experimented, in the past, on what keeps vacuum sealed and what doesn't in the nut family. Walnuts are not long keepers, even vacuum sealed, yet pecans can be just as fresh as the day I put them in the jar, even after three years. No one wants stale or rancid food on their shelves when it becomes all there is to eat.
    It has been years since we canned peaches and pears every Fall. This year, I pray that I am feeling well enough to get, at least, 32 quarts of organic peaches and 32 quarts of organic apples canned. We, also, stock organic dehydrated apples which last a long time when vacuum sealed in addition to dehydrating.
    I am a big fan of freeze dried food and dehydrated foods for storage. We do purchase all organics, but that is not necessary. Food on the shelf is more important that organic if you can't find it or can't find it at a reasonable cost. Right now, we have dehydrated dates, mission figs, apples, bananas, blueberries, and apricots in vacuum sealed jars in our food storage room. The room is totally dark, no heat (it stays an even 65 degrees year around) and no moisture possibility.
    I am looking forward to what everyone has to share. Thanks again for this post.
    Have a wonderful weekend.
    Many blessings to you,
    Glenda

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    1. Glenda, your food storage room sounds wonderful. I aspire to have it filled as you do some day.
      Love, Kelsey

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    2. Dear Glenda, Thank you so much! I am finding the vac sealer very good. I think I would only freeze nuts long term though. I know long term a freezer may not be an option in all circumstances but yes they go rancid and no good then at all. Dried fruit though is wonderful. Also it is true that in a pinch food on the shelf is what you need and we might have to make compromises to what we might normally choose first.
      I am hoping we have a big summer fruit harvest. That is the best part of summer for me.
      Thanks so much, with love, Annabel.xxx

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  37. I am just seeing this two days late so I am late to the party! I am so excited that you are doing this series! I did not realize that things had gotten so bad there in Australia. It is quite shocking to hear of all the high prices and increases. Our daughter who lives in Germany has very high electricity costs so they are always bundled up in the winter and they have no air conditioning at all. They have had a very hot summer and we have felt so sorry for them in their third floor apartment in the city with the awful heat. Here in the USA we have had small price increases at the grocery but not at all what you mention. Gas has gone down and real estate prices in our area are sky high so that houses are out of reach for first home buyers. The one item I have seen here that is out of reach is green beans to can. They are $60 a bushel and I saw them in the weekly sale flyer at Lidl for a shocking 2.99 a pound. When we were at ALdi this week I checked the prices on cans and they were still 38 cents so I picked up a case to add to my pantry and will pick up one each week as long as that price holds. Cans are better than none. My great Grandmothers were really good at stretching a dollar. I wish I could sit down and talk with them especially the one who was widowed and raised 8 children alone.

    Can't hardly wait til next week!

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    1. Dear Lana,
      It would be awful to be in an apartment with the heat. Many apartments and modern buildings dont even have good ventilation. That is difficult. I think the food prices and many shortages are pretty well world wide. With the beans that will be the really and season the farmers had and I would expect it to start to show up in many fresh produce and canned produce. It made the news here, your situation with corn crops etc. I think our Greet Grandmothers would have been amazing sources of information as they mainly had big families too. My Nan I talk about came from a family of 13, she was the youngest. They were out on a farm in quite a dry area too.
      Thank you so much Lana, with love Annabel.xxx

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  38. Fabulous post Annabel. Looking forward to this series. So timely!
    It is just wonderful reading everyone's comments too. So nice to be in a community of like minded people who think of doing these things as being quite normal. 😊

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    1. Thanks so much Kaye! The comments are wonderful! I have a feeling this series will teach us so much (which certainly includes me) With love Annabel.xxx

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  39. Annabel.. there is a book I have in my shopping cart on amazon that goes over this too can't wait to order it. It's called "We had everything but Money". A lady on youtube was reviewing it and how they made do. She also did a video on grocery shopping tips and how she was tempted to buy a hamburger and fries which would have cost $10.00 where she lives here in the USA. She said for that same price she could buy 2 lbs of good quality hamburger and make 12 hamburger patties out of that same $10.00. Good points. I look forward to hearing more of your story. Sadly my Grandma died when I was too young to listen to her stories and my Grandpa had dementia. I do know they were tobacco farmers in Kentucky and had 9 kids.

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    1. Dear Anna,
      That book sounds really interesting and I am looking it up! Take out now is expensive. The lady was right you could feed a whole family for that. I like some take out type meals i.e. hamburgers and steak sandwich and chips and we just do out own. They are pretty good too! Pizza is another.
      I am sorry you missed out with this precious time with your Grandparents. They had a wonderful big family too! Many thanks, Annabel.xxx

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  40. Hi Annabel and Blue birds! We are keeping at it as best we can and we will have a harvest, but nothing like before. Normally I am canning pickles or beans by now, but not so this year. Prices are creeping up here, some things a few cents and some quite they will go up higher yet though and our stores have had shortages on some things and empty shelves that takes weeks to get restocked. I always cherry pick the deals and never meal plan and then buy ingredients. My grandmothers pantries were very basic and foods were plentiful, but simple meals. This series is one of my favorite subjects!
    XOXO
    Vicky

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    1. Dear Vicky,
      I know how much you usually put up each season! You will be a big help to me this series. As you say if we have the basics we can make so much. Anything else is a bonus! Thank you so much, Love Annabel.xxx

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  41. This is a wonderful post, Annabel! This is the way my parents lived. My Mother started teaching me to cook and bake when I had to stand on a chair. To garden, canning, how to cut up a chicken and fry it and the list goes on. I'm embarrassed to say after I got married and we moved to a big city, we left all that good training behind - after all we weren't poor any more. Not a pretty story as I became a single working Mom and brought bits and pieces back. But when I retired the 2nd time at 77 and had just a fixed income, frugality became my job, hobby and fun! I love the Tuesday group and look forward to this Post as well. Thank you for all you do! Shirley

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    1. And, I love and look forward to the Friday posts, too! Shirley

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  42. Dear Annabel, I am so excited about this series -it is great to read that everyone else is too. Thankyou so much, I am really grateful you thought to do it. Every little thing really does help and it will be good to review areas I think I have
    under control - there are always new tips to learn. I am almost finished my big spring clean, so this will be perfect for me.
    Love Clare

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    1. Dear Clare, Thank you! Well done on the spring clean! Gosh that is coming up for me too! We can so a lot to be a bit more self sufficient and save. You have a great garden space so this is a big help to you. So many possibilities! I wonder if you could sell bunches of sunflowers this year? They would sell! With love Annabel.xxx

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  43. I enjoyed your post. Right now I’m back to basics and make do and mend because my employment situation has changed. However when I’ve been employed full time on a good salary I’ve supported the barista and restaurant industries in moderation (while still saving). I worry about how people in Australia are going to earn a living in the future. So much of our manufacturing and call centres are being moved off shore.
    Which I guess brings me back full circle to your post. If you can have a small plot of land you can possibly survive and feed yourself employed or not.xx Marigold.

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    1. Dear Marigold,
      Back to basics saves such a lot. I agree with you that so much has been sold off or moved off shore. It is just wrong. I look at what are daily needs of people. They will have to cut back on luxuries and focus on necessities. We can produce our own food but still have electricity and rates etc to pay so we need income for those. Right now we are working on that. We really have to think ahead. It is hard to do! But as much as possible I want to be self sufficient. So we need to learn a lot! Thanks so much, with love, Annabel.xxx

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  44. Annabel, I love your posts! Look forward to Friday every week just so I can read them. I am very interested in this new series and think it couldn't have come at a better time. Thank you for taking the time to share you life with us.
    Heather

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    1. Dear Heather, Thank you so much! I think we can learn lot and set ourselves up much better and more self sufficiently. This is what I am trying to do here. Then we are kid of prepared for anything! With love Annabel.xxx

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  45. thank you so much Annabel!!I want to re-learn and learn new skills to show my daughters and granddaughters. It has become so expensive in Florida the last several years. I would love to be able to retire and help more with my grandchildren. Teach them how to garden, bake, sew and preserve their food. I so enjoy reading your blog. Belinda

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    1. Dear Belinda,
      If you could pass these skills on to your Grandchildren that would be wonderful. I remember everything my Nan taught me down to fancy crochet patterns. This is what I want to do. I would not say I am retired but that I work at home. This gives the flexible hours to do things in school holidays with the kids and so on. There is a window of opportunity with kids growing up so fast so if you can do it just grab that chance. With much love, Annabel.xxx

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  46. Aaah! I lost my comment!! (So will try again!)

    I love this idea for posts, Annabel. And I loved reading about both your Nan's again!

    My grandfather's big vow after living through the Great Depression, was always to have change enough in his pocket to buy a hamburger whenever he wanted, as he had gone hungry so many times during the depression. For him this was a LUXURY, not an everyday occurrence. For their summer holidays, my grandparents used to take their 5th wheel trailer up to the mountains and park it, and all day my grandpa would fish, and my grandma, not being the "outdoor type", would stay in the trailer and happily embroider, crochet, or knit all summer long for gifts and to furnish their home. Tea towels, doilies, etc.. She would also can up all the fish my grandpa caught for their winter supply. This was their idea of a fun holiday! (Not a trip to Europe, etc..) Also, people used to get their socializing itch satisfied by a lot more visiting with each other...This seems so obsolete these days! No one ever shows up at anyone's house without a pre-arranged "appointment" anymore, and trying to get anyone to come for dinner when they're not driving their kids to one thing or another or commuting or working...virtually impossible! Just getting together with family and friends really did so much...it kept people more humane/people-savvy, pooled resources and ideas, kept costs down for socializing (rather than paying for restaurants and "events")...and generally kept up a support network for tough times!

    Have you ever visited Grandma Donna's site in the U.S.? She writes so passionately about many of these topics and is lovely to read.

    I can't wait to read each and every one of your posts on this topic!

    Speaking of visiting, I am cleaning house extra-thoroughly and baking bread today for company coming for dinner tomorrow night. Have a wonderful weekend!

    xx Jen in NS

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    1. Dear Jen, It is really wonderful how you remember your Grandfathers experience. I know a Polish man. In the war years they were always hungry, living in Poland still. He told me when he was little he was playing in the park. A young couple were sitting and they peeled an apple and shared it. When they left the apple peel was left behind. He racer over and ate that peel. He said he was too hungry to care what anyone thought. this always stuck with me.
      I would be your Grandma. Maybe I would fish a bit but otherwise I would be the support team and crochet! Now you make a great point! This frugal holiday that in fact stocked them up for winter was their holiday. What a fun and useful holiday! That is what I love!
      Also now that you mention it, I used to hang out with Nan a lot. Off we would go to visit this relative or friend. She had a bit of a circle. And people also came over. Maybe we could say this was the cafe set!
      I also remember how Nan would make some thing like a cake and come home with eggs or vegetables... there were trades going on.
      Yes I do know Grandma Donnas site! I have studied it often! It is beautiful!
      I think a support network is so important. We are woking on building on ours here.
      Enjoy your visitors! With love Annabel.xxx

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  47. P.S. I was also going to say that one thing I remember about my grandparents was that they were really CONTENTED. They weren't always hankering for the the greener grass. That's not to say that they didn't try new things or stopped learning or doing, but that they really didn't wish their lives away. And I think that can really help at any time in our lives, but even more so when times are tough. They were happy with simple pleasures, simple food, and (for my sociable grandpa) a daily chat with a friend or two over a cup of coffee!

    xx Jen in NS

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    1. Dear Jen,
      I love this. Thank you so much for sharing. Contentment is so important and unfortunately so lacking in today's society. "But godliness with contentment is great gain." 1 Timothy 6:6
      Love, Kelsey

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    2. It's true, isn't it, Kelsey? I have to remind myself every once in awhile...it's so easy to wish your life away and never appreciate what is right in front of you! Thinking of this topic really made me miss my grandparents and be so thankful for their example!!!! xx Jen

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  48. We have raised our 7 children...now grown...on simple homemade meals family devotions and hard work. Now grown and married...they all love the Lord and raise our 17 grandchildren in the same manner...Simple and godly💕😊

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    1. This is a wonderful testimony! Well done! And how fantastic to have 17 Grandchildren! xxx

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  49. Annabel,
    I am so excited for this new series. I am not part of the Tuesday group but I love seeing the things you post from it on here. I am planning to make lots of blackberry, strawberry and raspberry jams this year and give as many as I can to family and friends that will truly appreciate them. I enjoy this group of people because we share the same outlook on life.
    thank You!!

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    1. Thank you so much! I post a little here of the crafts but there are hundreds of contributions now in the group. There are so many ladies doing what we are! It is so lovely. Your jams will be beautiful. They do make lovely gifts. Absolutely. Little tags or a set of jams in a little box of basket looks beautiful too. Homemade produce is becoming very sought after. Thank you for your kind comment! xxx

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  50. Hi Annabel , I grew up with Nana and Grandad this way. I’m 42 so it was seen as so old fashioned and my mum hated it! But I loved it then and still do. My husband and I purchase a gorgeous old house semi rural and I have a couple of fruit trees and have cleared poor gardens for more and started a vege garden. Yesterday I harvested lettuce and herbs to go with my lunch , carrots broccoli silver beet and kale to go in my dinner. I have been living like nana again for only 6 months and I find I don’t even want to do my paid work! Please write more when you can! I miss my grandparents dearly and most people laugh when I’m hunting down the local fruit trees for gleaning. But I don’t care because we can afford our mortgage and we are not stressed by it, we live surrounded by trees and go to the beach with picnics when we want. I’m so grateful to live so simply because it really is the small things that make you happy. My son and I planted seeds yesterday for the vege garden and it’s exciting waiting for them to pop up :-)
    I always tried to have a corporate job, but it was never me, giving myself permission to live this way is liberating. Its busy, but so rewarding. In fact, we save more living like this and working minimal part time hours than me getting a full time job. Things were not always this rosy, and it’s taken years to get to actually live like this , so I’m mindful of being grateful and humble.
    Alexis

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    1. Dear Alexis, I am so exciting for you with your new life. We can feel very pushed or bullied even into corporate life. Unless it is a very high paid job it is pretty common that for all the pushing the wage, less tax, transport, clothes, workplace "contributions" to everyone birthday/baby/ retirement and so on, childcare if applicable... the list goes on and on. After this the final figure is often dismal. You can save more than that at home with a whole different kind of life! I hope you enjoy this series and I would love to hear more about your Nana as we go along! With love Annabel.xxx

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  51. Hi Annabel and bluebirds,
    This is indeed a timely series. Like many of you I loved your series on filling your celler. Last year I took a new job were I am on $100.00 less a week in wages. The upside is I have a wonderful employer who really appreciates and looks after her staff. Like everyone else, costs here in NZ are high, with wage growth low. Petrol is currently $2.36LTR. I go to the most competitive petrol station, who last night, when I filled up had a discount of 0.15cents LTR. I recently tried for the first time a chocolate cake with no eggs or butter. It was wonderful and I got the recipe off my colleague. I am blessed with a partner who is even more frugal than I am. His living costs are low as he is not someone who wants STUFF for the sake of it. I myself no longer buy stuff. I can admire pretty things but have no need for them. I have more than enough. When we replace items, such as appliances and furniture we do due diligence to make sure we get the most suitable item for our needs and price.
    I too remember my great grandmothers ways. I was 10yrs old when she died in 1980 at the age of 93. I remember her little council flat that was walking distance from my home. I loved that in her kitchen she had a wall cupboard that when opened became a table. I remember her currant jars, button jars. When she went into a rest home my grandmother found large sums of money hidden everywhere, as she did not trust the banks, having lived through the depression.
    To read everyones posts from all around the world it is evident that the ordinary person is feeling the squeese. Like many of you have commented, thank goodness we have the skills to thrive, regardless. It is certainly very corporate and government motivated. What I love about your blog Annabel is that you focus on what we can do. It is uplifting and joyful to read each and ever post and everyone sharing. There is a strong sense of shared gratitude amongst everone for what we do have and can do. It is one of my favourite places in the world.
    Many,many thanks to you for this Annabel.

    Mandy(NZ)

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    1. Dear Mandy, This is such a lovely comment thank you! First of all I had no idea how much your petrol is! That is a full dollars litre more than here! And we think outs is bad!
      It is a big help your partner is frugal and sensible. Often one person works so hard and the other one is like a leak.
      I do agree with you that big corporations and governments really have little regard for ordinary people. But ha! the humble will inherit the earth!
      I do feel positive and that there is so much we can do. We can take up the challenge. I love the war time cries like "Dig for Victory" and how pole rose up to the various challenges and produced food and goods on the home front. Well we can do that too! It is wonderful you remember your Great Grandma too. With much love Annabel.xxx

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  52. Just this morning as I was making English Muffins, I started thinking about the great depression here in the U.S. and I wondered how many of the men and women of average income or lower incomes had already felt the effects of the coming depression long before the markets crashed...I'm sure there were all sorts of signs that had been felt by those who had little money. Our own recession in the past few years was certainly felt by us yet all the government officials said not a recession at all. In figuring cost of living in the US the government doesn't include such things as cost of food or clothing or any of the things that effect real living for anyone which seems beyond foolish because surely the cost of food and electric is an indicator of the state of the world is it not?

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    1. Dear Teri, Yes! I agree with you. The average person is feeling the pinch but the media/political leaders and news say everything is fine. When basics become luxuries I think it is obvious something is wrong. Before the Great Depression everyone was assured it would not happen. Like a change in the weather sometimes you can feel something is up too. I really like your observation! Love Annabel.xxx

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  53. I love this subject and idea Annabel.

    Reading your post tonight gently reminded me of simpler times. Only today I was discussing with mum and dad, how this world at some point is going to have to go back to doing things the old fashioned way. If we don't, the planet is going to suffer immensely, and that to me is devastating. I want a better world for my grand-babies and if it means we have to change things, I am in holus-bolus!

    I look forward to reading more about the subjects you are going to go more in depth with.

    I will continue with my journey of cutting back on consumption, recycling/up-cycling things, using what I have already, mending things, cooking cheaply but healthy etc etc etc. We are on holidays at the moment, but when we get home I am going to dust off my bike, and start using it more as a mode of transport like I intended to do. I am going to try and live from the vegetables I grow and avoid the supermarkets and shops as much as possible. Hmm...maybe I should post on my own blog about my future endeavours haha!

    Much love to you and yours,
    Tania xxx

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    1. Dear Tania, If everyone lived like you do there would be no issues with pollution and waste at all. Your blog is a good platform already as a good example.
      Being good stewards of the earth and of our money/resources go hand in hand. It is amazing that in the end living simply is the happiest life anyway! What a win win situation! I love it! With love Annabelxxx

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  54. I was bought up by parents who were the children of the Great Depression. I saw one photo of my maternal grandparents and their children standing on the veranda of their home. They looked like an advertisement for the Smith Family, 7 kids from adult to baby (my mother was born when her mother was 48). Mum nearly always talked enthusiastically about her childhood. She was very reluctant to talk about anything that was bad and there was probably plenty of it but working together as a family, routine and community helped overcome uneasiness (anxiety) and melancholy. The take home message from all that she told me was that honing household skills makes you feel good. Everything was made from scratch, repurposed, grown and baked. I spent last weekend with my sister and her family. she has just become a grandmother for the first time and we were playing with her grandson. I was looking at the little tracksuit that was bought from a trendy kids store and said to my sister 'you could make that' and we both laughed because that was a direct quote from our mother. I don't think she ever said 'you could buy that'...lol Really looking forward to your series. It is right up my alley. Cheers Anne

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    1. Dear Anne, Everything I heard from my Nans was pretty happy too (apart from actual tragedies) and they worked and were busy and made the most of everything. They were happy. No one is ever happy being inactive I notice.
      I love how your Mum would say "you could make that" this is what I am always thinking... I could make that! Thank you so much, love Annabel.xxx

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  55. Annabel, timing for this is perfect - it's a scary place out there. All we can do is concentrate on keeping our own families safe and healthy and pray that things improve. My grandmother's were also born in the 1880's and I have lots of tips from them as well as my mum's wartime cookbook from 'The Lady's Journal' which is still even now full of interesting tips and recipes. Having been a follower of your blogs for many years, I am looking forward to the next instalment. Cheers, Pam

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    1. Dear Pam, Thank you so much! I am going to look up the ware time cook book you mention. Some of these things are online so I will check.
      There is so much we can do. Getting back to basics is such a help. So many things we dont even really need to buy. Or we can make a simple substitute. Thank you and I am working on our laundry post! With love Annabel.xxx

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  56. What wonderful comments! I also have lived this way for most of my life. I do enjoy a holiday now and then, but it's only after I hit my mid fifties that I could afford one. Buying the smallest cottage on the block has really saved me money. My heating, cooling, and repair bills are low. I also get around by bicycle, walk, and take the bus. It really helps to save money and it keeps me fit. I have found shops in California where groceries are still very affordable. I just buy what's on sale. I stick to my gas budget and take the bus or bike for the rest of the time. It helps to love being at home, and to have cheap hobbies. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. That is just beautiful! A small home is cheaper to heat and cheaper to cool. Well done. You life sounds beautiful! xxx

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I really appreciate your comments thank you! The aim of my blog is the be a place of encouragement and happiness. Very rarely is anyone rude. Actually only twice so far! If you post a rude or aggressive comment I will read it but not publish it, thanks for understanding.xxx

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