Waste not, want not
Waste not.....want not!!! It was a phrase that my grandmother grilled into me every day. Having lived through two world wars, and not having a lot of money to play with, she knew so much about making sure the family lived well and healthily but cheaply. She lived well into her 80's and her daughter, my mother, is still going strong at 86 with not a sign of brittle bones, heart problems, loss of memory or anything else!
Why is this relevant? Well, we seem to be in a stage of our economy where the cost of life's basics is soaring, our tax is increasing, our planet is suffering and whilst we are not officially in recession, we all know that the pound in our pocket doesn't go far any more and it's getting harder for many families to make ends meet.
I believe it's time to remember the lessons we learnt from our ancestors - live well, live cheaply and cause minimum damage to the environment. And I believe we should turn it into a community initiative - have fun swopping ideas on how to eat well, live well, but keep costs down.
Why do we not have active community 'swops' clubs - let's get back to the old system of bartering rather than buying. A village close to me have started something along those lines - they run clothes swops evenings in the village hall and they are incredibly popular.
Some organisations like Oxfam have taken the idea even further and are actively promoting women's fashion lines based on outfits created from old clothes donated to their shops. Maybe in your community there are some talented seamstresses who could provide a community service reworking old clothes. It could be really good fun - creating new outfits out of old ones.
And what about garden produce swops clubs? Lots of families are starting to grow their own vegetables, but inevitably some will grow too much of something, some haven't got the space to grow everything they need. What about a community gardening club where everyone grows something and then shares it?
There are loads more ideas along these lines - but I want to hear yours! And if you are involved in a community activity designed to help families help each other live well and cheaply, do tell me about it!
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