A throwaway society and fast fashion has
never appealed to our Penny-she's more of a sock-darning, money-saving sort of
girl…
We are living through a double-dip
recession-which if it wasn't so nasty, would sound like a conundrum with a
carrot and some humorous at party. Any money we've saved is attracting as much
interest as a bicycle in Jeremy Clarkson's garage-we've stopped going out so
much and we're cutting back on luxuries
Kate
Rabett
So, where now? As the financial crisis
continues, a change has come over us-thrift addicts are coming out of the
(second-hand, revamped) closet.
I'm one of them. I love spending money, but
my greatest joy comes from saving it-salvaging a shirt, growing a herb, making
a present, mending something that would otherwise be sent off to the knacker's
yard with nary a backward glance. And I hardly ever throw food away. Leftovers
get whipped up into a delicious bubble and squeak, and I'm pretty fearless when
it comes to use-by dates.
It's not just me. A friend of mine, actress
and academic Kate Rabett, is a dad hand at eking out provisions. ‘I can get at
least Four meals out of a chicken,' she says with pride. 'Roast, risotto, cold
with salad and stock for soup.' She also rummages through the hedgerows for
edibles like sloes for gin, dandelion leaves for salads and elderflowers for
sorbet. She's the sort of bird who wears a picture hat and a dimity grown while
foraging.
Talking of which… ‘I never throw out
clothes,' says Kate. In fact. I wore one of Granny's silk dressing gowns to a
film premiere and got a tick in the Evening Standard for having a
"hit" dress,' she says.
I
love spending money, but my greatest joy comes from saving it
So thrift isn't just cool, it has the
fashion experts' approval too. Although there is one disadvantage to never
throwing anything away-I won't mention what a crowded mess her wardrobe is!
In these days of straitened circumstances,
we are rediscovering old ways. Newspaper is great for cleaning windows. Soda
crystals are cheap and you can use them to clean silver, brass, get rid of food
stains and unblock sinks and drains-hell, they're so useful you could probably
make them into a small boat and sail it to France for a cheap holiday. Vinegar
is equally useful, although it can leave you with the faint scent of a
fish-and-chip supper.
However, in my humble opinion, there are
three major false economies…
1. Freezers. People have been known to find pork chops the reign of
Queen Mary in the snowy wastes at the bottom of their chest.
2. Two-for-one deals. The second 'deal' sits there for ever, until
eventually you end up putting it in the bin. This is particularly true of
bananas.
3. Bargains that don't fit. You will never wear those shoes, because
they make you walk like a tit on a hotplate. Ditto that size 8 dress.
I asked Twitter for bright ideas and one
cynic suggested: 'Save money on buying Good Housekeeping by reading it for free
while you're having your legs waxed.' Aha, I thought. Afar better way to save
pennies is to buy Good Housekeeping and read it after waxing your legs
yourself! You won't regret it.
The word 'thrift' used to have a whiff of
old pants about it. Picture a thrifty person and you'd imagine someone with
grey frizzy hair and pointy fingers who smelled of cats. But our time has come
now-thrift has cast off its musty cape and emerged blinking into the sunlight.
Let us wear the name with pride.
