Quirks from a poorer childhood that have followed you through life.

[Motorwayview]

Inspired by the tight people thread.
No matter how much underwear I have I am always slightly panicked that I'll run out of clean underwear so have been known to handwash and leave overnight to dry. Ive got draws and draws of the stuff now - BUT growing up for a while I had just enough to get by on but only if DM washed them every night. ( 3 pairs knickers) Sometimes we didn't have the 50p for the meter to use the emersion heater or boil a kettle (this was the '70's).
The one that drives DH mad is that I have to use every last drop out of a bottle even if Ive got 3 more of the same in the cupboard ( shampoo ect) .
Anyone else ?

I make sandwiches up for the airport but am happy to spend £10 on a glass or 2 of wine.

I like having a lot of food in the house, because there wasn’t much growing up, and things deteriorated weekly towards Thursday, my dad’s payday. And I
love DS randomly showing up with school friends and knowing there will be toast/ snacks etc, because we always knew never to invite anyone round, certainly not at a time when they might expect to eat. The food just wasn’t there.

I can get an extra week out of the last half inch of any bottle of anything by adding vinegar or water.

Me too - especially fairy liquid - Im sure DH thinks Im bonkers.
DH had a more privileged background, private school ect, but says he wasn't privileged because he was a day boy not a border 🙄

I remember we had 1 pack of either Penguin or Club biscuits to last a family of 5 for a week.
My brothers would have theirs straight away and Id hide mine for later in the week.

I agree about bottles of shampoo sauces etc .
any wrapping or string or ribbon are saved . As are cards to reuse as gift cards or thank you cards. Any scrap of paper or pen I save. Often I only eat half of something to save for next day/days.
I hate waste .

Keeping nice things ‘for best’.

Keeping things ‘just in case’.

I’m getting out of both of these now but it’s hard to go against your natural inclinations.

My family only struggled for a while as my folks had children young so were still getting established with work, and we were fine by the time I was at secondary school, but I know how hard they worked to keep us all housed, fed and clothed in those early years, so I have nothing but admiration for what they did and all the other values they gave me.

You’ve just reminded me of another food-related thing that I share with my siblings. We all hate ’sharing plate’ type restaurants, or any food situation where you don’t get your own separate portion of food on your own plate. I suspect that we’re all mentally eating with one arm curved protectively around our plates, even if table manners mean we don’t literally do it. At some level we’re always looking at food and thinking ‘Is that enough?’

Ahhh, yes. Im in my 50's now and its only in the last few years Ive started actually wearing my " save it for best" clothing.

Binge eating from food insecurity

Me too!

I also hate waste and never throw away anything that could be used up. It’s got worse as I’ve got older. So whereas my mother was just tight with money, I’m saving the planet! Sorry mum.

Many many of us grew up like this…unfortunately many others want, today’s families to be the same now. Hope everyone thinks on this come election times!

“Keep it for best,” still can’t move away from this one.

I grew up in a house where the pennies were watched, DH didn’t. There was definitely more cash around his childhood but the way it was spent was very different. I cut open toothpaste tubes/Sun cream/moisturiser etc etc and can probably get a week out of a shower gel bottle once DH has ‘finished it’ and started on a new one. I don’t think it matters how much money you have, being wasteful is just not good.

I don't use much bar soap nowadays but always stick the remnants of the old bar onto the new one so it all gets used up. DH just throws the old sliver away if I don't catch it first 😨

Hot water -DF used to police the electric immersion heater

Making sure I fill up with petrol well before it gets to the red. Oh the terror of everyone panicking because we couldn't find a petrol station in time.

Being ready early because I was the kid who was always late for school or appointments and I hated it.

Prioritising that my children had the right 'stuff', particularly as teens, as I remember the feeling of not fitting in as never had the on trend the bag/shoes etc

I agree about being wasteful, but I do think the pendulum slips too far with me and I will go without things I need and can afford eg, dental work, new glasses ect, usually only going when DH or DC intervene and insist.

Another one who keeps thing for best! I consciously try not to do that anymore now, but it’s hard.

Weird food combinations, like super noodle sandwiches or tinned food in general I really like. It’s not even that much cheaper now, but it has stuck with me.

"Waste not, want not" was the family motto throughout my childhood.

I eat stuff that is out of date as I cannot bear to throw it away. My AC often arrive and do a sweep of my fridge and chuck stuff out. And I have stuff in my larder which is years out of "best before" date.

In my fridge at this moment is a small amount of cooked char-grilled chicken that came with my supermarket order. I ate half of it but really don't like it and do not want to eat it. I will leave it there till it is really out of date so I can justify throwing it out! Oh dear .......

Today I am replacing 2 drawer wheels on my 1970s Magnet kitchen so I don't need to lift the drawer to shut it. (We can afford a new kitchen, but something inside, from my past, makes me think, keep the money, you might need it...)
At the weekend I took the gate latch off and put in fresh rawlplugs so it no longer wobbles when I try to latch the gate. (Would have cost £25 to get the local odd-job to do it)

On the positive side, sometimes I look at the shoe rack and squeal inside... didn't need one growing up - a pair of plain black shoes (more spit and polish than leather) and a pair of plimsolls don't take up much space.

Oh God, we were slaves to the immersion, @Corianda 🤣

I have never in my life bought anything in a supermarket without comparing the cost per kilo/lb to that of the other options. It's astonishing to me that so many people don't do this. I hear my mother's voice in my head every time!

My grandad would use his penknife to carefully slice the tape off every single piece of wrapping paper, and reuse that. He also never throw away the plastic bag inside a cereal box or a Vitalite tub - these went straight into the shed or lean-to for mysterious reusing purposes.

I food hoarding. We have a ridiculous amount of food in the cupboards and freezer. We had a 4 day power cut recently and I promised myself I would keep it streamlined as I was so upset about losing all the food in the freezer, but it is packed again. Full of chicken carcasses, breadcrumbs, little bits if leftover.

I also overeat due to food insecurity, despite the fact that we are in no need of food worries.

I also have the keeping the best thing, even down to nice candles or gifted skincare etc.

I think some of the commentators had a much better childhood than I did.

Our breakfast was toast, lunch was a paste sandwich and water, dinner was a few chips with half a slice of bread.

We often had no toothpaste so used salt to clean our teeth. Toilet paper was newspaper.

Clothes were hand-me-downs before they even reached our family never mind me. I have a wardrobe full of clothes and I HAVE to have a cupboard full of non-perishable food and multi packs of toothpaste and toilet roll.