to think that if asked to go back WWII style rationing, we'd never cope?

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

Not that it's a seriously likely thing to happen, more a reflection of how spoilt we are by the 24/7 disposable consumer-goods culture, even in relatively hard economic times. Reading up on the WWII home front experience & all the fantastic ways people (women) then coped with shortages of basics, I can't imagine being asked to present a ration book at Sainsbury in exchange for my one solitary egg for the week. They'd have to barbed-wire the shelves and post armed guards... What would happen to all those fussy kids? Would they just starve to death? And I'm not sure I could knit a sock to save my life.

AIBU to think that, unlike our grannies, too many of us are a bunch of trembly-lipped 'ruined my life by delivering the wrong sort of tomato' wussies that would cave at the first mention of 'make do and mend'? ... or are we just as tough and capable of knuckling down in a crisis?

I understand that there was also looting in the war period, but no-one mentions that much. Squirrel anyone?

well, we could rear rabbits too and feed the chickens with them?

I'd love to have a go....only if I lived in one of my parents houses though. THey have gardens y'see, with grass and everything - we only have a concrete yard!

iklboo - you can grow veg on the windowsill

I often think this when I chuck an old paper wrapper from the butter away. My grandmother used to keep every one to grease baking trays, she usually had a stack of them in her fridge.

I used to love that programme 1940s house. It would be a shock but of course if it was rationing we'd have to. My grandparents had a cardboard wedding cake. My grandmother then moved to Argentina when she was pg with my mum as there was no rationing there, and my Grandfather was in the airforce and based in Norfolk so she was on her own in London.

I'd quite enjoy the challenge, but i say that as someone who's never really had to face it,. I'd certainly be a lot slimmer :o

My Dad was evacuated to live with his cousins on their farm and doesn't remember going without anything :)

I might be a little harder to please .... (even though I keep hens and grow veg)

But there was so much propaganda about olden times and the rationing and that. Lots of people used the black market and lots of people went hungry - it's just they were never discussed because it was bad for morale. Can't bear rose-tinted spectacles...

Also. Powdered egg.

I'd survive, because I would have to. I'd turn my garden over to chickens and veg

Nikelbabe am just learning what I can/t grow, the hard way. :o

Ikboo you?d be surprised, most of ours is pots and shelves and windowledges, in a pocket hankie sized garden that's half concreted.

I think the big difference is that everyone was, officially at least, in the same boat. We?ve a glut of plums, blackberries and onions, that we?re all struggling to be exited about any more even though it?s perfectly good food.
If my neighbours where in the same boat I?m sure we?d be able to swap some for other things.

Pedicuri yep, we wouldn?t have bloody minded squirrels trashing the spuds as they?d be someone else?s squirrel stew by now. :o

I thought this thought this morning about fussy choosy eaters, I mean my own child if we were too poor to have any luxuries, only complete basics. How would he cope without tomato sauce for a start? Still, I'd be nice and slim I suppose. Did they get booze during rationing?

They often made their own. (said with interest)

I've had a pop at self-sufficiency and it's not easy, even the diluted version I attempted. I was a lot thinner though

oh i'd cope

i can;t grow

i cant sew

we'd cope

i know this becuase i'm northern and northerners are tough i think southerners would cry

I've grown most of my veg this year and it's saved me a fortune. I looked out the window the other day and realised there was well over £250 worth of fruit and veg growing there.

It's unbelievably satisfying and I feel like I've learnt a really important skill too.

That said, if I wasn't on maternity leave, I don't think I'd have found the time to do so much.

My mum grew up with rationing. She doesn't see anything noble about it. It just was what it was and it went on for too long.

I've done it. Bought the books by Marguerite Patten and bought the week's rations - eggs were the only thing I cheated on a bit as I couldn't find powdered and you can't buy them individually, so I bought 6 and we pretended we had chickens

It's quite pulse and veg heavy though, if you're not used to it things can get quite windy for the first week or so

we are spoiled , and as things go we either will crash back into that type of rationing and most will fail or become more spoiled, im pleased to say im not part of the wasteful side of things i repair mend and make do its how i was raised

I've just done an online shop and got rid of all the buy 3 picnic items for a £5 etc and its amazing how much cheaper it is if you get rid of all the stuff in little pots that looks so lovely.

We have plentiful blackberries in our back garden but that's about as self sufficent as we get. Although I've just lit a fire as its so sodding cold and am burning all the kids artwork!!

I wonder if the fussy eaters were the kids with rickets etc? DD3 is fussy, I think it's karmic payback for me thinking that fussy eaters were made that way by their parents' attitudes - well, she had the same food given to her as the other 2 and turns her nose up at most things. Luckily she will take the vitamin supplements, as there are days when she'll eat nothing but some fruit and toast, if I'm lucky I'll get her to eat a bit of cheese. I'd have had to have a fast growing apple tree or two in wartime or she'd have scurvy, too!

Southerners are tough, we just don't see the need to tell everyone.

This is an adult ration for a week
BACON and HAM ??? 4ozs ( 100g )

MEAT ???????? to the value of 1s.2d ( 6p today ). Sausages were not rationed but difficult
to obtain : offal was originally unrationed but sometimes formed part of
the meat ration.

BUTTER ??????? 2ozs ( 50g )

CHEESE ??????? 2ozs ( 50g ) sometimes it rose to 4ozs ( 100g ) and even up to 8ozs
( 225g )

MARGARINE ?????? 4ozs ( 100g )

COOKING FAT ????? 4ozs ( 100g ) often dropping to 2ozs ( 50g )

MILK ???????? 3 pints ( 1800ml ) sometimes dropping to 2 pints ( 1200ml ).
Household ( skimmed, dried ) milk was available. This was I packet

each 4 weeks.

SUGAR ???????? 8ozs ( 225g )

PRESERVES ?????? 1lb ( 450g ) every 2 months

TEA ????????? 2ozs ( 50g )

EGGS ???????? 1 shell egg a week if available but at times dropping to 1 every two
weeks. Dried eggs - 1 packet each 4 weeks.

SWEETS ???????? 12 ozs ( 350g ) each 4 weeks.

Oi Custy, I'll show you how soft Southerners are

:o

Headfairy - I save butter wrappers - am I your gran?
The thing is, before WW2 rationing a lot of people didn't get enough to eat and their diet actually improved under rationing. Nowadays more people are overweight and would find it hard to do with less, also there is a lot more choice and more exotic food than in WW2. I think we would find it hard to adjust, but we'd just have to.