Frugal Preparedness for the Winter Coming

I know so many of you are visiting here from the Northern Hemisphere and winter has begun or is slowly making its way to you. Down here in the Southern Hemisphere we are entering into summer after what seems like a long winter. Spring seems to dance around these days not quite knowing what to do with itself so it can be hard sometimes to decide if its a winter day or a bad spring day but one thing I know for sure is that,  I am really looking forward to summer. Not because I love hot days or lying in the sun at the beach. No definitely not for me. Without a doubt I am a cozy autumn girl but I do enjoy warm days where summer dresses are the norm, the windows are wide open and the laundry is flapping in the breeze. I love going for early morning walks and late evening walks where the birds are singing their goodnight songs and the sun is dipping below the hills but the temperature is still warm and balmy and gentle.

Another thing about summer that is good is that our electricity and gas bills go way down and we don't need to use the heating. 

So in thinking about how we got through winter this year I thought I would share a few tips of how we were frugal to save money.

⛄  Reduce dryer usage. This was a big one for us as we live in a cold wet place ( as most of NZ is! ). Apart from needing it for sheets and towels, I really tried hard to dry everything else on our indoor clothes drying racks. According to NZ Consumer, a dryer can cost up to 50cents per load. If possible dry your laundry near a window that can be opened as well as receive sunlight or near a heating source. I discovered from someone else's frugal tips that using a dry towel in the dryer with wet laundry can also help reduce the length of time. I do use dryer balls and I find them helpful. If your winter weather allows it, hang your laundry outside to dry, either on a clothesline or foldable clothes airer.

⛄  Use heating only at certain times. This will look different for everyone as we all have different needs as well as time we are in the home vs outside the home. For us this past winter all my family have been home as my husband works from home several days per week and my sons are or have been doing distance learning studying for their education. So it has been important to keep our home warm, however we do not have our central heating on all day and the temperature is set at a certain level that we can live with. I encourage extra layers to keep warm before turning the heating up if it's an extra cold day. Using a hot water bottle or wheat bag is a great way to keep warm, thick blankets for snuggling on the couch as well as sleeping. Maybe you like electric blankets and just turn them on for long enough to warm the bed. A good idea can be to look at what your heating source is and see if you are able to find a cheaper alternative.

⛄  Warmth at the windows. This one kind of falls into the above category as well as being separate. Double glazing can sometimes be an option if you can afford it for long term investment. It cuts down on condensation, reduces the cold and helps your home to heat better as the air isn't as cold. ( We know this from experience ). We have always had blinds at the windows as well as thermal lined curtains. Opening them up first thing in the morning and opening the windows for a little while to let cool fresh air in helps to dry out the inside air making it easier to heat the home.

⛄  Switch off lights and appliances. Why pay the electricity company any more than we have to by having appliances and lights we are not using still turned on? Every little bit saved helps.

⛄ Boil water once. This might not suit everyone and after one week of trying it I decided this was one area I was willing to pay for. We tried boiling the jug for our first cup of tea for the day and then filling the flask to use for the next couple of drinks. Although the water remained very hot it didn't brew the tea the same as it wasn't freshly boiled and it affected the taste. I am a huge tea drinker so this one wasn't a winner for me but you might be prepared to try it and give it a go. One thing I do find helpful though is boiling water in the jug if I am cooking rice or pasta, as it is much quicker than using the gas hob which in turn saves money.

⛄  Don't overuse hot water. If you only require cold water for washing hands, cold water cycles in the laundry, rinsing dishes etc, then make sure the tap is cold water only because every time you turn on the tap for hot water, even waiting for the heat to come through, it is costing you.

⛄  Change settings on appliances. One example here is our dishwasher which we had been doing on an Eco cycle thinking it was the best option but reading the Manuel showed me that a longer cycle, using a  slightly cooler temperature ( still hot but not super hot ), reduced out hot water usage which is run by the gas and this helps save a little money.

These are just a select few ideas and I am sure there are plenty more that we could all find and implement.

I hope you find this post helpful and maybe if you like, you are welcome to leave a friendly comment on any extra ideas you might have to save money on electricity/gas this winter.

Thank you for being here and I hope you have a blessed week and find joy and peace as the Advent season is upon us. God bless.

Love, Fiona

"He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul." 

Psalm 23:2-3

My Journey into the World of Rationing

 I don't remember exactly how or when I developed a fascination with World War Two Rationing or life on the Homefront but rather, I think it has been a slow journey that has taken hold and captivated me. I believe it stems from my interest in the lives of my grandparents and how they grew up through the Depression of the late 1920's and World War Two. Both of my grandmothers had very different experiences and this shaped how they lived and their approach to food and food storage.

The closest many of us, in the western world these days, have come to any kind of experience with food shortages was during the Covid lockdowns. With more people at home full time, flour and other essentials were in short supply for awhile as many people were taking up the challenge of baking sourdough bread and other baked goods as they had more time and I imagine, needed something new and different to do to occupy themselves and to keep away boredom and frustrations from the lockdowns. Since then we have continued to have limits placed on certain items and shelves, where I live, have not gone back to pre-covid days of being fully stocked all of the time.

As I have taken up the challenge this year of doing a World War Two Rations Diet challenge a couple of times, I have developed more insight and understanding of how people survived during this time of rationing. Each time I completed a challenge it was only for a week or two and it was hard enough but can you imagine rationing lasting for 15 years?

In the UK, the process of registration for rationing began in September of 1939 and officially started January 1940 and didn't officially stop until 1954, nearly 10 years after the war ended.

Here in New Zealand rationing began with petrol in September 1939 but food rationing didn't begin until April of 1942 with sugar being the first item to be rationed. I will go into more detail about New Zealand rationing in a future post. Rationing here finished in June 1950. From what I have researched so far, rationing restrictions here in New Zealand were not as severe as the UK which I believe suffered the most difficult rationing outside of Europe where there were constant food shortages that were quite severe.

I have often wondered to myself if this interest in a time of wartime austerity comes from living in a time where we have access to anything we want all of the time. With the click of a button groceries can now be delivered within half an hour of placing an order. Clothes, homewares and decor and all manner of things that we probably don't need can be ordered online and depending on where you live, can be delivered within a day or two or within a couple of weeks from the other side of the world.

I remember as a child having to wait for things I needed or wanted. Certain things such as toys and books were given as birthday or Christmas presents. Even certain food items or meals we left for special occasions so that we had something to look forward to and enjoy. Both my mum and dad talk about a time when even the humble chicken was only available at Christmas and not throughout the entire year.

So what is it about the World War Two rationing system that has so many of us fascinated with it?

For me I think there are a couple of main reasons.

1. The first and most important is that I have always been interested in domestic history and how people have lived in times past. Whenever I have visited historic homes it is the kitchen that draws me the most. I love learning about how other women around the world live and carry out housekeeping duties and what they cook. How they raised their families and made do with what was available to them.

2.  Modern life is incredibly busy and technology is moving very quickly. The pressure to be busy and the world around you moving fast is reason enough to try and slow down the pace at which I live my life. Even as a young girl I dreamt of living in another time period. One that featured Anne of Green Gables was my preferred choice! When hardships come along we can look to how people survived in the past to give us ideas, inspiration and encouragement. 

So by taking an interest in past eras and how people lived before the technology we now have and before modern food choices we have at the supermarket, even before there were supermarkets, it helps me to take a step back. Enjoying home life and doing things more slowly, not pressuring myself to do all the things and simplifying things down in which I have control over. I think that's why I love the ration challenges because I am cooking more simple meals with less fuss and ingredients and making do with what I have. 

This is just a brief introduction today but I hope you have enjoyed reading this and that it gives you some insight into my interest in World War Two Homefront living.

Thank you for being here, have a blessed week.

Love, Fiona

" Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12

Blog Update

 Welcome...

It has been awhile since I was here and I apologise for my absence. If you read my previous blog post you would have read that at the beginning of the year our youngest son had unexpected surgery and we also had an unexpected health diagnosis. Since then our son has made a great recovery and he is doing really well with his health. 

The year unfortunately carried on a similar path and my husband and one of our oldest sons also had surgery and so it has been a busy and at times, very stressful year, navigating all these health situations. Everyone is doing well though and I feel like we are finishing the year on a good note! God has been faithful and we are very grateful that everyone has recovered well.

I have been thinking and praying for quite sometime on what to do with my blog as I have really enjoyed writing in the past and I want to continue and grow my blog.

Over the years I have written quite a lot about frugal living and sharing various tips and ideas that I implement and so I have been thinking that I would like to write more on this topic and expand with my interest in the history of the World War Two Homefront and Rationing and how we can implement these ideas into todays living with the cost of living crisis and rising inflation. A couple of times this year I have completed some challenges of eating only World War Two rations for a week or two and while it is definitely a challenge, I also find it fun and very interesting. I would like to share more of this as it is a topic that really fascinates me.

Thank you for being here and welcome to new readers of my blog.

I will be back soon!

Many blessings,

Fiona

" This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24