Are You Thrifty With Your Time?

 

The other day we went on a day trip to the Black Country Museum. We had an amazing time with our family. We got dressed up in vintage style clothes and enjoyed traditional fish and chips.

We did notice, though, while looking around the old fashioned houses and shops, that they were thrifty with their money, possessions and even their time!  They seemed to get so much more done during the day. While technology is very helpful today and almost impossible to avoid, it often proves to be a time waster as well. Let's see how people spent their time in the past.

Aside from the many chores we are spared from due to the latest labour saving devices and the gruelling 12 hour work days in a Blacksmith's workshop or down the coal mine, we noticed a refreshing amount of technology-free entertainment.

 Children were laughing and smiling as they played with the hoops and skipping ropes on the cobbled streets and locals  we're chatting to one another as they passed from shop to shop. I remember, like many of you, inventing games with my friends and my sister when I was a child. This was great fun for us kids and even better...it was free for the parents. It means that children are active and using their imagination. It is also a great way to help them interact with other children their age.

Sewing and craft was another popular pass time and still is today. It is often cheaper to sew your own but best of all it is so much more fun. We saw one lady rag-rugging, using up all the scraps of fabric she had, including old clothing that had run out of use. Another lady was knitting what she described as "nothing special" and in yet another house we saw a stunning hand embroidered radio times magazine cover. All these things were not only to pass the little free time they had but also it served as entertainment and used up what would otherwise be thrown away. Why not try some new crafts to use up your bits and bobs?

If crafting isn't your thing why not try your hand at some new recipes. While keeping your family well fed and healthy your also building your culinary skills at the same time. Baking and cooking can be so much fun especially if you include little ones. You can see from the kitchen above that you don't need expensive gadgets to help you bake, with just the basic necessities you can create delicious new dishes and desserts. In the theme of vintage, why not try some wartime recipes? They are surprisingly tasty and so cheap to make. In a future post I will put some of my favourite wartime recipes.

Here's a new idea for my husband and I too...gardening. We loved seeing all the vegetable patches and fruit trees in the gardens at the museum and have decided, if our new house has a garden, we are most definitely going to grow our own fruit and vegetables. What could be more satisfying than eating food you have grown with your own hands? We look forward to trying this one in the future.

"But The Blackcountry Living Museum is not a cheap day out!" I hear you say. You are correct! At around £18 per adult it can prove a costly day out. Did you know, though, that you can pay with your Tesco Clubcard points? That's what we did. In effect it turned out to be a free day out with the family.

 So while technology is helpful, it more often than not wastes our precious time. But really there are many things we can do without technology, things that make us more productive. After spending time on other hobbies like those mentioned above we often feel more satisfied with what we have achieved.

In what thrifty ways do you spend your time?