Well, I'm very sorry that I haven't kept up with this blog for the past week or so....I'm just really getting into this retro lifestyle and I just don't seem to want to be on the internet as much....It's strange how it's affecting me so quickly.
I've been learning so much. This week is half term and as my hubby is a teacher and my son is off school, the TV seems to be creeping on during the day and I'm finding it very annoying. I've already become used to not having it on all day, and to listening to the radio instead, so it kind of gets on my nerves!
The food shopping just amazes me now....it was £40 the first week as I told you; the week after it was £30!!!! The week after that £40 again....so if this trend continues next week we could have spent around £150 on the months shopping whereas before it was around £250/260!!!! I just love it....so much less hassle aswell. The meals and baking I've been doing have been successes and I just don't feel we're missing anything. I'm not sticking strictly to the amounts that were allowed with rationing but I am sticking to the things that were allowed....and I've now got rid of the yoghurts for the kids and they mainly have custard now instead.
Thanks for the pointers in the previous post about how to get photos on here....i can see where io get them in now but I still csan't seem to do it....not sure why but I will keep trying.....maybe another reason why I'm meant for a past life and not this modern one,haha!
I'm planning on throwing some retro themed parties soon for our friends....I thought it'd be lots of fun to welcome them into my world.....they think I'm crazy but they might see the light and enjoy my time travel for a little while....;)
P.S Spam fritters are amazing,hahaha!
Wednesday, 15 February 2012
Friday, 3 February 2012
Retro Glamour
I'm turning to the subject of retro hair and make-up today. This past week I have been experimenting with a new look, and I'm really liking it. Makes me feel very glamourous even though I'm only at home and doing the school run, it makes me feel good.
So to the hair.....I bought some bobby pins and decided to try sleeping in pin curls as many ladies did back in the 40's/50's. I found it really easy to do and comfortable to sleep in. If you want to know how to do these, type it into youtube and there are lots of tutorials.....the result for me was lovely loose curls that lasted all day. I had lots of compliments from other mums on the school run.
For the make-up, i bought some liquid eyeliner and red lipstick. I again followed a tutorial in youtube of how to apply retro make-up. I was really scared of wearing the red lipstick at first, but now i know why women were able to do so much during the war.....that red lipstick makes me feel like I'm walking about ten foot taller!!!! and i really love the look that liquid eyeliner gives.....so on the whole a big hit. Teamed with red nail polish I feel very well groomed!
If i ever work out to post photos on here i will share the finished look with you all....
Retro Mummy x
So to the hair.....I bought some bobby pins and decided to try sleeping in pin curls as many ladies did back in the 40's/50's. I found it really easy to do and comfortable to sleep in. If you want to know how to do these, type it into youtube and there are lots of tutorials.....the result for me was lovely loose curls that lasted all day. I had lots of compliments from other mums on the school run.
For the make-up, i bought some liquid eyeliner and red lipstick. I again followed a tutorial in youtube of how to apply retro make-up. I was really scared of wearing the red lipstick at first, but now i know why women were able to do so much during the war.....that red lipstick makes me feel like I'm walking about ten foot taller!!!! and i really love the look that liquid eyeliner gives.....so on the whole a big hit. Teamed with red nail polish I feel very well groomed!
If i ever work out to post photos on here i will share the finished look with you all....
Retro Mummy x
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
Housekeeping schedule
On the subject of cleaning the house I have one word....Flylady:) I'm sure that you'll have probably heard about Flylady already but I really can't praise her routines enough.....they have been getting my home in order for quite afew months now and I love it! If you haven't already checked this out then have a look at Flylady.net.
Flylady recommends a weekly home blessing hour on mondays but I do one of the little missions each day of the week and spread them out that way....I also have my daily jobs which I do each day of the week which include;
Hoovering the main living areas of house
Washing pots after each meal
Emptying the kitchen bins
Laundry (I do a load each night, dry it the next day and then iron it and put away the same day)
I do Flylady's swish and swipe which means I wipe around the bathroom and kitchen each day and bleach the toilet every night before bed.
.My weekly housekeeping schedule goes like this:-
Monday-
Hoover all through the house
Empty rubbish bins
Clean pet dishes
15 minute detailed cleaning in the current zone (this is also a flylady thing; each week she gives you a different zone of the house to focus on)
15 minutes decluttering in the current zone
Mission for the day (Flylady sends a little mission to do by email each day....I love it, it makes housekeeping fun somehow!)
Tuesday-
15 minutes detailed cleaning in current zone
15 minutes decluttering in current zone
Mop all through the house
Mission for the day
Wednesday-
Mission for the day
15 mins detailed cleaning in current zone
15 mins decluttering in current zone
Dust all through the house
Thursday-
15 mins detailed cleaning in current zone
Mission for the day
Any errands that need doing at the shops after I pick my son up from school
Clean out my purse and handbag
Polish mirrors and doors
Friday-
Wash bedding and towels
Mission for the day
Hoover downstairs and mop downstairs
Empty all rubbish bins
Clean pet dishes
Make food shopping list
Chuck junk from fridge and give it a quick wipe down
There's plenty more little things that I do but really I just follow Flylady and all of the information is on her website if you're interested in having a look....
I like doing it this way because it's a little bit each day rather than doing it all in one. In the 1940's/50's they generally had a day to do each job....they normally had laundry day on mondays and did it all on the one day....I did it like that for a while but it's not great in winter to get everything dry on one day i found, and i was running out of space to dry it all!!!! I think the important thing is that i have a housekeeping schedule and stick to it as i do believe it's an important part of my job as homemaker....the house is always clean and tidy which makes me happy and makes a welcoming home for my hubby and kids to relax and play in:)
I was asked by one of the members of this blog to pass on the recipe for the jam tarts i made on sunday....so here it is Jen:)
I used a recipe for sweetcrust pastry....
8oz (250g) plain flour
1 tablespoon caster sugar
4oz (125g) margarine
3 tablespoons cold water
Sift the flour into a bowl and stir on the sugar. Rub in the marg lightly until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Bind with the water. Knead lightly on a floured surface until smooth. Wrap and chill for about 30 minutes before rolling out. Use a pastry cutter for cutting out the circles for the tarts.
Grease a bun tin( not sure what they're called really; you know the ones for making cupcakes, muffins, yorkshire puddings...) Put a pastry round in each hole of the tin. Fill the pastry round with about a teaspoon of jam....Bake at gas mark 6 for 10-15 minutes.
Retro Mummy x
Flylady recommends a weekly home blessing hour on mondays but I do one of the little missions each day of the week and spread them out that way....I also have my daily jobs which I do each day of the week which include;
Hoovering the main living areas of house
Washing pots after each meal
Emptying the kitchen bins
Laundry (I do a load each night, dry it the next day and then iron it and put away the same day)
I do Flylady's swish and swipe which means I wipe around the bathroom and kitchen each day and bleach the toilet every night before bed.
.My weekly housekeeping schedule goes like this:-
Monday-
Hoover all through the house
Empty rubbish bins
Clean pet dishes
15 minute detailed cleaning in the current zone (this is also a flylady thing; each week she gives you a different zone of the house to focus on)
15 minutes decluttering in the current zone
Mission for the day (Flylady sends a little mission to do by email each day....I love it, it makes housekeeping fun somehow!)
Tuesday-
15 minutes detailed cleaning in current zone
15 minutes decluttering in current zone
Mop all through the house
Mission for the day
Wednesday-
Mission for the day
15 mins detailed cleaning in current zone
15 mins decluttering in current zone
Dust all through the house
Thursday-
15 mins detailed cleaning in current zone
Mission for the day
Any errands that need doing at the shops after I pick my son up from school
Clean out my purse and handbag
Polish mirrors and doors
Friday-
Wash bedding and towels
Mission for the day
Hoover downstairs and mop downstairs
Empty all rubbish bins
Clean pet dishes
Make food shopping list
Chuck junk from fridge and give it a quick wipe down
There's plenty more little things that I do but really I just follow Flylady and all of the information is on her website if you're interested in having a look....
I like doing it this way because it's a little bit each day rather than doing it all in one. In the 1940's/50's they generally had a day to do each job....they normally had laundry day on mondays and did it all on the one day....I did it like that for a while but it's not great in winter to get everything dry on one day i found, and i was running out of space to dry it all!!!! I think the important thing is that i have a housekeeping schedule and stick to it as i do believe it's an important part of my job as homemaker....the house is always clean and tidy which makes me happy and makes a welcoming home for my hubby and kids to relax and play in:)
I was asked by one of the members of this blog to pass on the recipe for the jam tarts i made on sunday....so here it is Jen:)
I used a recipe for sweetcrust pastry....
8oz (250g) plain flour
1 tablespoon caster sugar
4oz (125g) margarine
3 tablespoons cold water
Sift the flour into a bowl and stir on the sugar. Rub in the marg lightly until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Bind with the water. Knead lightly on a floured surface until smooth. Wrap and chill for about 30 minutes before rolling out. Use a pastry cutter for cutting out the circles for the tarts.
Grease a bun tin( not sure what they're called really; you know the ones for making cupcakes, muffins, yorkshire puddings...) Put a pastry round in each hole of the tin. Fill the pastry round with about a teaspoon of jam....Bake at gas mark 6 for 10-15 minutes.
Retro Mummy x
Tuesday, 31 January 2012
Meal Planning
I thought I'd share my meal plans with you today....I've been meal planning for a while now so this isn't really a new thing I'm doing with the retro lifestyle, but I did work out ages ago that doing this does save us money. I meal plan for four weeks and I normally just rotate this on a monthly basis. I have an autumn/winter monthly meal plan and then a different one for spring/summer, as we normally want to be eating more meals like salads etc rather than the stews that we have in the colder months.
I have just made a new meal plan though as it's had to change to fit in with the war time rations that we are living off. There's lots of simple meals that are cheap to make but are yummy and nutritious. There's not loads of meat as obviously I have to feed my family from the meat rations. Every week my mum is so kind to make us a huge pot of bolognese when she makes it for herself and my dad, and so although I don't think that meals like spaghetti bolognese and such were popular back then, I'm not going to start to turn it down as it saves us money each week, and feeds my family of four for two evening meals per week! I dont think people back then would have looked a gift horse in the mouth as the saying goes, so I will still be using that.
So here's my autumn/winter meal plan ( I'll probably change to spring/summer meals from about april time).....
Week 1-
Sunday- Chicken roast dinner
Monday- Chicken hotpot with homemade yorkies (using the leftover chicken from day before)
Tuesday- Mum's spag bol and salad
Wednesday- Cottage pie and veg(using mince from mum's bolognese)
Thursday- Tuna fishcakes(homemade), homemade chips and mushy peas
Friday- Jacket potatoes, beans and cheese
Saturday- I'm going to play this by ear because we'll do something special on saturdays( maybe make a special meal if friends come over etc....this is where the rations might get tricky....although as long as i stick to it for the majority, I will be happy with that).
Week 2-
Sunday- Sausage casserole and yorkies
Monday- Sausage, mash potatoes and veg (will buy a big pack of sausages to do both evenings)
Tuesday- Mum's spag bol and salad
Wednesday- Bolognese and chips (using mum's bolognese)
Thursday- Macaroni cheese
Friday- Egg, chips and beans
Week 3-
Sunday- Pork roast dinner
Monday- Pork stew and mash potato(using leftover pork)
Tuesday- Mum's spag bol and salad
Wednesday- Pasta bake using bolognese sauce and roasted veg
Thursday- Turkey burgers, chips and peas
Friday- Tuna pasta bake
Week 4-
Sunday- Toad in the hole, mashed potato and veg
Monday- Minestrone soup with bread
Tuesday- Mum's spag bol and salad
Wednesday- Cottage pie and veg (using mum's bolognese)
Thursday- Spam fritters, egg, chips and peas ( very war time!)
Friday- Tuna pasta bake
I know alot of wartime menus included meals like corned beef hash and liver and bacon, but my hubby hates corned beef and i hate liver! Also tripe, yuck!!!! I've tried to keep it so that it's going to be easy to keep within the rations but also meals that i know the family will all enjoy. The children will have a piece of whatever cake i've made that week with custard after their evening meal.
So, hopefully over the next month this is going to keep my shopping down to £40 per week as it was this week....
Have a lovely evening:)
Retro Mummy x
I have just made a new meal plan though as it's had to change to fit in with the war time rations that we are living off. There's lots of simple meals that are cheap to make but are yummy and nutritious. There's not loads of meat as obviously I have to feed my family from the meat rations. Every week my mum is so kind to make us a huge pot of bolognese when she makes it for herself and my dad, and so although I don't think that meals like spaghetti bolognese and such were popular back then, I'm not going to start to turn it down as it saves us money each week, and feeds my family of four for two evening meals per week! I dont think people back then would have looked a gift horse in the mouth as the saying goes, so I will still be using that.
So here's my autumn/winter meal plan ( I'll probably change to spring/summer meals from about april time).....
Week 1-
Sunday- Chicken roast dinner
Monday- Chicken hotpot with homemade yorkies (using the leftover chicken from day before)
Tuesday- Mum's spag bol and salad
Wednesday- Cottage pie and veg(using mince from mum's bolognese)
Thursday- Tuna fishcakes(homemade), homemade chips and mushy peas
Friday- Jacket potatoes, beans and cheese
Saturday- I'm going to play this by ear because we'll do something special on saturdays( maybe make a special meal if friends come over etc....this is where the rations might get tricky....although as long as i stick to it for the majority, I will be happy with that).
Week 2-
Sunday- Sausage casserole and yorkies
Monday- Sausage, mash potatoes and veg (will buy a big pack of sausages to do both evenings)
Tuesday- Mum's spag bol and salad
Wednesday- Bolognese and chips (using mum's bolognese)
Thursday- Macaroni cheese
Friday- Egg, chips and beans
Week 3-
Sunday- Pork roast dinner
Monday- Pork stew and mash potato(using leftover pork)
Tuesday- Mum's spag bol and salad
Wednesday- Pasta bake using bolognese sauce and roasted veg
Thursday- Turkey burgers, chips and peas
Friday- Tuna pasta bake
Week 4-
Sunday- Toad in the hole, mashed potato and veg
Monday- Minestrone soup with bread
Tuesday- Mum's spag bol and salad
Wednesday- Cottage pie and veg (using mum's bolognese)
Thursday- Spam fritters, egg, chips and peas ( very war time!)
Friday- Tuna pasta bake
I know alot of wartime menus included meals like corned beef hash and liver and bacon, but my hubby hates corned beef and i hate liver! Also tripe, yuck!!!! I've tried to keep it so that it's going to be easy to keep within the rations but also meals that i know the family will all enjoy. The children will have a piece of whatever cake i've made that week with custard after their evening meal.
So, hopefully over the next month this is going to keep my shopping down to £40 per week as it was this week....
Have a lovely evening:)
Retro Mummy x
Monday, 30 January 2012
Baking
So, yesterday i spent a couple of hours baking. I love baking! I never used to until about 6 months ago and now it brings me so much joy! I love just getting into the kitchen and making something so yummy out of a few basic ingredients and it does feel so retro to just bake a cake or have homemade cookies for my kids to enjoy with a glass of milk:) It fills the house with lovely smells and makes it feel so warm and comforting.....
I've decided to bake every Sunday to make the lovely sweet treats that we want to last us the week, as i won't be buying things like biscuits, cakes and chocolate bars from the supermarket anymore. This week i made chocolate cupcakes, jam tarts and chocolate chip cookies. They turned out really well, tasted lovely and cost so much less to make than they would to buy. Plus we spent some lovely family time making them; my little boy loves to help me in the kitchen:)
I did take a few photos so i could share the experience and results with you but I'm new to this blogging thing and i can't seem to get them on here, but i will keep trying!
So, now we have the cupcakes for my kids to have as dessert with some custard after their evening meal and they'll enjoy the cookies with some milk before bed. Think I'll have to treat myself too ;)
I can't say I'm missing anything so far on the rations. We had a roast dinner last night and then i made a stew with the leftover pork joint today which was so simple yet so tasty. I've done a meal planner on the rations for the next month so I'll share that on tomorrows post.
Retro Mummy :)
I've decided to bake every Sunday to make the lovely sweet treats that we want to last us the week, as i won't be buying things like biscuits, cakes and chocolate bars from the supermarket anymore. This week i made chocolate cupcakes, jam tarts and chocolate chip cookies. They turned out really well, tasted lovely and cost so much less to make than they would to buy. Plus we spent some lovely family time making them; my little boy loves to help me in the kitchen:)
I did take a few photos so i could share the experience and results with you but I'm new to this blogging thing and i can't seem to get them on here, but i will keep trying!
So, now we have the cupcakes for my kids to have as dessert with some custard after their evening meal and they'll enjoy the cookies with some milk before bed. Think I'll have to treat myself too ;)
I can't say I'm missing anything so far on the rations. We had a roast dinner last night and then i made a stew with the leftover pork joint today which was so simple yet so tasty. I've done a meal planner on the rations for the next month so I'll share that on tomorrows post.
Retro Mummy :)
Sunday, 29 January 2012
Living on rations.....
Yesterday i did the weekly shop on World War 2 rations and it was a real eye opener! I cannot believe how much money we saved!!!! Our normal weekly shop is round about £70 per week and this week that was down to £40! Fantastic.....i am very pleased with this saving and so is my husband!
These are the rations that i followed.....I hope they are accurate; i found them online after doing some research but i do find that the information seems to differ from one place to another and it's very confusing when it comes to the points system.....but it saved us money so i guess it's fine what i did anyway.....
Per adult(each week) :-
2oz butter
8oz sugar
2oz cheese
1lb jam (every 2 months)
4oz bacon and ham
Meat up to the value of £6
1 egg
4oz margarine
3 pints milk
2oz tea
12 oz sweets (every 4 weeks)
Plus 16 points per month for things like tinned foods, cereal etc.....
Children under 5 (per week, per child)
7 pints milk
3 eggs
Carton of orange juice
Cod liver oil
Plus half of everything above in the adult ration.
Bread, flour, vegetables and home grown fruit not rationed.
There are two adults in my house and two children under the age of 5. I stuck to this with the shopping although i did cheat a little and bought yogurts for my children as they love them and i think they need them so that they get lots of calcium.
I'll let you know during the week the kind of meals we have. Breakfast will be either toast and jam or porridge, or bacon and eggs as we had this morning( we have eggs given to us by my grandad from the chickens on his allotment so we may be able to have more eggs than we would have, but i think this should be ok as i know alot of people during the war did keep chickens so they could have the eggs). I didn't bother with dried eggs.
Lunches will be sandwiches and leftovers from the evening before, or maybe beans on toast.
I'm doing a meal planner for the month so i will share this on another post which will be the evening meals that we will be eating.
I already had things like flour and sugar in this week so didn't need those..... this was the £40 shopping list.....
Tomatoes
Onions
Apples
Carrots
Courgette
Potatoes
Parsnips
Swede
Oats
Mushy peas (points)
Butter
Margarine
Jam
Beans (points)
Cheese
Orange juice
Tea bags
Tinned fruit (points)
Bacon
Ham
Turkey mince
Joint of pork
Bar of chocolate
Children's yoghurts (explained above)
Chocolate chips
Pears
Matches (points)
Custard (points)
Blackcurrant squash ( not sure if this would have been allowed....will look it up)
Cat food (i know they didn't feel their cats cat food as such in the war, but i can't not feed our cats!)
Tomato ketchup (points)
I've been baking for a couple of hours this morning to make all of the sweet treats that we need for the week but this will be tomorrows post......
So, i hope that helps someone:)
Until tomorrow, guys and dolls!
RetroMummy x
These are the rations that i followed.....I hope they are accurate; i found them online after doing some research but i do find that the information seems to differ from one place to another and it's very confusing when it comes to the points system.....but it saved us money so i guess it's fine what i did anyway.....
Per adult(each week) :-
2oz butter
8oz sugar
2oz cheese
1lb jam (every 2 months)
4oz bacon and ham
Meat up to the value of £6
1 egg
4oz margarine
3 pints milk
2oz tea
12 oz sweets (every 4 weeks)
Plus 16 points per month for things like tinned foods, cereal etc.....
Children under 5 (per week, per child)
7 pints milk
3 eggs
Carton of orange juice
Cod liver oil
Plus half of everything above in the adult ration.
Bread, flour, vegetables and home grown fruit not rationed.
There are two adults in my house and two children under the age of 5. I stuck to this with the shopping although i did cheat a little and bought yogurts for my children as they love them and i think they need them so that they get lots of calcium.
I'll let you know during the week the kind of meals we have. Breakfast will be either toast and jam or porridge, or bacon and eggs as we had this morning( we have eggs given to us by my grandad from the chickens on his allotment so we may be able to have more eggs than we would have, but i think this should be ok as i know alot of people during the war did keep chickens so they could have the eggs). I didn't bother with dried eggs.
Lunches will be sandwiches and leftovers from the evening before, or maybe beans on toast.
I'm doing a meal planner for the month so i will share this on another post which will be the evening meals that we will be eating.
I already had things like flour and sugar in this week so didn't need those..... this was the £40 shopping list.....
Tomatoes
Onions
Apples
Carrots
Courgette
Potatoes
Parsnips
Swede
Oats
Mushy peas (points)
Butter
Margarine
Jam
Beans (points)
Cheese
Orange juice
Tea bags
Tinned fruit (points)
Bacon
Ham
Turkey mince
Joint of pork
Bar of chocolate
Children's yoghurts (explained above)
Chocolate chips
Pears
Matches (points)
Custard (points)
Blackcurrant squash ( not sure if this would have been allowed....will look it up)
Cat food (i know they didn't feel their cats cat food as such in the war, but i can't not feed our cats!)
Tomato ketchup (points)
I've been baking for a couple of hours this morning to make all of the sweet treats that we need for the week but this will be tomorrows post......
So, i hope that helps someone:)
Until tomorrow, guys and dolls!
RetroMummy x
Friday, 27 January 2012
Getting started.....
So......I never really got started with this blog before and now, as i have decided to really give this retro lifestyle a good go, i am back to blog my findings.
I will be living my life as a housewife of the 1950's would have(as much as i can), and with abit of 1940's chucked in there aswell, as i love that era so much aswell.
It starts tomorrow when i begin my first challenge of doing the weekly shop on WW11 rations, which will hopefully save us some money.
There will be posts of all aspects of my life and how i take inspiration from the past. So, i hope you all enjoy and i hope we can all save some money from my findings.....
Love your life and love yourself:)
Retro Mummy x
I will be living my life as a housewife of the 1950's would have(as much as i can), and with abit of 1940's chucked in there aswell, as i love that era so much aswell.
It starts tomorrow when i begin my first challenge of doing the weekly shop on WW11 rations, which will hopefully save us some money.
There will be posts of all aspects of my life and how i take inspiration from the past. So, i hope you all enjoy and i hope we can all save some money from my findings.....
Love your life and love yourself:)
Retro Mummy x
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