Idiosyncrasies & Frugality

Butter stock

I've often thought that we carry a lot of unnecessary baggage around this stays with us from childhood to dotage, even though I try hard to solve these niggling hiccups in my life.

J the man in my life has a great amount of patience with me. I have a phobia if I don't have a pound of butter in the fridge I feel uneasy I will definitely need it soon, that goes for tins of peaches ,evaporated milk and secret cans of salmon they are must haves just in case!
It has been with me for many years and I think I can blame my dear departed Mother. When rationing had come to an end Mum was as free as a bird waiting to go to the grocery store to buy a piece of butter cut from a big block and passing the margarine mumbling that stuff has no taste.
Her love of real food as she used to call it has never left my thoughts, it gives me pleasure having butter in the fridge of course used sparingly now a days it having the dreaded word of trans fat We use a popular brand of margarine as J has cholesterol problems but, the pair of us like a couple of kids have the occasional melt down and treat ourselves to buttered toasted crumpets with a nice cup of tea, just the job on a winters evening A real treat especially when the butter oozes through your fingers. yum I love this guilty pleasure!

How to drive the Old fella nuts, my worst and most dangerous. I have this mantra going on in my head, especially this time of year.' It's called lighting up time' We lived for many years in the UK with electricity being very expensive so during the winter it was imperative to save and to this day I will not put lights on until it is so dark you can hardly see. J says at our age it is a dangerous practice and lights are essential to see where you are going. I disagree and have the excuse it's more romantic and saves 'hydro'. in my head though is someone shouting my name “Turn off the damn lights it's like Blackpool Illuminations.” All we had back then was one dangling light in the middle of the room! now a days you have soft lights. side lights, ambient light and so on, all for comfort .
Well now living in the 21st Century what happens? encouragement to SAVE electricity do laundry early in the morning or late at night and we have to expect an increase of 46 percent raise in the next few years!
So dear husband my practice of one light on and one light off has now come to pass I wuz right and you wuz wrong pass the candle, watch out for the cat !
B