Living thriftily hasn’t always been chic.  In the age of technology where modern conveniences are a given, it’s easy to forget a time when looking after the pennies really meant eating hand to mouth.

The 40s and 50s look glamorous today, with modern day pin ups playing homage to the ultra feminine styles and the ‘keep calm’ war message emblazoned across every mug and canvas, but the reality for many meant rations on necessities, with food often stretched out across meals and clothing darned to within an inch of it’s life.  Even today in our economic crises people are finding themselves short on money, and when lifestyle inflicts frugality out of necessity, the whole ‘make do and mend’ attitude doesn’t seem so romantic.

It’s not always enjoyable to buy cheap.  Not being able to afford to buy new things is frankly embarrassing in today’s world.  Anybody who was brought up on hand me downs and shared baths doesn’t want to return to that unhappy place, and so spending money becomes the escape that proves to you that you don’t to live like that anymore, and thrifty becomes a dirty word.

But, it doesn’t mean we can’t harness the spirit of thrifty living, in fact with our lives so grotesquely indulgent it’s the right time to start thinking about how we are living, where our money’s getting spent (and wasted) and essentially, start being a bit more responsible.

Which brings me to the Festival of Thrift…

Lingfield Point owner John Orchard with Geradine and Wayne Hemingway

Festival of Thrift was a weekend of thrifty celebration curated by design gentry Wayne and Geradine Hemingway, and brought to life at Darlington’s Lingfield Point, the UK’s large scale upcycle project using the site’s former 1950’s wool factory.

The 21st and 22nd September heralded the first Festival of Thrift ever and I was invited along to go check it out.  Being just down the road from my town, how could I refuse! Don’t miss my forthcoming post to see what I got up to over the weekend, and hopefully, see what could be in store for future Festivals of Thrift!

Read Festival of Thrift: Part 2