Married in 1966. Our bed was the one my husband used at his home but as used by two instead of him on his own we had to put wooden slats on top of the springs. We had enough money for carpets but no furniture. Wedding presents were the likes of dishes, towels,cutlery, toaster and kettle so they saw us through. I "borrowed" some pans from my mum. Curtains in the living room, double windows, were different and donated and, one set hardly met so had to be closed with safety pins. The house came with a cooker and an electric boiler, my husband found a nearly new Acne wringer in a scrap yard for a £1 that, with the deep porcelain sink, scrubbing board and boiler was how the washing was done. We saved for everything as we went along, hire purchase wasn't the done thing. When we had enough money for sitting room furniture the guy in the shop on hearing we were sitting on cushions gave us a couple of chairs to use until our furniture arrived. We did not consider we were living in hardship. I made curtains, a lot of my own clothes and we saved like mad. Eventually we had a well furnished, well equiped home with no debt. 3 years until we had a rented tv. On buying a house, interest rates were a lot higher than experienced over the recent years 8% was the norm and I can recall the rate being 15% in 1994. Can't recall how long it took for the rate to reduce. There does seem to be so much expectation to have everything nowadays. Yes both can be in jobs, as were my husband and I, so the excuse of having to go to work, needing all the "must haves" falls on deaf ears I'm afraid. How much is spent on hen/stag dos, weddings nowadays. Just had news from a friend tgat her daughter's friend got married in her garden with 20 guests. Why, they preferred to have the money parent's would have spent on a full wedding as a gift to put towards a deposit for a house. To me they have to be applauded
To go through chemo therapy or choose not to?