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Sunday 20 October 2013

Those were the days, my friend ...

I've been having a bit of a wander down memory lane this week.  Looking on other blogs, I often see things from my childhood that I had quite forgotten about and they trigger a torrent of memories.


www.flickriver.com


The other day, I saw a tray that we had in the seventies, but then I remembered that there were matching coasters too.  The coasters were taped to the top of a jar of something or other as a free gift, and the tray was probably an offer, that you saved coupons for and sent away.  I remember persuading my Mam to buy a jar of Sun Pat peanut butter, and as we'd never had it before she was a bit dubious, but big, round pop star badges were stuck to the lid ... there were 3 David Cassidy ones, and I got them all! Peanut butter lost it's exotic allure for a while though, as I had to eat it until it was gone ...


Thank you, Google!


My Mam was the Queen of Special Offers ... avidly collecting coupons from magazines and newspapers, saving wrappers, cutting out tokens, you name it, my Mam did it to get a free gift! Every time we walked into town, we would be urged in a hissed whisper "quick, there's a Twix wrapper, I only need one, then we'll get a Twix-a-skip".  The wrapper would be dusted off, then put under the pillow of my baby brother's pram along with the multitude of various other wrappings from the Great British confectionery cupboard. 


Similar to a Twix-a-Skip - Google


 The postman would arrive most days with exciting parcels ... Toys, games, drinking glasses, mugs, bowls ... trial offers of food, washing powder and soap.  Every now and then we'd have a Green Shield stamp evening ... Sitting round the kitchen table, licking sheets of stamps collected from Tesco ... because every little helps! The catalogue would be perused, and the order sent off.  In those days you allowed 28 days for delivery, so we'd probably forgotten what we sent for, and had a nice surprise when it eventually arrived. 


From Google - many thanks!


When I went to my Nana's, I would help her count her cigarette coupons, and we'd look through the Embassy catalogue together.  Very un-PC, being rewarded for smoking yourself to death! The amount of money my lovely Nana would have saved if she had stopped smoking, she would probably have been able to buy everything in the book ...

Google with thanks!

Perhaps I get my thriftiness from my Mam ... she was a great recycler, and armed with her Singer, would turn old towels into bath mats, and on one memorable occasion, night time nappies for my brother, with press stud fastenings ... she was ahead of her time on that one! Old jumpers and woollens would be unpicked and unravelled, the wool soaked and rolled into new balls.  Socks, past their best, would be cut up and fashioned into dresses for my Sindy doll, or made into sock puppets. 




I broke off from writing this post to go to the Sunday car boot sale at the Cattle Auction Mart, and something very strange happened ... this week I was collecting my sister, who has never been before but is on the hunt for vintage loveliness for her daughter Rosie's wedding (there'll be handbags at dawn, we'll be scrapping in the cattle stalls!).

On the way in the car, I was telling her that I was writing a nostalgic post about our Mam, and told her that the one thing I really wanted to find was a little white pyrex bowl with roses on  ... it was another of Mam's free gifts, and I had my cereal in it every morning when I was a child, that was my Holy Grail ... I had been scanning the shelves fruitlessly for ages ... I described it to her, but she couldn't really remember ...


These are the treasures I unearthed, and can you see what Helen found for me at the bottom right? Would I have found it myself  and if I hadn't mentioned it to Helen she would definitely not have noticed it ... these are the things we will never know ... thank you, Helen!

Have a lovely Sunday, and hope you have fun treasure hunting too!

Love, Claire xxx




PS : Sorry about the font, I don't know what's happened, but I'm always a bit scared in case I delete everything by messing about! I'll just leave it like this for now ...


74 comments:

  1. What lovely memories Claire! Have a look at the website for my fave retro shop Pineapple Retro, and you will see lots of pyrex, including some more with roses on! Hope you are having a great weekend. xx

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    1. Hello Amy, what a lot of lovely things at Pineapple Retro ... a bit pricey for thrifty me though! I've had a fair few of those things myself ...

      Thanks for popping in and for your lovely comments

      Love Claire xxx

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  2. I think we had that tray! This post has brought back lots of memories Claire - particularly the Green Shield Stamps - I can almost smell the glue now from licking so many and putting them in the book as a child! I seem to remember dad having 'luncheon vouchers' as well - not quite sure what the deal was there! Lovely car boot goodies x Jane

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    1. Hello Jane! Isn't it funny how remember things when you see them again? Yuk, I hated sticking the stamps in ... I thought my Aunty in Blackpool was posh because she had a little contraption that you put water in and it had a roller that you passed the stamps over!

      Remember some people I knew had luncheon vouchers as part of their pay but there were only a few places that accepted them, so they were a bit limited where they had their lunch!

      Thanks for the memories!

      Love Claire xx

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  3. well blooming heck i've been laughing so much i nearly fell off my chair!!!! AND dave came to see what i was laughing at - which prompted another conversation about green shield stamps - i was the person in charge of sticking green shield stamps into the book in our house - i also played school teachers with empty green shield stamp books in my bedroom - strange child!!!! (i would grab a few every time we went shopping - was it tesco's - i know garages used to issue them as well?) i also remember my mum's coop dividend number and S and H stamps? can't really remember the name but i think it was something like that - they were the same as GSS but pink not green!!!! you have brought back so many good memories - my mum was a good one for offers because they had to be i guess - i remember there must have been a rumour that toilet rolls and sugar were going to be in short supply so mum - bless her - thought it her mission to buy some every time we went out!!!! we had both coming out of our ear holes - ditto the sweet wrappers - perhaps they should do it now as part of a litter campaign!!!! one thing that i never had though was a sindy doll so i am guessing you are younger than me!!!! how lovely that you found the bowl you were looking for - weird how that happens isn't it - if i was religious i would say it was divine intervention ........ have a good week and thanks for a good laugh xxxx

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    1. Hello Lynne, I was born in 1961 ... remember the stockpiling of toilet rolls and sugar ... under the stairs was full of them! Also remember the co-op 'divi' ... it was a big day when that paid out!

      Glad I gave you a bit of a laugh ...

      Love Claire xxx

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  4. That's a lovely post. I do remember the tray, did we have another one in a different colour? I remember saving galaxy counter wrappers to save up for plastic dressing up costumes, a bit like a bin bag with a hole for the head, one was a ring master I think. xxx

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    1. Hello, my favourite sister! We did have another one, but I only knew because I've just seen it while searching for that one! It was navy blue background with circular brown and turquoise flowers ... nice!

      I vaguely remember the outfits now you've said they were plastic ... probably not very safe and wouldn't be allowed nowadays. LOVED Galaxy counters!

      Love Claire xxx

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  5. Loved every word of your post, made me laugh when you mentioned having to allow 28 days for delivery!

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    1. Next-day-delivery was an unknown concept!

      Thanks for popping in

      Love Claire xx

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  6. Ha I love this post takes me right back....you missed out 'clackers'...I bet you had a pair?? I had blue ones....D xxx

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  7. Ooh yes Daisy! Think we called them k-nockers! They were banned at our school after someone broke their wrist ...

    Love Claire xx

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  8. I only remember once our saving many MANY cans of Campbell's soup labels to order some mugs with the Campbell's label printed on them. We had to get four mugs for each of us kids, and we had a cupboard chuck full of soup cans. Unfortunately, we all forgot to mark what the soup was when we ripped off the labels, so every time we opened the can, it was a surprise. My dad told us to cut the labels as small as possible to save money sending the labels in! Cambell's then refused to send us the mugs because the entire label was not there. Angry letters were returned by my father, and we did eventually get the mugs ... which we kids thought were the best because my parents did NOT go in for anything commercialized! Other than that, my mom just scanned the newspapers for coupons for any weekly grocery specials. And as Daisy above ... I too had a pair of green clackers!! Loved using those, but they were soon banned in our town as a child was killed by being hit in the head. I kept mine for a long time, and refused to return them as other good children did. And I too had the biggest crush on David Cassidy ... wasn't he a sweetheart?! Enjoy your day Claire - thanks for the memories! Wendy xo

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  9. Ooh wouldn't have liked thinking of. Lovely bowl of tomato soup all day, and then getting mushroom! Bet those mugs would be worth a bit now Wendy, very Andy Warhol ...

    Have a lovely Sunday

    Love Claire xxx

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  10. Yes, I have the rosey pyrex and some Green Shield stamps...I wonder if they're out of date... I collected Robinson's gollies for badges and plastic flowers from washing powder...for in our hearts the dreams are still the same. Love that you had to catch second hand sweet wrappers, hope you got some chocolate occasionally. xx

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    1. Hello Ethel, yes thank you, we did get chocolate now and again, but those were the days of 'Keep Britiain Tidy' so we were doing our bit on that front too!

      Love Claire xxx

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    2. What a lovely post! I can remember doing all of the above! Green Shield stamps, cigarette coupons, saving different things for freebie offers. David Cassidy was my very first girlie crush - I loved him to bits! (well him and Donny Osmond really but David was always my favest fave!). xx

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    3. You're the first person who I've ever met (you knw what I mean) who liked both David AND Donny ... Either one or the other, but never bth ... Until now! Hope you're feeling good

      Love Claire xx

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  11. Claire, I so remember all those things you talked about. Our parents were all thrifty back then because they had to be I suppose. I remember the green shield stamps and various competitions to send off so many vouchers or tokens for. I remember one chocolate competition to do with the Olympics (not sure which one but possibly late 60's and we as kids would search the streets collecting litter which might have the tokens on). I well remember pester power, getting parents to buy certain things because you could send off for goodies. Ah Claire, such lovely memories.Your mum was with you at the boot sale, in fact I would go so far as to suggest she engineered it!! Happy week X

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    1. Hi Anne, thans for your lovely comments, and what a lovely thought!

      It would be good if these offers came back again, it would be a good way of people to pick litter up!

      You enjoy your week too!

      Love claire xx

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  12. Oh gosh we are from the same era (I was born 1959) I remember so many of the things you mentioned, we were completely kitted out from jumble sales, I remember green shield stamps, power cuts and food shortages bog roll and sugar stock piling! I wore paper nickers and longed for a paper dress to match - back combed my hair and danced and sang to Dianna Ross and the Supremes in my bedroom ... somebody stop me!

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    1. I never wore paper knickers myself, but do remember a pair arriving n the pst (another free gift) ... Those definitely were the days!

      Love Claire xx

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  13. Hi you .. I must say I find this font easier to read (the main blog) .. but then I am old ..haha !
    I remember my Grandad bring in sackfuls (literally) of Green Shield stamps from a house clearance .. we kids sat for hour and hour with a wet sponge (licking go just too much!) sticking them in books ... we could have half the value of the books/stamps to spend. I remember thinking it wasn't a lot for the work involved .. an early introduction to the reality of work!

    Vicky x

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    1. I can still remember the taste of GSS ... Not a good memory Vicky!

      Have a lovely week and thanks for dropping in

      Love Claire xx

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  14. You have bought out lots of memories for everyone! I loved David Cassidy, the problem is now it makes me feel old when I see how much he has aged! I remember the green shield stamps too but can't remember what we got with them! How wonderful that Helen found you the bowl that you have been looking for.
    Sarah x

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    1. Hi Sarah! Unfortunately David hasn't aged well, or perhaps he just hasn't had any work done, so that is what you're supposed to look like when you get to ... He must be in his early to mid 60's ... He was 24 when I wa 12, I'm sure ....

      Love Claire xx

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  15. Hi Claire my Grandma had a rosy dish, she made potted beef in it, lovely memories.x

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    1. Hi Julie, mine is on the coffee table n front of me, holding sylko's and needles!

      It really is small, but I always had cereal in it ... Perhaps that is the correct portion size?

      Love Claire xx

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  16. I remember all these things from the past. I had a tray like that and have another one now:)

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    1. Hello Lindsey, as I don't have the real thing, I like to collect duplicates along the way!

      Have a Happy Monday ...

      Love Claire xxx

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  17. Dear Claire,

    Brought back many happy memories for me to - collecting coupons from the tea packets, and having little pyrex dishes like that - we had the same ones.
    Also David Cassidy! think most young girls had a crush on him and I know he made my heart flutter.
    Thanks for sharing this fun post and 'those were the days, my friend'

    happy new week
    hugs
    Carolyn

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    1. Hello Carolyn, thanks for dropping in my lovely,and for your lovely comments!

      Hope your week is wonderful!

      Love Claire xxx

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  18. Across the pond, my mom, like yours was very thrifty: coupons, juice glasses from jars in which pimento cheese came, many handmade clothes, and S&H Green stamps are what first come to mind :) Thanks for jogging my memory, Claire. I'm glad you found your special bowl!
    Gracie xx

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    1. Ooh Gracie, I remember jars that turned into large tumblers ince the contents were finished! Recycling at its best, it should make a comeback!

      Thanks for popping in!

      Love Claire xxx

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  19. My goodness, I remember Green Shield stamps. Takes me right back. J x

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    1. Hi Jacqui, I seem to have jogged everyone's memory on GGS!

      Hope your Monday is marvellous ...

      Love Claire xxx

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    2. HI Claire,
      Amazing memories there. We had a red version of the tray you showed and I asked my Mum only last week if she still had it (she rarely throws anything away if it's still functional). She didn't, sadly! I am sure that freebies meant a lot more then because we didn't have so much 'stuff' as children do now. I remember some 3d Disney stickers that were given away with every £5 you spent at our local Spar village shop. I treasured them, and I still have them, tucked away in the original little tin that I stored them in as a girl!

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    3. Ooh a red tray would be lovely! Love that you still have your free gifts from childhood ... £5 would have gone a long way then!

      Love Claire xxx

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  20. I enjoyed this great post.....had forgotten about green shield stamps! Those were the days! How lovely you found the little bowl.......it was just meant to be!
    Helen x

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    1. Hell Helen, wish we still had them now! We'd all be on here showing each other what we'd got from the catalogue!

      Love Claire xx

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  21. How great we were just talking about green shield stamps at work to day. love the blue tray.
    P.S I like the font,easy to read...

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  22. Hi Amanda, Thanks for your lovely comments! I'm glad you like the font ... not as pretty as the other one though, might have to have a little fiddle around with it all!

    Love Claire xxx

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  23. Lovely post....it all sounds familiar in a way that I remember also saving wrappers and so on to receive something special but then in the Netherlands! My granny bought al sort of things saving for free offers me and my sisters liked! Nice to read to have simular memories (also born in the sixties).And yes David Cassidy....I was deeply in love with him ;-) Hope it all makes sense because I find it not always easy to express myself in English! Anita xo

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  24. Makes perfect sense Anita, and am pleased we shared similar interests!

    Thank you for popping in, and for your lovely comments, you're welcome here any time ....

    Lov Claire xxx

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  25. You have just bought back a whole load of memories for me. Pyrex with roses yes we had three of those must have come from the co-op or somewhere, greensheild stamps and embassy coupons yes! I always thought my mothers best one was glasses - never saw the connection but she saved toilet roll vouchers, and it was the one with the little puppy, The rolls were wrapped in paper before they were wrapped in polythene, but she saved for wine classes in two sizes! In the early sixties and I still have them Huckleberry Hound and Yoggi Bear spoons with cereals.
    Juliexxxxxx

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    1. Hello Julie, how lovely that you still have your Mum's carefully saved for glasses! I wish there were more things like this nowadays, but the postage cost would put me off ...

      Love Claire xxx

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  26. ~ Wandering with you Mrs Thriftwood down sweet memory lane...I remember all you have rekindled here, Claire...And like some have already said, i think because we were all in the same little boat we didn't have a lot...We valued and saved and treasured what we had more..I wonder do you remember the great excitement of buying a certain cereal box to discover a cut out mask on the back for Halloween..~ Or even better when they put the toy inside....Ooh we used to fall out to get to open the pack up! hehe! Happy days...Hugs Maria x

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    1. I remember all the Magic Roundabout figures being in a cereal box ... We had them all and payed with them in thedoll's house! Everything was treasured and looked after in those days ... We use dro fight over the cereal box too!

      See you soon Rosey Mari xxx

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  27. Oh Wow thats a really lovely finds, and a lucky one too!! funny how we long for stuff from our past, have been thinking lots about it lately, did they used to do that in their day ? i wonder?? anyhow, Mum had these amazing seventies tiles in the kitchen bright red with orange flowers, wish i had them now. and i think we had that tea tray too!! xx

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    1. I hope you get your tiles Sophie, they sound fab! I think everyone had the tea tray, wish I coule remember where it ws from ... Nescafé maybe?

      Love Claire xx

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  28. I really enjoyed reading your post and reminiscing about all the things that could be collected in the 60s and 70s. I have never heard of the twix skip. Although I was a bit obcessed with eating curly wurlies as you got a free bay city rollers picture with them and we had to save all the cards from PG Tips so my Gran could fill the books. Thanks for sharing your lovely memories.
    Ali x

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  29. Hello Ali, ooh the Bay City Rollers are coming to my little town! I've declined to see them though, as I went to see the Real Thing a few years ago ... Not what. As expecting, they were fixed in my memory as they were in 70s, in reality they didn't quite match up!

    Love Claire xx

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    1. Ooh couldn't resist saying my big sister is off to see The Bay City rollers...I declined too, Claire! Think Les is the only remaining one...But I liked him best of all...See you as soon as...x

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  30. I remember my Mother making a purse from an old coat to have bigger sections for vouchers, coupons, stamps etc. Twenty eight days was a lifetime waiting for these 'gifts' though!

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    1. Hello Lesley, welcome to Thriftwood! My Mam had a huge purse too to hold all her treasured vouchers ...

      Lovely to see you, hope you call back!

      Love Claire xxx

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  31. Oh Claire I remember all those things, sticking in the green shield stamps especially, I thought we had won the pools when we were able choose a pair of bathroom scales for free!!
    So glad you have found your special bowl, it must have been waiting for your sister..
    Thank you for sharing
    Thea x

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    1. Hello Thea! I remember the excitement too ... we had so little, so something new was a red letter day! I really wish we could go back to those days of simplicity ...

      Always lovely to see you, Thea, thanks for dropping in ...

      Love Claire xxx

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  32. I so enjoyed this post, thank you for sharing. I remember saving up tokens from the back of cereal packets for things like mugs and bowls. And do you remember those little golly pin badges from Robinson's jam? Hmm, how about a bit of casual racism with your toast - I'm glad those are no longer around! xx

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    1. Hello Gillian, I had the whole set of band members (Robinson's Gollies) and my sister had a navy blue dress especially to display her badges! If it was free, we had it ...

      Thanks for your lovely comments, Gillian.

      Love Claire xxx

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  33. I'm so pleased you found your bowl xXx

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    1. Thank you Jo, I couldn't believe it when she held it up and said "is this it?" I had literally only mentioned it 10 minutes before, and have been looking for one forever!

      Thanks for popping in ...

      Love Claire xxx

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  34. Oh Claire, what a trip down memory lane! I can remember the world of Green Shield stamps and waiting in line while my grandparents licked them and stuck them on their cards. And the pyrex dish!... My word, I can remember my nan having a full set of these and the feel of them. I can remember thinking that they had a slight cotton wool feel to them. Thank you for the memories! xx

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  35. Hello Chel, lovely of you to drop n! I hope your husband's ok and thanks for your lovely comments.

    Take care sweetie

    Love Claire xx

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  36. wow Claire that was certainly a trip down memory lane ! glad you found your little pyrex dish! you know in "those" days we didn't have much but we were still very happy with what we did have and as I come from a big family we had to share everything ...but that was how we were brought up and I now think it's quite nice although at the time I too remember the cereal box fights hahaha !
    Gail x

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    1. Hello Gail, I wish we could go back to those times when mass consumerism wasn't the norm! Every new purchase was oohed and aahed over because it was such an uncommon event ... i remember getting really excited over a set of bathroom scales (probably purchased with GSS). We really did have to take it in turns over the cereal box figures, and treasured them!

      Thanks for dropping in, it's always lovely to see you

      Love Claire

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  37. Our cupboards were always full of Green Shield stamps etc when we were little. Mum and dad got loads of stuff saving them and cigarette pack fronts and coupons. It was ther way THEY were brought up - to be thrifty. Living through WW2 taught them lessons. I've inherited that thrifty streak. Even bought the Daily Mirror today for the £5 off Aldi voucher. Every little helps! Julie x

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    1. Ooh Julie I missed that one ... stocked up at Aldi today too!

      Lovely of you to pop in, I've missed you ...

      Love Claire xxx

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  38. Hi Claire
    Same old memories. I remember having to eat tons of sugar puffs as I wanted the honey monster pencil case. My nan had tins of fabulous cigarette cards which I would love to have now. Expect my daft uncle threw it out when he cleared her house. Lovely when you find something that brings back a memory.
    Lisa x

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    1. Hi Lisa, it's funny what memories are triggered when nudged! Everything meant a bit more then because it had to be worked for (eating the Sugar Puffs) saving the coupons, and then waiting for the item to arrive. Ooh why did your Uncle throw them out ... I've just been helping with a loft clearance and a 50 year old wedding dress nearly went to the tip! Have a lovely weekend and thanks for dropping in!

      Love Claire xx

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  39. Oh what memories you've brought back Claire! The tray I think we had in a mustard sort of colour and I LOVE David Cassidy, always have always will! And green shield stamps, I think we collected co-op stamps too....

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    1. Hello Jay, ooh yes I remember co-op stamps too! Seem t think they were a turquoise colour, but were there pink stamps from somewhere else too?

      Love Claire xxx

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  40. Ooh David Cassidy ... he was the very first fella to have his picture pinned to my bedroom wall!

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  41. Me too Annie! The first and the last ....

    xxxx

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  42. Just been looking back through your blog , I love it by the way , The green shield stamps did it for me , my nan used to collect them and i had to go to to the nearest town on the bus for her that you could trade them in for gifts , it was about 8 mile away , we thought we were going on an adventure then , the only thing i saved coupons for were poddington peas soft toys of a tv program , they were on nights castile soap , it took me yaers to collect the lot for our daughter she is 29 now , she sold them on ebay when she was about 17 the money bought her two expensive books for her studies at uni , not a bad return for something the cost of a few stamps xxx

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I love to hear what you think of my ramblings and value all your comments ... I will try and get back to you, but am sorry if I don't always manage this ... sometimes real life just gets in the way! Claire xxx