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We’ve learnt what our parents knew – that our whole world can come crashing down

We supposed we were secure and we’re not. And like the generations before us who dealt with war and the Great Depression, says Chris Blackhurst, we will emerge from this crisis less wasteful and more risk-averse

Friday 03 April 2020 17:03 BST
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A generation that never knew the reality of war, of rationing, could afford to treat life in a more cavalier fashion
A generation that never knew the reality of war, of rationing, could afford to treat life in a more cavalier fashion

Growing up, I never understood why my parents were so cautious where money was concerned.

We never had much anyway, but even so, they were reluctant to splash out or, heaven forfend, take out big loans or run up credit card bills. They regarded my spending habits with horror. They moved house rarely, clothes were bought to last, they would get three meals out of one chicken.

I put it down to their parents’ generation. We would visit relatives’ houses, my sister and I, and sit in often drab sitting rooms, frequently with a black and white picture of a young man in uniform on the mantelpiece. He was a cousin, a son, who never came back.

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