Anyone who likes simple, black coffee is at the right place at the Gildeplein neighborhood center in Purmerend-Noord. Anyone who also has an affinity with ‘trendy crochet and knitting’ is in luck, because that is the theme this Monday morning. The knitting is on the table between the coffee cups, ten older women chatting. They usually do that here every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning. Men are scarce on coffee mornings. “We have Bob, we have Nico… Theo has passed away,” says Hannie Rison (69), who is knitting a yellow sweater. “Women talk a little easier,” explains Paulina van der Veen (83). “We have to involve Bob from time to time. Then he sits at the head of the table and then we really have to say: Bob! Come sit here for a moment!”
The fact that the coffee here only costs sixty cents is a good thing for the women, because they all notice that life has become more expensive. “Much more expensive, that’s no longer fun,” says Leneke Burggraaf (56). She’s knitting something pink today. “My husband and I do groceries for sixty euros once a week. Six months ago my cart was still full with sixty euros, not anymore. You still buy potatoes, vegetables, fruit. But a luxury cake, that doesn’t happen anymore.”
They all suffer from uncertainty due to inflation, especially about energy bills. Paulina only recently found out that she has a variable contract, Leneke saw scary stories on TV about people who suddenly had to pay ten times that amount. Yet they are not in trouble yet, partly because they immediately started saving.
Leneke: “My husband is cutting back a lot. The kitchen light has to go out, I have one low beam on, and on the table I have a reading light for when I’m busy with my knitting, that’s it. And tea lights.”
Paulina: “Candles give quite a lot of heat.”
Hannie: “Have you seen how much the candles cost? First 99 cents at Kruidvat, now almost 2 euros. But I also say: as long as we stay healthy.”
The atmosphere at the table is like the sky on a windy summer day: clouds move quickly, but just as quickly drift over again.
Hannie: “A kilo of potatoes is 2 euros at the Jumbo, at the Lidl 1.69. Then I’ll go to Lidl anyway.”
To her right, behind a collection of colored pencils, is Anneke Abercrombie (72). “I always say: crumbs also make bread,” she nods.
Hannie: „I have increased my monthly amount, otherwise I would receive a large final bill. And I’m very busy turning off the lights.”
Paulina: “I used to leave the tap running when brushing my teeth. Now I close it. And when I take a shower I let myself get wet, then I turn off the shower, I soap myself completely, and then I shower. A pity, because I always loved to feel the warm water on my back.”
Hannie: “No no no, that is no longer possible. I now only use the dryer for the towels. And I only run the dishwasher for half an hour. And I have a curtain behind the front door.”
Anneke: “We had the heating set to 20 degrees during the day and 22 in the evening, now we turn it down a degree.”
Many common outings have become too expensive. Hannie no longer goes to the Efteling with her grandchildren. „You can also go to Enkhuizen, to the Fairytale Wonderland. That is oh so nice!” It is not yet known whether she will go on holiday this year. “Otherwise I’ll go to our mobile home on the Veluwe.”
Anneke: “Caravans are becoming the most affordable holiday for many people.”
Paulina: “And don’t forget how much fun camping is.”
They know better than younger generations how to turn over dimes. And this also seems to unleash some enthusiasm
For most of those present, the new sobriety is a return to their childhood. They know how to turn around dimes better than younger generations, and this seems to spark some enthusiasm as well.
“We are much more economical,” says Anneke. “Our parents have known poverty, it only got better in the 1960s.”
Paulina: “We all had large families. My mother had household money. She said to me: first make sure everything is paid, what you have left over you can spend.”
Anneke: „I did a course in ‘dealing with money’. Out of interest, I didn’t need it. There was a girl sitting next to me who had a telephone subscription for 70 euros a month. How do you get it in your blunt mind?”
Hannie: “I think a lot of people don’t know what they earn and what the fixed costs are. Since I got married, I had a notebook with income and expenses.”
Anneke: “When I got my first debit card I thought: this is going way too fast. It was treacherous. Then I started withdrawing cash, so I can keep track of what I spend.”
Hannie: “It’s easier to get into debt these days. There are people who buy a lot of things over the internet, they all want nice phone calls. Here! This one is from 2017.” She holds up her phone.
The trumping in sobriety can begin.
Paulina: “I used to have only one doll!”
Anneke: “I didn’t have a stuffed animal. You could be happy if you had toys!”
The morning is coming to an end, a volunteer walks by with a saucer for the coins. Hannie wraps a cloth around her knitting and wipes away all the remaining cookies. “For my granddaughter, she likes that.”
Leneke also packs her knitting gear. Whether it affects her mood, the lack of fancy cakes and decent lighting? “No no no. I’m way too optimistic for that. It will all come again. And I’m not the only one, everyone has to cut costs. My husband, my family, my neighbors. If I was the only one, I would get depressed.”