It feels like I've hit the jackpot when I find a couple of quid in an old coat pocket, can't imagine what people must have felt discovering these 'miser hoards'! Reminds of the phrase 'money talks, wealth whispers'. I know someone who I suspect has a couple of million but he's so tightfisted he never turns his heating or lights on.
It's true you can't take your dosh with you when you die, but it's always healthy to live in moderation and to not deny yourself comforts if you can afford it. An insightful and intriguing piece, thanks for sharing.
From one of my favourite writers, a Saturday morning feast of a story that strikes at the heart of the human condition.
It's hard to comprehend why these people act as they do ,the very act of denial like a mortal badge of honour .
I feel so very sad for them . I wonder if this happens today? I've heard of many hoarders , I'm sure there have been tv programmes about the subject but the addition of the financial angle makes the subject a strange one.
Great piece, I often pass through Lees Road so am now fascinated by which house Jane might have lived in! I’m a real fan of local historical pieces like this one, more please!
Absolutely fascinating piece; I looked up Rice Street to see where it was on the map and the only residences there now are some recent flats.
However, just one thing, the aerial photo of Manchester is not from 1900 - the truck & car suggest it was taken in the 1930's and I don't think aerial photography was a thing in 1900!
I agree - the view is from the Town Hall, possibly the clock tower, looking down at the junction at Cross Street and John Dalton Street. Top left is the Kendal Milne store which opened in 1939.
Excellent piece. I have known several people in this kind of situation, though none of them in the multi-millionaire bracket, and I suspect it's fairly common. It seems to go hand in hand with hoarding, and with a lot of fear around emotional closeness.
It often looks to me like an irrational pursuit of extreme self-sufficiency, of never having to run out of anything or ask for anything. If you also, for whatever reason, see yourself as not needing or deserving much, you can quite easily end up sitting in the cold, reusing your tea bags, while trying not to confront the quantity of tenners you've stuffed out of sight behind the cushions.
It's a desperately sad way to live, and very hard on any children in the family. When so many people don't have enough to live on, it can be hard to feel compassion for people who have become unable to spend, to give away, or even to acknowledge their little hoards, but they do suffer too. Although the way out of the misery might seem easy and obvious, that doesn't mean they are able to act on it, let alone accept help to do so.
It feels like I've hit the jackpot when I find a couple of quid in an old coat pocket, can't imagine what people must have felt discovering these 'miser hoards'! Reminds of the phrase 'money talks, wealth whispers'. I know someone who I suspect has a couple of million but he's so tightfisted he never turns his heating or lights on.
It's true you can't take your dosh with you when you die, but it's always healthy to live in moderation and to not deny yourself comforts if you can afford it. An insightful and intriguing piece, thanks for sharing.
From one of my favourite writers, a Saturday morning feast of a story that strikes at the heart of the human condition.
It's hard to comprehend why these people act as they do ,the very act of denial like a mortal badge of honour .
I feel so very sad for them . I wonder if this happens today? I've heard of many hoarders , I'm sure there have been tv programmes about the subject but the addition of the financial angle makes the subject a strange one.
Thank you Thomas this was a fascinating story.
Great piece, I often pass through Lees Road so am now fascinated by which house Jane might have lived in! I’m a real fan of local historical pieces like this one, more please!
Absolutely fascinating piece; I looked up Rice Street to see where it was on the map and the only residences there now are some recent flats.
However, just one thing, the aerial photo of Manchester is not from 1900 - the truck & car suggest it was taken in the 1930's and I don't think aerial photography was a thing in 1900!
I agree - the view is from the Town Hall, possibly the clock tower, looking down at the junction at Cross Street and John Dalton Street. Top left is the Kendal Milne store which opened in 1939.
Excellent piece. I have known several people in this kind of situation, though none of them in the multi-millionaire bracket, and I suspect it's fairly common. It seems to go hand in hand with hoarding, and with a lot of fear around emotional closeness.
It often looks to me like an irrational pursuit of extreme self-sufficiency, of never having to run out of anything or ask for anything. If you also, for whatever reason, see yourself as not needing or deserving much, you can quite easily end up sitting in the cold, reusing your tea bags, while trying not to confront the quantity of tenners you've stuffed out of sight behind the cushions.
It's a desperately sad way to live, and very hard on any children in the family. When so many people don't have enough to live on, it can be hard to feel compassion for people who have become unable to spend, to give away, or even to acknowledge their little hoards, but they do suffer too. Although the way out of the misery might seem easy and obvious, that doesn't mean they are able to act on it, let alone accept help to do so.
Not sure that image of Manchester is dated correctly. No way that’s 1900 😊
That was a great piece. Thank you.