When an appliance breaks, many of us typically used to throw it away, and head off to buy a new one. Similarly, when we got a hole in our jeans, we would head down to the shop and buy a new pair. Whereas this may have been our behaviour a few months ago, the ongoing recession is changing many things about the way we behave. Economising is today the name of the game, and the end of our throw-away culture is near.

The recession is teaching many of us to repair things as opposed to throwing them away. If a t-shirt has a tiny hole in it; fixing it is quicker, easier and cheaper than going out to buy a new one. Saving money is important these days, as uncertainty about the economy looms over us. Households all over the country are mending their ways, and going back to the good old ways of our grandparents. No longer can we afford to simply throw things away, but are now becoming inspired to do things ourselves. Styles are slowly changing as people are opting to learn to sew and knit in a bid to save money. Re-using old clothes to make frames or patch-work quilts has now become the in thing to do in our new repair-and-fix it culture.