Politics and Money

[Elroy Jetson]

You need to disconnect yourself from the tyranny of electric utilities. That's definitely the fast solution to easing your burden on the planet.

Miss Deborah: One candle or two Sister?

Miss Matty: Oh two. Since it's definitely a very special occasion, we'll forget economy for the moment.

There is one silent rule in Cranford: ‘never talk about your financial situation.’ Everyone knows of everyone how poor they are, but the rule is that you never mention it. The Cranford-ladies don’t have very much to offer, but they all have their own ways of saving money.

Miss Matty and Miss Deborah for example burn only one candle per night, but because it doesn’t look wealthy enough for the visitors if there is only one candle that shows burning-marks, they switch the light every fifteen minutes from candle to candle. So that both candles are equally consumed and it looks as if they always burn two candles at the time, this looks a lot wealthier in case there would come a visitor.

Actually, most cities won't let you disconnect your water and sewers, but that's a small compromise in your integrity.