What's the essence of old style?

Blackpool_Saver

operating system

meritaten

to me it means not being dependant on convenience foods( I do buy some for standby when I really dont feel up to cooking).
being OS is not being wasteful - either with food or any other resources inc money.
being OS is sometimes looking to the past and resurecting old skills - like those damn needleworking lessons! and the basic basketry I did in school helped me mend an old basket which was coming apart.
its knowing how to hem a skirt yourself and not paying £10+ for someone else to do it!
Its realising that having a cafetiere and using ground coffee from Aldi or Asda/Tesco/ Sainsbury/ morrisons and making it yourself means you can get about 40 cups of straight black coffee for the price of a starbucks one!

[Deleted User]

I suppose it because I have lived this way for the past 50+ years that I really know no different.I was born during WW2 and was brought up with austerity and rationing and have always been fairly non-wasteful.I can't imagine living any other way.I prefer to spend what I have on what I enjoy the most, which is my family and grandchildren rather than line the pockets of fat-cat supermarkets if I can help it.Every one says that time are tough, and to some its true they are for a lot of people, but nowhere near as tough as they have been in years gone by.Its all relative I think.Growing up with restrictions didn't mean a great deal, as what you don't have you don't miss ,but I think even though food prices have shot up in the past couple of years and no doubt they will increase even more I enjoy making my cash streeetch that bit further and get a good deal of enjoyment being inventive with my stores and freezer stuff.I have more time than most as I am retired and my family are all grown and there is only me to feed but as long as I have a roof over my head and food in the cupboard I feel extremely blessed with my good fortune .There are millions in the third world who have none of these and have to cope with far more trials and tribulations that I do.

Ida_Notion

'Old Style' to me means refusing to be swept away on the tide of progress and maximising resources by deciding if the options being pushed upon us now by the Great Consumer Machine really are any better for us than the options that have (almost) always been available. It means opting for spending a few hours cobbling together a fancy dress outfit from old curtains for the kids' Book Day at school rather than spending money on a storybook costume straight from the supermarket rails (which will be the same as a load of other kids' at school and will only ever be worn once because you don't have any off-cuts to extend it next year). It means pulling bundles of fresh, tasty veg from your garden rather than three shrink-wrapped parsnips from a supermarket shelf, or acknowledging that the anonymous looking packet of cereal is every bit as good as the otherwise identical one in a box boasting the latest fad in 21st century cartoon characters.

It also means conceding that 'Old Style' is no more the real thing than a Versace-style High Street copy is a genuine designer item, and that if you are looking to get the best from your life and the resources available to you then that is no bad thing. Our great-grandmothers would happily have swapped two days a week of washing and ironing drudgery for our automatic machines and easy care fabrics if they'd had the option, and would have taken our medical advances in a heartbeat if it meant no longer facing the dreadful mortality rate of the day and the prospect of every harsh and grimey winter taking another child. In my view, rigidly pursuing the Old Style way of life is just as much of an insult to our ancestors as ignoring the benefit of their experience and the wealth of resourceful advice they've left us. I think it's all about using common sense and aiming to strike the most fruitful balance.

If that means buying the odd ready meal or take-away on the days when you don't have to slave over an old Victorian wash tub(!) but would rather snuggle up on the sofa with a poorly toddler than spend the time cooking, it doesn't make you any less 'Old Style', it makes you someone who knows what your priorities and obligations are, who is doing the best to address them with the resources available to you. Much like your great-grandmother, most likely

Pink.

Hi Katie,

Welcome to Old Style.

This existing thread should give you an idea of what Old Style means to different users:

What's the essence of old style?

I'll add your thread to it later to keep the replies together.

Pink

mrbadexample

[STRIKE]Throwing things away when they're off, rather than when the date printed on the label is reached.[/STRIKE]

Finding a way to use things up before they go off, and eliminating as much waste as possible.

Katie_Pink

Thank you everyone, some really interesting replies. Maybe I am a little bit more OS than I thought.

I'm off to read that other thread now - I thought there must be one somewhere!

Thank you x

freyasmum

mrbadexample wrote: »

[STRIKE]Throwing things away when they're off, rather than when the date printed on the label is reached.[/STRIKE]

Finding a way to use things up before they go off, and eliminating as much waste as possible.

Shouldn't that be... finding a way to use things up after they go past their sell by for the second time, and eliminating as much waste as possible... in your case? :rotfl::p

LittleBrownFrog

For me, it's just about common sense - using what you have rather than always looking for newer/bigger/better/shinier/easier or whatever. It's about simplicity, and about making things work so that I can get what I want out of life. It's about living with your eyes open.

foxgloves

To me, it means being much more resourceful, using my practical & planning skills to ensure that we come out the 'winners' rather than our corrupt capitalist system which benefits the greedy few rather than the decent majority. I have always had good O/S skills but unfortunately the other side of me used to be overspending. So, putting all the skills into place has also helped us clear all our debt & that feels great, after being complacent about overspending for so long. I feel I'm living a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle, am thinking about what I buy & trying to make the best ethical choices within our budget. I enjoy making presents for people as I love Christmas but just got so sick of seeing the shelves & shelves of tat appearing in the shops every September & asking myself why ANYONE would want to receive some of this horrible stuff. I feel that living OS is a kick against a greedy system & as I see yet another ad for some completely unnecessary product, I enjoy the little smug feeling of consumer rebellion I get. Also, in concentrating on growing more food, running the home on a budget & making & mending, etc, I don't really get stressed about any of the little nonsensical things that used to wind me up. We are both much happier living a simpler more ethical life. As our income has dropped by a third due to public sector job cuts, this has been less stressful than it might have been because the practical skills & budgeting are already in place.