What changes have you made to become OS?

brokenwings

I grew up in a very OS ( read cash strapped and old fashioned ) home.
Grew up on a farm and in akitchen where nothing was ever wasted and nothing new was ever bought if it could be done without or until the old item had fallen to pieces.
The pluses were that i learned the value of things, was healthy, knew love and hugs and quality time with mom even if i didnt have the latest sandwich box and trendy contents for school. Also if i needed a new item of clothes - latest fashions -that was too expensive for everyone else- i always got it - but the home made version.

the down side was that decorating, oddd jobs, fixings, repairs etc in our house were always amateur jobs, we neveronce saw a professional decorator or plumber or electrician. so it was a bit higggledy piggledy and things were often not working lol

when i moved out abnd started making good money - a lot of it for a single femal- i went NUTS and SOOOO anti OS i feel ashamed now. all ready meals, automatic everything, hi tech this that and the other and a seperate cleaning agent for just about everything. i bought all my fruit and veg in 'finest style' shrink wrapped, polystirene(sp) trays cause they LOOKED nice. etc etc etc and so on and so on.
i threw everything i didnt want into the trash can, food, glass, bottles, clothes etc

eww i was nasty!

anyway my turning point came last september when my credit cards were all maxed out and i couldnt make the payments.
so ive gone full circle.
now i cook and bake EVERYTHING ( ok ok except for puff pastry ) from scratch. i got a slow cooker so i could use cheaper cuts of meat. i never use the dryer, have never had a dw or bm, i use bicarb, vinegar, lemon juice and stardrops and thats about all i have in my under sink cupboard. microfibre cloths are color coded and used for everything. i shop value, lidl and farm shop as well as loads of bogofs and i am no longer brand loyal as i used to be.
i havent bought a single item of new clothes since last september - except value pop socks which i wear under my trousers for work.
my new hobbies are crosstitch and baking, selling on ebay and when weather permits - car boots.
and everything i can recycle, reuse - i do.
( oh yesterday i even bought a tea pot so we can get more than one mug from a tea bag! )

sorry this is very long

im just so enthused with the whole thing and wish i had never been away!

Littlemiss-lotsofdebt

I've always been quite cost conscious to a degree eg. taking my lunch to work, making sure I buy my petrol from the cheapest forecourt but I have definitely made more changes since joining MSE:

Meal Planning
Using the freezer & store cupboard more
Not thinking I have to cook a massive meal for 2 people every evening and we can actually sometimes just have 'something on toast'
Cutting down the amount of wine/beer and takeways we have
Setting up a savings account for all car expenses & birthdays instead of using my CC's and store card
Collecting £2 coins & 20ps

I think I'm getting a bit MSE obsessed - I actually dreamt about it the other night!!

pollys

I've always been a OS to a degree. I meal plan, bake, cook from scratch but I do all this because I am very consious of the effect our lifestyle has on our health and the environment.
I recycle and reuse where I can, have energy efficient lightbulbs, have a compost heap, but I do buy quite a lot of organic food if it is grown in this country, otherwise I try and buy locally produced, seasonal food. We grow a few veg in the summer.

I still have a lot to learn, but I'm enjoying the journey.

Has anyone else noticed how little rubbish the dustbin men have to take when you bake and cook from scratch. I do recycle what I can and would like to throw out less than my 1/3 of a bag each week, there are 6 of us.

MATH

Our rubbish is half the volume of our neighbours. We are a family of five, they are a couple! We eat so much fresh fruit and veg from the market and re-use the paper bags they come in.

I've always been OS (more so when needs must but even when times are good I'm a slave to my OS ways). Raised by my Grandparents for a lot of the time I learned the wartime code in every way LOL Composting, mending, cooking, mackling (local word for bodging a repair of sorts) My Mother isn't very OS at all and even BUYS here cleaning cloths:eek: as if she can't lay hands on an old pair of pants. LOL

Sometimes I do lapse or have a break from something. I havn't used my breadmaker in over a month but I know I will crank it up again soon and get back into making my own bread. I'm also taking a rest from HM yoghurt too but the MATHLETTS keep nagging for me to whip up another batch and I can only put them off for so long so that again will have to start. I also used my TD a bit over the winter and then went back to my airer after a bit of prompting from PP. LOL and I've managed to crack my addiction to fabirc conditioner and havn't used any since Christmas.

lottiegirl

Becoming more OS.Well last October I got an allotment to grow our own vegies spent the winter clearing 6ft high brambles, still digging roots out of the last corner. Today made a compost heap out of old pallets stopped at a warehouse to ask for them. The garlic and onions ive planted are just coming through-exciting!!
Stopped using fabric conditioner and expensive washing tablets gone back to powder. Eating more healthily, having more home made soup, bread from breadmaker, cooking more from scratch. & shopping on a budget. All this kick starts another thing to tackle. Really pleased with myself since finding this site-have save 1000 pounds off our annual spending so far.

2 questions does anybody know where to buy a small container for vegetable peelings to take to the compost heap? and what are microfibre cloths and where do you get them from?Thanks for any help!

brokenwings

lottie girl
lakeland do a peelie bin but imho thats quite expensive
id use some ther old recycled container if i was you

depends how much you collect and how often you get to empty it i suppose bu i am currently using a wallace and grommit tea caddy tin ( quite large ) which my pg tips came free in the other day. Mind you i empty it into my duck and hen pen every morning so i dont need anything too huge.

pollys

Lottiegirl, I use an old icecream container with a lid for my peelings.

Rachie_B

lottiegirl wrote:

and what are microfibre cloths and where do you get them from?Thanks for any help!

they are fab thats what they are :T lol
can get a 3 pk of white tesco value ones for 89p or else look in £stretcher / hypervalue / wilkos etc

they all sell them

HopeElizzy

pollys wrote:

Has anyone else noticed how little rubbish the dustbin men have to take when you bake and cook from scratch.

I put the wheelie bin out today and was puzzled to find our usually full to overflowing bin had it's lid all the way down! :rotfl: Our bins are emptied every 2 weeks and there is always extra rubbish balanced precariously on the top but not this time.
I started OSing at the end of February so I'm assuming that's why there's not so much rubbish. I have always tried to cook from scratch as I have 2 little ones (1yr and 3yrs) but I am managing to do so much more with the hints and tips on here. Using vinegar and soda crystals for cleaning and laundry, using a long forgotten BM and SC that were lodged at the back of cupboards.
:cheesy: I've felt quite proud of myself today - the little ones have had porridge with banana, raisins and honey for brekkie, HM bread at lunchtime and I'm making a sausage casserole from a recipe I found on here (thanks sloppychops). My mum, who has always been OS, sounded really pleased with me when I spoke to her earlier which is one of the most rewarding things about being OS.
So, thanks everyone :T

lipidicman

pickle wrote:

I've also been quite cost-conscious since I was a student (it never wore off). The main things I do are:

- meal plan (but not religiously - could do better)
- use bicarb and vinegar for cleaning and use other detergents sparingly
- shop mainly at LIDL and Netto
- have a good and honest cheap mechanic who keeps my old car on the road and regularly maintains it and use it as little as possible
- make lunches
- buy in charity shops rather than retail shops - better to go regularly to get what you need.
- use cash only to purchase things (makes you aware of what you spend). I take out a set amount at the beginning of the month and try to stick to it.
- hang out all my washing (very rarely use the dryer)
- use energy efficient lightbulbs
- don't use a dishwasher
- use cold water to wash clothes
- turn off lights not being used
- cook meals from scratch
- tried growing veges but failed miserably

It's not too hard once you get going. Sometimes I relent and get the odd takeaway (it does help to freeze a meal instead when you're feeling lazy). The best thing is the charity shops which I've really become obsessed with as I've picked up really great bargains.

You have saved me the need to post. I am exactly the same. I dont think I could change now even earning a good amount. Good reminder to try the charity shops more often. I have a 70's trackie top bought for £3 as a student which still looks like the day it was made. I practically live in it.

I do use a credit card though - spending on a 0% saves you money (got my interest this month!) IF YOU HAVE THE DISCIPLINE