Do you miss anything from your "old life?"

ceridwen

I think the thing is that there are a variety of reasons to be O.S. As I see it they are:
1. an absolute necessity to economise as much as its conceivably possible to do - because the level of income coming in literally doesnt allow for anything else (a position a lot of people are in - and most of us are aware is lurking in the wings ready to "bite our backside" if we get unlucky).

2. as an "interest/hobby" - because its a chance to be "creative" and have a go at growing our own/making our own/etc and - for many of us - we dont get a lot of outlets for our creative streak (I'll stand up and wave a greeting at this point...)

3. to be as "independent" as possible from the need to earn a living in some way that doesnt meet our emotional needs in some way or other (again - I'll stand up and wave a greeting....).

We are all going to vary as to which is the reason/reasons we are doing this. I dont think it actually matters - when push comes to shove - as to just WHY we are doing this. Each reason or combination of reasons is "sufficient unto itself" and valid to the person concerned.

As I've said - my own personal reasons are that it gives me a chance to be a bit creative that I dont often get in other contexts and it helps me feel more "independent" from my other actual/potential income streams (be it my employer on the one hand - or any benefits I might get from the Government on the other hand). I think the main thing - to me personally - is to not be reliant on my "external" source or sources of income any more than I can possibly help (as they've proven spectacularly unreliable in the past) and being as O.S. as I can manage helps with that.

I appreciate that many people are O.S. because there simply isnt the money to be any other way - so its not a "choice thing".

Ultimately - I dont think it matters one jot WHY - we can all swop and change hints usefully with each other anyway.

We all come onto "Old Style" for a variety of reasons - my own personal main motivator is to learn everything I can about how to live O.S. (because of my own personal current reasons - and because, like most of us, I fear maybe HAVING to be that way because of lack of income) and I like to thing I "earn my keep" back in return by giving, in my case, what useful "links" and information I can to help others in return back. Thats just my personal "take" on things.

As long as our main reason for coming on to O.S. is to "help and be helped" back - then I think thats fair enough. That seems fair exchange to me.

Reverbe

Zazen999 wrote: »

You don't have to be on the breadline to be OS; that's missing the point completely.

To whit you seem to have missed my point completely which was to illusrate the variety of osers on MSE and why they OS...

Cheers Cerdiwen for putting it so well and so much better than my line seemed to - from the wrong way people seem to have interpreted it.

taplady

does it really matter why anyone is OS? the question of the original poster was what do we miss about our old life not why anyone is actually OS.

CCP

You're right, it doesn't matter, but I think it's quite an interesting question (albeit not the one the OP originally asked!). Personally, I feel Ceridwen could have been speaking for me, too!

Zazen999

taplady wrote: »

does it really matter why anyone is OS? the question of the original poster was what do we miss about our old life not why anyone is actually OS.

To whit - missing the point - not everyone HAD an 'old life'.....some of us have always been 'OS'....

taplady

Zazen999 wrote: »

To whit - missing the point - not everyone HAD an 'old life'.....some of us have always been 'OS'....

yes I know and I agree but the point I'm trying to make is that some of us did and the original question was tothose people and asked what they did miss which is an interesting question. There have been many threads about why people are OS in the past.

ceridwen

Reverbe wrote: »

To whit you seem to have missed my point completely which was to illusrate the variety of osers on MSE and why they OS...

Cheers Cerdiwen for putting it so well and so much better than my line seemed to - from the wrong way people seem to have interpreted it.

Dinna fash thysel....Reverbe. One of the things that comes with getting older is realising JUST how often people "miss/misinterpret" the point one is making so carefully....I can "put things well" sometimes.....errr...when I havent just lost my temper....ummm.....:o:o

Anyways....back to t'point - ie "what do we miss of our old lives"? Hmm.....well....actually some of that IS going to come down to what our reason/reasons is for being O.S. actually. To me personally....I am trying ("trying" sometimes being very much the appropriate word....<cough> to be a bit more environmentally-conscious than I was in the past) - so I personally would have to say that there are times when I think a bit wistfully about just spending money regardless - without feeling guilty about having done so just on a whim and regardless of whether I need (or - sometimes - actually even want - to buy whatever-it-is). These days - I tend to give myself "a bit of a lecture" if I feel that I havent had "my money's worth" when spending on something. I definitely want good "value for my money" these days - so I feel guilty if I realise I havent got it. I could do without said "guilt tripping"....:rolleyes:. I'll blame my school for that - they set the precedent MANY years ago now with a lesson specifically about what advertisers are trying to appeal to in us in order to make us spend our money on their products - be it our need to "fit in"/our fears about our lives/etc - so, many years later, that lesson keeps popping up in my head and a "little voice" (metaphorically speaking of course.....) is there going "Do YOU really want to spend money on x/y/z - or is it an advertiser trying to convince you that you do?". Sometimes I wish that "little voice" would take a knockout sleeping pill......:rolleyes:;)

pipkin71

larmy16 wrote: »

My OS ebbs and flows. Sometimes I am really gung ho about it. Slow cooker, bread maker and Easiyo all on the go.At other times everything goes pear shaped.

I'm the same larmy.

I like living OS, but when my chronic illness has a flare up, everything goes out the window and convenience takes over.

I do look forward to when I can return to the kitchen though after bouts of ill health

bluebag

I miss those nice boys the bailiffs used to send to visit. I miss the very pretty red letters the bank used to send me. I miss all the lovely hours I used to while away at the social office. I miss the energetic frosty morning two mile walk to work.... and back! I miss singing loudly to cover the chime of the ice cream van. Oh yeah I reaaally miss loads. Not.

Dazi

Not read all the posts on here.

Was OS when I first got married and had kids through necessity, could not afford all those dinky glass jars of baby food. And enjoyed cooking meals and learning new recipes etc

Got lost along the way when kids were older and needing food at different times and different needs ie daughter saying she couldn't possibly eat steak and kidney pud before dancing, son saying he needed carbs before athletics.. husband just wanting fresh cooked meal (even though it would be a 'fresh frozen ready meal')when he got in from work at 9.30 phewwwwwwwwww Not to say I always used ready meals, always had a roast on Sunday with loads of veg, think maybe thats where I went wrong, Sundays used to be a catch up housework day and cooking the roast and about 4 different veg used to become a chore. Plus they always wanted a pudding, ex did NOT see helping in the kitchen as part of his job lol

fast forward a few years, kids are grown and flown, husband is an ex, am now with new partner. When I first moved in with him he was away all week, so wanted to feed him up with my cooking at the weekends, he is now home more during the week and although I work full time, I still like to cook from scratch for us. He really appreciated my cooking but we have his daughter every other weekend and she thinks I make my own meals cos we can't afford to buy them from Morrisons!

So don't really miss anything from the years i wasn't OS, certainly don't miss the food bills! Am glad I came back to the cooking and baking as I really enjoy it, a Saturday baking cakes etc takes all the stress from the week out of me, in a good way!