Have you got OS friends?

Olliebeak

I was with my ex-H for 17 years and HAD to be OS all that time - he very rarely had a job and when he did, they never lasted very long (3 - 6 months at the most!). One of my 'things' in the summer was to take the kids blackberry picking and we would take along any of their friends who wanted to come with us. Most of the kids would just use the time to run around and rough-and-tumble - but hey! - what the heck!! they were outdoors in fresh air and tiring themselves out instead of being cooped up indoors watching cartoons. I found it best to take them after tea - so that they were well exhausted before bedtime.

I think many of my neighbours thought I was a bit 'odd' - but I never wanted to get into the 'Provident trap' that they were all in. I did manage to get involved in the Credit Union when our local church started one by joining the original steering group - one of the best things I ever did. It helped me to get a tiny bit of financial independence to enable me to eventually get myself out a unhappy marriage.

I always made my own, and most of my children's, clothes - whether sewn, knitted or crocheted. I also shopped in charity shops and revelled in the fact that my kids were among the cleanest and best dressed on our estate AND in the school.

Shoes of course had to be bought - and I didn't like 2nd hand shoes. I made money by sewing/knitting for other people and that would go towards shoes, socks, underwear.

I had a couple of part-time voluntary jobs (not allowed to earn money as OH was on Unemployment Benefit). One was in a local charity shop (first peek at the bargains coming in! but we did all pay the going rate for what we bought) and the other was running the local mother and toddler group. I got many of the books for story-time, for the m&t group, from the charity shop and lots of the toys as well. The shop was run jointly by all the local churches and much of the stuff was donated by people from the congregations - so there were lots of good quality items to be had.

I always baked a couple of times a week and one of my kids favourite meals was sausage quiche with sausages like the spokes of a wheel in a pastry case with the egg/milk mix poured over. Spam quiche was another favourite (luncheon meat cut into cubes and quickly browned before going into the pastry case). Home made rice pudding always went down well and ground rice pudding (made in a pan using powdered milk, ground rice, sugar and water - constantly stirred to make sure it didn't go lumpy and then simmered for a couple of minutes till thickened) served with a blob of apple and blackberry jam!

Have to admit to having got away from OS in more recent years, partly due to working crazy hours. Am enjoying getting back into the habit again now though. I started with recycling about a year ago and built myself back up again. Bought a pressure cooker last winter and a SC a couple of months ago. This week I ordered my first veg box - quality is superb but not sure if it's better value than supermarket. It wasn't cheap - but we'll see how it works out.

I've also recently got out the knitting needles/crochet hooks out again to make things for (forthcoming) dgd2. I'd quite forgotten how far a ball of wool can go!

dianadors

My OS friend called by with 10 gorgeous "Principles" shirts and tops that someone she works with had cast off- My winter work wardrobe now looks fab and all for free!! One of my colleagues sent 3 bags of clothes for my daughter the other day - all of it was almost brand new. My hubby is moaning that people think we are poor!!!! I cant win can I !!

redmel1621

I only really have one friend and it's quite funny/tragic how we have had a complete role reversal....

We met 7yrs ago both fell preganant exactly 3 mths apart. result - She left work and spent the next 5ish yrs as a single mum on income support, I continued working in retail management(dh was also f/t employed) we lived the high life for the next 4ish years in that tim we bought a house eat out at restaurants bought designer clothes etc, etc...

Roll on the years, I had baby number 2, went on maternity leave, decided I hated retail and commercialism in general. stepped down to p/t and embarked on a degree (Literature) course p/t to train to become a teacher, dh at the same time got made reduntant and joined me on our life changing mission (he's doing degree in physics).....anyway couldn't afford mortgage or payments on the 20 000+ debt we had gotten into so sold house etc, and we now live the simple/skint life hence me being here.......

My friend in that time has just married, and got out huuuuge loan for wedding/car/home improvements/clothes...on top of that she now barely cooks which as gained her at least 4st in weight and her daughter (7) who used to have 1xshcool shoes and 1xtrainers has on last count 8 different pairs of shoes.... I wish I could bring my old os freind back as this version always seems always so unhappy and stressed about money.

Sorry to ramble on, maybe these are things i should be telling her.....
Mel x

GreenNinja

I have one friend who I lost touch with a few years ago and recently hooked up with again, via ebay of all the strangest places! She is ace at OS and has given me some tips.

Other than that, I try to keep quiet about my OS ways as others frown at them or laugh at them. My mate that I work with is the worst, wastes money like you wouldn't believe and thinks this gives her some kind of "kudos" as in "I earn so much money I can afford to live like this". The sad thing is although she earns loads she supports a boyfriend who does nothing all day and the flat they live in is in his name although she pays the mortgage.

Every time I manage to save a little bit of money or make do or get something cheap or for free it gives me a little buzz! For Christmas this year am doing it on an absolute shoestring and its become a challenge now to do it all as cheaply but nicely as possible.

looktothefuture

in my life, apart from my mother who cooks meals from scratch?:eek:

While I was cooking dinner, my stepson came in and asked what I was doing (he know's nothing in our home is "cook from frozen" unless it's something I've made and frozen - he's been in my life 7 years), so I said "making dinner hun". The he looks at the uncooked rice and says "what's that?". I answer "Rice"... he looks confused and says... "but rice comes ready cooked and you just stick it in the microwave" :eek:

So as an experiment I put a status up on my facebook saying "As a poll, who on my friends list cooks dinner from scratch? Or do you do preprepared food/frozen?" or dinner" and had several people say "it's so much easier out of a box/tin!" or "Frozen is quicker!" :eek:

I don't "get it!".... lol :rotfl:

Butterfly_Brain

I have always cooked from scratch and like you the only frozen meals are ones that I have made myself.
I am teaching both DD and DS to cook from scratch it is cheaper, healthier and tastier than anything that is shop bought

adelight

Sounds like me, and then my ready meal happy friends :P They all think it's cheaper and tastier to buy frozen/ready meals or stuff like super noodles with jar curry sauce, but it doesn't take me much longer to make my dinners from scratch and it's loads cheaper! And then I often make 2 or 3 portions so half the time I can just heat up HM leftovers in the microwave and have a delicious quick dinner.

Amongst my age group (19/20) I think it's hugely dependent on what you ate as a kid as when you first leave home you eat and cook what you;re used to. I grew up eating a huge variety of tasty HM food, there was never a shop bought cake in the house, even though both my parents worked full time, they or me/my sister would make dinner.
I remember having friends round as a kid and my mum would have to specially buy frozen supermarket pizza because my two best little buddies didn't like our HM ones! Maybe ours just had too much flavour for them :P

looktothefuture

It just surprised that so many of my friends don't cook! I can't get my head around it!

WartimeScrapingofMarmite

No, not the only one! I cook all our meals from scratch, I don't like the taste of frozen ready-meals and would far rather know what goes into my family's food.

I have taught my ten year old daughter to make almost all the meals I make, and will do the same with my son when he's old enough (and has developed enough common sense not to burn/cut himself......so when he's about 40 then!)

lucylucky

I was surprised recently when someone I know said that a certain supermarket lasagne was much better than anything "anyone" could make themselves.

If she has a problem cooking then fine but I have yet to find a pre-made lasagne that come close to the standard and taste of those made by either my OH or me.

There is no comparison.