When previously OS Mum isn't OS anymore!

chewy62

:j Hi folks! just noticed a strange thing yesterday. I think the whole idea of OS is brilliant and we were brought up with all the OS ideas, with Mum always baking, no treats unless they were home mad, HM clothes(some a bit scary!:eek: )and trips to parks that didn't cost too much as there were 3 of us girls.My Mum was achampion of OS!!!
But now, what has happened! I have been telling her about all the OS things I have been doing, like how long I can make a chicken last(all proud of myself!)and baking, line drying washing etc. and she seems to have moved on from all this!
She actually buys ready meals:eek: ,never looks at prices on things in the supermarket, keeps all the lights in the house on,uses her tumble dryer and probably wouldn't know which part of the oven to bake in!:rotfl:
I love her to bits but can someone really change this much? Does anyone else have a Mum or Gran who has fallen off OS???

freyaluck

Yes my mum is the same, ok we didn't get hand made clothes aprt from knitted school cardis off my nan , but she was the best cook in the world in my eyes and now she can't even roast a chicken (in case its under cooked) when she was younger, they didn't know much about samonella ect and now she is totally paronoid that if she ever does do a chicken is crispy and chewy:eek: :eek: ANd she also uses the tumblie as much as pos and leaves all the lights on too. It drives me mad when i go round there.
I invited her over for tea last night (home made stew) , but she couldn't be bothered to walk the 15 mins over here and went to her local chippy instead :eek: :mad: :rotfl:
I have tried encouraging her to be more o/s again, but I don't think there is any chance of it unfortunately.
Perhaps we should start a campaign to get them back to o/s ways.:D
Frey

comping_cat

My mum has changed a little. Still cooks most of her meals, but no longer does the baking that she used to. Quite often she now buys pies instead of making them, and i cant remember the last time she made, rather than bought a cake.

jellycat40

This is probably because they don't have a family to cook for anymore. They scrimped and saved when they were younger - people did - but they don't have to now and they only have themselves and poss OH to please.

My Mum is the same, shops for ready meals and cakes and stuff in M&S.

Louise

Lillibet_2

My Mum is much the same, used to cook, sew & knit everything from scratch, grow her own etc etc. Now she only bakes stuff which she sells, all their own food is ready made & Marks & Spencers:eek:, she doesnt' knit or sew any more because she says it's cheaper to buy ready made which might be true but she has 3 (yes, 3!) wardrobes full of clothes! I think it is because she is finally in a place where she doesn't have to worry about money any more (not that my parents ever did, they were lucky that they never needed a mortgage) but they know there is more than enoguh money for their needs so are enjoying a few wants. Dad doesn't do all the DIY himself either any more, sometimes he gets someone in for the more complicated stuff, even thoguh he can do it himself.

My Dad has Parkinsons & reading between the lines I think they want to enjoy what time they have left together in good helath & not worry so much about the small things. They have just come back from 3 weeks travelling around Canada....FIRST CLASS! I was itching to get involved in booking it becuase I knew I could have got it all much cheaper for them, but they enjoyed planning & arranging it & their answer was but they can afford it their way. Dad wants to get laser eye surgery now, he has recruited me to help find the best deal but he has already chosen which company he wants to do it & will not compromise on them just beacuse of price (OK with something liek this anywya but it's an example). 20 years ago he would have hummed & hawed about a new pair of glasses & it took me 3 years to convince him to try contact lenses! Now he's off for laser surgery & asking me why I don't get it done (erm...the small matter of £1500!)

As long as they can afford it & are happy, I tell them to go for it now.

Edinburghlass_2

Why shouldn't any Mum do things in whatever way they want

She has done her time, paid her dues, if my Mum was alive today she would be doing exactly the same because its progress, life moving on. I remember the delight of my Mum getting an automatic washing machine, no more entire days spent in the kitchen with washing everywhere. Tumble dryer...she would have loved one, no more washing hanging about the house in the winter.

She knitted, sewed, baked and cooked along with working and boy did she deserve and thoroughly enjoy all the mod cons when they came along

Sarahsaver

Yes oh yes mine has completely fallen off the wagon!
She used to LIVE in the Be-ro book, everything was HM, including embarassing clothes and knitwear. She told us fondly of her dad keeping pigs and geese, and going to the bakers for broken cakes as they were cheaper. She was a baby/toddler during the war. During my childhood we grew all our own vegetables. Maybe she thinks the OS way have connotations of poverty?

Mum looked after the kids whilst we were on honeymoon, and I had got enough shopping in for the 10 days, including organic veg delivery with potatoes as well. She bought readymade pizza, oven chips, chicken nuggets, they used 3l of squash :eek: half a bottle of washing up liquid, nearly a whole large box of tesco washing powder. I think the kids have crisps every day when its usually just once a week. There was a jar of sweets in the cupboard, yes a JAR not just a small packet. And she said the children were 'a bit of a handful' No s**t Sherlock!

I cannot understand how she can have changed SO much.

The organic veg was untouched, and there was veg from m&s in the fridge when we have one of the best markets in the country :rolleyes:

Mum keeps M&S in business when she is back home but that doesnt mean to say she can afford it.

newleaf

I agree with you Edinburghlass, my mum has also fallen by the OS wayside! I guess they just get tired and want a bit of convenience in their lives - and why shouldn't they? My mum is now better off than she has ever been, thanks to Pension Credit, and she can afford to spend more on life's little luxuries and labour saving devices. When I'm in my 70s I shall probably do the same.

chewy62

Yes, I think all Mums deserve an easy life after bringing us up!
Lillibet, I'm glad your Mum and Dad are living life to the full and I think it's great to see them happy!
My Mum and Dad are both retired but still have part-time jobs!My Dad used to have a very stressful job and now works in a car park and loves it as there is no responsibility!
My Dad will go to M&S and spend about £20 on bits for their dinner and have it ready for Mum when she gets in, never happened years ago cos he wasn't about. Yet he stills buys marked down everything in Makro and Ada etc. and stuff well past it's sell by date, so he is very OS and very non OS!
Sometimes I think being OS isn't just about the money as it makes you feel good too, and I know if I can persuade my Ma to bake an apple pie for Halloween she'd be all proud of herself!!!

lilac_lady

There must come a time when you realise that life really is too short. I think that's what happening to all the parents who have scrimped and saved throughout their lives. As long as they're not incurring debt, good luck to them. Hope I can be like that sometime in the future.

emg

When we were little my mum was really OS. Made our clothes, cooked cheap hm food all the time, took us to places that were free, etc. We didnt have much money then so it was a case of having to live like that.

When we all left home and they stopped having to pay a mortgage but were both still working suddenly it was all tesco finest and bottles of wine! She even bought clothes from Monsoon!

Since they retired Mum has got involved a community allotment and suddenly gone back to being really OS. A freezer and shed full of hm produce, all organic. Applying for all the oap discounts, free bus pass, heating grant, etc.

It's like it's gone full circle!