It isn`t tough for us. We are OS and we COPE

saveabobortwo

What ever has been thrown at me i always cope;)

ceridwen

Pitlanepiglet wrote: »

Sorry, going to cause more clutter. I so agree, this comes up every time this thread runs. I really don't understand what the issue is with having a conversational thread that has the basic top of it being "tough"? The thread works and whilst their are occasional blips (the last one really because of the paranoia of being off topic) it works and it remains around a central topic.

To say that Old Style is just "domestic science topics" seems so wrong to me, there is so much more than this contained on the OS boards.

OS is a whole way of "being", it's a way of life, to me it's about a more simple way of life, it's about coping with what life throws at us with the support of others. I lost my mum very early and I find the practical and pragmatic advice of OS'ers so very valuable that I feel kind of bereft without the support of the thread.

I also read other OS threads that wander, I read very many threads on other MSE sections that wander from their original purpose. I don't understand why it is this thread that is picked on?

There are loads of threads with practical hints and tips, the thread won't be for everyone, in the same way that the daily thread isn't for everyone and in all the other sections it seems to be OK, but not here.

I'm not having a go at the moderators, I know it's a thankless task and it's one I do elsewhere. Presumably this is a policy decision that has been passed down and I know you'll tell me to go elsewhere but it feels so much like nobody is listening to us and I don't understand why this one thread, seems to be so disliked by "the establishment"?

You are so right - and I couldnt have put it better myself.:T

I think I do/maybe have some understanding as to why this SO obvious/SO necessary Old Style thread has such problems remaining on the Old Style Board and I could "name names" about a few people that I think are the reason behind the intermittent "problems" - but I won't. I will keep thinking "Please please LEAVE US ALONE forgawdsake - cant you see that 95% of us know this really REALLY is Old Style - so please stop the personal vendettas that keep creating such problems for us...please...please....". I simply cant see a way through this to persuade the 5% that there ARE the 95% of us that REALLY REALLY want/need this very basic Old Style thread here on the Old Style Board ...and I'm simply running out of ideas as to how get this message over of "Leave us alone - we ARE ARE ARE Old Style par excellence"......<sighs in total frustration and exasperation>

What DO we have to do to get this message over forgawdsake?

EDIT: soz folks for a bit of a rant here - but this really really is getting my goat that a few people are trying to "dictate the agenda" here when the vast majority do know that this is so clearly Old Style and value this...but we keep getting these intermittent "attacks". Grrrr.....rant over....I'll go and take calming breaths now....and breathe...

Lavandula

Agree that being OS is a whole way of life. It covers many areas. The main ones for me are:

• Making homemade meals and snacks.
• Jam making etc, foraging for fruits and nuts in autumn.
• Make do and mend: I rarely buy clothes and wear items for years. For example: I have 1 thick good quality winter coat (£100 from Next) and it is 10 years old, still looks good and I hope it will last at least another 10 years.
• Holidays in the UK.
• Enjoying things that are free: nature, wildlife, my garden, seaside, libraries, museums, etc
• Avoid using car (we are a 1 car family)
• Don't get sucked into consumerism...my mobile is 9 years old, it still works so why buy another one??
• Buy secondhand...I love boot sales...
• Aim for self sufficiency in as many ways as possible.
• Sewing

All things like this help me to reduce outgoings, and I enjoy it:)

bellaquidsin

I am indulging in a little 'stock pile' this week. I always keep a good store cupboard, that's just the way I live, but I have just found I have a build up of cash in the back of my purse. It is squirreled away to provide a) extra funds when entertaining b) a fund for necessary household replacements i.e towels etc. Due to my foot operation, I have done absolutely NO entertaining for two month's, not even family and friends over Christmas, I now find I have a surplus.

I could put my money in the bank where it will not appreciate in value, or buy food which in today's world could well be worth it's weight in gold in a few month's time.

I won't withstand a seige but I will get more for my money.

Bella.

mardatha

I live very OS, but could do more in the menu planning dept and this year will grow more veg. I totally agree with the posters who think we don't know the half of it compared to conditions our grannies had to cope with.
Re roadkill, any game that dies on the road here vanishes very fast If you hit a deer then you stop, jump out, check for signs of life, chuck it in the boot, and drive on. Same with pheasant, woodcock or partridge. If a deer is hit but not killed then you have to phone the police who move it to the side of the road & send a vet. The vet gives it a fatal injection and then sprays the carcass with spray paint.... to stop the next car picking it up and wiping out their family

FatVonD

I agree this thread needs to stay in Old Style even if it deviates slightly from the header. It is a thread populated by like-minded people (and wannabees *holds up hand*) and, as such, would lose some if its charm if it was moved elsewhere

FatVonD

bellaquidsin wrote: »

I could put my money in the bank where it will not appreciate in value, or buy food which in today's world could well be worth it's weight in gold in a few month's time.

I won't withstand a seige but I will get more for my money.

Bella.

I received my redundancy cheque today (whoopie!) and have allocated various amounts to see us through starting the new business and paying all the bills for the next year. Since I have a years worth of money for groceries I shall be stocking up on non-perishables whenever they are on offer (I bought 12 months supply of washing liquid yesterday )

Where do you stop though, should I have bought enough for 2 years??! Maybe I should be thinking that in a years cycle everything will be on offer again at some point (6 months even) and I can restock then.

Charis

kittie wrote: »

Does anyone know what is in vim? I bought some from the carbolic soap site and was just remembering back to the old days when all there was were vim and ajax and big blocks of household soap Then flash came out and the cleaning products started snowballing. That vim is good on the porcelain sinks and I love both the carbolic household soap and the carbolic one for washing us, such a nice clean smell. I have been in and out of a bag of farmyard manure this weekend so was glad to get the gloves clean with carbolic soap

I did quite a long Google search yesterday to try and find out, without success. It appears that the Vim brand is popular in Hindustan but not Vim as we knew it.

Many years ago I used to work in an office where school cleaning supplies were ordered and remember them telling me that pumice powder, which they ordered regularly, was the main ingredient in Vim and Ajax scouring powders. The brand name powdered cleaners seemed to include bleach and a foaming agent.

Re. using Vim on pots and pans, my grandmother taught me how to season a frying pan when I was a child, before non stick liners existed. She said never wash a frying pan, when it's new you wash it just the once then heat some oil (probably lard in those days) and make sure the pan is hot and coated. Then sprinkle it liberally with salt while it's still fairly hot and rub the cooking surface vigorously in a circular motion with screwed up kitchen paper (which was like unprinted newspaper but kitchen roll would do now). The salt was, I suppose a mild abrasive. From then on every time you use the pan you just scrape it clean and use the salt technique to scour off anything stuck to the surface. The blacker both surfaces get, the more efficient it becomes, apparently. Eventually the inside becomes more or less non-stick, she said. I just did a quick Google and it seems some things stay more or less the same, although they seem to advocate steel wool instead of salt, which would have made my granny's hair go :eek:

zarazara

I've begun a small stockpile, went shopping to the supermarket today and they had tins of beans 4 for a £ so got 8 tins other things also. I'm delighted at the laundry gloop and have got extra supplies of soap flakes and soda in. bought some heavily reduced winter slippers to save for next winter too and a hot water bottle for £2. I am very pleased. there is a pan of soup bubbling away nicely on the wood burner and havent run the hot tap in days. yippeeeeeeeeee go me!

[Deleted User]

part of the os strategy is to provide more of your own home grown food and I have decided to do just that, so spent two days on clearing out two 3` tall raised beds. I have 3 but was only going to use one for `close to home` veg and two for flowers but the news lately is dire re the potential drought this year and also the potential world food shortage and now australia is due to have a massive cyclone in the NE, which is bound to have worldwide effects

For anyone without a garden then use big bucket-like pots. I got a lot from ideal shopping last year and they are excellent
http://www.idealworld.tv/3_x_30_Litre_Heavy_Duty_Pots_148591.aspx?fh_location=//idealworld/en_GB/categories@lt;{idealworld_8005}/garden_tools_iw@gt;{garden20pots}

I grew courgettes, tomatoes, dwarf runner beans and winter spinach in these pots and potatoes in big bags. All very successfully and the spinach is coming into its own right now and we had veg from these every day last summer to autumn. I saw this idea in a book and it is taking a growbag and placing it over a fence or somesuch, like a pair of saddle bags and brilliant for tumbler tomatoes. This is hungry gap time so alfalfa seeds are sprouting as I write. You can get a lot growing if you just have a little space. I did all the pots before I knew we were moving and they were all on one very small patio, which was all we had