How do you keep up your Old Style motivation?

Angel_Jenny

At the start it would be exciting - all the new things to learn and do - but after a while would it get to feel routine and chore-like?

How do you keep up the motivation to keep being old style? It saves money and is quite satisfying to feel self sufficient even in a little way but it is more hard work!

I am watching Tales from the Green Valley and I can't imagine living life like that! I know that people back then wouldn't have had any choice but it seems like such a hard life from the moment you wake up until the moment you go to bed. Maybe my idea of what life should be like - and deserving fun - has been corrupted by modern views.

fuddle

Being OS rewards me in a way I didn't ever think it would. I feel complete as a wife and mum knowing I'm in control, organised and doing the very best I can for my family. I feed off these working feelings. I love the joy it gives me when the girls ask have I cooked it myself, it's delicious. I love how when my girls look back on their life they're not going to think it was tough, they're going to see the fun we had making ends meet.

I've been learning for around 3 years now and still learn something new every day here. I am still jumping around in excitement when I get an idea. You never know it all. I'm now branching out my skills - learning to knit, learning to sew my own clothes and teaching myself foraging.

I never get bored and it's never chore like. It's my job and I love my job.

Popperwell

Angel_Jenny wrote: »

At the start it would be exciting - all the new things to learn and do - but after a while would it get to feel routine and chore-like?

How do you keep up the motivation to keep being old style? It saves money and is quite satisfying to feel self sufficient even in a little way but it is more hard work!

I am watching Tales from the Green Valley and I can't imagine living life like that! I know that people back then wouldn't have had any choice but it seems like such a hard life from the moment you wake up until the moment you go to bed. Maybe my idea of what life should be like - and deserving fun - has been corrupted by modern views.

If possible life should be fun and reasonably free of worry but sadly a lot of this thrifty and frugal lifestyle has been forced on us by the state the economy is in and in general terms(and you cannot help but be a little political)the cuts that have come in or are about to.

Many are worried about keeping their jobs, those who need state help are going to see their money reduced, stopped, that includes the ill, for many retired people the pension is too low with daily living costs rising and many jobs are so poorly paid they need topping up by the state so you are on welfare. And there is so much mis information in the media we have some of the population being played against another.

It is probably fun to live frugally initially when its your choice but when you are afraid or have to live that way, its a different matter.

But of course you have to try and stay positive, hopeful and try and have some fun and treats. If it was dull all the time you'll be affected emotionally.

I feel as though I have gone back in time and am having to be really careful and still the future is uncertain and mostly out of my hands...

I have to try and avoid sounding negative, like a broken record or repeating myself as my nature is usually sunny(I don't want to sound miserable and drive people away because I am an old grump, that's not me)I see the good in people and the beauty in the simple things in life. Hopefully my worries will be unfounded and it won't be as bad as I fear.

I agree with what Fuddle says...

fuddle

It is about a positive frame of mind, definitely. I have been in financial ruin. The worst it can get. The life I lead pre financial disaster was totally different and not at all frugal. When I look back at myself then I do not recognise that person.

I am grateful for the mess we were in (seriously)as it's made me a much more grounded person, a better person even. The survival instinct kicks in when it needs to and you cope, you get through it as best you can

The best frame of mind to adopt to get you through it is the defiant attitude. I am not going to let this beat me, I am in control, I am gong to do what I need here, i'll find a way. Yes, when the chips are really very down it is hard but it's all about positive mental attitude, determination and grit. If you can do that with a smile on your face and still enjoy life well then you have life at a level that it should be. All work and a little play. Both are very good for the soul.

Angel_Jenny

The world does seem like a scary place - all these things happen that are so far beyond my control. The weather is odd at the moment with all the flooding.

I always assumed that if there was some big disaster that people would pull together, help one another and still be pretty law abiding. Watching the riots of last year made me doubt that!

I have never budgeted properly. I don't spend crazy money or have debts or credit cards but I do buy magazines and non essentials sometimes for no more reason than to cheer myself up. More and more I am realising that I am being wasteful and that now is the time to learn all the frugal skills just in case.

I love the idea of being self-sufficient - not totally as that just wouldn't be possible. But growing fruit and vegetables, being able to sew and knit, learning to forage and to just survive on less. Stepping back from the world which shouts buy this, buy that, you are nothing without this shiny new toy.

Evie74_2

I agree with both Fuddle and Pops.

Yes, it's fun to begin with, and I draw satisfaction from "beating the system" and trying to play the supermarkets etc at the their own game and paying as little as possible for the things my family needs. I'm also enjoying learning new skills like knitting, sewing and crochet. I've always enjoyed baking and preserving for their own sake, which probably helps.

I think the key is not to think you have to be perfectly OS all the time. You only need to do as much or as little as you feel comfortable with; it's not a competition and you have to be realistic. I think it's a rewarding way to live and it suits my family. I would like to do more (esp. on the self-sufficiency front) but the reality is that I have to go to work as well as look after home and family, so at the moment I don't have the time to do all I would like to.

I certainly have days where I lack motivation, but equally I have days where I am really inspired to live in an OS way - it's all about balance.

I know I am lucky in that I have a choice about the way my family lives. I do sometimes wonder if I sound like Marie Antoinette playing at milkmaids. But having said that circumstances can change in the blink of an eye, and knowing some OS skills stands you in good stead to survive - and even flourish - when your back's against the wall.

The OS boards are a constant source of advice and support - I've learnt so much in the short time I've been posting here, and I no longer feel like I am alone in my OS outlook (I was starting to wonder if I was the only one, when I found this site!)

Hope this (rather long rambly post) helps. Good luck

Evie xx

Popperwell

Angel_Jenny wrote: »

The world does seem like a scary place - all these things happen that are so far beyond my control. The weather is odd at the moment with all the flooding.

I always assumed that if there was some big disaster that people would pull together, help one another and still be pretty law abiding. Watching the riots of last year made me doubt that!

I have never budgeted properly. I don't spend crazy money or have debts or credit cards but I do buy magazines and non essentials sometimes for no more reason than to cheer myself up. More and more I am realising that I am being wasteful and that now is the time to learn all the frugal skills just in case.

I love the idea of being self-sufficient - not totally as that just wouldn't be possible. But growing fruit and vegetables, being able to sew and knit, learning to forage and to just survive on less. Stepping back from the world which shouts buy this, buy that, you are nothing without this shiny new toy.

Angel Jenny,
I hope that we would help each other(to some extent perhaps as the neighbours are older, I hate suggesting that young people are different as that's a sweeping generalisation)I would do more now but that's me...

I am sure the world has been scary before as Frugal must have felt but I don't remember it being so bad in my lifetime for so many...it's the uncertainty. It may not be as bad as we fear but we really don't know. We probably do become stronger from such experiences. And yes a positive attitude makes all the difference.

You don't seem that wasteful but I liked reading magazines and newsapers but cut newspapers out ages ago and I buy one magazine(that comes out every fortnight)I hope I can keep it going, I have bought it for over ten years but if I have to drop it...I don't buy any tv mags now and as long as I can access the internet the information is on there. If magazines are your pleasure its a pity to give them up but they can be so expensive and added up over the year...

Don't think you need to really learn a lot and you could probably adapt quite easily and you'd get plenty of support on here. Lets hope in time whilst some of your new skills and saving money will make a difference we can all be a little less frugal in the future.

pavlovs_dog

unless you are a SAHM/D or retired the pace of modern life makes it very difficult for families to be truly old style in the traditional sense of the word. For me, modern OS is about adopting the methods that work for us. I love the concept of being Little Susie Homemaker, but the reality of my daily schedule doesn't allow for it.


Choose what works for you, and do it. Don't stress about the rest.

[Deleted User]

It's that feeling of satisfaction for me when I look around at what we grow, what we make and the changes we have made to the way we live, It is OUR choice to live as we do, and I feel we have a good life, we enjoy the seasons as they come and the jobs and chores they bring in turn. We make paper logs for the woodburner when it is warm and at the end of the summer the feeling of looking at the pile is very rewarding. The same with the preserving, seeing all the jars lined up is security for me. We look for and collect wood for the woodpile, we make our own cider from any apples we can get, windfalls or wildies and when we sit by our foraged fire in the colder weather having had our supper which is hopefully mostly home produced, a glass of home made cider is wonderfully satisfying.

The keeping alive of old skills is very important and being able to achieve just a little self reliance in an otherwise 'ordered by the authorities' world is in my eyes a good place to be. I feel it gives us choice and a little independence. That is how we keep the OS flame burning Cheers Lyn.

SpikyHedgehog

I think the thing about 'Old Style' is that we are looking back at the good points from the past & learning from them & utilising them to make our lives better than they would otherwise be now. No-one who is on here is using a life completely free from the modern age or we wouldn't be using the internet! I know when I read books like Little House on the Prairie, I do feel envious of the apparent simplicity, but then I remember these books are written by the survivors, many people did not make it through those times.

For me, it's about using modern technology and old knowledge & ideas to make life better for me & my family - 'better' being a subjective term :cool: And for me, 'better' means more cost effective, better quality of food, more prepared for (the weather, school trips, forgotten birthdays, high energy bills etc)

It's when my washing machine breaks down, I can phone up an engineer because I've got breakdown cover (or the money in the bank to pay for an engineer & the parts, or a number in my phone book of someone who'll fix it for beer/biscuits, or I rent it so I phone up the rental company to send someone round), and while I'm waiting I've got the knowledge & resources to hand wash stuff.

It's when I go to the fridge & realise I've not used all the veg I bought last week, I decide to use the idea I got on the internet (here actually, but I can't remember who to credit ) of making a base by sauteeing the onion, celery & carrots to freeze in portions so I can pull them out for stews & soups & anything. So I use my food processor to chop & grate, & cook it up in my non-stick wok that Mother-in Law got from my Amazon wish-list & when it's cooled I'll portion up into little plastic boxes & freeze.

It's also about looking at the cleaning products at the supermarket & catalogues through the door and being able to curl my lip and say 'Hah! All I need is my trusty bicarb and vinegar and a few other things! I can resist the power of advertising and not fill my cupboards with all your shiny bottles that will not magically clean my house!'

I was motivated to start being Old Style when my husband left us last year though I've always liked 'old fashioned' things - I enjoy cooking,I can sew, I can knit, I like to garden and my family have shown me how to do those things all my life because they do them too - not saying I do any of them all the time or the most productively (there's no veg in my garden other than DS2's radishes & some rhubarb that I can't use for another year). I think it must be very hard to start being Old Style for anyone who is starting to learn all the skills from scratch. What I've never been good at is budgeting, and I am getting better at that.

And I've cut all my utility consumption since Errant Husband left - we're on a water meter as well as having gas & electric. That's Old Style, turning down the thermostat for the central heating & having blankies everywhere to snuggle in, putting extra layers at the windows, trying to cook more efficiently. But we still have showers or baths when we want them.

When I started being Old Style, I was very concious of everything, I've relaxed over the year & the shopping bills show that but I know I can pull them back easily when I want to. I do work and that makes a difference - I only work term time only and am much more Old Style in the school holidays.

Puddleglum

For us oldstyle has been a matter of having to. For seven years we ran our house as a B&B and although we never got into debt, the guests' experience would probably have been enhanced if we had. There was a certain section of the market which wanted/expected the last word in luxury at budget prices which we would not have been able to afford without loans.

Since going back out to work full time things financial have been consistently tight rather than seasonally up and down. As I earn more we are able to budget for slightly better quality/amounts but a keen frugal eye is still required.

I would like to think that as things improve we will remember the harsh lessons of the past decade or so but it would be nice to be able to buy something for me just because I want it and can afford it.

Yesterday I took my MIL shopping and while we were wandering through the racks of clothes it struck me that there was just too much choice (mostly rubbish!) compared to the charity shop - so maybe there is some hope that the frugal ways will survive!