Proud Oldstyler or feel like a rag bag?

dandy-candy

I do enjoy the OS thing and love having the savings, I've backed my curtains with cheap blankets, dressed myself in sales bargains and nabbed charity shop/car boot/hand downs for the house. I must have saved a lot of money over the years.

But if you saw me sitting here now what would you see? I'm in a dress that was fashionable 8 years ago, my lounge has 2 white sofas and one brown, my curtains are orange Tartan, the furniture is a mix of woods and formica, one lamp is white and the other is brass, the fireplace is Victorian, the mirror is Deco - shabby chic it is not!

Do you mind if a bargain doesn't "fit" as long as it's functional? I do find myself looking at glossy magazines and wishing for a house that would make people gasp with envy rather than just gasp :eek:

poet123

It really depend on whether you have had to do this or chose to do it. Personally, I wouldn't choose to do it, but would put up with it if I had to do it. Why live like that from choice if, deep down, you are not too happy with it? You only get one life.

[Deleted User]

DANDY - what they don't tell you in the glossy magazines is how much debt it would put you in to if you had a shiny new everything and all it had to do was look beautiful. I love our home, it's not pretty but it's comfortable and it works for us. Everything we have has been rescued or passed down from friends and family and somehow it works. It is HOME!!!!!

Caterina

It also depends on what payoff you feel you get by being OS.

For example, I love fashion and cosmetics, but because I hate working in an office I do without most of those fancy things and can afford to be a housewife and SAHM on DH income only. Priceless. It means that I sometimes need to rely on charity shop finds and things that don't fit the current opinions on style, but for me the payoff is huge.

quintwins

i don't think everything has to match, however a few throws and maybe a new mirror could make you feel better.

and i'm sure your dress is lovely and was a bargain, clothes never really go out of fashion imo if it looked good 8 years ago it still does now, it doesn't suddenly look awful because someone says it's not this seasons cut or colour and your less likely to see someone with the same dress

hoglet121

I am so proud to be an OS money saver. I haven't posted much here over the years but I have lurked, and made use of so many of the tips. As a result we have cleared all my husband's debt and most of mine, and we have more than half the money saved that we need for our first house deposit, which a few years ago was completely unthinkable.

Our house has no heating, but we now automatically put jumpers on, and blankets, and then more blankets, before we put the fan heater on, and then it only goes on for half an hour. Absolutely no food is ever thrown out and our grocery budget has halved. We have nice clothes, but they all came from the sales, or eBay, or recycled from something else.

Our quality of life comes from being free of the financial headaches that plagued us for so long. So what that we don't have the newest stuff - we didn't add to our debt buying it.

Gintotmelinda

Yay Caterina me too! No more targets and deadlines or audits or inspections.

But sometimes need ideas of things to do cheaply.............

Gintot

heavenleigh

I'm one of those, who has to have things matching and 'in fashion' but i justify it by budgeting for expensive looking but cheap ys meals (last nights fillet steak and lobster came in under £5 for two)
I will also spend time researching home furnishings to find what i want at the cheapest price.
Being os doesn't mean you can't live life how you want, to me it means i can splurge on the odd luxury because i have managed finances elsewhere.
Oh and odds and sods of things is so this season xx

Here's my latest splurge.....totally unneeded but for £20 it makes me smile....the wall behind my sofa!

cyclingyorkie

the question is not whether it matters that your dress was fashionable 8 years ago - it's more a case of :-

1. Do you like the dress?

and

2. Does it suit you?

If you answer yes to both - NO PROBLEM..

Caterina

Hi Gintot, yeh I have been "unemployed" (unemployable, more like!) since I was last made redundant in December 2010 and not found a job, had a few interview and then decided with DH that I would do what I do best, stay at home and "work" by saving the family loads of money by applying all the usual OS principles. It is great fun, I love it and the rest of the family do too!

It is SO GOOD not to have to go into an office, ever again! :-)

alec_eiffel

I would hate to have things that match! We have a load of old and second hand items, I painted them, made new cushions or whatever and they fit my style now. Same with clothing, I have my own style, it's a tight capsule so everything is mix and match, it works for me.

I don't go round the charity shops or car boots as the more I see the more I want to buy, I shop at home first to keep things fresh. We don't have much in our house but it's what we want. We've fallen into the buying something "for now" trap and it has never worked out. I currently own one pair of jeans, they fit really well, keep their shape and colour so they'll be fine until I can stick more cash into a clothing pot. I know some people like to grab the bargains and buy new to them things from car boots and charity shops, that doesn't work for me, I'd rather spend a little bit more to buy new and make it work hard. Works for me, wouldn't for others.

I keep the house and myself neat and tidy, soap and a comb are cheap, for me it's about looking after things regardless of how old they are.