Old Style in 2014?

DundeeDoll

I have a friend who goes to a photography class with the same problem liliplonk i really think they should cap numbers. When i did a 2 day vb course for teachers we were 10 students and i had an assistant as i would have been too embarrassed to keep them waiting! Admitttedly the uni was charging a wee bit more than £30 each. Perhaps you should offer to assist

Teacher2b

I agree I think people are becoming much warier or just throwing cash at problems and I for one love the 'make do and mend' approach. Again I wasn't really brought up in a frugal household but living alone and having to foot the bill for everything on a single income has definitely made me be more considerate of where my pennies go. In 2014 my OS focuses are going to be:

Reducing food waste, using left overs, planning meals better, always taking packed lunches to work.
Cutting back on branded food/ household items.
Couponing!

Hard_Up_Hester

I don't think it will spread very far, I remember in the 70's when frugality was the in thing, it soon died a death for most folk. There seems to be a resurgence every decade, but a lot of people will always look for the easy option. It's hard work cooking everything from scratch when you are used to throwing a packet in a microwave, then there is the clearing up after the cooking, much more to do than if you live on ready meals, and then it would interfere with watching TV or going out. I work in a school with approx 120ish staff, only about 10 of us cook & only 3 of us cook with an eye to a budget & use up leftovers. I've been considered weird for the last 40 plus years & I don't see it changing any time soon.
Hester

meg72

Hard_Up_Hester wrote: »

I don't think it will spread very far, I remember in the 70's when frugality was the in thing, it soon died a death for most folk. There seems to be a resurgence every decade, but a lot of people will always look for the easy option. It's hard work cooking everything from scratch when you are used to throwing a packet in a microwave, then there is the clearing up after the cooking, much more to do than if you live on ready meals, and then it would interfere with watching TV or going out. I work in a school with approx 120ish staff, only about 10 of us cook & only 3 of us cook with an eye to a budget & use up leftovers. I've been considered weird for the last 40 plus years & I don't see it changing any time soon.
Hester

Sadly Hester I think you are right, when I see what people have in ther piled up trollys don't see much OS going on.

dandy-candy

Hard_Up_Hester wrote: »

I don't think it will spread very far, I remember in the 70's when frugality was the in thing, it soon died a death for most folk. There seems to be a resurgence every decade, but a lot of people will always look for the easy option. It's hard work cooking everything from scratch when you are used to throwing a packet in a microwave, then there is the clearing up after the cooking, much more to do than if you live on ready meals, and then it would interfere with watching TV or going out. I work in a school with approx 120ish staff, only about 10 of us cook & only 3 of us cook with an eye to a budget & use up leftovers. I've been considered weird for the last 40 plus years & I don't see it changing any time soon.
Hester

This is very true, after a period of austerity people seem to go spend crazy to feel good about themselves (think of the post war period in the 1950's and those full skirts and petticoats made with yards and yards of fabric)
I have always been frugal as I like cheap pleasures such as books and hunting for bargains in charity shops!
I have been very disorganised this last year and so 2014 will be about getting a routine going. I'm also going to invest in a chest freezer because batch cooking is so sensible but my fridge freezer has a very small freezer bit.
I thing lots of people are either OS or they aren't, and those forced into it by circumstances often run gleefully into spending again as soon as they get the chance.

bmma

Hello, there are some good tutorials for learning to crochet -Attic 24- and Youtube- but be careful some of the ones on you tube are american and the stitch descriptions can be different to the British- I have been crocheting for 40 years and I still enjoy it-some of next year's birthday and christmas gifts will be crocheted/knitted-good luck

paulineb_2

Ive not bought a micro meal for around 2 years now, my mum the same. Im more frugal now than Ive ever been in my life. Im not into knitting, sewing, crochet, but my mum can knit, sew, crochet, macrame, shes also really good at DIY, all the things Im not. Id love to be able to knit and sew but Im useless and I dont say that lightly.

I do think people on lower incomes are having to be frugal out of necessity. Im planning on not buying any new clothes in 2014 (I have plenty), Im currently using up my toiletry stash, should have enough for 6 months of next year at least.

I also use eco balls and not soap powder when I wash my clothes. I always use up leftovers and I cook from scratch as much as I possibly can.

my mum just painted my hall, kitchen and small bedroom, i return I cook her meals and give her some wine. We used eco paint that had been bought around 6 years ago and was still in good nick, used it in my kitchen and my small bedroom (just as well I like the colour purple).

I have a chest freezer which Ive never had before and once my kitchen floor is repaired and I get new flooring down I'll make the use of it in 2014

jackel

Hi all - With regret I am afraid I must join Hesters team as I too have been regarded as "funny" for over 40 years. No matter how hard up people are only a very few will learn any sence and realize that the more you can do for yourself the less you have to pay others to do for you.They regard it as being hard done to to be frugal. They are just too lazy(or hopless) to try. I love this way of life-they don't know what they're missing.Happy New Year all. jac xx

Florenceem

Lilyplonk wrote: »

I'm sure it's already happening, to some extent.

There's lots of people offering 'Knitting/Crochet Classes' - and no shortage of those eager to enrol. Mind you - they come 'at a price'. My d-i-l recently attended a 'half-day course' that cost her £30 for 'An Introduction to Crochet'. There was ONE tutor with around 15 in the class. When she came back home, she could barely remember the instruction for 'half-treble' and her tension was so tight that she couldn't get the hook through any of her chains. So many in the class that the Tutor was unable to give more than a couple of them individual attention.

They were given very cheaply photocopied instructions (copied so many times that they weren't very clear print) for 'How to make a chain', single crochet, double crochet, half-treble crochet but weren't given any proper instructions about 'turning chains'.

We're going to wait until the New Year, then I'm going to step in and see if I can reinforce what she's already been taught and maybe take her a little bit further .......... just wished she'd asked me in the first place .

I too have seen classes for knitting and crochet. These skills were normally passed on in the family in years gone by. A friend of mine has taught some children in school to knit - now been asked by parents to teach them.

Florenceem

Antwerpen wrote: »

I'm jumping on the bandwagon tbh.

I'm in my mid 20's, my mum didn't teach me how to cook, sew etc etc. I think my generation are very lazy, and spend money like it's water. Myself being one of them!!

In the summer I did a sewing course. I did this as I wanted to make my daughter some presents. I was already into card making. I don't think I could ever knit, looks so fiddly.

With the prices inflating AGAIN!It is soo much cheaper to make it, plus personal touch. I'm a single mum and my evenings are very boring, so this keeps me occupied.

I'm trying to be more frugal, I need to start meal planning, I was wasting a lot of food . Any tips would be welcomed lol.

Did your Mum have these skills to pass on to you?