Old Style things you can't or won't do.

fiftyeighter_2

I think I,m quite frugal, case of having to be and brought up in the 50.s with my 14 brothers and sisters.
I bought a steamer for veg and havnt used it for about 2 years. I can't be bothered to get it out. Though I have to admit they taste far better steamed.
I buy and look for the cheapest of everything but I will not buy cheap bread, I can't bear it. But mostly I make my own.
Moon ups yuk. Mind you I,m too old for them thank goodness. Lol.
Which reminds me have to have the horrid smear test tomorrow. Last one apparently. Again too old to automatically be re-called.

Jacksmummy

I make a selection of soups
I hardly ever make stock from meat bones
I cannot knit but do crochet
I have a sewing machine, but only sew when I'm in the mood ... which is hardly ever
I have never owned a deep fat fryer, Microwave, sandwich toaster, steamer nor mixer
I do own a breadmaker but hardly use it
I could not live without my slow cooker
I use old pants to clean my toilets and old flannels/cut up towels for dusting, wiping sides down, cleaning windows etc
I won't scrimp on washing up liquid, coffee, toothpaste, cereal or yoghurts ( always buy well known brands)
I try to cook all meals from scratch, would never buy any kind of ready meals nor jars of pasta, curry or any other sauce.
I try to reuse/recycle items as much as possible.
Never use kitchen roll or anytype of cleaning wipes
only ever use bleach, dettol or star drops for cleaning
Wouldn't use a moon cup either

Lilyplonk

I DO cook from scratch, but will buy whoopsied Ready Meals - esp ES ones :j.

The whoopsie shelf is my very first port-of-call in the supermarket - next is the 'bashed box shelf' :rotfl:

I DO use up Left-Overs regularly - exercise a no-waste policy where possible. LO's frequently go for 'soup making'.

I DO cook 'offal' - we both like Liver / Kidney / Heart / Oxtail - but I draw the line at Tripe / pig's feet .

I DO bake cakes/biscuits/scones but - due to past failures - I'm wary of 'yeast stuff' so don't do Bread etc.

I DO knit/crochet/sew/mend etc. - have done it for years so it's second nature to me. Brought up with 'make do and mend'.

I DO prefer to use non-disposable cleaning cloths - toilet cleaning cloths go straight into bleach after use Daily 'swish&swipe' of toilet is done with toilet roll with a squirt of toilet cleaner.

In fact, my hand-made dish cloths also go into bleach - but NOT with the toilet cloths . I use paper Kitchen Roll for chicken blood spillage etc.

I DO have a Water Meter, so conserve water to some extent; I don't use bath-water for flushing - but that's because I don't have a bath . We're shower only in this flat :rotfl:.

I DON'T use eco cleaners or Home-Made Gloop - I use SmartPrice for economy reasons.

I'm an avid Recycler and have been since our Council started providing containers - we don't have a car, so it would have been very difficult for us to take things to a depot. I'm annoyed that our Council have stopped the separate Food Waste Recycling :mad:.

I DO Recycle unwanted gifts and Gift Bags - but make sure that they go to somebody other than the person who gave them - even if it means taking them to the charity shop where I work. I have frequently bought 'Brand New' from a charity shop for a present. I make gift tags out of old Christmas/Birthday Cards.

Holidays are Self-Catering in a Caravan - not necessarily the cheapest way of doing things - but we relish our privacy and would both HATE the very idea of a Package Holiday environment. I still practise whoopsie shopping on holiday - but always make sure that we go for at least ONE 'fancy dining experience'. Couple of years ago, I treated my OH to 'Afternoon Tea at a 5* Scottish Hotel' that cost £25 each and was absolutely fantastic .

lostinrates

I don't use a slow cooker (I have one and try occasionally but I just don't gel with it) or a microwave. This often means I run a cooker inefficiently.

I will not let pasta cook in water that's been brough to the boil then left to stand there for ages for the pasta to soften to an odd consistency to save having the hob on. (But do cook salmon and some time other fish this way and its brilliant)

I won't water down milk. Just.....no. (But I will drink things black!)

Iwon't buy packet /pre prep food to save money if I can afford to make better myself.

As above but relating to animal produce: I'd rather but more expensive meat/milk /cheese /eggs and use them better than cheaper ones while my wallet is healthy and I am not underweight.



I cannot knit. I'm quite a tense person and I often manage not to let this come across to badly but on the few occasions my mother has tried to reach me to knit there has been no denying it. Rather than anything 'knitted' I seem to knit felt, so tightly bound is whatever I am trying to knot together. The tighter it gets the more fraught I get that I'm not 'doing it correctly' and so the more tense I get and the tighter it gets till it and I are frozen in a wool so strong that it could form a safety coating on the outside of a space shuttle. I can embroider, thou I don't really these days. I used to make lace as a teen, after learning on pins at school. Wasn't that a great thing to have learnt? I'd quite like to refresh that skill, but don't really have the dexterity or patience now. I was quite crafty as a kid.


I'd love to get on with a moon cup but...,,nope, not happening. Sadly, disposable remains way forward for me.

highlandlady72

Use disposable wipes for cleaning the loo.
Do make my own soup, every now & again. But only scotch broth.
I do have a microwave in the kitchen, but is in single figures, the amount of times I've used it in the past 5-6 weeks though.
The slow cooker hasn't seen daylight in months
Have not made any stock from meat bones (I do eat some meat, usually some chicken or minced beef)
Don't own a bread maker or food processor (they would just take up space somewhere)
Will sew things (like buttons or small holes) for repairs. Haven't knitted in years
Haven't ironed anything in about 6-7months
I do check out the whoopsies/reduced items in the supermarket fridges/bashed boxes/grocery areas

Goldiegirl

I'm upping the old style ante this year, so gradually doing more as the year goes on. I've been doing some things for a long time, but I've got early retirement in mind, so I'll have less money and more time, being more old style seems to be the way to go.

I'll be doing things gradually - my current project is getting to grips with my bread maker. We've had it for 10 days, and I'm delighted with it. My next project might be a yoghurt maker, as we love yoghurt in this house.

But what wouldn't I do?

Wee cloths - that's not even old style, it's just a bit yuck, IMO

Moon cup - I never considered that - and I don't need to now

Crafts, sewing, knitting. I'd love to do this, but I'm rubbish at it. I can do basic sewing things, like sewing on buttons and turning up trousers, but that's about it.

Doing all my grocery shopping in Aldi or Lidl, and doing regular Yellow Sticker runs. I LOATHE going to supermarkets for food shopping. I will continue to have my groceries delivered, but will shop with care to get the best deals. I might go to the Aldi in the next town from time to time, and do the odd YS run in Sainsburys, but I can't commit to more than that, as I wouldn't sustain it.

Keep chickens - I like the idea of it, but I'd be afraid that I wouldn't look after them properly.

I like to have a M&S meal from time to time - I won't stop that.

I won't stop enjoying my holidays. I go on cruises - I'm careful during the year so I can enjoy my holidays. I'm not afraid to spend a bit of money while I'm away, there's no point going if you aren't going to live a bit while you are there.

The best thing about an old style life is that you can do the bits you like and that work for you. Nobody should feel bad because they had a day where they couldn't be bothered to cook, and got a takeaway instead. Do what suits you, that's my motto

trolleyrun

I use a slow cooker and microwave in addition to my normal gas cooker.
I've got a stick blender but no other gadgets. I cook from scratch and try to get good bargains when (rarely) shopping, but will only buy good quality meat/eggs. I rarely buy fish as I don't feel it's fresh enough having been brought up with fishing my own dinner.
I use wet wipes for cleaning, but also ripped up old t-shirts for cleaning, depending how I'm feeling on the day.

I'm pretty useless at knitting and sewing and can't crochet. Baking is a major weak point. I don't meal plan but am happy to eat the same dinner 3 days in a row. I'm a clutter queen who hates house work and will try near enough anything to avoid it.

I'm not fussed about brands and labels and will happily try almost anything although tinned meat is a no-no for me. I rarely shop for clothes or other "stuff" and hardly ever eat out, so I treat myself to some wine and other goodies when I feel like it.

I do admire poster's ability to work out recipes from virtually nothing and the amount of helpful people on here is astounding and heartwarming.

OrkneyStar

flamingo747 wrote: »

- No slow cooker or bread maker
- No reusable kitchen roll or wee clothes (though this isn't a hard limit,I'm just not organised at the mo)

I do use cloth nappies for ds and moon cup & reusable pads for me which usually freaks people out.

We did that too when DS was in nappies, saved money and I loved seeing them on the line, in the good weather.

beautiful_ravens

Its been suggested a lot on here but, I dont add porridge oats to spag bol type meals - everyone and me hated it. I use grated carrot as a bulker instead.

Stardrops is no different than any other cleaning stuff and it didnt save me any money or work.

Wee cloths??? Only if Id run out of TP completely.

I dont buy things in bulk as I find it doesn't save me any money at all, I still spend the same.

Goldiegirl

beautiful_ravens wrote: »

Wee cloths??? Only if Id run out of TP completely.

.

If I ran out of TP, I'd use newspaper rather than a wee cloth ! :rotfl: