What OS habits you can't stop once you are better off?

Soworried

Pollycat wrote: »

Well done you! That's an amazing reduction. :T

I bet you all feel healthier too now you're not eating so much processedtake-away food.

We really do, I've been back working full time for 3 years now and we've lost a few inchs around our waists as well
We used to only eat veg that was pre prepared, ready to bake and smothered in garlic butter or sauted in saffron butter etc. Now half our plates everyday is veg and the meat is the small portion. Healthier and cheaper.

I got so much help when I started on old style, I don't know what we'd have done without it :A

duchy

I've always seen OS as about a life style rather than saving money -and about not squandering resources .

I'm sure setting up chickens for example isn't especially moneysaving but comes with other benefits ....same with home grown veg.

Vinegar instead of commercial cleaner for me is about fewer chemicals and cooking from scratch simply tastes better and anyway the older I get the smaller the print on the labels seems to get to check for E numbers

VfM4meplse

Spendless wrote: »

Do your taste buds change as you age? I know they do from child to adult, as I can remember disliking things that I'll now enjoy, but beyond that? My 90yo Nan refuses to get a freezer as she wants to eat fresh food, despite that it would make her life so much easier now she has limited mobility. My Mum in her 70s herself had just put it down to her being stubborn, but reading your post, I'm not too sure.

Interestingly my mum used to rely on her freezer for fish and vegetable in particular, as a harassed mother of three working full time. I also remember lots of Artic Rolls, Vienetta and Wall's ice-cream (no complaints from us at the time ). As she often reminds me, back in the seventies and early eighties supermarkets used to close by 5.30pm so shopping was either a mad rush at lunchtime, or a job for Saturday mornings. I remember her having a huge row with the SA in Beejam (remember them?) one day as she didn't know how to take a credit card payment. My mum had a trolley full of frozen food plus three of us in tow, 10 minutes left on the parking meter and no cash, so waiting for the manager to come back from lunch to process the transaction was not an option.

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

I've been developing a suspicion over the last couple of years that my tastebuds have changed (ie early 60s). I think I'm going "stronger" on flavours (eg I used to drink strong instant coffee and then moved to real coffee and it now has to be strength 5 real coffee). I'm adding more flavour in various ways to food (eg salt - errr....whoops..:rotfl:). My tastebuds haven't been "confused" by the addition of lots of sugar to food (as I very rarely eat any readymade sweet food).

Then I read an article recently which was along the lines of people having lost quite a substantial percentage of their tastebuds by around my age:(

That's rather ironic - just when you get to the age where you can finally find the money to have "nice" food and be a bit "foodie" your own tastebuds let you down:(.

Hence - I've taken to experimenting with new foods at a very fast pace - so that I know what they are like now in case the tastebuds "go" later.

Mum is in her late 60s and now full retired. It's all all well and good insisting on fresh food if you have the time to prepare it yourself. I object to being criticised for bulk-cooking and freezing once in a while, as I'm so time poor.

dragonette

Taste buds do fade with age - which is part of the reason more elderly patients become malnourished in hospital, between the lack of taste and reduced mobility, there just isn't much incentive to eat (according to my ex's nursing training anyway).

I tend to be more careful with money than I 'need' to be - I just dislike waste! A friend asked why I felt I couldn't run my new slow cooker at a third full...what a waste of energy! I have the heating on as little as poss, few new clothes (still get some), bulk buying.

The things I do spend a bit more on are things like pre-prepared veg, which allows me to homecook no matter how bad my hands are on a particular day.

moneyistooshorttomention

VfM4meplse wrote: »

Mum is in her late 60s and now full retired. It's all all well and good insisting on fresh food if you have the time to prepare it yourself. I object to being criticised for bulk-cooking and freezing once in a while, as I'm so time poor.

If your Mum is insisting you have fresh food - and forgetting you still have to have a job - perhaps you need to point out to her how many hours are taken up with the job and housework before you can actually get to doing the cooking?

Sometimes mothers forget these things....but give her the benefit of the doubt (ie that she means it for the best). I doubt she is criticising you...just forgetting what it was like...

VfM4meplse

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

I doubt she is criticising you...just forgetting what it was like...

She is, but that's just the way she's programmed. She soon changes her tune when I remind her what a good daughter I am

Interesting what is being said about tastebuds, I think there's a feature on enticing the elderly to eat better on Woman's Hour tomorrow. I'll listen on catch-up.

Lynplatinum

Hiya

Even if I ended up with loads of money I doubt that I cold change most of my habits Never having had much money (20+ years as a single parent; no money from ex for years; put kids tho Uni by myself!) I have always had to be careful with money and thought I was good at it until I came on here so many useful hints and tips!!

But I have three reasons for being this way:
1) It is kinder to the environment - we really need to reduce the amount of plastic we use
2) It does save me money which I can then put towards things I want to do rather than spending it all on what I have to do (i.e. have a holiday vs paying over-inflated bills
3) it is a less stressful way of life (see Tyler Durdon in Fight Club :rotfl:

However, I agree with Fuddle - being time poor is the enemy of Moneysaving and frugaling.
Thanks for this thread - it has been most interesting :T
Nite all

Smoosh

No where near a "better off" state yet as I'm still in full time education, but I can't see myself ever giving up yellow sticker shopping or charity shops!

[Deleted User]

I was a young housewife and mum in the 1960s and rarely if ever saw food reduced at all. But like most hard-up Mums at that time, my late friend and I searched for our bargains .
When you have a limited income with two small children luxuries come quite a way down the priority list.
Luckily, having been brought up by a thrifty Mum and rationing helped no end, and street markets were far more common than today.
We walked everywhere pushing our prams with children in them and toddlers perched on the back.
Late Saturday afternoons were the best time to go to the butchers as our local chap in South Norwood used to start cutting his stuff around 4.00.p.m.I could buy a leg of lamb for 17/6d (87p)which I could use for Sun-Wednesday and then had only Thursday -Saturday to sort meals for.

I remember buying a Vesta chicken curry in a box when they first came on the market as I thought it would be a treat for my OH.He took a mouthful and then asked if I still had the box I said Yes and he said 'can I have that instead as it may taste better than this' :):) I remember it cost 2/3d (12p) and I never ever bought another one My housekeeping for two adults and two small children was £8.10.00 (£8.50p)and we ate pretty well on it with careful budgeting.:):):) Things were so different in those days and when I think that today a newspaper is about 12/-(60p) That is almost two thirds of what I paid for the sunday joint :):)

I will always be careful with money management, even though I am now far better off financially than I was 50 odd years ago. Old habits die hard I suppose , and frugality cannot be 'unlearned'

Still I have taught both of my DDs to be money-wise and my DGS whom I look after are pretty good at spotting a bargain,although today they search the internet rather than the shops for bargains

JackieO

Caterina

I keep being delighted and reassured by all these responses! While visiting the financial adviser who is helping DH consolidate his pension pots, after hearing that after all we are doing ok and can relax a bit, instead of whooping for joy and planning for a mad spree, I quietly panicked, thinking that now I would be expected to start spending carelessly, without a second thought to my old ways.

DH, bless his heart, said to the man: "lifelong habits are hard to die" and so I was reassured that he was on my side. We have since discussed the situation and are totally in agreement that we will still remain cautious spenders, only giving ourselves the odd treat, meal out etc. We celebrated the news with an Indian takeaway for us, our DS and DH's cousin, grand total £21 (because I still cook my own rice rather than buy it from the takeaway!).

I agree wholeheartedly with all who responded by saying that our OS lifestyle is not only good for our pockets, but for society and for the Earth as well.

DH and I really love to make a lot out very little, the simple joy of a flask of tea and cheese sandwich at the allotment, or sit side by side, me knitting and he with a nice glass of wine in hand, watching a film on TV or a DVD borrowed from the library, a walk on the riverfront, the occasional fish and chips outing, sometimes followed by cinema (2 for 1 meerkat tickets to the seniors show, grand total £5.50 for 2, including tea and biscuits!). We don't much like going out in the evening as we are rather tired, except for his Thursday martial arts class and sometimes our local church has a social event. That's nice and easy as it is just across the road.

We probably sound a lot like boring old people, I realise, but we feel we have a rich life. We both go to a lovely free keep fit class for over 55s, which is run by a fancy posh gym establishment (you just got to love the corporate social responsibility programmes - we are really grateful) and after the class we can have a free sauna. To top up the outing, we can pop into the local w8rose cafe and have tea and cake (free tea). Then before going home we can check any posh food reductions or offers - I get a few staples with my card's 20% off offer, even when not YSd, this is the extent of my extravagance!

DH has joined an art class with his newly found pensioner status and pays very little for the full use of a screen printing studio. I still go to community knitting events but after Easter plan to join a sewing class so I can refresh my summer wardrobe with a couple of nice (I hope!) handmade garments. I wish I knew how to sew all alone at home but I have very little confidence so a class will be necessary to help me along.

We will spend a fair whack for our holidays, that's because we are going to take the train to Italy, but then will have free accommodation in Rome (with my aunt) and in Sardinia (with my mum). We hope to spend a few days at the seaside, in a lovely campsite with very cheap bungalows, wooden sheds really, but with a cooker outside under the verandah, so we usually cook our own food bought for a song at the local market. Big treat, odd bottle of wine and a daily ice cream each. Last of the great spenders LOL!