WHY are you old style?......

thriftlady_2

Like Kethry I love cooking far too much to go in for convenience food. We are financially OK, but if I had more money I would spend it on more organic food.

taplady

It started with us because of lack of money originally but it didn't take long for us to appreciate the other benefits of living oldstyle such as health,ecological reasons and pure satisfaction at having produced/grown something and we too wouldn't go back regardless of our financial position.

earthmother

Fair enough, OS cooking from scratch is generally cheaper than convenience food, but as other posters have said, saving money and eco-products are often mutually exclusive.

I know that since replacing chemical cleaners, non-biodegradeable products and the such with eco-alternatives, our bills are actually higher than before. But, if the money were there, we would go much further than we are (self build, LPG/Bio-deisel conversions etc)


Eco-friendly first, OS second is the way we came to it - OS helps balance out some of the expenses in other areas (especially as we're also organic wherever possible)

apprentice_tycoon

There was a thread here last year asking how Old Style you'd be if you won the lottery, there are some very funny (MATH!!!) and some very thoughful posts. It fits in with some of the thinking on this thread.

newleaf

I was raised OS and know no other way! I hate waste and recycle everything I can. I love food, and therefore I also love cooking. My OH is similarly minded, so no, I don't think anything would change dramatically if I suddenly had loads of dosh.

Penny-Pincher!!

This is going to sound snobby, but I think if I ever liked won the lottery-I would rather pay for a housekeeper and get them to cook rather than buying ready meals...yuk!!

If I ever go back to work:rolleyes: ...I wouldnt go back to total convienance food. Health wise we have improved (well apart from my illnesses but YKWIM)..we are eating our 5 veg/fruit daily.

We bought some pies from the freezer man at Dartford market a few weeks back (Mcdougals 3 for £2-huge steak and mushroom ones) and they were delish, and the quality was brilliant.

I must admit that I do like the finer things in life and if had more money would spend a little more on food, but then we eat very well and why pay more.

Good thread BTW.

PP
xx

nearlyrich

I was brought up in house with lots of love but not much money, my mum had no gadgets and we didn't even had a fridge till I was about 8 or 10. Mum used to shop everyday for food and she bought a huge sack of potatoes etc to feed us all.

I have no money problems (now) but I hate waste, food, money or whatever and I prefer to feed my family freshly cooked food that over processed rubbish. I actually find it quicker to prepare a meal from scratch than to defrost a ready meal.

Addiscomber

I could have written most of the posts above. I am old enough to have been brought up OS because there wasn't any other way. No fridge until I was about 7, and no freezer until I was in my early 20s. Seasonal food was all there was, and chicken was a luxury to be had at Christmas.

My family don't like most ready meals - I have spoilt them with my cooking - I find them chemical tasting and would far rather have something very simple and well cooked from well sourced ingredients any day.

Nix143

Severe financial difficulties have driven me to be OS but in the process I have discovered lots of things about myself. I used to cook but stopped when I split with my ex partner as what was the point of cooking for one? Well I've started cooking again and have a bulging freezer which I could live off for about a fortnight. I always recycled but now I Freecycle too. I'm more aware of what's going into my body, more aware of the direct relationship between the money I earn and what I spend it on. I'm eating healthier but I feel mentally healthier too. I am doing far more around the house, decorating and nesting almost.

If someone came and wiped my debts right now I wouldn't go back - I've re-discovered things I really like about myself. My old lifestyle seems lazy and I like the new me

piglet6

Penny-Pincher!! wrote:

This is going to sound snobby, but I think if I ever liked won the lottery-I would rather pay for a housekeeper and get them to cook rather than buying ready meals...yuk!!

I must admit that I do like the finer things in life and if had more money would spend a little more on food, but then we eat very well and why pay more.

Not at all snobby, PP, and if I won the lottery I would be right up there with you in hiring a housekeeper!!;)

I guess we started being more OS for monetary reasons (we both had pretty well-paid jobs in the City of London - then Mr Piglet became "long-term sick" and I was made redundant...and our living expenses were cut drastically by about 60% monthly, plus we lost those oh-so-handy annual bonuses!!:rolleyes:).

However, like so many others on this board, we eat so much better now, and actually have realised that it is possible to be happy when you don't buy everything ready-made from M&S/Waitrose, holidays don't have to be long-haul and exotic, and there are better ways to spend time with friends than just meeting up with them in overly expensive bars and restaurants!:o

But if I won the lottery next week, I would love to give up work (which I do for the money, not because I love the job!:rotfl:) and spend some time doing some voluntary work, employ a housekeeper to cook/clean my house (because I hate cleaning and cooking - although Mr P loves cooking, so I may have a fight on my hands for that one!), and spend more time selfishly (for example, when I worked shorter hours and had more spare cash, I loved going to the gym, so would love to renew my membership and spend time there purely because "I can" without feeling guilty about the better use of cash/time situation!)...:p

I suspect I'd also still use some of my extra time to hunt out bargains and the best prices for things - its such second nature to me now that I can't imagine I'd be able to just buy things at the drop of a hat withut researching all the options to make sure I got the best deal - after all, a penny saved is a penny saved...!!:cool:

I guess I started with the OS thing because of money, but if I had all the money in the world, I wouldn't go back to my completely non-OS ways...!:D

Piglet