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

TKP_3

OS to me is not always necessary (we are already debt free)
My reasons for OS are :
I like to prepare food from scratch and control the quality and content of what I eat
I like to be organised (meal planning etc)
Waste less (especially food, but also useless products)
Save even more money towards things I would rather spend on
Help the planet

carinska

yes, that side of it is what makes me think I would keep it on even if I had more money - in fact it is probably EASIER when you have more money, as sometimes I know my choices are not the "greenest" but I am forced to go for the cheapest option rather than the greenest.

Pink.

Hi carinska,

We have a great thread on this topic so I've merged your thread with it to keep all the replies together.

Pink

RacyRed

When I first came across OS I didn't "have" to do it for financial reasons, but was attracted by the wholesomeness, the improvements to diet and the whole ethos of not buying stuff just because the big companies brain-washed me into thinking I "needed" it.

Now my circumstances have changed and because of a massive increase in outgoings I have to be a great deal more careful than I used to. That could have been quite a nasty shock but fortunately, because I had already started adopting OS ways into my life-style, it wasnt.

So I already know that I'd stick with things like

Filling my freezer with HM ready meals.

Making my own bread and, when I can get cheap cream, butter.

Baking more, (I make my own wholemeal fruit scones to take in for a snack at work instead of paying lots for rubbish from the local sandwich shop).

Thinking about food plans, budgeting for household expenditure etc.

The stuff I use to wash my clothes is something I'll always try to stick with because at last I've found a mix which doesn't irritate my very sensitive skin (and it's cheaper) ditto vinegar instead of or with a very, very diluted quantity of, fabric conditioner.

As I'm budgeting more I find that I can sometimes afford to get something nice from the farmers market for a special occasion, which makes it much more of an appreciated treat.

The main thing I'd keep though is having learned that there can be much more satisfaction gained from not being as much of a commercialised sheep (for want of a better word) as I used to be.

OS has helped me make informed choices about how I want to live, as opposed to how I'm told I should live. I wouldn't want to give that up, even if I never had to worry about money again.

celyn90

For me I think, it's a lot about how I was brought up. I'm only 20, but my mum always cooked and my dad grew vegtables and fixed things - and I do that too. We never had much money when we were kids (large family) but we never wanted anything. My mum taught me to understand food, what it is, where it comes from and how to handle it. Most people my age got sent to college with the mandatory student cookbook, my Mum gave me her copy of Mrs Beeton's book of household management, a lecture on the value of money and a steam iron. :rolleyes:

To this day I hate the taste of ready meals, am intrigued as why supermarket vegtables taste of nothing and I know that I can cook better than what I get most places when I eat out. I repair my clothes when they fail, do a lot of art and craft work, am not afraid to experiment in the kitchen (and sometimes it's a disaster!), understand what is in the cleaning stuff I choose and am not afraid to rewire a plug or put up shelves. I guess I'm OS then because I don't know what the alternative is, and for that I'm truly grateful. And I ring my mum when I get stuck, because she knows everything. cel x

DawnW

I am old style because, unlike the last poster, I AM quite old ( her Mum's age at least, I should think). I brought up 3 kids through very hard times, was a student myself, paid for them (the kids) to go to college and uni, paid off all the debt that accrued through all these years, and now can't get out of the habit! And wouldn't want to! Not so necessary financially for me now, but definitely necessary for the environment.

overlykeensaver

I was quite unwittingly OS before I discovered this form - we cooked all our meals from scratch, did weekly menus, were not too bothered about keeping up with neighbours and friends (ie getting a new car every few years etc)but finding it came at the right time just as I had our first baby. Now it has become much more a method of saving some money - and I have embraced so many of the suggestions on this forum, I think we must have saved a lot!

I agree with many of the other posters that it is also about doing things your way, not being too caught up in consumerism, "must have it now" ethos that seems to pervade society at the moment.

LJM

i was semi o/s before i joined im only early 30's but im suprised how much of what ive read i was already doing and things like grocery challenge i just enjoy doing it.i must say though the green fingered forum has me even more hooked than i am already and im in preperation of starting my veggie patch,really looking forward to it.doesnt take much to make me happy

daysieblue

:hello:

I'm still relatively new to OS, and am really trying hard to incorporate into our normal lives. I can see though how some people might go to it with short lived enthusiasm and give up after a while.

So I was wondering, when did you come to OS, and has the journey been easy, or not so smooth? Is this something you can see yourself doing forever, or do you think it has a shelf life?

db xx

newlywed

I arrived at OS when I joined this board. Think I was looking for cheap meal ideas at the time.

Some things have been easy and are a habit now but to be honest I did have a few times when I felt like all I did was cook and it got me down!!

Now I don't even think about it when I make pasta sauce or bolognaise from scratch.

Some days I want an easy day so I will get a jar of sauce or something easy but I'm loving roasted vegetables at the moment, have tried new vegetables I wouldn't have before, love looking through recipe books for ideas, and enjoying the variety cooking can give.

I think when the money situation is better, I may be buying more biscuits, the odd jar of sauce for a day off, and will certainly going to M&S for my fruit, but won't be filling up the basket with ready meals ever again. I know exactly what salt and oil goes into the meals I cook, and I add extra (hidden) veg to make sure the kids get their 5 when they are with us.

Bet the kids don't even realise that last weekend they ate green pepper (they say they don't like), mushrooms, grated carrot and LENTILS - all in a shepherds pie

I have also become more environmentally aware and so can't see me going back to all the old cleaning stuff since vinegar and bicarb works so well. Just wish our council did a recycling scheme in our area.