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

daysieblue

Thank you all for your replies I suppose the reason I asked is because this OS thing seems to be sticking to me! I'm one of these people who will do something frenetically for a couple of weeks or so, and then lose interest or find something else to get equally worked up about. I've been tinkering with OS for a couple of months now, and I still love it! I've now got a BM, a SC and a meal planner! I try to fly, but I'm still a bit of a fledgling really. I'm trying to teach my children everything I'm learning so that they come to think of these practises as "normal" instead of "OS"

db xx

MrsTinks

I've always wanted to be OS I think, but never had the facilities to be so... Initially when i split from my OH at the time I moved into a VERY small studio flat with no kitchen (tiny fridge with 1 shelf ice box) - a babybelling I bought second hand and no actual kitchen sink or anything - I had to wash up in the bathroom sink... So major cooking never happened - just didn't have room!
Then I spent a lot of time moving houses, living on my own, working incredibly hard and although some cooking took place it was never totally from scratch.
Then i finally moved in with Mr Tine (wedding next may! YAY!) and found MSE a little while later and I've not really looked back - ok so I sometimes treat us to pizza from Mr T if I am nt feelign well or if I end up with a 10 hour day instead of the normal working day (and usually end up working again from home in the evening) and frankly cooking time is restricted. But most fo the time I try to have meals in the freezer that I can fall back on from when I have been batch cooking. Unfortunately I still have a small freezer Hoping to fix that this summer!
I still use cillit bang - sorry everyone - and I use a little bleach - especially on thinsg my cats come into contact with as I can't use dettol or zoflora (it's poisonous to cats as are all disinfectants that turn white in water), but mainly I use vinegar, bicarb or soda, soda crystals and borax for 95% of my cleaning needs
We are also growing our own veg this year and next sept we will finally get an allotment!!! Wish ti was THIS sept but the diocese in the area is being difficult - and infact they weren't going to let us have the village allotments back AT ALL but have had to bow to public demand as village support for them dropped through the floor since they decided to take the allotments off the village to try and get building permission (which has been turned down on 4 seperate occasions including appeals )
Would I go back? Not willingly no Infact if I could afford to give up work I'd probably turn into Barbara and Tom from the goodlife! :rotfl:

Linda32

daysieblue wrote: »

Thank you all for your replies I suppose the reason I asked is because this OS thing seems to be sticking to me! I'm one of these people who will do something frenetically for a couple of weeks or so, and then lose interest or find something else to get equally worked up about. I've been tinkering with OS for a couple of months now, and I still love it!

Thats me as well, I've been wanting to reply to this thread, but couldn't quite get on paper what I wanted to say.

OS does become a way of life, its enjoying, what are really simple pleasure, like home cooked food, I do find now that when I sit down to a meal which is home cooked its far more satisfying than three things out of the freezer. So its nothing to do with cutting back or going without in my eyes.

lil_me

(so this is where Flyboy is hiding :rolleyes: )

For me OS wasn't what I was brought up with, what I did or 'normal' to me. Was a convenience person who even bought ready made mashed potato (:o yup that bad)

I decided last year I wanted to make some drastic changes, be more healthy, provide a healthier life for my children, stop being as wasteful and start taking control of life a bit more.

I've managed it, hasn't been easy, but I am now much more OS, ok still little things not OS about but much better than I was.

Aswell as the above also have saved money in many ways, I know what goes in our food now rather than just being told by a label. I've actually started to enjoy cooking aswell.

Definately isn't a 'give it a go for a bit' for me, it's a lifestyle change.

lil_me

:hello: Don't want to hijack threads of course

Eels100

I think there are two schools of OSer - those who have some background in it (age may come into this, but upbringing has the main influence) and those to whom OS is a completely new concept.

For those of us who were brought up a certain way OS is like coming home, either because your generation is OS or because your parents, little did you realise at the time, had to be OS to make ends meet. I find myself in this group, and the realisation of what is achievable using OS principles has given me renewed admiration for the incredible resourcefulness my mother showed when bringing up a family on a tiny income. The best bit ...? None of us realised how little we were surviving on, and none of us feel like we went without anything, which is real proof of the power of OS!

The second group are those who have 'found' OS, often secondary to problems such as debts or changing circumstances. These guys often awe me the most - people who have had to make huge, sweeping changes to their lives, involving massive effort, planning and determination. And they completely embrace the philosophy and enjoy the benefits of it. This is one of the best things about OS though - it saves you money but just as importantly it makes you feel good about yourself, in control of your destiny (or even just tonight's dinner) and gives you a feeling of satisfaction.

I don't think it matters which background you come to OS from, the greatest thing is that we all take what we want from it and most of us have something to give back, be it a tip, trick or recipe. It's a way of thinking, an attitude, an ethos, and it can be with you forever or see you through a bad patch. But I don't know many people who lose all of their OS ways once they start - it's infectious!

cat4772

I'm becomming / returning to OS. My parents had been raised OS & frugal, but as they had more money, they found more things to spend it on, until the early 90s interest rises when they had to cut back (mortgage first, then utilities, then food (meat, veg was grown in the garden), then extras. They did *insist* on a week's holiday (usually to butlins, early in the season) but that was truly their only extravagance. Worst thing about it was the cheap baked beans!

Now of course, Hubby and I are in debt so we're looking at ways of cutting back - shpping and household expenditure was £400 (not including take-aways, meals out etc). Shopping bill last month was £300 and I'm hoping to cut it back to £200 this month, after that it'll be little snips here and there until I'm down to £100 - £130 a month! So much that I've read on the site has reminded me of things my parents did when money was tight, or things my grandparents did automatically - I just wish they'd taught me how to do more as I'm finding certain things hard - how to cook and pickle beetroot I've grown from my garden (and other things). I don't expect it to be a walk in the park so I'm not going to worry if I don't quite get it right the first time, I can always try again!

DenBo_4

I absolutely love OS, I discovered it about a year ago when I became too sick to work :eek: .................... I came onto OS forum and WOW! the change in my thinking has been huge, I was earning loads before I was sick, spending and wasting money like water. I wasnt bought up frugally so had no idea of the ways to save money, I would consider since discovering OS my eating habits are much healthier and economical, my whole lifestyle is better and I even care more for the environment! Yep, I'm a convert, OS forever :beer: :beer:

Mind you my family think I am mad, I've even converted my 75 year old mother to Stardrops :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

charlies_mum

Like a lot of people, I am trying to convert. Six years ago, I earned a good salary, but took redundancy as I really hated my job.

Last year I discovered OS, and now I have an allotment and greenhouse and am growing my own fruit & veg. I have two compost bins and try to recycle as much as possible. I have a bm, sc and steamer and make as much as I can from scratch (but do admit to the odd premade sauce / mix ). Next job is homemade jam once the strawberries, raspberries and plums are ready.

I shop at Lidl / Aldi and Netto and top-up at Asda, and get my yeast and flower pots free from Asda

My OH can't believe that I am the same person who used to spend money like water.

Sharifa_2

I was raised in this kind of lifestyle (another oldtimer here) but it really came into its own when I went vegan 20 years ago; now I mostly grow it and cook it rather than having someone else do that for me. It's part and parcel of a healthy 'conscious' lifestyle. I suppose it comes naturally to me to be frugal now; the downside is I often find it difficult to 'treat' myself with things even though I can afford to. It was ingrained into me that you use something until it's run out or broken, not replace it just for the sake of change. I'm not a luddite, but I get satisfaction from deliberately going against the tide and not opting into the consumer madness which has taken over this country over the past few decades. I too admire those who adopt this 'new old' way of life; the past has a lot to teach us, and there are generations growing up who seem to lack even the basic skills we take for granted, so every single person who chooses differently is a hero to me. Funny how it seems to be mainly women on this section, but that's a separate topic for debate