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

rmartin_2

Hi! I was also having the same thoughts. And yes, there are some people who can't live without things which are not even essential. Honestly, I am amazed as to how people manage to buy different expensive shoes for a collection. Well, buying shoes is not a luxury. But then, if you have more pairs than what you need then it becomes a luxury. Shoes protect are feet. It is recommended that we have at least a pair to wear for each type of occasion.

[Deleted User]

If I had to I could adapt to living as we did when I was a little girl 1940s-50s but I'd rather not.

Baths once a week if you were lucky and that was in an old tin bath that hung on the cellar door.

Ice on the inside of single glazed windows ,that 5 second dash across the lino in the bedroom to jump into freezing cold sheets.

Having to hand wash lots of clothes because there was no washing machine or using the boiler then having to rinse out in cold water and run the things through the mangle in the freezing back yard.

Having just enough to eat, but none of the flavours of today herbs and spices which we all take for granted.

Rationing and queueing was not the jolly community-based things that people imagine.it was the survival of the fittest:):)

Having to smile at the butcher in the hope of getting a few extra sausages that tasted of sawdust but were streeeeetched to make a toad in the hole and smothered in gravy to mask the taste
I could manage without the t.v. as I enjoy my books ,but not the wireless as I listen to that quite a bit anyway.
I would like the return of the neighbourliness that we had, and the way folk did help each other out more than today, and the respect given to older folk and the lack of general 'nastiness ' that seems to abound today.back then there were few kids falling out of pubs at god knows what time as youngsters rarely went into a pub,because,

a. their parents would have got crackers
b.they had no money
c. Pubs were for adults mostly men and a few women who were somewhat looked down on as a bit 'risque'

No I like todays lifestyle I like central heating and hot water and wall-to-wall carpets.I have always cooked from scratch as I can't see the attraction of convenience food but that is just a personal taste combined with a frugal nature that was instilled in me by my lovely old Mum.

Gigervamp

rmartin wrote: »

Hi! I was also having the same thoughts. And yes, there are some people who can't live without things which are not even essential. Honestly, I am amazed as to how people manage to buy different expensive shoes for a collection. Well, buying shoes is not a luxury. But then, if you have more pairs than what you need then it becomes a luxury. Shoes protect are feet. It is recommended that we have at least a pair to wear for each type of occasion.

Do you by any chance sell shoes? All of your posts mention buying shoes.

pumpkinlife

This is such an interesting thread. I did (as a child) have a fascination with programs like Little House on the Prairie and The Good Life, but I don't think that that is why I try to do things the way I do. I do look to history and to other cultures for inspiration, taking it all with a large pinch of salt if it all seems a bit too sanitised and rose tinted.

Most of my limited travels have been outside of wealthy western nations, I think that this is what has inspired my views. The more I produce stuff myself the less I rely on companies that 'externalise' all those inconvenient costs (living wages, environmental clean up, human rights) they would otherwise accrue. The less money I spend and the slower it travels, the less involved I am (though impossible to escape it completely) with what looks to me like a diabolical global system. The less stuff I need to live, the more time I have for meaningful activities. So I try (and quite often fail) to buy second hand, pay off my debts, cook from scratch, recycle and reuse everything and use less energy.

Also, I grew up with very little (relative to my peers) and had a very fulfilling childhood. Now I have more than I ever would have thought just 15 years ago - I am no happier, just a little more comfortable.

Angel_Jenny

I find it really interesting that people do the old style living because they love to live that way, even when there is a financial necessity to do so, there are still positives to come from it. Also that when money is less tight people don't really return to their previous spending habits.

I like to read about other people's inspirations and different ways that they save money and help the environment.

I sometimes think I would like a simpler life, not Amish simple just less materialistic than I have now. I think that by hand making various things (clothes, quilts, etc) they become less throwaway are real effort has gone into making them.

Angel Jenny :A

katholicos

I wonder if some of us have a more natural inclination for this kind of living? I used to live in a commune many years ago, we all shared what we had, made our own clothes, cooked from scratch, handmade all cards and gifts etc...it is a life i embrace...because it seems natural to me and because it seems to cast off the superfluous and uneccessary.

I'm not saying i wouldn't like a bit of cash to be able to buy some things i harbour secret longings for....not expensive things, but things for the home that look pretty and pleasing and are practical....mostly to do with cooking or eating. LOL!

Sweet_Pea_2

I watched the programme about the Amish too, it was wonderful. I loved their food stores with all the home made and bottled produce, and that the girls could all sew and made their own clothes. They seemed so content and happy, and there seemed to be no crime amongst their community.

Someone mentioned washing plastic plates - I bought a load of disposable plates and foil trays for a childrens party, years ago. They were only a few pence more than the paper ones in the shop, but looked more festive being different colours, and are made of very low grade plastic - designed to be thrown away. Well we have had loads of parties since then, still using the same plates, plastic cutlery and foil trays - washed up of course!

Angel_Jenny

Sweet_Pea wrote: »

I watched the programme about the Amish too, it was wonderful. I loved their food stores with all the home made and bottled produce, and that the girls could all sew and made their own clothes. They seemed so content and happy, and there seemed to be no crime amongst their community.

They really did seem content. That was the overall impression that I got. They knew exactly what they believed in, exactly who they were and exactly what was expected from them. They didn't seem to be living up to society's standards, they were trying to be good people.

I loved the scene where they were sewing a quilt and singing. I find the Amish fascinating and have a couple of books about them on my Christmas list.

I would love to make my own clothes but I am not sure if I am capable or if it is cheaper to buy clothes than to make them.

Angel Jenny :A

cdm

Hi Jenny Angel!
Welcome to the forum. In lots of ways we're quite lucky - with all the talk of the Credit Crunch etc., there is so much information out there about all sorts of stuff. The WI could be good -- loads of younger women in it nowadays. There are some newish WI's in towns now and even in some London postal districts! It's the friendship, widening of interests and skill-sharing. I live in a London suburb, and our libraries organise knitting mornings, craft sessions, sewing circles. There's lots out there. Keep looking, and enjoy!

lilac_lady

I think that a lot of people are becoming wise to the advertising industry and not falling for the "must have" stuff any more. Too many possessions, too little space for them so buy a bigger house? We're learning slowly but once you try old styling it's hard to think any other way.