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

Roz_V

I'm a student and thought I was careful with money until I found OS. I'm moving into a new flat soon, and the rent is stretching my budget to the max as it will only be me and my boyfriend, instead of four people... However the £600/month includes council tax (for him) and all other bills so I think it works out to be fairly reasonable.

I'm really looking forward to being able to be "fully" OS in the new flat as I will have full control over budgeting and I can make use of a full freezer, rather than 1/4 of one! I will need to be OS in the new place but to be honest I can't wait! I have already written up a Household Guide similar to the one that Queenie described here which my OH thinks is incredibly sad, yet cute at the same time!!

Hopefully my enthusiasm will continue when I'm actually there!!

skandia

OS is the way of life for me as i was born in the USSR back in late 70-s. We didn;t have a choice to live other way especially in early 90-s when shops were literally empty. I really enjoy it;)

Mrs_Bear

OS started as a must - I was made redundant! Thing is, when I had lots of money and didn't worry about spending, I didn't enjoy it as much as I do now, where every penny counts. I now make sourdough bread (which The Bear adores, so much so that he gets up early to put the oven on on saturdays so we have a nice breakfast!) I use OS cleaning tips - and I have to say they work as well, if not better than the expensive stuff I bought before - and I'm more imaginative with my cooking and make delicious food that costs less. OS is now my lifestyle choice and I will stick with it even if I do get a job.

There's a great deal of satisfaction to be gained from doing it all yourself, rather than paying to have it presented to you! I love it!

Keep your chin up and take pleasure in what you can do!

dolly_day_dream

Sorry you are finding it hard at the moment Doddsy. OS is something that I grew up with and being a single parent is a lifestyle that I have had to maintain to various levels throughout my life. The thing is we all have a choice. You chose to move your daughter - well done. You could choose to get into/increase your debt instead of keep to OS ways. When I am finding it hard standing at the bus stop waiting for a bus that is always late I tell myself that I have made a choice where to spend my money. Personally I love the challenge of giving 'them' as little of my money as possible.

The fact that OS is generally a green way of living has been brilliant cos whereas before I might have apologised for having to buy from a charity shop/jumble sale now I tell one and all that I am recycling to save the planet for everyone. My grandmother was proud of being able to "make 6pence do the work of a shilling (12 pence)" I am equally proud.

Chipps

I'm not sure whether you could count us as a want or a must.
to begin with, when we were 1st married - well, 15 months later when DD appeared - we had to cut costs in order to live on one income.
And now, we have chosen to home educate 2 of our 3 children (only 1 left at home now) so we are still living on DHs fairly low income. But I guess you could say that's our choice so it counts as a "want", on the other hand it is quite a low income, so while we live on just that, it is a "must"!
Does that make sense?

Mrs_Bear

I think in many cases it might start as a "must" but that when you can see what you can manage to achieve, it becomes part of your life.... and, therefore, a "want"

I look at other people and feel that perhaps if they tried "our way" they would gain so much. I know I have - and it's thanks, in the main, to the great tips, help and advice that I've got from this board. I know I will continue with this way of life because I know how satisfying it is to leave behind a great deal of the materialistic thoughts I had before. I was probably one of the worst offenders (if you look at it that way) and wasted so much. Now, I don't feel so bad. There's still a lot I have to change, but I'm on my way..... so THANKYOU to everyone who has helped me get this far! I've benefited, as has my Bear and the enviroment! I'm much happier now.

apple_mint

It started as a must and became a want. Costs were going up and up, plus we decided we wanted a healthier eating lifestyle (high cholestoral). I found this site when hunting for frugal recipes and never left!

Been working at this for over a year now and love being OS. We keep within our budget and have never eaten so well. It has provided us with a more contented lifestyle. OH and I love looking for recipes which we can batch make at the weekend and are even talking about saving for a second freezer. We feel so much better - healthier and happier.

This group is great about making each little achievement to save the pennies feel huge. It all adds up.

[Deleted User]

In my case it wasn't so much of either a 'want' or a 'must' but that I haven't lived any other way. Growing up in the post-war austerity of the 1940's and 50's we literally didn't know of any other way to live.No one had much money, and my Mum's generation and mine were the original re-cycler's. Rationing of food makes one very inventive, and ekeing out things became second nature. I am one of the errm.. older OS'ers on this site and although I have no debts I find it interesting that so many young people -by young I mean folk in their 20s-50's +- use this site to save themselves cash.I love to see old recipes, and to look at how people in the 21st century are still using older methods.
But I never get dewy-eyed about the 'old days', true things were tough, and many women had a very hard life by comparison to today's young wives.
My late Mum never owned a washing machine,fridge,freezer,microwave, breadmaker,slow-cooker or even a car.But she brought up three children during one of the most turbulent periods of this countrie's history.
She would have thought it wonderful to be able to buy food once a week, instead of everyday, as we had limited cold storage facilities.
To her, to have been well off enough to actually store food would have been pretty amazing. Today's young wives have a great opportunity with all their labour saving devices to use the technology to make their lives, and their childrens so much more easier than my Mum's generation, and that is a good thing.
This is a great site to give out information about how to use things to greater advantage ,but there was an awful lot about earlier times that I would not like to see return
Children with rickets,scabies, teeth that fell out as there were few dentists to take care of them-nowdays there are dentists but a lot of folk can't afford them.
Family illness, especially the breadwinners, was a catastrophe then, as there was limited 'National Assistance' (social security) To live on the 'dole' was about as degrading as one could get. Few women worked and those who did earned very little for very long hours.:mad: So todays OSers are very lucky, but believe me there is very little resemblence to my Mum's generation of OSer's.
I applaud the idea that to save money and help the planet conserve it's resources is good,:T but that wasn't why it was done 50-60 years ago.
I often wonder what my old Mum would have made of this site, and whether she would have wanted to return to my Grandmothers way of life :question:

Queenie

My widowed mother brought up 5 of us and gave us all the gift of "life skills". Hand-me-downs were simply a way of life, rather than a choice, not much fun when you're the youngest and only girl though :laugh: She was an amazing woman, which I didn't fully appreciate while she was alive and who I wished I had listened to more before it was too late! I did have the priviledge of listening to her about her life when she was dying - in her day, you didn't "wash your dirty linen in public" and talk about your woes you simply 'got on with it'. It was at that point that I fully appreciated what she had endured and what made her the amazing character she was!

So, I was OS from the word go through necessity rather than desire.

In many ways I suppose I'm OS through habit (training? :laugh: ) but I think I make many OS choices simply because it tallies with my personal decisions and preferences.

I could never understand how my mother could laugh about The Depression or the War, but as she often said during difficult times, "you'll look back and laugh about this one day". So, when it comes to attitude, well, I've been homeless with two babies to care for, so I tend to compare all my circumstances against that time and know that no matter what life throws at me, I'll be able to survive it in practical terms.

Yes, Jackie - they didn't have washing machines ... but then, they didn't have a linen cupboard full of matching bedding and were very resourceful. Three sheets per bed (if you were flush) and changing the bed meant a fresh top sheet, the old top sheet would then be put on as the bottom sheet, while the bottom sheet was being washed and dried.
They didn't have *our* version of slow cookers, but they did use hay boxes, and prior to those days, they would share the bakers oven.
They didn't have a plate for all occasions, but then the neighbours would all muck in together and the sense of community was far stronger than it is today.
No they didn't have the cars, fridges, freezers or microwaves - but then, they were not as materialistic as people are today, nor was there a pressure on them to be so either. What they *did* have, which I think is far more precious was an attitude of gratitude.

I know my own mother would have foregone all the "mod cons" we have today if the pay off would be to live in a community where everyone pulled together in times of trouble; you could leave your door open without fear of being burgled; you could walk down the street without being mugged/happy slapped; you could cook up a meal with natural ingredients without having to pay a premium simply because it's labelled "organic"; clean without toxins being breathed in and eat without ingesting further toxins in the form of additives and preservatives which are known to cause allergies and hyperactivity.

Modern living is not only de-skilling us as human beings but it is also making us hugely dependant on commercialism! Now, I wonder, :think: what would my Grandmother think of the world today? I think she would be turning in her grave because "the world's turned upside down"!

comping_cat

With me, its a want, not a must. When i found the forums on MSE, i was surprised to find the way we were living (not using pre prepared food, having a store cupboard, slow cooker, bread machine etc) was considered old style. Along the way, now we have joined the MSE OS community, i have picked up loads of excellent tips and recipes all thanks to the wonderful people who share the same views, values and ways that we do!!!!