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

lovefullshelves

My greatgrandmother looked after me when I was little and having gone through 2 world wars she was so frugal it was amazing. She saved cotton on reels if she took an old garment apart, every button and fastening came off and every scrap of fabric was re-used. I've still got some lovely rag rugs and bed covers she made from 'nothing'.
My mum was similar, all our clothes were hand made, she spent weekends baking and could make meals from mainly what we grew. Having a bottle of pop was a treat only allowed at christmas! (when alot of my gifts were handmade, rag dolls I still own:p)
My dad made things out of junk, he made me a roundabout out of an old axle and some ride on toys we found at the local tip(when you could still have a climb and rummage) He was recycling and reusing long before the words were in common use!
So for me I guess its just in built! I can hear them all telling me not to use something new when something old might do

[Deleted User]

Like Ilona I too am errr....somewhat older than most on here and being frugal came from my upbringing.During rationing it was a case of not so much no money, but no goods to buy in the shops.
My late Mum was excellent at making her pennies streeetch to cover everything, and we never went without, but were brought up to appreciate that things have to be paid for.She didn't believe in credit in any form whatsoever, and if we wanted something then it was saved for .Apart from a mortgage during my life (which is long paid for ) I have never owed anyone a tanner, and I don't think I could sleep easy if I did.but then I save for things that I need (note need there, not want) I have few wants, and even fewer needs at my age.I have a dry roof over my head thats paid for,food in the cupboard thats also paid for and a bit of cash stashed away for a rainy day.I spend any surplus cash on my family and like to help them out when I can, but they also know I'm not a soft touch and they have never taken advantage of me at all.The grandchildren get more of my time and attention than my cash and they know that if there is something really needed that I will probably stump up if I can.
OS is just a way of life thats seems to be ingrained into me

ginnyknit

O/S is in my blood and since I retired to care for hubby I have the time to pinch the pennies and make do and mend. I get such pleasure from it all and it gives me a focus for my days. When we both worked long hours we did waste money and are paying for that now but I intend to never go down that road again. MSE has been a godsend and I have made fab new friends who are like minded and keep me going when Im getting down. I would much rather manage with the stuff I have than buy new and get a great sense of acheivement from making something others would have to buy.

good_advice

Why am I an old styler? well I love my arts and crafts, I love homemade, I love coupon shopping and vouchers. It is what makes me ME:)

meritaten

mix of being 'older' brought up by mum and especially nan to 'make do and mend', stretch pennies, don't waste food and look after my shoes, clothes etc.
also, I feel that too much of our consumables are considered 'disposable' and we are cluttering up our beautiful country with things which are thrown away but perfectly usable. Simply because they are 'so last year dahling'!
We only have a very small mortgage and this should be paid off the year OH retires - other than that our only debt is on the car (quite small because we part exchanged and paid a large deposit). compared to some we are positively miserly!

sonastin

We bought a house a couple of years ago that needed a lot of work. OH gave up paid employment to do the work on the house. Our budget hasn't quite covered the materials costs because we keep thinking up extra "improvements" which will add more value to the house than they cost (yes, even in this climate) so although we're now in the lucky position of being asset-rich, we're most definitely cash-poor.

I discovered OS as a way to make sure the cash would stretch and let us finish off the projects without having to cut corners on the property investment. I figure that the improvement in house value is like OH's "wages" for the time he's working on it. If he builds an extension that adds £10k to the house and takes 6 months and costs £1k in materials, he's "earned" an £18k p.a. salary. If we cut corners and use £500 of materials and the resulting extension is only a £5k improvement for the same work, he's only "earned" a £9k p.a. salary. His skills are worth more than that so I stick to the OS way of life to make sure I can find that extra £500 without having to borrow it.

GreyQueen

I was raised Old Style by a mother who was raised by foster-parents who were 50 when they took her on as a seven year old. They were country people, born in the last years of Queen Vic's reign, beyond old style. Her foster dad was one of the last people in the UK to be employed to plough with horses.

Dad's people were equally OS. Our wimminfolk spent the Roaring Twenties in floral crossover pinnies not flapper dresses and I have the photos to prove it.

It's a firmly entrenched lifestyle, as natural to me as breathing. I don't do OS, I am OS. Never been in a penny of debt and hope never to be.

Tomorrow after work I plan to visit my allotment and eat the first strawberry of 2013. With great ceremony and a joy that shopping and M & S couldn't possibly equal.

Butterfly_Brain

I have been OS since getting married 26 years ago and having to stretch every penny to pay the mortgage, bills and to eat well but cheaply. I was lucky that I was brought up by OS parents and I had a good idea of where to start. We have had our ups and downs financially but we have always managed to come out on the other side, sometimes I wondered if we ever would. We have both faced redundancy many times, but were lucky enough to find another job without having to sign on, and when the children came along it was very tough. I have always tried to keep a full cupboard and freezer, so we always had food, we could never afford savings then because there was never any money left, but we have a little nest egg now. We still have a few years left on the mortgage and I will be glad when it is cleared. We are paying off extra every year in order to do this. I am disabled and have tried to find work, but have always been turned down, A couple of firms said that I was a health and safety risk, because I walk with crutches or when the pain is really bad I have to use the wheelchair, so in a lot of ways we are back to square one.

Smoosh

Because me and my OH have gone through some tough times and I needed to learn how to budget and stretch the pennies. Now we're doing better for ourselves, but because we know how to live more cheaply, we still do so, allowing us to save more money (although, granted, we are spending a bit more than usual at the moment because we're enjoying having some extra income for the first time in a long while).

I'm fairly young (21) and just finishing my first year of university, it's shocked me to see how most people at uni are so careless with their money and have no problem building up debt or expecting their parents to pay for a comfortable lifestyle. We work hard to make sure we don't go without and try to save as much money as we can so that when I finish university we can get married, buy a house and start a family.