Mod cons vs traditional methods - what have you stopped using? 29 May 2022 at 8:15PM in Old style MoneySaving 13 replies 2.2K views

asparklyblonde

Good evening all,

Due to a combination of factors, there are several items that I once considered essentials which I no longer use. 

These include the dishwasher (I wash up by hand); hoover (hard floors are swept & mopped, carpets cleaned with carpet sweeper); and main oven (use slow cooker, gas hob or cook atop the wood burner).  

Tumble drier and iron not owned. Washing machine used twice a week. We live rurally and so many of our local farmers still have no gas and only a poor electric supply due to being so high up.

So much about our way of life is seen as traditional and a bit kooky by many. I’ve leaned more and more toward this life for the past year or so and I wouldn’t swap it for anything now.

Today we had half a pig delivered in exchange for our help with lambing time. Simple joys. 

Any other rural old stylers who still embrace these ways? xxx 

gran3

I just use them all less often.

Nonnadiluca

I've never had a tumble dryer either, nothing beats the smell of clothes dried in fresh air! With two dogs though I couldn't manage without a vacuum cleaner! Everything is cooked from scratch so no ultra processed food; fruit and veggies grown in the garden and allotment. I forage - making loads of elderflower cordial at the moment. We're not exactly rural but not in a city. I fully appreciate how lucky we are, living in a nice place and being retired with plenty of time, but things often takes a lot less time than people think.
For the last 30 years or so we've had a joint income below the average income for one person but have always had food on the table and what we feel is a good life doing things we enjoy and I wouldn't change a thing. 

elsien

I have a dust and assorted other allergies. As my house is mainly carpeted, I count the hoover as an essential otherwise I’m awake coughing half the night.
Otherwise I’ve never had a dishwasher or a tumbledryer and most things can get away without being ironed. 

Something else to the mix, I don’t have a hair dryer or any heated hair implements. Although tbf that’s less to do with economy and more with a very low boredom threshold and preferring to stay in bed longer if possible. 

Also not planning on swapping the lawnmower for a scythe just yet. 

I think we all have our own ideas of essential depending on circumstances and levels of health/disability. 

OrkneyStar

We have never owned a dish washer or a tumble drier, so cannot use those less, ha ha.
I do use the WM less, though never used it excessively, and really make sure if things need washed or not!
We have an immersion (o/night heating) boiler and we used to sometimes top up the warm water on the higher day rate - we no longer do that and make do with what we have.
We do sometimes use the dehumidifier (to dehumidify/help dry clothes when damp) but now use it overnight (lower rate electricity).
I dry outside when it's not wet/too windy/slurry smell.
I don't use the big hoover as often.
We unplug as many things as we can when not in use (some are impractical in relation to plug location).
Our CH (storage heaters) is broken, but we use the panel heaters less and less and have extra blankets and layers of clothes.
More batch cooking.
There might be more but that's all I can think of for now.
Edit - oh yes, I stopped ironing years ago, it's a waste of my time and electricity (though I appreciate some people may need to iron certain items such as work clothes).

London_1

I too have never owned or wanted or needed a dishwasher or tumble dryer, so thats not a problem .I do far less ironing ,in fact very little to be honest as my right arm doesn't work as well as it used to because of lymphodema, and I had a fall on my right arm about two years ago, and tore the rotor cuff in my shoulder and it cannot be repaired as the physio chap said because of my lymphodema it may set off something worse than what it is .So I have reduced movement .

But I don't mind, and so the iron doesn't get much use in my house

I wash up once a day usually after dinner in the evening and my clothes are all line dried.

 I cut back on the washing machine a bit  as well so that helps . I walk a bit more than I did with petrol at around £7.50 a gallon its a bit expensive  to whizz around so my bus pass gets used a bit more.

My hair I keep fairly short so my hair dryer doesn't get used a great deal either. I have been pretty good with the energy this year and use it as and when.

 My water heating part of CH goes on for a full tank every morning for two hours and I only have the heating part on if its really nippy, but I am happy to use throws, and I have an electric throw for when its really chilly.

But use how water bottles, and an extra cardi. Hot kettles of water ,the excess gets put into my big thermos as it gets used for my numerous cuppas during the day.

I don't like to waste anything and a kettle of water left to go cold is a waste.

Checking my bills, the dearest month this year for dual fuel was January when it was £82 odd

April -May 's has just come through on my account, and its down to £43

 so May-June will be even lower as I've not needed the heating on at all.

 I conserve what I can be it fuel or even water as I'm on a meter for the water and its only £9.70 a month as I get the essential tarriff from Sounthern water which gives you a 20% discount I go for any discount possible  

Using the utilities at the best way you can seems eminently sensible and helps to keep more cash in your pocket than the big companies.

JackieO xx

Siebrie

We are using the hoover less and the broom and wet broom more and more on our laminate flooring. I never used to have a dryer, but in this house, I really need one! It just doesn't have a proper airflow, although I hope that will be improved with the coming renovations.

Our dishwasher broke down last night; we'll see if we can fix it, otherwise we'll do the dishes by hand until the renovations have finished and then decided if we need another one.

joedenise

We have stopped using the dishwasher completely and washing up by hand using LO water from the kettle after making a cuppa.

We have a combi boiler so water is only heated when needed.  Water collected whilst waiting for the hot to come through is used to water the garden.  Rainwater is collected in butts and is also used rather than running extra water.

Use a rechargeable stick cleaner rather than the big hoover as mainly hard floors, apart from bedrooms.  Nothing gets ironed except if I've dressmaking and then it's only pressing seams!

Washing is all done at 30 degrees on a short programme.  Whites wash is put into machine in the evening and only run until the clothes are wet and the washing liquid has run in then turned off and left to soak overnight before running a short programme the next morning.

No heating for nearly 2 months now and the living room temperature is around 18-21 degrees without heating.  The warmer weather definitely helps as does the extra insulation we have put in over the last couple of years.

Have had a smart meter fitted but unfortunately still not working so can't see how much gas and electric is actually costing us but hopefully as we're paying quite a lot more than we were there will be a build up of credit for the winter months with the reduced gas and electric usage.

EssexHebridean

We do have a dishwasher - just a slimline one though as there are just the two of us and it tends to go on about three times a week. Allowing that our water has to be heated using electricity we couldn't actually wash up everything by hand any cheaper - and I'm conscious that the DW uses less water as well, which I see as a good thing. Like OS above we have definitely dropped the use of the washing machine a lot on previous - it only ever goes on for a completely full load now and we're also conscious of ensuring that things need to be washed - it's only undies and socks that get washed after a single day of wear now, plus the occasional item of sports gear that has either got very sweaty or in the case of MrEH's rugby gear - muddy. The WM is actually a washer dryer - towels get a 30 minute tumble at the end of their wash programme every second time they go through just to keep them a little more soft and nice to use for longer. Again, it costs relatively little and prolongs the useable life of the towels, for us, so worthwhile. Nothing else generally gets tumbled at all though. 

The only one who irons in our house is MrEH and that happens less than it used to as he's only in the office a couple of days a week now - and they have gone far more over to casual dress, so he only needs a shirt/suit combo when he's seeing clients. My main "reduction" is probably the car use - when I'm running errands from home I tend to cycle mostly now, and we work things so the days we're both in London we car-share - it used to be that one of my 4 days a week I'd take my own car to get an earlier run back home, but at nearly £6 a day commuting costs purely on the fuel aspect I can't justify that any more. MrEH also plans his office days around days I'm going in as well. 

mandy47

Defiantly using WM less, only 20-30 degrees and the shortest wash (30 mins).
DW 4 times a week.
Tumble dryer hasn't been used since January and will probably never been used again. 
Central heating turned off in early March and we've made a pact not to turn it back on until at least November, longer if possible.
Our veg patch has spilled over into numerous pots on the patio. The more we can grow the better. 
Carpet sweeper used 5 days a week and vacuum twice. That would be even less if we didn't have a dog. 
Walking more, driving less. Although I still need the car for getting to work. I leave home before the buses start and I don't feel safe walking at that time of day/night. I run any errands possible, including SM shopping , on my drive home from work so as to keep driving to a minimum.
It all adds up. Makes little difference day to day but when we look at petrol costs per month we're starting to notice a difference.

Rosa_Damascena

I stopped using the DW for about a month and then reverted to it. It's mostly mugs and the odd side plate that goes in but I do make sure it's packed to capacity before I run it.

A significant change for me was switching of the CH when I got January's bill!