Should we go back to the past to save money?

Ah your flat sounds lovely and cosy.
It's not so long ago that we were having tin baths in front of the fire and I don't really care to go back to those days especially when I was never the first in.

I've heard of those paper blocks you mentioned and they sound good value if you can get them to burn for an hour.

You sound a very innovative person Omendata well done, I hope you ultimately make lots of savings as well as enjoy your lovely surroundings.

Personally, I'll stick to paying more for the privilege of plentiful supplies and little effort.

Yep, I didn't grow up in those times and I'm thankful for it!

Omendata - I'm currently reading a book that I received for Christmas called 'Thrifty Tips from the War Years'. I'll get back to you when I've filtered some of the best ideas from the past! (Someone I know realises that I'm rather frugal in my ways!!)

So, Omendata, do you make your own marshmallows too...?! ;-)

Well Mr OD, you do stimulate reaction from the ladies, don't you?

But what you suggest should indeed be a 'new age' way of thinking. Most of us are brought up to accept modern conveniences and if it's cold, you simply turn up the thermostat or switch on a fan heater or gas log fire. And that is all fine until you get the damn bill!

So fully in agreement, we should take a step back in time ( I think the antique shops call it 'retro' ). I was brought up in London in the 50s with coal fires being the norm. NO central heating, perhaps the odd gas fire. The they introduced a smokeless zone in the early 60s and we went over to electric fires with those whirligigs over red bulbs which gave the effect of flames lapping up your personage.

I now live and work in Sussex and when I visit rural or semi-rural properties, they almost always have a log burner. The trouble is that as a result, logs are fully available but usually at a premium. So your idea of paper bricks is wonderful although it does restrict paper recycling in a way.

Perhaps we should bring back 'coppers' for washing clothes in and mangles ... and washboards! But somehow the romantic picture that conjures up soon fades when my little white Zanussi jobbie fits the bill so much better!

And then there are candles ... romantic at every level ... mystical ... and no power source! And I always try and use recycled toilet paper .. pity about the colour though!

Hi Omendata

Boy have you taken me back to my childhood! When I was little we lived in a flat on the 3rd floor and we had a coal fire, it was used to heat our whole flat and our hot water. We had a coal man who used to carry it all up the stairs and a coal shed in our hallway by the front door. I was a child of the 80's so I imagine that we were probably one of the last ones to have an open fire, but we loved it (apart from the dust) - my mum would cook on it when we had no power and it was a great source of light, we would wash in front of it and it was a lot cheaper than the modern equivalent.

I have central heating and it's fine until it goes wrong, than you've got nothing - no heat or hot water (except from our shower which is on a separate system, thank goodness).

We did grow our own produce last summer and we will again this summer (hope my strawberries survive the snow and frost) and it is better tasting than what you buy. In an ideal society we would have a mix of both traditional ways of growing our produce and being semi self sufficient and a mix of modern technologies to make life easier, but unfortunately we are a society that likes things to be easy and we want everything now.

Yes OM - let's go back to the past for this - who is old enough to remember domestic science lessons in schools (later to become home economics)? Such a useful, money-saving and ecologically sound subject and although taught in a few schools today does not cover the same subject areas at all. I was taught how to plan family meals, cook fresh and seasonal vegetables, economical cuts of meat and fish and never to waste anything. I know how to darn and how to patch and how to clean windows with newspaper and vinegar solution. I learnt how to design and plan a kitchen, how to budget and how to make a Christmas table centre. DS was considered a Cinderella subject and was dropped as a core subject when the National Curriculum came in, such a pity.

I suspect many mymoney members would be amazed by my life and lifestyle. Here in remote North Wales I live in a granite built cottage rather distant from anywhere. There is no mains gas, no mains sewers, often there's no mains electric either. Since getting up this morning my partner and I have been chopping logs. Our log shed now contains a very healthy supply which is good because that is our central heating (wood burner) for the next few weeks. These logs were collected throughout the year, for free I should add, and that's how it is every year. We do rather live in the past I guess, but I don't think it's a bad thing (somewhat exhausting perhaps and I've got a very achey back) but we don't get huge bills over winter and we don't have the temptation of the thermostat - if it gets chilly we chuck another log on the fire and put another jumper on.

I used to love going camping with the cubs and cooking eggy bread on the camp fire, cant beat it, best days of my life when I refect back on it, we did use stoves at night to cook our food but during the day was on the open fire with wood collected through the day. I admire wendiew with her log fire now.

The trouble is with some of the old ideas is that they take time and with modern day living, certainly mine anyway there is no time to do things the old way, well not until I finish doing my house up, but having said that I do have an allotment so I'm kind of back to the roots there as I'm self sufficent on a 1/3 of my overall produce throughout the year.

Go back to the past to save money?

No.

Go back to the past to make money?

Oh yes.

If we're gonna time travel, I'm going to collect winning lottery numbers, not alternative water heating mechanisms :)

Omendata, we too have an open fire and would not be without it - my husband always says that if we weren't in rented accomodation we would definitely have a back boiler put in. One great money saving thing that is coming back from the past is growing ones own veggies. My Uncle always has and last year he said wasn't a great year for carrots and it was the first time he ever remembered having to buy any!!! That's in about 50 yrs. His veggies are delicious and I now grow a handful of foods myself too. It is so rewarding - and cheap!!

We bought one of those things to make paper bricks but I did find it rather time consuming and of course you have to get them to dry which takes forever. With that we got quite a lot of them as my husband started to take over as I found it was slipping for me and not working as well after a while, but, I don't think they lasted an hour. We actually have quite a few people that off load their old fences etc to us and we seem to have quite a good supply with this so I suggest if you have a coal fire (or get a wood burner- in the summer when they're on sale is best) and let everyone know you will get rid of their old wood (work tops etc) saves them going to the tip. If you have somewhere to keep it of course but this saves a fortune

We live in a marshmallow world now !! haha...all soft..!..no..your idea is a good one...we could also stick newspapers up our jumpers..that is a remarkable way to keep warm...would have to be... The Times...of course..better quality heat !! and yes..I think open fire gives an overall heat to the room..rather than just a few feet from electric fire...newspaper in shoes...??

And Thermal Knickers, Mikkimac!!!! ha ha...

I am glad that this question has reared its head after nearly a year as it seems so much more focal as the recession bites. However, with family units in decline and people living more and more insular lives, the chance to make such savings becomes less. Having said that, I firmly believe that if we slide deeper into recession ( and globally, that's on the cards ) then necessity ( being the mother of invention ) will firmly take over and we could see old fashioned values returning.

Well at least I can dream !