Apologies for the lack of recent blogging - we've had a few setbacks in our part of Frugaldom.
First and foremost, this blog will NOT be closing, it will just be starting again as soon as we get back on our feet.
Secondly, I make no apologies for what I research, write or blog about, so any problems that any readers may have are their own, regardless of what they think. I won't be bullied or harassed into retracting thoroughly researched articles just because someone takes personal offence to any of the subject matter.
Serving notice for a tenant to quit a house is commonplace. I've been renting from private landlords for the past 10 years - 7 different landlords in total. At first, it was part and parcel of work, relocating to follow the income. But then we decided to fully adopt frugaldom - a simpler and more self-sustaining lifestyle in fitting with the frugal living ethos we'd been pursuing in an effort to save for a house. It meant no more worries about where the next assignment of work might be - we'd become self-sufficient in all things pertaining to a good life and just earn whatever extra we needed, locally and from home.
Here's how far we got with the first place - rented in 2007/2008. The garden was around 50' in length and produced some lovely vegetables and bucket loads of apples. Sadly, we had to leave here when trouble sprang up between the joint landlords, eventually resulting in tragedy. Thiose who know us personally will be aware of the situation and circumstances at that time. Very sad.
This particular house has just come on the market for sale, under what looks like a repossession order. Such a shame that it has lain empty for so long. There is absolutley nothing to be seen for the many, many hours that went into the garden.
February, 2011 arrived, but thoughts were not with what could be started off as seedlings on the windowsills or sown in the greenhouse. Thoughts, instead, were with where the hell are we supposed to move to after the landlord suddenly served notice on us to quit the house?
We have until April 7th 2011 to vacate the premises and remove everything from the garden - lock, stock and barrel.
For the purposes of remembering how the garden should look when we remove ourselves from this property, the above are samples of what was here prior to the many months of work put into it. Until we hear otherwise, it is assumed that we have to leave the property in the same condition we entered it. I haven't a clue what to do about the new stove!
We succeeded in rearing enough poultry to produce all the eggs we needed, grow many of our own herbs, vegetables and fruits - we planted a miniature orchard of apples, plums, cherries and pears plus an edible hedge of crab apples, raspberries, blackcurrants and an assortment of other summer fruits - and still have space left over to incorporate a seating area for leisurely coffee breaks. We love living here and assumed we had some form of security. Without that, we'd never have put down roots.
All of this was done on a standard Short Assured Tenancy and VERBAL agreements with our landlords, who chose not to put anything in writing regarding pets, livestock, gardens, house repairs etc.
We now find ourselves facing homelessness unless an alternative, suitably located house can be found. One very valuable lesson learned again - man's word is NOT his bond.
We may be down, but we most certainly are not out - frugaldom will carry on, regardless.
Don't forget to join us in the Frugaldom Forums where it's free to discuss all aspects of frugal living & working.
First and foremost, this blog will NOT be closing, it will just be starting again as soon as we get back on our feet.
Secondly, I make no apologies for what I research, write or blog about, so any problems that any readers may have are their own, regardless of what they think. I won't be bullied or harassed into retracting thoroughly researched articles just because someone takes personal offence to any of the subject matter.
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Serving notice for a tenant to quit a house is commonplace. I've been renting from private landlords for the past 10 years - 7 different landlords in total. At first, it was part and parcel of work, relocating to follow the income. But then we decided to fully adopt frugaldom - a simpler and more self-sustaining lifestyle in fitting with the frugal living ethos we'd been pursuing in an effort to save for a house. It meant no more worries about where the next assignment of work might be - we'd become self-sufficient in all things pertaining to a good life and just earn whatever extra we needed, locally and from home.
Here's how far we got with the first place - rented in 2007/2008. The garden was around 50' in length and produced some lovely vegetables and bucket loads of apples. Sadly, we had to leave here when trouble sprang up between the joint landlords, eventually resulting in tragedy. Thiose who know us personally will be aware of the situation and circumstances at that time. Very sad.This particular house has just come on the market for sale, under what looks like a repossession order. Such a shame that it has lain empty for so long. There is absolutley nothing to be seen for the many, many hours that went into the garden.
I often wonder if the pear or plum trees produced fruit and what becomes of all those lovely apples. My first grandaughter had such fun being lifted up ito the tree to pick bucket loads of apples in autum of 2009, when she was just 5 years old. She planted 2 trees and had her very own vegetable plot.
Anyway, time marches on. In November 2008 we found ourselves moving into a little semi-detached bungalow on a working farm. There was no garden to speak of, so we had to start again. New home, new furnishings, new garden, new blog...
Right from day 1, we've logged our progress and then brought it over to a proper blog, here, to run alongside the new forums we had going with the other followers of the frugaldom lifestyle. It had originally begun as a challenge to live on £4,000 for a year. If I remember correctly, I ran much of it through http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/ forums between 2007 and 2010.
We arrived here in November 2008. It appeared that, at some point, someone had kept or bred dogs on the property - there were remnants of dog runs and old delapidated kennels outside and plenty of evidence inside, judging by the chewed plaster and skirting boards. The dog kennels and runs we were able to salvage, so we recycled them into hen and duck houses then replaced or repaired all the wood and wire to renovate the runs.
We arrived here in November 2008. It appeared that, at some point, someone had kept or bred dogs on the property - there were remnants of dog runs and old delapidated kennels outside and plenty of evidence inside, judging by the chewed plaster and skirting boards. The dog kennels and runs we were able to salvage, so we recycled them into hen and duck houses then replaced or repaired all the wood and wire to renovate the runs.
February, 2011 arrived, but thoughts were not with what could be started off as seedlings on the windowsills or sown in the greenhouse. Thoughts, instead, were with where the hell are we supposed to move to after the landlord suddenly served notice on us to quit the house? We have until April 7th 2011 to vacate the premises and remove everything from the garden - lock, stock and barrel.
For the purposes of remembering how the garden should look when we remove ourselves from this property, the above are samples of what was here prior to the many months of work put into it. Until we hear otherwise, it is assumed that we have to leave the property in the same condition we entered it. I haven't a clue what to do about the new stove!
We succeeded in rearing enough poultry to produce all the eggs we needed, grow many of our own herbs, vegetables and fruits - we planted a miniature orchard of apples, plums, cherries and pears plus an edible hedge of crab apples, raspberries, blackcurrants and an assortment of other summer fruits - and still have space left over to incorporate a seating area for leisurely coffee breaks. We love living here and assumed we had some form of security. Without that, we'd never have put down roots.
All of this was done on a standard Short Assured Tenancy and VERBAL agreements with our landlords, who chose not to put anything in writing regarding pets, livestock, gardens, house repairs etc.
We now find ourselves facing homelessness unless an alternative, suitably located house can be found. One very valuable lesson learned again - man's word is NOT his bond.
We may be down, but we most certainly are not out - frugaldom will carry on, regardless.
Don't forget to join us in the Frugaldom Forums where it's free to discuss all aspects of frugal living & working.
While being required to move at short notice is a nuisance at best (and a horrific nightmare at worst), perhaps in light of your landlord's decision to make this requirement so unexpectedly, you will ultimately end up in a better, more secure place :) Bottom line is that if you'd invested another summers worth of work into the garden and then been asked to vacate it would have been yet more effort wasted; at least now you can cut your losses ...
ReplyDeleteTake the stove out!! You paid to have it put in, its yours.
ReplyDeleteI am still waiting to hear from our landlord if he is going to cough up for the money we have spent putting the stove in here.....Farmers are all tarred with the same brush it seems to me. Our new landlord makes a refreshing change!!
Funny that, I can agree with the last post, Hate to think how many thousands lost in stoves/cookers/floorings/fitted kitchen/house maintenance, we have endured over the past few years. I sincerely wish you all the best on your next adventure xxxx
ReplyDeleteMany thanks. Fortunately, this has been the first rental we've really spent much money on, simply bcause it's been the first landlord we've had who assured us we wouldn't be asked to leave anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteWhat a joke that turned out to be! It's certainly taught me a valuable lesson about how not to trust a so-called "gentleman's agreement", although it would be wrong to assume that all private landlords are the same.