Frugal Car Maintenance

For those who have cars: Each car model has a suggested maintenance regime that is laid out in the owner’s manual. You can save yourself thousands of pounds by taking the time to read the manual and to follow the schedules specified. This can directly impact on the longevity of your vehicle, its performance and the costs per mile driven.

Picking up on big problems early is what regular preventative maintenance is all about. Prevention is better than cure might be a maxim that your doctor will tell you, but your mechanic should also be saying the same thing when it comes to your car. Of course, some checks need a specialist to do, but you can also remain frugal by undertaking some car maintenance yourself.

Check The Fluids

Many car fluids can be checked by an owner with little garage experience. Ensuring fluids are topped up is one of the most effective ways to maintain a car’s ability to drive well. It is quite easy to do, although you will need to consult your manual in most cases. Make sure that your car has the right levels of oil, transmission fluid, wiper fluid, power steering fluid, anti-freeze and brake fluid. If you are not sure about how to do this, then online tutorials about how to use a dipstick to check oil, for example, can be a big help and may well save you thousands of pounds in unnecessary inspection bills. If you wait until the relevant dashboard light comes on, it is often too late to sort the issue out cheaply.

Tyre Maintenance

Keeping your tyres well-maintained is another important way of saving money in the long run. According to specialists, premium tyre manufacturers use tread wear indicators on their products, which makes it easy to judge when a tyre is reaching the end of its life. Alternatively, you can use a dedicated tread gauge to detect a worn section of tyre. Whatever you do, make sure, make sure to check your tyres and ensure they are road worthy.

Tyre inspections or new tyres are no longer things to fret over, as online reserve and fit systems are available throughout Britain...

Visit Frugal Blog to read more

Motoring Moneysaving Tips Pre-MOT

The cost of keeping a safe, reliable car on the road can amount to a fair chunk of any frugal living budget, especially if that car is needed on a regular basis.

 

Making a few preliminary checks and doing the simpler things yourself before your MOT is due can save you a small fortune on potential garage bills. Here are a few moneysaving suggestions.

 

Information and graphics by www.motorparks.co.uk also available here

Visit the frugal blog for more moneysaving hints, tips and suggestions.

Vernal Equinox Updates

When Day Equals Night

Well folks, that's us passed the worst of the winter months where daylight hours were outnumbered by those of darkness. With any luck, the weather will decide to shift in a more sunny direction and allow us to make a proper start on gardening. To date, it has either been too wet or too cold to do anything, not to mentin the place being frozen solid or, in many places, covered in snow. For many, there is the luxury of heated greenhouses but that's not so for the frugal living among us - we have trouble enough heating our homes without trying to heat glass (or plastic) houses.

 

The Frugaldom greenhouse has stood the test of winter this far but to be fair, we get very little snow in comparison to elsewhere and the garden here is far more shetered than previous ones. Nonetheless, the lack of sunshine means there's not a lot happening out there at the moment. I had sown some spring onions and salad leaves into tubs - the spring onions are coming along slowly but the salad leaves are no further along than they were a month ago! The wormery, on the other hand, seems to have thrived in there for shelter. Each time I check, the worms seem to be more and more active. Let's hope the £2 coin savings pot proves to have been invested wisely.

 

The frugal fitness is something I'm still not entirely coninced about, despite having been wthout a car snce the end of November. The trip to the shop is now far less daunting, even on a grey day, and I must be getting fitter, as I can now manage to go for a 10-mile cycle over and above the 7 to 10 miles (depending on route taken) round trip to the village store.

 

Prices are getting to be horrendous. This morning, I cycled down to the store and bought spreading cheese (£1.19), a small block of cheddar (250g), a small pack of oatcakes, 4 bananas and a very extravagant loaf of bread, as a special treat for sandwiches. That little lot set me back almost £8!

 

As followers of a frugal living lifestyle, free from the constraints of the nine to five, the biggest pleasure we have is our ability to get out and about whenever the weather permits. I love exploring, seeking out unusual locations or ones that are a little off the beaten track, while building up a collection of associated photographs and articles relating to these places. Perhaps, one day in the future, you will visit and experience Frugaldon for yourself, and you'll already know which of these places you would like to visit for free.

This area of Scotland in littered with cairns, old forts, ruins, caves, church and chapel remains and, of course, we also have hilltops with trig points for 'bagging' - another free hobby. Yesterday, we visited the old site of Chapel Finian, where we ate a frugal packed lunch before stashing the bikes and then setting off to hike up a nearby hill in search of some cairns, ruined homesteads and ancient hut circles. The above photo shows the ruined chapel by the roadside. The trig point number to the left shows the first one we have found at ground level rather than summit - I'm guessing that's why this one has a 'G' number instead of an 'S' number.

 

We didn't have much of a climb before reaching what looked like a ruined homestead with walled fields. I haven't been able to find out any information about this particular location and we didn't have time to exploe it more fully, but its in the diary for future visits (with picnics) and further investigation.

 

A bit more climbing up a very wet and muddy trail that zigzagged up the hill through dead bracken, gorse and brambles soon led us to the biggest cairn we have visited in this area to date. It has to be over 3m high, but felt even bigger than that when I stood next to it and looked out across the bay - what a viewpoint! This particular cairn even had an extra wide base that could have been built for sitting on while keeping watch. (Over or for what, is a mystery.)

 

At this point, we'd to turn and head for home without exploring any further as a shower of sleet began to fall and we could see the cattle on the move. My fear of the bovine beasts means I give them as wide a berth as possible and avoid them completely whenever I can.

 

Back home and the frugaling continues - no further renovation work has been done to the house but I now have the dining bench set moved into the sittingroom where the pot belly stove is almost constantly on the go. The wee stove just ticks over, not quite blazing enough to boil the kettle, but warm enough that the cat is happy to sprawl in front of it for most of the day when the weather is bad. The dried pine cones are fast disappearing, so we really need a few completely dry days to get out and collect some more of those - they burn well.

 

Since giving up the car, our household carbon emissions must surely have dropped and the savings have certainly grown a little quicker. There's very little to spend on nowadays, what with no car running costs or petrol to pay. I may, however, need to invest in some new brake pads for the bike. Switching the worn back brakes for the not-so-worn front brakes will suffice until such times as I have gained sufficient Amazon gift vouchers from my Topcashback account. Since joining a few years ago, I have earned £728.35 cashback! That's a huge amount of free money for a frugaler! The other added bonus for this month is the cashback accrued from the credit card. Where some people hate credit cards, I love mine! It gets used for anything and everthing, paid off in full each month and it also pays 1% cashback on all transactions - fee free! I should manage to recoup about £50+ from that, as things like building materials and poultry feeding got paid with it, as do any online transactions.

 

Now I need to take stock of how the winter has gone and prepare for spring organising and summer fun, including getting some serious crafting done. The McGonks project needs to be cranked up a notch, there's some fndraising to be done for the Ben Nevis hostelling holiday and I'm wanting to make a nice, multi-cloured wooly blanket for over the back of the sofa bed so that there's a cosy, multi-purpose bedsit available for guests brave enough to sample real frugal living.

Petrol is HOW MUCH per Litre?

COUNTING THE COSTS OF TRAVEL

My blogging is sporadic whenever there's nothing much to say, so I shall fill you in on what the past week or so has produced, here in Frugaldom. Looking back, it has been rather an eventful two weekends and this one isn't even halfway through, yet.

First of all, my new superduper cheap silcone cake tray arrived, so I had great fun making muffins - 18 at a time (6 in the one I already had), all different types. We're still eating muffins - hot, cold, with custurd, without custard... you get the picture. I made a load of muffins!

This, of course, does not bode well for the frugal fitness plan of getting slim and trim for the big May Challenge!

With this in mind, friend and I decided it was time to make a serious start on our 2013 hill climbing challenge, so we packed all our gear last Saturday, filled some rolls and a flask of tea, then headed for the Hills. We aimed for Cairnsmore of Fleet, which is the highest of the Solway Hills. At 2333 feet, it squeaks in as a small mountain and one that's normally a relatively easy climb. Hmm... except February is NOT the best month to attempt this, especially if you don't know your way about said hills.

We managed to fight our way to the start of the summit track despite deep mud. We managed to get through the forest despite the persistant drizzle and squelchy paths underfoot. We managed to cross the windswept logging track and ascend further up the hill, wading our way through what can only be described as a riverbed of slush and fast flowing meltwater that was worsening by the minute. The horizontal, wind-driven rain was battering into us! We even managed to clear the zigzags higher up, despite the swirling mists and driving rain, but then the freezing fog, high winds and snow began closing in on us and we thought better of it.

About one single kilometre from the summit, we had to turn back. Downwards through the snow then fog and rain, saturated and in need of a cup of the by now, cold tea. And just to rub salt in the wound of our failed attempt... WE WERE PASSED BY A RUNNER! Well! I'm not sure about you or anyone else, but I erupted into fits of the disbelieving giggles and simply had to sidetrack the guy for a photo. So here it is - my friend 'Woo' with the crazy runner who said that after eight different ascents of Cairnsmore of Fleet, he was yet to see the view from the summit!

After almost 5 hours of walking, soaked through, we had to visit the supermarket on the way home and do the grocery shopping. It was horrible! The shelves were bare and there were no reduced items!

This being the year I challenge the household to live without a car, travel is severely restricted. I can venture only as far as my secondhand bike or legs will carry me... or as far as a friend will drive.

Being without a car hasn't really hampered us on the 'getting out and about' front because there's plenty to do and see about here. Since last weekend, we have visited several lots of interesting standing stones, for example.

The site known as Torhouse is the furthest we have managed to go so far, at just over 11 miles from here. On a dry day, which it was, there's plenty of scope for picnics and exploring the archaeology of the place, including a large stone circle, a rather interesting looking rocky ridge and several other standing stones nearby.

There are many strange stone feature strewn about our local landscape. Some are said to be marking the graves of long-forgotten kings, some the remnants of pagan ritual sites and others as hilltop markers from days gone by, probably lookout points during times of warring or religious oppression.

It's not like I get out and about on shopping trips - no shops here - nor do I get away for many day trips when there's no public transport here, so it's all very frugal, by way of visiting places that are free to explore.

Surprisingly, we have few forests around us here in this little part of Scotland, so it was lovely to spot a red squirrel last week. Not surprisingly, I wanted to go and look for more, so the bikes were utilised again, but this time in a more off-road sor of a way. It's a shame to think that this forest may soon become the site of a windfarm, but it's equally a shame that so few people visit. Perhaps more will if they build their massive wind turbines and lay in proper bridleways or footpaths! In the meantime, I shall continue to collect fallen pinecones and watch the local planning application updates with interest.

Getting further afield is difficult without engaging the help of a friend or hiring the services of a third part. I could, of course, walk the mile and a bit along the lane to the main road, where there is a daily bus into the ferry town of Stranraer, about 25 miles from here. This I will try very soon, I just need to check they haven't changed the bus timetables or it could turn into a very expensive mistake if the need for a taxi arose. It would cost me more than a week's grocery budget to get a taxi from there! But I do want to explore the possibilities, especially as that's the location of our nearest railway station.

That's what those in power want us to do, isn't it? Car share, walk, cycle and/or use public transport? Afterall, the pavements, paths, cycle routes, buses and trains are all publicly funded or subsidised by the taxpayers' dosh, are they not? Just like our British farm produce is Government subsidised, yet frugal lifers cannot afford to buy it, nor rural lifers find it to buy it. But we should be grateful that somebody somewhere benefits! (I'm not even going to start on the horsemeat 'scandal', it's all old hat to those of us who campaigned about it in the 80s.)

For now, I am going to focus on how much money can be saved by giving up the car. Savings are two-fold, as there's the financial aspect (tax, insurance, servicing, repairs and fuel) and the carbon footprint/environmental issues, which have to count for something.

So here we are, living life without a car. It should be great, we should be fit, healthy and save a small fortune. Unless, of course, you live in a rural area where there is no public transport, there are no pavements or proper footpaths and no shops to visit for the weekly groceries even if there were cycle routes to get there. Add to that the winter weather that sometimes makes walking unsafe, far less cycling, and you can see that it's not all that it's cracked up to be - there's no help available from anyone. But the car has long gone, so we have lost the option to backtrack on this challenge.

I need to get used to cycling. After about 12 weeks of weather-induced, sporadic practice, I have managed to achieve a distance of about 20 miles. It isn't quite far enough to visit the nearest Co-op but it's enough to reach the nearest village store.

Today... my bike has a flat tyre and is in need of new back brake pads. Our nearest bike shop - a little local one run from the back yard of the owner's house - is 23 miles round trip! I've contacted them and am hoping the puncture repair holds for long enough to let me practice cycling that far and then cycling that far, when I can pay for something called 'slime' to be put in my tyre tubes. It's meant to provide up to 3 years of puncture free cycling. While there, I can get new brake pads and a shopping basket fitted to the front. I'll budget £50 for this, as that's almost the cost of an MOT but should last me for a long time. Now to raise the extra £50!

Isn't it great when the Government of your own country overlooks the fact that Britain has rural communities made up of people who don't necessarily have the financial ability to just pay someone to 'fix' their problems? The simple solution may well be to go and find a better paid job but I ask you, where does one find a well-paid job in a rural location, or even a job that's within walking or cycling distance of home?

HOME is about the only place we can work, unless we want to be dragged into the benefits system or burn a few thousand pounds each year on car travel and everything else required of employment.



 Back to the day in hand.

An emergency DIY puncture repair was done and then we cycled around the 'short' circuit, which is a fairly scenic, seven point something mile trip around single track lanes beginning and ending along the road running parallel with the loch. The sun was shining, there were loud gaggles of Greylag geese by the water and the tyre stayed inflated, so that was my little bit of excitement for this afternoon.

Now I am off out for a walk to stretch my legs and fit a short hillclimb into the exercise regime. Ben Nevis may be over 200 miles away and over 4,000 feet higher than any hill about here but we all need to start somewhere and 'free & local' is what's on the frugal fitness menu.

Until next time,
NYK/Frugaldom. :)



It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Winter



As Temperatures Plummet...

As the icy grip of winter tightens, so, too, do the purse strings, in a bid to stem the flow of cash needed to heat out homes. How are you managing to stay warm and how is that affecting your budget? For me, it's (ice) crystal clear that we need to take stock of everything from home insulation to pipe-lagging, draught-proofing and just basically keeping warm. All of this needs doing 'within budget', so this could explain why folks like me show renewed enthusiasm in crafting and an increasing interest in producing a vast array of culinary delights. At best, it helps absorb extra spending by way of the DIY gift production, at worst, we'll not starve or freeze, because we can eat or wear our own creations. It's a fabulous time of year!

 

For our feathered friends and fruit-bearing trees, it's a bit of a sad time, I would think. What with the frosted ground, bare, dormant trees and frozen ponds, there's not much cheer to be seen, and even fewer eggs being laid (if any). For the ducks, it's time for extra layers of straw, warm mash suppers and extra players in the ice-breaking games. (I wonder if ducks would like winter woolies and fur-lined wellies, or is that just quackers?)

Indoors, staying warm is just as difficult if you're mid-renovation, but the sub-zero temperatures are stark reminders to last winter, when we had no proper kitchen roof, therefore no proper kitchen. Now I have more than half a kitchen and work well underway towards completing the bathroom and the hall, with it's salvaged stone-flagged floor. I love my 'new' hall floor and know for sure that few will have similar, unless they also recovered their 1805 original, dug it up, cleaned it up and then re-used it.

 

Earlier this week, we had two wooden steps replaced - it was a necessary job, owing to the discovery of a bit of wood rot at floor level that had obviously been temporarily mended at some stage over the years. 

To our amusement, our lower step had been partially constructed from what resembled part of a wooden, Aberdeen fish crate! You can just make out the word 'Aberdeen' stamped to the right of the old box handle, but I can't quite decipher the company name, as this was all that remained of said box. Later, of course, this got used to kindle the fire.

 

Onwards and upwards, the weather is staying a little kinder to us, despite the -8 Deg C on the thermometer this morning. There's been no more rain! Indeed, we have even had a little more sunshine, further prompting me to investigate alternative transportation and pick up a few extra tips along the way. First tip was call the garage and ask for the car battery to be removed before they scrap the car! I'd never have thought of this, but am now convinced by fellow-frugaler's suggestion to utilise this in my quest for quail-house lighting. The car battery should easily power an LED light. But back to the car costs...

 

Cheap cars aren't always as economical as we might think. £1,000 to buy, then there's insurance, road tax, MOT, servicing, general wear and tear, savings needed set aside for a replacement and, lest we forget, the astronomical cost of the fuel to power the blasted thing in the first pace. It all mounts up and, in this case, it amounted to a massive 65p per mile driven. In steps frugal-friend, once again trying to convince us of the merits of cycling. So d'you know what? We've agreed to have bikes! The carbon footprint of Frugaldom has been slashed. All I need to do now is try to cut down on the number of electric heaters I have plugged in, in an effort to reduce the costs of trying to heat the house.

 

And now for some fluffy stuff, because I love being part of this little global family of frugalers, bloggers and forum posters. Some kind person has given me these colourful goodies to help me on my way to starting the previously mentioned 2013 Frugaleur Challenge, which will see Clan McGonk come alive for the new year. It's all very exciting and I can't wait to get started, especially as the pink wool almost matches the original pink gonk. I can just picture it now... Granny McGonk with her pretty shawl, keeping her extended brood in order over the coming year. I'm itching to get started on this project and wouldn't surprise myself in the least if I cast on a few huge loopy stitches this evening, while sat in front of the fire.

I wonder how long it will be before someone pops up and suggests a rocking chair! (It's not like I have my eye on one of those for when the eco-renovation is completed.) :)

 

Stay safe, stay warm and stay dry, everyone, and let's keep up the good work of making life fun and affordable for all. Best wishes to all, from a happy Frugaldom.

Frugal Living - the Good, the Bad and the Gruesome!

When it Rains, it Pours!

 

Trying to live a frugal life on a tight budget while attempting to renovate a house, develop a microholding in your back garden and earn a living from home is a bit of a juggling act, to say the least. Taking the good with bad, I am happy to say that there normally is some form of silver lining to the passing clouds, even if it takes an exploration team a lengthy time to find it.

 

Getting the week's 'bad' stuff out of the way first, as this is only Wednesday and there's plenty of time for more to arrive. (Sigh).

 

On Monday, some marauding animal invaded the garden and killed little 'Bunty', the runty duck. The murderous 'whatever' was neither seen nor heard, so we aren't ruling out a return visit from the mink. Nothing was seen or heard until the gruesome discovery of a decapitated pile of feathers was made, when going to see why all the ducks had run for shelter. (Hoping to borrow a mink trap this afternoon!)

 

It was last October, the day before my dad's funeral, that the horrid mink paid its first visit and massacred 7 of the hens, including cute little 'Dumbledorf', the miniature Silkie. 

 

Earlier this year, we lost a couple of ducks.

 

Worse still, earlier this year we also lost dear Floppity, my big, lop-eared rabbit.

 

This morning, Scruffy cat, our frugal mouser, point blank refused to go outside the door. Mind you, that could have been because ofthe thick frost. Even the big duck pond is frozen today.

 

So enough is enough - the varmint HAS to be trapped and disposed of as quickly (and humanely) as possible. With this in mind, I have 'tweeted' a friend who is visiting this afternoon, asking that they brng their mink trap for a (hopefully short) vacation.

 

Yesterday, after delivering the frugmobile to the garage for it's winter check, MOT and investigation of more clunks and squeaks, we received the bad news - as well as all the 'little things needing done, the back axle's 'gone' (I'm assuming they mean it's broken and not, literally vanished!?) and major motor surgery is just too uneconomical. So, absolute, frugal resolution, I have taken the decision to have the car put to sleep.

 

Working from home means no commuting, but the nearest village store and post office is over 3 miles from here. We aren't on a bus route and there are no taxis. However, a friend had loaned me her bike and this will now give me the impetus to attempt to cycle. It will also give me the kickstart I need to pursue a car-sharing project for our tiny street, although it manly comprises of semi-vacant holiday homes. But nevertheless, I am finding it rather exciting thinking of all the preparations that need to be in place before winter proper reaches our corner of Scotland. The re-payment meter will definitely need to go, as there's no sure-fire way of reaching the post office in a hurry in the event of another 'key' failure. Perhaps the recent one was sent as a pre-warning, reminding me that it's sometimes better to release the stubbornness handbrake and pay to go with the flow. (But I'm still loath to pay Scottish POwer £60 to remove a meter I never asked for in the first place!)

 

OK, less of the doom and gloom, let's get on to the good stuff.

 

Without having a car, I'll save on road tax, insurance, garage bills, fuel bills and further reduce the carbon footprint of the Frugaldom household. That is excellent! It will free up and estimated £150 every month, which soon mounts up towards renovation work. It will also encourage me to get out there and walk more, perhaps even affording me the luxury of real walking boots!

 

On the subject of boots, and carbon footpints, our local council is showing signs of edging closer to recycling, planning the introduction of 5 new bins in 2014 (but still no green waste bin). Instead, we will gain individual, smaller bins for:

cardboard
paper
food waste (outdoor bin)
glass, plastics and metals
food waste (indoor caddy)

 

In addition to the above, they already offer subsidised compost bins, of which I have two, and a brand new entry this year is their introduction of subsidised wormeries. (Info can be found at www.getcomposting.co.uk) Being of a frugal extremist nature, I had to do a price comparison and ask about for other suppliers and recommendation... and that brought results!

 

I'll need to write a second post today, again, because the exploits of what happened next are rather fun but a little long to include here.

 

Back soon,

 

Frugaldom

 

PS: Second post of the day is a much happier state of affairs, I promise! :)

Moneysaving and Frugal Keep Fit!

Sometimes, I am astounded by my own stupidity!

Working from home in a small, rural commuity means that all the work post needs to be ferried to the nearest village post office, which is three miles from here.

In true frugal fashion, I try to limit post office visits to four trips each week, so I've been thinking about ways of cutting these associated costs by any means possible.

The obvious solution is to walk to the post office, but I can be lazy and I hate to get soaked through when there's nowhere indoors here for drying wet clothes. I might try the walking option next summer, but it's dependent on time of day for traffic, as the narrow lanes aren't all that safe when there are tractors trundling up and down towing all sorts of lethal looking machinery, plus there's no pavement running along the main shore road once I reach it, an 'A' route that's like a free for all as far as speed driving is concerned. I had all but given up hope and couldn't see the obvious choice I should be making!

Don't laugh, but I had one of those 'Eureka' moments down in the village earlier this afternoon. My moneysaving solution is so simple that I have astounded myself!

Normally, the journey to the post office or local store is a 6 mile round trip in the car. I have a budget of £25 per month for petrol costs, so that doesn't really allow for many trips further afield. I also try to fit in one trip per month to the nearest town, which is almost 20 miles away, so my £25 worth of petrol does't take me far.

By making this one incredibly simple change, I should be able to save myself one sixth of my regular weekly petrol costs and get a little bit fitter into the bargain. Have you worked it out yet?

If I park the car in the layby half a mile this side of the post office, I can walk the remaining distance, thus shaving a mile off my driving costs each trip and reducing carbon emissions. On top of that, the mile walked while carrying the mail will burn nearly 100 calories extra on each trip. That's only 17.5 (best call it 18) trips to the post office to burn off the equivalent of an extra half pound of fat! Coincidentally, 18 is the approximate number of times I need to visit the post office each month! How ingenously simple is that? Better still, if it's raining, I can simply take my huge golf umbrella, bought free with my eBid buddy points!

But there's more! There are other lay-bys, so it needn't be restricted to a one mile walk each trip. There's a much larger parking area on the shore about a mile from the post office. I plan on using this one for dry trips when the mail bag isn't too heavy. Who knows, by next summer I could be a frugal, slender 'green goddess'!

Frugal fun, frugal fitness, frugal moneysaving to help make owning the car more affordable.