FRUGAL ROUND-UP OF 2021

 HAPPY NEW YEAR 2022

It has been some time since I updated this blog but the past couple of years have simply flown by and merged into some sort of time-warped blur. Between the pandemic, the FrugaLdom project, ponies, poultry and now goats, my time has been spent trying to keep up with the daily chores, keeping a tight hold on the budget and pursuIng all the challenges that I set myself each and every year. 

I'm ending 2021 on a bit of a high! We pulled out all the stops and finally managed to get our hut built. Planning permission took 7 full months to be granted as the planning department staff members were all working from home, then our designated planning officer went off sick for quite some time. However, we got there in the end! In addition to this, and during all of this, we somehow ended up opening a campervan and motorhome stopover site, otherwise known as an 'Aire'. It's similar to those found in France and elsewhere, but without the services. Our 'Aire' is a bit like a frugal campsites for self-sufficient motorhomes and campervans - all we offer is parking space, nothing more. In exchange for parking we accept small donations that contribute towards the running of Frugaldom project. I love it! We get to meet interesting people who share our love for Frugaldom and the outdoors and some even help out on site during their stay.

2021 also brought another Avian Bird Flu pandemic so all our hens and ducks are having to stay undercover at home, away from Frugaldom, until such times as we can build them proper, covered enclosures there that are completely mink, fox, stoat and weasel proof. The duck pond now has fish swimming in it, the old duck enclosure has goats living in it and the yard, has been designated as parking for our visitors. We completed the pony shelters, hay storage and potting shed, and extended the little hay shelter to more than double its orginal size. Now we need to improve the goat housing, build the poultry & duck enclosures and get more trees and hedging planted, while making attempts at improving the food growing side of things. We need like-minded volunteers so if you fit that bill... 

2022 is going to be about minimalism and off-grid living, as much as possible. I want to grow more food, use less electricity and, as always, make everything as affordable as possible so that each penny can do the job of a pound. With inflation currently sitting at over 5%, things could get tougher but with some forward thinking, I'm sure we can all make some changes that will see us through the worst of any crises arising. Protecting income is paramount when the global economy is this shaky so investing in longterm 'survival' and self-sustainability seems the obvious choice to me. If I can help anyone else cope with their current situations by offering moral support and a place to escape now and again then I will.

We are all in this together and together we will succeed in whatever we set our minds to doing. Whether it is debt-busting, money saving, developing small business ideas or simply learning more about how to be happy leading a frugal lifestyle, everything is possible. Feel free to join us in the forums of the Moneysavingexpert website, taking part in our 2022 Frugal Living Challenge. You can also like / follow the daily updates from Frugaldom on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Any questions, just ask. Don't be shy.

Our savings have been seriously depleted but as long as we can clear at least minimum wage while living on £4,000 per year, there is still wriggle room to recoup - even when it's costing an extra few thousand pounds a year to feed all the animals. Who knows, we may even dedicate part of our project to becoming a designated sanctuary and Scottish wildlife reserve next year. Having the hut on site means having the ability to be on site longer, staying there whenever possible. I'm still writing for my living and have just signed another book deal as a ghostwriter so perhaps 2022 will see the realisation of yet another dream - being a writer who writes from a cabin in the country.

SEE BEYOND YOUR DREAMS - ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!

All the very best to each and every one of you for the new year ahead - even to those who don't 'get' what we are about and who can't see the wood for the trees. Good health and happiness to all - stay safe and dont forget to wash your hands. 😊

www.frugaldom.com

Looking Back

4 of the 5 rescued and rehomed ponies at Frugaldom

Hello to all who read these frugal blogs! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas season and that you enjoy Hogmanay and the new year festivities.

I've just been updating the old forums, the ones that go back to 2010, as Ive found it impossible to retrieve the most recent ones that fell out of our reach when the software and operating platform changed. Not to be completely outdone, I succeeded in retrieving these old ones and have now redirected the domain www.frugalforums.co.uk towards them for our 2019 frugal living and working challenges. (Everyone is welcome to join us, it's free!)

Anyway, while unlocking previously archived sections of the forums and updating them as I went along, I stopped at the letter 'B' - it's alphabetical - and began reading about all our ideas and plans for the future. It's where I found this and saw just how far we had come over the past 8 years and showed that my longterm aims hadn't realy changed, apart from the fact that finding several like-minded others has, so far, proven to be impossible.

 Oct 20, 2010 #7

In the wake of today's spending review, a thought struck me when listening to the heated debates about the housing crisis, social housing and council rents. Affordable housing is still absent, in my opinion, for all of those people who don't want or can't get mortgages. If housing associations and others are going to be encouraged to provide more affordable homes, why do we still see so many derelict or crumbling properties? I would love the opportunity to develop a derelict site into a profitable business with the potential to expand on that and bring others into the game plan. All around us are derelict houses - small collapsing cottages  left to rot because owners who have inherited them can't agree how to split any proceeds from sales, or else left to rot in an effort to avoid tax. Removing the roof to avoid the roof tax has long, since, been abolished (as far as I am aware) but we now face the "problem" of these properties costing their owners up to 40% in capital gains tax. I just don't get it! Surely, in this economic climate, 60% of any surplus property sale in the pockets of the owners must be worthwhile. It has to beat zero with a crumbling wreck as your personal responsibility.

One excellent frugal business proposition would be for workers' co-operatives to raise the capital to purchase these unwanted properties to turn them into viable microholdings for those who are prepared to invest in their own futures. The cost of a brick, afterall, is still the cost of a brick. It shouldn't be too adversely affected by where that brick gets laid. Waste land, scrap land, disused sites, abandoned sites... the list goes on and on, yet the right to participate in any such project is curtailed, once again, by finances and the need for ludicrous amounts of cash. A group of like-minded individuals working for the benefit of all could surely earn a living by dividing the spoils, assuming they were able to amass the funds needed to initiate such a project in the first place?

My search continues for that first, elusive piece of land that could start the ball rolling. I don't have 50,000+ in the bank to buy a tiny building plot, nor do I intend borrowing it, but I'd be prepared to invest in a project where nobody squabbled about percentages and hours of work they contributed to the end result. All things being equal, (which they aren't) 1000 man hours equates to almost 6,000 even on minimum wage.

Frugaldom, as a complete microholding package, is a viable business proposition. We aren't setting out to become millionaires, we're setting out as frugal entrepreneurs in the hope of realising dreams. For me, money in the banks just won't pay in the long run, not with inflation running at more than twice the BoE base rate.

============================End==========================

10 Small Business Ideas for People Who Love Nature

Almost anyone can be an entrepreneur; the only thing missing for many is a great idea. The best place to find a great business idea is to look into something about which you are passionate, for example, if you’re passionate about nature, there are plenty of business ideas with which you can run!

1. Adventure Club

A great idea for those who know the area around them and aren’t afraid of a little excitement is an adventure club!

These clubs usually consist of a leader (that’s you!) taking members on outdoor adventures. The element of excitement is really up to you and your adventure-seeking customers. These adventures could be as simple as hiking an easy trail together or as exciting as white water rafting, depending on your expertise. 

Your profits will be even higher if you are teaching your club members something they don’t know. For example, teaching people how to rock climb might come with a higher charge than group hikes.

2. Outdoor Cleaning Service

You probably already know that cleaning service businesses are profitable.

While it might take a little more time than cleaning a bathroom, you can also take a cleaning service outdoors. You can keep your services as simple as cleaning up litter in a backyard to as involved as construction clean up or even graffiti removal. Depending on the area in which you serve, one type of cleaning service might be more popular than the other.

3. Landscaping

If you love the outdoors and have a bit of a green thumb, consider starting a landscaping business. A landscaping business helps people transform their yards, gardens, or other sites into something they love and even boost kerb appeal.

It’s important to note that a landscaping business typically requires some level of education. After all, you have to know how to analyze a site, plan out a landscaping blueprint, and become familiar with local and national building codes and ordinances. It’s also important to know how to not only make a site attractive, but also how to make it safe and effective. For instance, you will need to consider factors such as stormwater management.

4. Run a Horse Stable

If you love horses, you could always make a living working with them. Simply owning horses won’t really earn you a living, but if you have land and farm buildings, then you could offer a boarding service for other people with horses. 

Alternatively, you could also teach riding, subject to the appropriate qualifications, licensing and insurances. This will give you the opportunity not only to spend time outside with your favorite animals but to share that love with others as well.

5. Small-Scale Farming

If you want to make a name for yourself at your local farmers' market, you don’t have to turn around acres of crops. Instead, you can turn your garden into a space for growing some veggies and maybe even fruits. You can earn extra by offering products as well as raw crops. For instance, if you know how to make jam, you can sell this for a higher price - again, subject to the necessary certification.

6. Dog Care

Maybe you still want to take care of animals but large animals are a little too much; maybe they aren’t your preference or maybe you don’t have enough land. However, there are plenty of animals that you can take care of while living a smaller, more frugal lifestyle.

To spend time outdoors, you can start a dog-walking business. This is a great option because there are many people who can’t take time in the middle of the day to come home and walk their dogs.

If you want to push this business to a more profitable level, you can board dogs as well. You can be selective in the dog breeds you choose to board to ensure you don’t end up with an untrained dog in your house for a weekend.

7. Start Your Own “Green” Shop

If opening a retail shop or purchasing a franchise is a bit too much, you can easily start small by opening an online store. You can also sell products that you make to a small following. You can link up with sites like Giving Assistant to help earn you a following and boost sales.

Your love of nature comes in with what you make. Maybe you want to make your own, homemade tea blends or make everyday products through a greener process. This is your chance to use your love of nature to create something of which you can be proud.

8. Open a Beauty Salon

Creating your own beauty salon doesn’t quite sound linked to nature, but it can be, with a little creativity. Think about it this way: When you visit the beauty salon, how many chemicals and ingredients damaging to the environment do you see?

As an alternative to this, you can start your own beauty salon that uses safer products. There are plenty of hair products and skin care products that you can make with completely eco-friendly, vegan ingredients.

9. Eco-Consulting

Do you already dedicate your life to green living? Is recycling and composting a part of your daily routine? Are you greener than the average person? If so, then you might be the perfect person to start an eco-consulting business!

Many people don’t live or operate their offices in the most eco-friendly ways. In many cases, these people simply aren’t sure of where to start and where to go. This is where you step in: Your business would be to help these clients transition to more eco-friendly businesses, operations and lifestyles.

10. Green Housekeeping

As we pointed out earlier, many people are willing to pay for cleaning services—inside and out. However, much like we mentioned with beauty salons, these services usually include an alarming amount of harmful ingredients to nature—and humans!

Regardless of the type of “nature” business you choose to start, there are plenty of options available. With a little creativity and hard work, you can turn your love for nature into a healthy living—in more ways than one. 

You should always check that you have any essential qualifications, permissions and/or insurances necessary for carrying out your chosen business ventures but there is bound to be something you can do that combines your love of nature with income generation.

August 2017 (part 2) More New Beginnings

 For as long as I can remember, these frugal living challenges have always been about breaking the shackles of consumerism and escaping to debt freedom; our quest for self-sustainability has never waivered. Over the years, many have achieved some of their goals, few have achieved all and others still toil in the hope of finding light at the end of a very long and dark tunnel. I'm ever hopeful that Frugaldom can provide a glimmer for whoever cares to look. Wherever you are on your great moneysaving adventure, I salute you all and hope you will continue living a frugal lifestyle.

Looking back over the years, I see many unfinished projects of my own but each has its place in the grand scheme of things and each will eventually be completed. I see many names who have been with us for part of our journey and then left to pursue their own interests. Sadly, I see names of those who are no longer with us, departed from this mortal realm, and I can only hope that they found peace and happiness at the end of that journey. For the rest of us, life goes on and so does everything around it. We can't lose focus of our main goals nor can we deviate too much from the original plan - frugal freedom. (Frugaldom)

As many of you know, it has now been 3 years since we managed to purchase a patch of land to turn into our frugaldom project. In that time we have worked endlessly at taming the wilderness, recruiting whatever help we could and hosting many work exchange students who have helped us greatly. Ultimately, we want the project to become a place where anyone can come and experience this fabulous lifestyle of rural and frugal living combined with the freedom to relax, engage with like-minded others and make the most of what the countryside has to offer, without breaking the bank!

Affordability is our watch word! During previous frugal entrepreneur (frugaleur) challenges, we set up all manner of micro-projects from willow and herb growing to orchard planting, recycling and ecoarts. This year, we managed to register the entire Frugaldom project as a social enterprise and we have also signed up to the Galloway and South Ayrshire Biosphere charter. (Frugaldom lies within this internationally recognised biosphere.) Our quest for sustainability, greener living, zero waste and environmental concerns have been recognised as worthy!

But we are still, most definitely, rural and with that comes the problem of day trips for most being out of the quesion. So, we invested in accommodation for our extended frugal family by way of  two mobile homes, sited on a very 'back to nature' style (but with many luxuries included) holiday park only minutes from the Frugaldom project.

Frugal Breaks officially launched in August 2017 and is now accepting bookings for next year. By renting out one caravan and hosting our volunteer workforce in the other, we are now able to cater for all budgets, offering exceptional value for money to members of Frugaldom and participants in our frugal living challenges. Regular holidaymakers are welcome and even they get great bargains on the condition that they respect the lifestyle and leave the place as they find it.

Frugaldom's virtual cash

The web link goes to the dedicated facebook page where I have added a 'Book Now' button - we;re also on AirBnB. HOWEVER, if you are friends, fans or followers of the Frugaldom blogs, challenges and activities, please get in contact to find out how you can take advantage of our holiday offers at greatly reduced prices. Lack of cash needn't prevent you visiting us as we will happily barter / trade / exchange goods and/or services in our quest to make your visit possible. That's what our Cyberdosh project is all about - it isn't quite a crypto-currency but it's a virtual trading currency that you can find, earn and spend at Frugaldom.

But hold on... there's even more news of future developments in 2018...

My ultimate goal from many challenges ago was to offer the ultimate frugal living experience and this, dear frugalers, is something that is about to happen very soon.

We found the perfect property for visitors wanting to sample 'the good life'! Work began immediately to ensure the place was wind and water tight by winter and, although there is much work to be done, we hope to be able to welcome our first frugal lifestyle experience guests by Easter 2018.

Affordability is, as always, at the fore, so prices for booking this 'Thrift Cottage', complete with its adjoining workshop and kitchen garden, will reflect my personal wish to help others make memories at Frugaldom.

The one-bedroom cottage has a full bathroom and kitchen plus livingroom with fold out double bed. It is on a main bus route, has a daily coach service running all the way between London and Belfast, it's only a couple of miles off the Southern Upland Way and it's near a main cycling route, so no cars needed to get here. I'll keep you updated on progress, so watch this space. If there are any budding interior designers, landscape gardeners or DIY buffs among you, please get in contact about a Cyberdosh break to help us get this place ready for future frugal guests. 😊

I told you August 2017 was a busy month!

Life as a Frugal Entrepreneur Revisited

• #Frugal Living
• #Business
• #Cyberdosh
• #The Frugaldom Project
• #Money Challenges
• #Entrepreneurs
• #Frugal Entrepreneurs

 

The Frugaldom understanding of self-sufficiency is one of self-sustainability. It's about earning your own living and then spending accordingly, living within your means, regardless of how great or how meagre these may be. It's a lifestyle choice. Frugaldom is freedom from debt by way of living and working in frugal ways.

 

This is an old post, first published in 2011 (original can be seen here) that I thought I would share here before doing the follow-up, now 5 years further down the line.

 

Over the past few years we have organised various challenges relevant to money saving, clearing any debts and building a lifestyle that fits in with the whole ethos of sustainability. With a little bit of planning, this lifestyle can embrace greener living or a more environmentally-friendly way of conducting business within the household and workplace. Frugaldom is about taking on the responsibility of providing for yourself and, hopefully, being able to share skills, goods and services in a way that can both benefit others and cover all associated costs.

 

True, cash free self-sufficiency, in my opinion, isn't legally possible within the UK. In order to live and work, we need shelter and that shelter incurs a tax. In order to live we need food and water - we could attempt to rear and grow all of our own food and pump our water from a well, but in order to do so there are welfare issues and legislation to be considered - these things cost money. We still need to earn and, as long as we earn, we need to pay taxes where and when due. Some might trade and barter or move around but, at the end of the day, everyone needs an income and earning that income costs money.

 

True Frugaldom means the ability to provide all things for the household in order to sustain a chosen lifestyle and afford everything that it entails. There should be no need for State hand outs but neither should there be an aversion to seeking financial help where and when genuinely needed.  In this respect, it is time to start building our self-sustainable business in order to help secure our future.  We are our own employers, without working (for ourselves) we can neither pay ourselves nor keep a business running.

 

On the surface, it's always handy to grow whatever fruit and vegetables you can, as everything you can produce from home is one less thing you need to spend money on, allowing you to focus your hard-earned cash elsewhere. Over the past few years we have documented the costs involved in setting up a garden to produce as much as possible, including eggs from the assorted poultry. We can make each micro-project self sustaining or cash-neutral; hens lay eggs, selling the surplus can pay for their keep. Quail lay eggs and are quickly hatched and reared - the sales of surplus birds and eggs can cover the costs.

 

Cash generated from any source can be used to neutralise each of these individual budgets, each of these projects can be built up to combine into one business. It's what microholding is about - all these small, self-financing pieces of the jigsaw fitting together to form a much bigger picture - that picture is your business of the future.

 

Christmas and all the festivities have now passed and we're halfway through the first month of the new year. For those who are still relying on other people's money, the credit card and bank statements will be arriving, reminding you of the dire state of your finances. But not for all of us. For the debt free, each statement is a reminder that there is an alternative route, one that can and should be followed carefully if Frugaldom is to be achieved.

 

I have estimated that for every £1,000 it costs you to exist each year, you NEED to save £2.75 each and every day that you're not earning. So, if life is costing you £12,000 a year, you need to save £33 for every day that you won't be earning, weekends included. The figures are simple - the less life costs you, the less pressure you are under to earn or save extra.

 

Building a business isn't so different. Everything has to pay for itself, some things need to pay more to cover the inanimate objects that house them, some need to cover the cost of storage and distribution. In the case of gardening, plants need to cover the cost of the patch of land they take up each and every day it takes them to grow - fertiliser, protection from pests, time in planting, tending and harvesting... consider all costs, don't ever assume that because you did it that your time is completely free.

 

Any legislation governing what you do needs to be accounted for, just like the costs involved in owning a car to enable you to go about your daily life. If that car costs you £500 to have it parked in the driveway for 365 days of the year then that's almost £1.37 that needs to be earned every single day without even driving the car. (The figures get much bigger when you factor in the percentage that's needed to cover tax and National Insurance etc.) Only by analysing the true costs of living and working can we begin to understand the basic principles of self-sustainability and self-sufficiency. After 10+ years of lifestyle planning, 2011 is my year of Frugaldom business planning.

 

All of the above was first published over 5 years ago and it's good to look back and see progress. Between then and now, we have bought a small house without the need for a mortgage and have been chipping away at the renovation. Then, in 2014, we managed to buy about 5 hectares of land and a lovely wooden barn - again without the need for credit each project is scheduled over the long term, so the 5 years duration for renovating this house should end this year, but it won't, because we chose to grasp the opportunity to invest in the land project.

 

With hard work, planning and the usual frugal budget, I hope to complete the house in 2017, which will then give us a further 2 years to complete all our plans for the land - now known as the Frugaldom project - which we hope to have open by 2020.

 

Stick with the plan. It may take several detours and incorporate a few extra stops along the way, but you will get there. As they say, 'seeing is believing' and if you can see it in your imagination , then it is there, just waiting to be made a reality.

 

Feel free to follow Frugaldom on Twitter or join me in the Frugaldom Forums

Life on the Cheap in a Small Space

Cheap and cheerful living in small spaces is what many aspire to, which is quite amazing considering what's available to buy nowadays. But for frugal living, we want fun and affordable homes, like tiny houses, cabins or even caravans, camper vans or tents. Well, tomorrow is a big day for me, as I downsize to frugal summer quarters.

As the above sign clearly says, it's only a small drive to paradise, or in our case a walk or a cycle, so bring your bikes or walking boots as well as your gloves and welly boots if you are planning a trip to help out on the 'range' that is now known as Frugaldom.

This will be basecamp for the foreseeable future! It's a good bit smaller than Thrift Cottage and under 385sq feet, so I am hoping that it will prove to be a comfortable and affordable choice, not withstanding the additional benefits of it being so handy for Frugaldom. It basically means falling out of bed and walking to work in the great outdoors. Hopefully, there will be a deck built before this month ends.

This is the view of what lies between here and there (Frugaldom) with the little patch of grass in front of the wall ear-marked to become a micro kitchen herb garden. I may even enter the site competition for best garden plot in 2015!

This is the view from the door, looking in the direction of one of the three lochs after which the site is named. From tomorrow, this is Frugaldom home-from-home. Don't worry, there's still plenty of space for Frugaldom friends and relatives visiting and I should be able to pick up the site WiFi, so I can keep you all up to date with progress and arrange your visits. Apart from that, you should be able to get me on my mobile. (Retro, I'll text you as soon as I get there to check.)

Finally, here is the main garden and work space - from the opposite side of the river and all around the big garden shed, which is actually a rather large barn. (The corrals, new woodlands, quarry and orchard are all beyond the barn.)

As you can see, my outdoor space far, far exceeds my indoor space but this is yet another aspect of the kind of frugality many have when aiming for money saving, lifetime goals. The cost of living in a mobile home can make it a very attractive prospect, even if you choose to pay extra for the luxury of having it on a fully serviced plot with access to on site facilities, but these are all things I'll be blogging about just as soon as I get everything organised.

Moving this close to Frugaldom is one more step closer to fulfilling the dream of creating a woodland wilderness, living off the land and communing with nature. These things can easily be entwined with small space living and modern luxuries. Now to make it all affordable and learn the ropes of cooking with gas. It's a great big adventure ready to happen and I have slashed my budget accordingly.

All going to plan, I should be able to update tomorrow, when I'll be starting a brand new food store, meal planning, scheduling and getting to grips with the cost of mobile home living. I'm thinking of it as an extended vacation!

Join www.frugalforums.co.uk for all the updates and I'll see you in Frugaldom soon.

Scottish Multimedia | Life on the Cheap in a Smaller Space

*Tag a Post for £10 at Frugaldom*

Take this unique opportunity to add your name to a very special project, known as Frugaldom

Frugaldom is in the early stages of development,  with this little piece of Scottish wilderness just having found its way to us in July 2014. Since then, we have received over 1000 young trees and many thousands of seeds from the Woodland Trust, the Grow Wild UK project and our own frugal forum members. Now we are fund raising to replace old posts with new and define individual elements of the project. This is what we call the corral - photo shows it nearing completion on Saturday 4th April 2015 (Easter weekend.)

Frugaldom is a privately funded project. It is neither a recognised organisation nor a registered charity. The project is being run by NYK Media with the support and good will of fellow members of the free to join online community of frugal living enthusiasts.

WHAT IS 'TAG A POST'?

It literally means we are going to tag our fence posts with 30mm, individually engraved, metallic discs. Anyone can pledge their support for this project.

For individuals, the tag may be a dedication to a loved one, a commemoration to a cherished pet, a token of your  personal support, a gift, or even just to leave your mark on this little piece of history that's being created in southwest Scotland, for the benefit of all who care to see it.

For businesses, it is a tiny bit of affordable marketing, as we will feature all tags on our web site and social media. These tags can be engraved with your company name and telephone number.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

A very affordable fee of only £10 per tag has been set, based on the cost of fence posts, the tags themselves, the engraving, postage (no pun intended) and fixing.

As Frugaldom is as much about nature as it is about simple, self-sustainable living and working, we had to analyse the long term costs, durability and safety of the corral fence. For these reasons, we opted for extra strong, 4" x 4" posts and heavy duty, 3" x 2" rails.

HOW DO I TAKE PART?

You can opt to 'buy now' via PayPal or else see our contact page for where to send cheques, made payable to 'NYK Media', who is organising this event.

*Tag a Post at Frugaldom* – visit the Frugal Shop to find the buy now option.

Approved Food on Dragons' Den! (Frugal Shop)

 

Looks like there could be a huge surge of interest in our old friends at Approved Food, as they take on the Dragons in the den tomorrow night.

The programme should make for very interesting viewing, but also makes me impatient to hear what millionaires think of the likes of us, who spend our money on past sell by foodstuffs. It also makes me wonder if the result, which would have been known some time ago, during original filming, is what drove up the prices on site, making much of what's available now more expensive than standard supermarkets! Still, it was an innovative business from the start and they deserve all the publicity they can get. I just hope they don't cash in on the already impoverished who may see a pile of cheap crisps as a better bonus than some reduced fruit, bread or vegetables in a regular store.

Perhaps I should have completed order last week, rather than see the items in my basket gradually disappear out of stock. I think the phrase, "A significant investment in a new 60,000sq ft site is the company’s fourth move in just six years," pretty much sums up how busy the company, now known as Approved Group, has become since we began shopping there.

Can you believe that was 6 years ago? Well done team AppFood!

Approved Food on Dragons' Den! (Frugal Shop)

Writing, Tree Planting and Money Saving Entrepreneurs

I suspect November is going to be a very busy month, possibly the busiest month of my life! Frugal living, as a lifestyle, is quite time consuming, what with money challenges, gardens, cooking from scratch, DIY, taking up to 10 times longer to get anywhere when cycling or walking and let's not overlook many hours at the computer, eeking out a living. So what's so different about November?


Image design by Elizabeth Doyle


First of all, November is NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month - and it has been running since NYK was publishing 'Now You Know', which makes this challenge 15 years old! It is literally a challenge in which anyone interested can attempt to write a novel of 50,000 words within the month of November. I have registered to take part!

Next, we are expecting to take delivery of 420 mixed native species trees that the Frugaldom Project has been awarded as part of the Woodland Trust's nationwide World War I Centenary. The saplings are being delivered to Thrift Cottage during the first week in November, along with canes and protection spirals. We will be having a Frugaldom planting event on site to create a brand new harvest woodland to commemorate the outbreak of the Great War of 1914-18.  This is quoted as being, "a once-in-a-generation tribute for those who lived and served, by creating a growing legacy that will stand tall for centuries to come." More than 16 million people, not to mention countless animals, died during the conflicts. Throughout Britain, people will be planting trees out of respect. We hope to have all our trees planted in time for 11th November and then continue developing this project in any way possible.

Fast approaching the 13th and 14th of November and the Scottish Business Exhibition, which is another event I hope to be attending. It's for all budding entrepreneurs and frugaleurs, an opportunity to learn from some experts. Tickets can be claimed free, you just need to register through The Scottish Business Exhibition (http://www.thescottishbusinessexhibition.com) or New Start Scotland (http://newstartscotland.com) web sites.

That almost takes us up to the 17th November and the start of Global Entrepreneurship Week (www.gew.co/) which is when we start our 2014 moneymaking challenge in the Frugal Forums at www.frugalforums.co.uk This year, once again, we are working with a budget of £10 start-up capital to see how far we can take, or how much further we can develop, our business ideas.

I think that's enough to be going on with for now. In the money savings stakes, I have been fortunate enough to bag myself some of that super-duper, ultra cheap sugar that Pound stretcher is currently selling ay an incredible 49p per kilo. This is thanks to someone in the family who is coming to stay for a few days and asked the question, "Is there anything you need from the shops?" Not sure they expected me to ask for a load of sugar, mind you, but the same bag costs over £1 in the village store and a visit there involves a 7-mile round walk or cycle!

NYK in Frugaldom

What is a Frugaleur?

What is a Frugaleur?

We've all heard of entrepreneurs, then came mumpreneurs, dadpreneurs and any other type of 'preneurs' you care to mention, so we decided that it was only fair to introduce frugaleurs to show the world that even those of us who live a frugal lifestyle have the chance to build a business and make it pay. At the end of the day, entrepreneurs are just people with vision and a will to succeed, aren't they?

Have you got what it takes to become a frugaleur and run a debt free business? Or perhaps you are turning around a failing business to steer it to success by way of money saving and money spinning tactics? Whatever you are doing, if you are doing it for yourself then join our project and share our vision. All our members can benefit from additional shared (FREE) advertising, marketing and promotion by way of some rather unique methods we have researched and tried out over the years… Read more here

Making Progress in March

Making Money (and Music) Plans

Good evening to anyone who happens to be reading. It's been another hectic day of work at the computer screen and, to be perfectly honest, I haven't cooked any meals, haven't been out the door and haven't done any housework. I threw some mix in the breadmaker first thing this morning and, thankfully, it turned out alright. I had bread and homemade soup for lunch, but it was 9pm by the time I ate my pudding! On the plus side, this means I didn't spend any money today, so that is good.

In order to save, I need cash; in order to have cash I need work and when you are single with no car and relying on home-based self-employed, that work needs to pay. We are now approaching the end of the tax year, so I have been doing some extra book-keeping, selling extra web content and have invested in having a brand new web site designed - I wanted something lean, clean and simple from which I can begin propagating and cultivating some of my wacky money saving and money making ideas.

We're not out of the woods yet but, at 9.44pm this evening, the new site went live! I now have 60 days 'Warranty' during which time I need to learn everything there is to know about it. Fortunately, I enjoy a challenge, I love writing and I'm not afraid to ask for relevant answers to pertinent questions. :)

The new site went live tonight.

Now I just need to rebuild all the pages, link up all the blogs and channel some creativity into it. The new forums, although not yet filled with all the topics from the old ones, are ready and waiting for new members. As always, being a part of any of the NYK challenges is totally free and we are always here to support frugalers.

From tomorrow, this blog will be published live on the new site where my ever-so-helpful techie dude has made it possible for us to share and comment while also keeping a running commentary of ALL the topics covered, not just money saving and frugal living. Don't worry, the blog will still come across here too, but I'm trying to make it as easy as possible for me to work from absolutely anywhere without having to spend a fortune on new computer equipment and some rather expensive software. Tonight, I am posting in both places just to try out the new system.

Tobermory, Isle of Mull, photo by Leslie Barrie.

Now off to have some reheated coffee and then bed to dream of the next big frugal adventure when we jet off to Balamory! OK, it's actually Tobermory on the Isle of Mull and we're not flying, we're back-packing up there with a tent, but my golden wellies should get to accompany me for their first trip away from Frugaldom.

I now have four weeks to 'drop a dress size' and fit back into the walking gear that I haven't needed since the Tinto hill walk in October! And yet, still, I ate lemon drizzle cake and custard for pudding! Sigh... I'll start the diet tomorrow. :)

Day 9 of Making it in March - Bread and Butter Pudding

Day 9 of 31 - Making Something Different Every Day in March

It's Sunday, I had a friend visiting this afternoon, I haven't done any crafting, but we did get a second duck egg and not one, but TWO chicken eggs from our feathered friends in the garden, so that made my day!

 

Friend brought me a carton of milk from the village store while on her way here, so that will take me up to 5 empties for another project that I want to try - making a vertical garden using a pallet, cup hooks, garden canes and recycled milk cartons. 'Mishy' from sunny Suffolk will be running this year's 'vertical growing pods' challenge in the Frugal Forums. My delay in starting this project is that I get so few plastic milk cartons here - I mostly get UHT in the waxed cardboard litre cartons. I'm saving what I can and will ask a neighbour if they'll save me some.

 

Back to today - what did I make?

 

The extra milk and the eggs are a clue - the duck egg shell has been kept to make another tiny planter and the eggs got combined with the milk not to make French toast for breakfast, as I'd envisaged, but bread and butter pudding!

 

Frugal bread and butter pudding

 

Ingredients

 

Eggs

Milk

Bread

Margarine

Sugar (I used my homemade vanilla pod sugar.)

Sultanas

Cinnamon

 

Method

 

I used 3 slices of homemade bread with the crusts removed - these get turned into breadcrumbs and go in the freezer. Cut the bread to preferred size and spread with margarine/buttery spread. Sit these in an ovenproof dish, sprinkle with sultanas or raisins, sugar and cinnamon, then repeat for the next layer of your sandwiches. Beat the egg and milk together (as though for scrambling) then pour it over the contents of the dish. Add another sprinkle of dried fruit, sugar and cinnamon then cover the dish in tin foil and pop it into the oven until the egg mix has baked. Mine took about 40 minutes at 180 Deg C in the mini oven.

 

Bread and butter pudding

This is very filling, so the 3 slices of bread is sufficient for 4 servings, at least. We ate ours hot with a little extra milk over the top. You can microwave this dish and it cooks in minutes, but I was already cooking rice to go with some sweet chilli chicken. It did mean that I was able to warm all the plates on top of the mini oven and have a warm kitchen.

 

Making... Important Decisions!

 

Owing to the nature of Frugaldom, it derives very little by way of income. Let's face it, you read this for a reason and it's not because you have a huge income and millions in the bank. My blog caters for a very specific section of society - those living below the breadline. I am a genuine frugaler who genuinely lives on my £4,000 and I earn less than minimum wage: I NEED to be frugal. I NEED to steer clear of debt and attempt to save to protect my own future. But I also NEED to earn my income in the first place. For the majority of my working life I have been self-employed, which means no unemployment or sickness benefits to fall back on and no employer paying my tax and insurance, or even guaranteeing me an income in the first place.

 

However...

 

Online is where my business exists and that is where I need to focus my energy. I have several blogs, forums, websites and social media accounts so I have had to give this a great deal of thought to help determine the right route to take.

 

 

If you would like to follow Frugaldom on Twitter for the frugal living, money saving, penny pinching, budget busting, cost cutting blogs that include baking, making, cooking, crafting, gardening and recycling, then you should follow @Frugaldom

 

 

If you would like to follow NYK Media, where I write and blogs for my income while pursuing a career as a frugal entrepreneur with an active interest in horse racing (it can be frugal, I tell you!), then please follow the newer account @Frugaleur Just as we have money-saving and money-making challenges on the forums, so too do I have money-saving and money-making Twitter accounts, blogs and websites.

 

Back to normal tomorrow with the workaday things and ever hopeful of some sunshine soon. We ended up with more fog here this afternoon, then the rain returned this evening. I need to get into the garden soon!

 

NYK, Frugaldom

Sample Frugal Food and Fun for Less than a Fiver! Limited Offer, Free UK Delivery

We’ve done it!

Frugal Cards about Frugal Recipes and Frugal Fun

As part of our ‘Novus Frugalus’ money challenge in the frugal forums, I have teamed up with the Deki Tenner Tournament to help raise funds for frugal entrepreneurs (frugaleurs, to you and me) on a global scale.

Every year we run money challenges involving cottage crafts and working from home for our frugal entrepreneurs. It’s usually in November, as this allows us to start preparing for Christmas while hand-making gifts for friends and family. November is also the month during which Global Entrepreneurship Week takes place, so it’s a good month to begin any new enterprise.

We’ve now launched the first ever set of Frugaldom Food and Fun Card Sets to include a special, introductory fridge magnet showing Murray, our flying pig. All this and free delivery within UK for well under a fiver!

These frugaldom sets are a basic ‘how to…’ about frugal living, with this first set including recipes and tips about how to make soup, assorted cookies, lemon curd, traditional Scottish clootie dumpling, shortbread, micro-meringues and even a fabulous, fun activity that all the family can enjoy…

Read more here

Needs and Wants of a Frugaler

The Age of Frugaldom

We've lived in the plastic age, seen the rise of microchip technology, gone from just having the BBC on terrestrial TV to having over 100 digital channels, learned of holes in the ozone layer, global warming and peak oil and we now hear tell of future power cuts because the National Grid simply isn't expanding capacity as quickly as we demand the use of it electricity.

 

In part I of this strangely convoluted series of posts, I listed the very basics of what we need and want out of life. This was followed by part II, which looked at some of the world population's biggest fears - Financial instability, Global Warming, Extremist groups / terrorism and Nuclear developments. Now I'm going to recap and elaborate on a few points, for those of us who plan on preparing ourselves for frugal retirement rather than risk being left with nothing.

 

Please note that none of this constitutes financial advice in any way, shape or form - these are my personal thoughts, nothing more.

 

What do we NEED?

 

 

Food and Water - requires fresh air, fresh water and growing substrate for basic foodstuffs

Clothing - requires basic materials for weaving into fabric

Shelter - requires construction and building materials 

Energy - for heat, light and everything else associated with energy production

Good health - Nutritional diet and health care when needed

Fitness - Income dependent, but the more disposable income people have, the more they seem to spend on how they look and feel.

 

Where do we begin when attempting to safeguard our own future?

 

I am going to begin at what I perceive to be the start of a long and winding road, but will travel in the knowledge that the road can come to an abrupt end at anytime, so all my investments need to be transferable to family to help  prepare them for their own futures.

 

FOOD - Keeping a good supply of nutritional food in the cupboard is great. However, fresh food is no good for long term storage, it needs freezing and that needs a guaranteed power supply. Investing in alternative sources of energy has to be worth considering.

 

Stockpiling all those household bargains that we know we'll use in the future - toilet roll mountain springs to mind - helps us keep ahead of the game, especially in a crisis involving the sudden depletion of savings or loss of the household income. That's always a scary prospect. Here we would need to fall back on whatever we can grow, rear, make, produce from home, but growing or rearing it takes time and we may not have that much of it if income dries up and savings have all gone.

 

How about investing long term in growing space and everything needed to ensure that it can be as productive as possible? It needn't be acres of land, poly tunnels and a limitless supply of manure and fertiliser; even the smallest spaces can be utilised in a productive way, if we know how!

 

Likewise, knowledge of what's safe to eat when foraging is helpful and knowing how to preserve food is paramount. We might even be looking to traditional skills, like making/using potash and other DIY plant foods and fertilisers.

 

Investing in companies that develop and market such products could be a good place to start for your pension fund, if you have some spare cash to risk. Tesco and Sainsbury's seem to be doing OK, all things considered! I sometimes wish I'd invested a few pounds into Associated British Foods PLC ten years ago, even if the biggest proportion of their net profit now comes from the clothing industry by way of Primark.

 

WATER - can we be assured that there's enough of the stuff to go around not just now but in the future? We pretty much take it for granted here in rainy Scotland, but we aren't totally exempt from droughts. Investing in technology that can produce safe drinking water from alternative sources could be another good place to start trickling some long term investment funds. I always thought fuel cells sounded like ideal solutions to energy and I believe water is their waste by-product. If you really want to get into the nitty-gritty of water solutions, read about the International Space Station and what's known as the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS).

 

CLOTHING - As adults, we shouldn't really drastically change shape all that often, sour size should remain pretty stable throughout our lives, barring severe medical issues and pregnancy. We don't need two wardrobes filled with clothes and 30 pairs of boots and shoes, we simply need appropriate climate/weather wear. Now I do know that even the most frugal of us can be tempted by shoes but do we really need all that many? Clothing-wise, there's really no reason why we shouldn't keep a bottom drawer for future use because as time has adequately told, what goes around in the fashion industry almost invariably always comes back around. Wellies will never go out of fashion by anyone who ventures outdoors in the rain.

 

SHELTER - Clearing off all debts, including any mortgage, is great. This not only reduces the future cost of living by way of us having no mortgage or rent to pay, it also ensures that we cannot lose the roof over our heads, short of some unforeseeable disaster. Shelter from the elements and a safe haven from the outside world has to be seen as a basic need, regardless of how large or small your living space might be. 

 

Some people say that investing in property is out-dated, but let's face it - we all need a place to call home. At the rate the population is expanding, available building space is fast reducing. In all honesty, I can envisage the use of smaller and smaller living spaces, perhaps to the extent of self-sustaining micro-communities springing up in our midst - the static trailer parks of the future. (Another good reason to hold onto any land you may already have and invest any spare cash into eco-friendly construction companies.) Just to be doubly safe, I bought a tent!

ENERGY - Oh dear, where should I begin so as not to rattle too many cages? It is a fact that our main sources of energy are fossil fuels and nuclear power, there is absolutely no escaping that. It is also a fact that if the infrastructure isn't in place to keep up with ever-increasing demand, then we will face shortages. How they deal with those shortages could be two-fold; prices will continue to increase so we are 'encouraged' to use less, plus there could be rationing during peak times. As demand grows, so, too, must supply and that means extending the capacity of network while also spending billions upon billions of pounds trying to generate enough power to pipe round that supply system.

Willing individuals have little effect on this inevitable process, so governments will be forced to take action and enforce energy saving measures on us all - households and businesses alike. We know we need energy, so we should be investing in good, environmentally friendly, renewable sources using what we have readily available to us - the natural elements. I've been keeping an eye on hydrogen fuel cell development for some years now, but recently added in the carbon-based graphene technology. Whether or not cold fusion, the LENR energy catalyser or solar docking stations ever come on the market remains to be seen, but it's probably best to keep an eye on those developments, too.

I'd still love to install solar power to the shed and concoct a way of deriving power from the little stream that runs through the bottom of the garden, but technology is not my strong point and the stream floods halfway up the garden during extreme and prolonged rain.

 

HEALTH and FITNESS - I've already invested in pedal bikes for the household and some discounted outdoor wear for walking. I do have a heavy-duty pair of steel toe-cap wellies that got worn when working around cattle but I was serious when I mentioned investing in a decent pair. Did you know that Hunter Wellington Boots were originally designed for walking in Scotland's rugged terrain and combating its unpredictable weather? And they now come in a multitude of modern, jazzy, snazzy colours, designs and finishes!

 

I lumped health and fitness together to keep this shorter than it might have been - I'm not managing that very well, I always have far to much to say when I get onto the topic of frugal living and all that can be done while living the lifestyle. Healthy eating is something I need to really focus on, as it's not easy keeping sufficient fresh fruit and vegetables and a reliable, healthy source of protein in the house when living nowhere near well-stocked shops, butchers or greengrocers. No delivery vans here other than the fish van, but that's probably good for the frugal budget as I am not tempted to overspend on non-essentials. The price of fresh fish is beyond my frugal grocery budget, so I'm sorry to say that I don't support that local business.

Finally, frugal living is also about frugal ways of working, so saving at home is just one side of the coin. Playing this 'game' in a working environment is where we coined the term 'frugaleur', which basically means a frugal entrepreneur. If you can earn your own living in a frugal and sustainable way, investing wisely and creating a business from what you have around you, then why not try it? what have you got to lose, if the basic premise is starting from scratch with nothing?

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You can join the free forums at http://frugaldom.myfreeforum.org
 

 

How Will I Ever Afford Retirement?

Frugally philosophical thoughts about how to avoid abject poverty in the event that the State Pension collapses and we're left without an income.

Part II

Having had a quick look around at what people (and nations) fear most, it would seem there are four main threats. Whether these are perceived or real remains to be seen, but fear them, many do. In no particular order, here are what look to be the biggest fears of all:

• Financial instability
• Global Warming
• Extremist groups / terrorism
• Nuclear developments

I can't say that any of the above surprises me in the least, as it simply boils down to money and self-preservation. Let me think, where have we heard that before? "Your money or your life?"

This brings me to an abrupt conclusion about the future of our financial well being during retirement - it matters not one jot as long as you are alive and well enough to live life when the highwayman comes calling. Nations may rise and fall, sea levels may rise and fall, we frugal Scots will vote for or against independence as we see fit but, at the end of the day, it's all about life until the end. So let's get ready to live it for less in a way that helps secure our own futures.

My main priority is to slash overheads - the basic cost of living. No rent, no mortgage, no debts whatsoever and nothing that ties me to a lengthy contract. Looking around to see what ill-fate could possibly befall me to foil any such plans, I begin to see how little we are taught about self-reliance, self-sustainability and self-responsibility, so I want to redress that balance and ensure that my future is secure in my own hands and less dependent on others.

Think ahead - what do we need to live and enjoy life without fear of discomfort? Where could we possibly save cash so that it will grow and provide us with a secure future during retirement? Where is it safe to save it so that it needn't be lost completely in the event we don't see out life long enough to retire, more to the point? Lest we forget, the highwayman isn't averse to daylight robbery and his weapon of choice can inflict sudden death! (I'm a cheery wee soul, really, but let's get real and face facts - our ticket to life doesn't include a 'use by' date!)

Right, back to basics - food, water, clothing, shelter and energy with the health, wealth and fitness to enjoy life. That's it! Those are the basic essentials that we all need and into which we should invest, be it financially or practically.

Knowledge is power, as they say, so learn as much as you can about food production & preparation, making & mending, DIY and energy saving while balancing a healthy lifestyle with a fun fitness regime. And share your views freely.

If we are financially savvy with it, we can enjoy the speculation of accumulation by way of long term investments that are guaranteed to be there for generations to come, serving us well when needs must.

The wisest investments, I would think, would be those that cannot be manufactured or mass produced - personal skills, personal space and the environment in which we live.

Entrepreneurs, did you know that it's 90 years since Clarence Birdseye, an American taxidermist, invented the concept of frozen food? But we still aren't eating synthetic food, it still has to originate in nature, albeit with a genetic helping hand now and again.

Since the above and other such conveniences, we seem to be freeing up more and more time, finding more and more things to buy and spending more and more time trying to earn cash to pay for a whole heap of ludicrous, unnecessary 'stuff' just because it's there. Think labour saving and time saving with an element of 'cool' mixed with gimmicky 'must-have' and you might be onto a winner in the invention stakes, but there's also a huge amount of money to be made in security, be it home, personal or virtual and alternatives to fossil fuels. At first I thought the hydrogen fuel cells would eventually develop into something big but it's been so long now that their shine has tarnished. The naturally occurring elements and exploration of space have to be at the fore of research and development, surely, as planet earth cannot expand to accommodate the billions of humans as well as all the flora and fauna forever more.

I don't have the magical answer to the ever-asked question, 'what is the next big thing?' What I do have is a head full of useless facts that all seem to be pointing in the same direction - civilisation, despite all these leaps forward in science and technology, still isn't all that civilised. There are still wars, famines and epidemics, there are still murderers, rapists and thieves and there are still no life-sustaining environments outside of our own planet.

Wondering about how to afford to live in the event that a tiny Government on a tiny island cannot afford to extend me a tiny amount, sufficient to pay for the bare essentials, becomes so insignificant that I may well simply never ask the question again. I'll just save what I can, live my frugal lifestyle and invest in long term benefits like those provided by a good pair of wellies, a waterproof jacket and a productive garden. I may even buy myself a parasol for the patio and just sit there watching the herbs grow while contemplating life as we know it.