Frugal Living during Winter

• #Frugal Living
• #Fitness
• #Paranoid Times
• #Money Saving
• #Gardening
• #Poultry Keeping
• #Cycling
• #Foraging
• #Free Food
• #Alternative Energy
• #Household Budgets
• #Food on a Budget
• #Money Challenges
• #Small Space Living
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Following a frugal regime during winter is never easy. It doesn't matter what anyone thinks or who agrees or disagrees with our lifestyle choices, it's always around February that we could happily crank up the heating and throw extra logs on the fire... or else pack up and head for warmer, drier climes!

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Wintertime is dragging on without any definite signs that it's either going to arrive here with a vengeance or extend its chilly, wet, occasionally frosty days. Will it snow? Will the temperatures plummet to 10 below freezing just as we expect springtime to arrive? Who knows? All I know is that this time of year brings new challenges - money and otherwise. We eventually got the caravan cleaned, aired and made up ready for the arrival of our first visitors: the season opens this weekend and the water pipes, thankfully, hadn't frozen. It's probably warmer in the caravan than in the house, if I'm honest. Living in a smaller space is always going to be cheaper, as it's easier to heat.

CHILLY MORNINGS

At home, the thermometer on the sitting-room wall reads just below 6 Degrees C in the mornings, as there's no central heating here and we still haven't resolved the issue of deciding on the best way forward.

The open fire heats hot water on a back boiler, which gets pumped around the house and heats 5 radiators quite adequately - if you have a full time stoker, a limitless supply of perfectly dry kindling, a self-filling coal bunker and a guarantee that the power stays on to keep the electric pump running. Last week the power went out!

Just as I had banked up the fire and the water in the boiler was starting to bubble, sudden blackness and silence descended - barring the roar of the fire and the boiling water! Flicking a switch is fine if you have one, but there is no such switch to extinguish a blazing fire in the hearth while the pipes are rattling like they're ready to explode! (Getting slightly paranoid at this possibility)

CAN A BOILER BLOW UP OR BURST?

Literally blind panic while retrieving torches and candles... A fine mist water spray and a dose of salt extinguished the remains of the fire after I precariously decanted red hot coals to the multi-fuel stove in the room across the hall! I do NOT recommend this at all, but until I find out for sure if a back-boiler really can explode from overheating while the power is out, I have lost trust in this solid fuel system. My faith in uninterrupted electricity supply has never been strong, as I've pretty much always lived in the country. I should know better by now, but these types of home improvements cost thousands of pounds.

More number-crunching work required and I really do wish I had been able to afford to replace the entire heating system all at the same time. I think I'd now prefer a bigger multi-fuel stove, but keeping a supply of perfectly dry logs is difficult in such a wet climate.

GARDENING, POULTRY KEEPING AND WORMS IN WINTER

Gardening has fallen by the wayside completely - the ground is saturated, the earth just mud - even the two remaining ducks are getting fed up with it. They should be happy once their new run is completed and their pond thaws. The hens have settled well into their new run, away from the flood risk part of the garden and we're even getting an occasional egg from the young (2 year-old) hen. The little banties are now 7 years old, so I'm not expecting too much from them. Garden hens are not frugal if you're in it for their lifetime, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

The wormery is doing surprisingly well, despite the weather. I think with it being so mild for much of the time, the wrigglers have just kept on eating, so here's hoping we get some decent compost this year. I can probably count on one hand how often our food recycling bin has ever gone out for council collection!

KEEP ACTIVE - FEBRUARY'S FRUGAL FITNESS MONTH

Something I must practice as much as I preach, as keeping fit and healthy helps your metabolism and the extra exertion keeps the blood pumping sufficiently to prevent hypothermia setting in... move it, move it, move it... anything, anywhere, just keep something moving. Right now, only my fingers are moving because, once again, I'm sat at the computer. Ho hum... I'm a dismal failure at the physical fitness in February but I have remained vigilant with the frugal finances! Just need to try to reap the benefits of some savings interest from somewhere, even if it is a mere 0.5%

EXERCISE IS FREE!

You'd think I would get to grips with this fact and make the most of it whenever possible! For this reason, I fully intend marching into March, making it all the way through the month, exercising like a mad March hare (without boxing) then marching right out of there, into April.

CYCLING

I haven't even sat on my bike since last Autumn! I think it's safe to say I am no cyclist, just a fair-weather peddler. The only pedlar I'm ever going to be is the one at the gate trying to sell eggs, fruit and veg! Riding a bike in winter weather just is not for me - I'm too paranoid about being run over by a logging lorry, tractor or milk tanker!

ANOTHER BIG BANG!

After the hot coal sprint, any almighty bang and rumble had me worried. The entire house shook and I ran outside half-expecting to see a collapsed chimney had crashed down from the roof. Thankfully not! We hadn't a clue what had caused it, but the poor cat looked terrified!

Not long after that, another almighty explosion rocked the house... but it had resonated from the hill at the back of the house. I seriously thought the farm's wind turbine had exploded, but it was still there, still turning.

 

I went and spoke to the nearest neighbour - she had felt the explosion, too, but she was able to alert us to the war games being played nearby! How come I had missed that piece of news? Yes, we had seen the helicopters buzzing about and we'd even had two huge Hercules planes fly over the previous day, but that's not unusual for this area. A trip along the shore road showed there were more than just planes nearby.

WINTER TREE PLANTING

Excitement over - but blasting not over! We now have tree harvesting, road repairs and quarrying all going on around us at Frugaldom. Tree planting is going to be noisier than normal, I expect, but this isn't holding up proceedings - it's mainly the weather that's causing the delays!

TREE SPONSORING

1,000 willows, 25 heritage apple trees, 420 assorted natives and a small copse of oaks to be planted before the end of March. We would love to have actual help planting but no amount of posting online about it gets our news read by anyone close enough who has the free time to spare. You can lead folks to the Internet but you can't make them read specific information.

 

Having invested in 25 heritage Galloway Pippin apple trees for the new orchard, I am now seeking sponsors for each of them. If you would like to help support the Frugaldom project, all the options are listed on www.Frugaldom.com  and in the www.frugalshop.co.uk

POST TAGGING

As well as seeking tree sponsors for the orchard, we have several other ways available, both for individuals and businesses. Fencing the project is costing thousands of pounds, so we are tagging the posts with engraved discs displaying the chosen details of those who take part.

Our Tag-a-post scheme will continue for as long as it takes to fence the corrals, then we'll keep going - around the barnyard, along the track and around the nature walk. It would be fantastic if each new post got tagged, though I fear this could take longer than I have left, as the Frugaldom project needs many, many new posts.

Again, you can find out more about our sponsorship and membership options by using the links on the Frugaldom website or by visiting the Frugal Shop.

Many thanks to all who have supported us so far - I hope you will all be able to join us here in May 2017 for our very first Frugalfest get together. Or sooner, if you choose.

Back to keeping warm - we're chopping up as many of the old posts as possible and drying them for firewood. Frugaldom is huge compared to a garden, so there is more than enough scrap wood by way of logs and branches for any of our members to share, if you care to go the DIY route and collect them from site. (By prior arrangement only.)

PORTABLE SOLAR KIT

I am now looking seriously at investing in a small, portable solar kit for lighting the barn and for emergency use at home or at the caravan. I'm not sure how money-saving it may be, so it has to be seen as an investment. Renewable energy on a stand alone system has to be worth considering, so the possibility of incorporating a small wind turbine on the Frugaldom barn has not been ruled out, either. There are some great kits developing and these are gradually falling within the affordability of individuals, even those of us on a frugal budget.

My incomplete list of current winter warmers and emergency back-up supplies:

• Extra layers, including thermals
• Fleece has become part of my daily wardrobe
• Woolly leg-warmers
• Double thickness socks
• Warm gloves and a hat - your head loses a huge amount of your body heat.
• Furry slippers (Indoors only!)
• Flasks for filling with hot water (I have a 5 litre one that gets filled from the kettle on the stove)
• Cooking facility - BBQ, gas camping stove, log burner
• Insulated mugs
• Hot drinks, soup and instant hot meal options
• Bottled water (if you rely on electric filters or pumps for well water)
• Exercise or extra movement - a short, brisk walk outside or even up and down stairs or around the house works
• Electric blanket
• Hot water bottle / wheat bags
• Extra duvet
• Extra under-blanket - if your bed has slats, lay cardboard over the top, below the mattress, as added insulation
• Knitted blankets from scrap wool - keeps you warm even while knitting
• Burnable organic waste turned into fuel!
• Candles
• Rechargeable wind-up torch
• Coal in the bunker
• Logs in the log store
• Old newspapers (provided by neighbours)
• Matches and extra matches
• Hand and foot warmers - anyone tried these? Shame they're disposable but as emergency back-up when working outdoors in freezing temperatures, they sound good!
• Alternative energy source - even battery power is better than no power - being able to see during power cuts (or when off grid) is paramount to your own safety, as the last thing you want to do is fall over or walk into something.

How are you dealing winter on a budget? Is heating costing more than eating? It certainly does here!

Chinese New Year

What a busy month February is!

Frugaldom's 28-day 'fight the flab' challenge, Valentine's Day, Pancake Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, Chinese New Year - the year of the sheep, or year of the ram - and several others that have come along more recently, like Harry Potter Day, on February 20th! Frugal living can be fun for everyone, so celebrate in affordable style!

Valentine's Day is the midway point for our Frugal February Fitness Challenge. The sun shone, so it seemed like a good idea to get back in the saddle again... by giving the bike its first short trip of the year. I didn't go far, but stopped for photos along the way, regardless.

As you can see, the sky was blue and the loch was calm. There was a huge flock of migratory geese grazing noisily on the far shore and a number of ducks and other waterfowl on the water.

All along the lochside, through the surrounding woodlands, there were snowdrops flowering. By my front door, I have crocuses, snowdrops and a profusion of miniature irises in full bloom, adding a splash of colour to an otherwise dreary time of year.

Pancake Tuesday, or Shrove Tuesday, is tomorrow, 17th February 2015, and we're all set to have a super frugal use-it-up day from dawn until dusk. As February represents the first 28 days of our annual 'get fitter, not fatter' challenge, it is also fitting that this year's grocery challenge has been reduced to £5 per person per week for all meals, so zero tolerance on food waste means everything gets used up as normal, not just on Shrove Tuesdays. (This challenge is being recorded on a daily basis at www.frugalforums.co.uk to include some recipes.) I will continue the pancake blog tomorrow. In the meantime, I have my flour, eggs and milk at the ready, along with the usual lemon and sugar or syrup toppings.

Chinese New Year begins Thursday 17th February and this year is the year of the sheep, or ram. Having seen a lovely example of a willow woven sheep in a garden by the abbey on the island of Iona, I had shown the photos to resident artist. This is the result - his first willow sheep, woven from willow grown in the Thrift Cottage garden! It is very fitting that it was finished this week, just in time for the Chinese year of the sheep beginning on Thursday. Who knows how many may have joined our Frugaldom flock by this time next year. You can see how this sheep was made on our designated eco arts photo blog at www.ecoarts.co.uk

As time marches on, taking February through to March, we have been having fun finding out how far a fiver can stretch, while measuring how many pounds can be lost during this 28-day kickstart to the 'Get Fitter, Not Fatter' challenge. This fabulous little fashion watch, which is available in an assortment of colours, cost just £2.60 including postage and packaging, after using a 10% discount code on our all time favourite fashion site. Better still, you can collect loyalty points as you shop and the company ships globally.To find out more about this and thousands of other bargains that we'll be researching and reviewing, you can visit www.frugalshop.co.uk It is from there that we will be featuring all the offers, discounts, voucher codes, products and services that help to finance the running of the Frugaldom Project, along with the supporting web sites, blogs, forums and chat room.

Our next live chat will be scheduled soon, so don't forget to register a username and password via www.frugalforums so you can take part. This week, we will be discussing the 2015 monthly moneysaving challenges plus offering support to those taking part in the fitness challenge. We'll also be mapping out the other monthly challenges that will be set throughout the coming year.

Chinese New Year

Frugaldom Project Developments

In search of the lonesome pine

A river runs through it

If you could, wood you…?

What else can I say?

We have some major Frugaldom Project Development news to share… read more here

Day 11 of Making it in March - Delicious Syrup Sponge Pudding

Day 11 of 31, the Best Day of the Year so Far!

Making the most of the sunshine!

This morning dawned frosty and bright, so an early start was in the offing to make the most of the good weather. A good 5-mile walk with my camera built up my appetite, that's for sure! It should also have boosted my Vitamin D levels - frugal health and fitness from the free, outdoor gym.

 

Gorse flowering by the stream

The countryside is coming alive with colour as the grass takes on a fresh flush of green and the plentiful gorse explodes into a myriad of bright yellow flowers! I love gorse (or whins) as it is so utterly versatile! I have promised myself some gorse petal cookies and tea tomorrow, if the sun shines and I can nip out to collect some fresh flowers.

Gorse on the hillside

We are surrounded by gorse bushes - they line the roadside, line nearby fields and cover vast strips of hillside. I love the wood for burning in the stove, it is so flammable it doesn't need much drying to burn. The flowers are edible, so they can be used in salads, tea and for wine-making (or biscuit baking). In the past, this thorny evergreen has been used to fire bread-ovens - it burns exceptionally well - and makes for some unusual garden sculptures, as the wood seldom rots.

Yellowhammer

I made the extra effort to watch for wildlife and birds. We saw many chaffinches, Bluetits, great tits, pied wagtails, dunnocks and buntings, plus the familiar Yellowhammers that flit about the hawthorn. It definitely sounded spring-like out there this morning! The Greylags are still noisily grazing by the loch and the Goldfinches were where we usually see them.

Crocuses by the roadside

Along the way there are many snowdrops, crocuses and daffodils, all growing wild and spreading in their secretive way. I often wonder how the bulbs get to be in some of the places I see them flowering! Out this morning, I found a clump of them torn up by the tractor as it had been along the road hedge-cutting. I stuck what I could back into the ground nearby and brought the remains home to see if I could save them. I've stuck them in a pot out on the patio but don't know if they'll grow, as the actual bulbs have been quite crushed.

Buttercup species are poisonous

The first of the buttercups are beginning to flower but, sadly, this isn't anything edible, so no good for foraging.



The 'spooky' tree

This is what I call the spooky tree - it leans at a rather precarious angle across the road and, at dusk, looks very imposing as it looms overhead. Against an azure sky, it looks quite spectacular in it's leafless, winter form.

Catkins beginning to emerge

I remember playing with these when I was a child. We'd go into the woods and collect a handful from the nearest willow and imagine them to be tiny, furry pets, giving them names and building them houses from match boxes! Strange how memories of such simple childhood games can be recalled.

Ribes

What a beautiful display the Ribes provides. It grows among the hawthorn here and has a tangle of honeysuckle around it, all growing wild by the roadside. Did you know that Ribes sanguineum was introduced into cultivation by 19th century Scottish botanist David Douglas? We do now.

Phoebe laid us another egg today, so her contribution to the household groceries helped finish off the syrup that was crystallising in the last tin in the store cupboard. 

Microwaved Syrup Sponge

Microwaved syrup sponge is yet another of my favourites because it's so simple and quick to make. If you don't have syrup, use jam. I used equal amounts of sugar, margarine and self-raising flour and beat this all together with the duck egg and a splash of milk, poured the mix over the top of the syrup in a greased, microwaveable bowl, blasted it on full power for 5 minutes and served it hot with milk over the top. Delicious! Just replaced all the calories burned during my 5-mile walk and then some!

 

I now have 3 duck eggs washed and ready to paint and hang in macramé plant pot holders. I WILL make these tomorrow - please remind me! Thank you.

 

Having forgotten to take my 'Food for Free' pocket nook with me today, I don't know if I saw anything else that was worth foraging. I'll remember it tomorrow so I can check while out collecting the gorse flowers, weather permitting.

 

NYK, Frugaldom

Day 1 of Making it in March - My Indoor Garden #MIIM

Day 1 of 31 - Attempting to Make Something Every Day in March

 

Here we are in March already! The day began bright and then there was a tremendous downpour here, but it soon cleared and the sunshine actually brought a tiny bit of warmth with it. By mid-morning, it was looking positively spring-like, although I'm not easily fooled, after last March!

 

This month's challenge in the frugal forums is called 'Making it in March'. It is all about making things rather than buying them, making decisions not to spend, making our way along the frugal path of life, pretty much making anything we want to try making, really. I have been sharing dozens of ideas and suggestions via my Facebook pages so I can check back to see which to try making this month.

My 'makes' for today were fairly simple and all of them free! I made the decision to pull on my boots and go for a walk, in an effort to regain some fitness and start losing the many pounds in weight I have gained over winter. This is always so much easier said than done but having challenged myself to blog every day about these challenges, it might provide me with some extra incentive.

The outdoor gym - slow pace, beginner level

Today I went to the free outdoor gym and did 3 miles on the local treadmill. While there, I took some photographs to make an online album of progress. You should be able to see the full album HERE without needing to register or log into Facebook.

Lunch was a cup of soup with a slice of bread and then it was time to make something constructive. First, a wander around the garden and into the greenhouse to check progress on some cuttings.


Close up of the tiny flower emerging from House Leek in the garden

I am quite amazed that succulents can survive our cold climate but mine are doing rather well. In fact, this one, which is outside in the garden planted in a recycled car wheel with tyre still fitted, is showing signs of flowering! The cuttings from this plant are growing well, as are all the others. This gave me an idea!

My homemade, indoor succulent garden

Neighbour had sent me along some leftover salad stuff for feeding to the Frugaldom hens and rabbits, so I recycled the disposable plastic bowl into a mini-succulents garden by filling it with a mix of compost, vermiculite, pebbles and the cuttings I had in the greenhouse. I'm not up on names of plants, so I'd to search online and guess. The rosette shaped one turns deep burgundy, almost black in summer sunlight, it is a Black Tree Aeonium, apparently also known as houseleek tree or Irish rose. Alongside this I have a couple more cuttings from my money plant (also known as Jade Plant), a tiny Aloe Vera, a rooted cutting from Phyllis, my aging Epiphyllum (Easter Cactus) I got via Freecycle about 6 or 7 years ago, some Sedum and cuttings from my House Leek, which is the one that's about to flower outside in the garden.

I'm really pleased with how my tiny oasis turned out and really hope that it flourishes. My mini-succulents garden shall be counted as my 'make' for the first day of the 'Making it in March' challenge. Cost = NIL, as I had everything I needed to put this together.

While outside 'paying' in the garden, I made up a couple more plastic tubs as mini propagators and have now sown a few salad leaves and some cayenne pepper seeds. It will take them some time to germinate, even indoors is less than 10 degrees C first thing in the morning before the fire gets lit, but it's a start.

Off to do an hour's blanket sewing now, hope everyone has had a good day and please feel free to join in this month's moneysaving challenge to 'Make it in March'.

NYK, Frugaldom


Welcome to Frugal Living and my Annual Money Challenges

For the Benefit of Newcomers to my Concept of Frugaldom

Frugal living may not be for everyone and it does take quite a bit of explaining to some who can neither see the need, nor have ever experienced the need for trying it. But it is a lifestyle choice that's made by many, nonetheless.

Having already posted about my annual household budget - the £4,000 - I would now like to go over the cost implications of everything else that needs paying. Like I already said, frugal living gave us the ability to save for and buy a very cheap fixy-up over the space of a very short period of time but I did throw in my lot with A. N. Other to buy a 3-bedroom house with a big garden rather than a small flat with no garden. But no matter which way you look at it, £4,000 just won't last a year if you need to count in rent or mortgage and any outside the household expenses, which is why none of these things are included in my £4,000.00 However, this does include the costs of working from home, some of which are tax deductible at the end of each financial year. For everything else, I have a separate kitty, known as...

My Everything Else Kitty - E.E.K.

My Everything Else Kitty

There's no escaping the fact that life costs cash and we need to be really flexible in order to fit everything into the box that is our lifestyle. As you can see by the antics of the frugal puss, even she is a contortionist when it comes to making sure she gets in on the action - if, at first, you don't think you can fit something into your affordability box,  keep trying from different angles until you've found a way succeeding.

Everything else outside of the standard necessities are, for me, paid from my 'EEK'. This is the cash kitty that gets topped up by a tiny drip of interest from savings, gift certificates, points, cash back, winnings, sales of surplus eggs, de-cluttered goods and any cash gifts that happen to come my way at birthdays or Christmas time. Let's face it, keeping hens, ducks, quail, a cat and, now, two giant loppy-lug rabbits isn't through real necessity, its more for the fun than the frugality.

It's great having fresh eggs for cooking and baking but we can't possibly eat them all, so I trade many of them for other things and need to raise any extra cash to cover the costs of feeding the feathered and furry friends, keeping them all bedded down at night and keeping them healthy. I also have my wormery, the pet worms that help recycle household waste into liquid fertiliser that cucumbers seem to thrive on, judging by the enormous crop we had last year.

But how does my 'EEK' work in real terms?

Last year ended with an overall balance of £39.70, so that has been carried over and popped into the 'EEK' savings. On top of that, I have a voucher balance of £30.54 in my Amazon account and have just requested payment of another £8 worth of Amazon vouchers via Topcashback*, which gives me cash back on anything I buy using links from their website. There's also £7 of credit lying in my Approved Food* account, which will more than cover the postage of my next order when I need heavy, long shelf-life goods - they normally do regular offers on bread flour, which is how I can bake a loaf for around 25p.

Cashback Credit Cards

The use of credit cards may be seen by some as incurring debt but I have one golden rule - if I can't afford to pay something in full at the time then I don't put it on the credit card. Online shopping and being self-employed means that I have some added protection by using a credit, as opposed to a debit, card, so absolutely everything goes onto it that possibly can - even my 12 months' BT line rental. Why? Because as long as I pay in full within the interest free timeframe, I get an automatic 1% cash back that costs me nothing and gets paid in a lump sum around the end of each financial year.

Spending £4,000 on the household budget almost exclusively paying by card means brings almost £40 of free cash into the 'EEK' by April of each year, plus whatever else I have paid for by this method. While renovating, almost all of the building materials have been paid this way and in addition to that the livestock feeding, garden-related purchases and any extras that can be added get paid this way. Last year's free money courtesy of the credit card company amounted to £68.94 and that's not to be sneezed at when you see cheap flights, train fairs, ferry fairs or short breaks advertised for less!

All these little bits and pieces add up over the year and, with luck and careful spending, can cover everything else I need to buy. Sales of surplus eggs would normally cover the cost of feed and bedding or else what I exchange for the eggs helps reduce the grocery budget. It is a simple case of not buying anything unless we can realistically afford it and if we can't afford it (or don't see the need to buy it) we can attempt to make it.

Being self employed means keeping up with National Insurance payments, so I have just paid out £70.20, which covers 6 months. This is not part of my household running costs, so does not impact on the £4,000. It is a miniscule sum but it is contributing to my old age pension, so I have no qualms about paying it, even on a voluntary basis when profits aren't sufficient to warrant any further deductions. My monthly savings bond is paid from what I no longer spend on cigarettes and anything else is absolutely mine to do with as I please, even if it's just a few pennies left in my (homemade) purse.

Use it up, Don't Bin it, Burn it or Bury it.

My attempt at zero waste failed dismally owing to the amount of plastic packaging that's used by many companies. Plain brown cardboard is great as it gets rolled up and used in the fire, but plastics are a total pain and need to be binned if it isn't of the type that I can reused - meat packaging, for example! 

We have an open fire and a stove, so anything that is safe to burn gets recycled into fuel and used to heat the house, boil the kettle and even cook food. Recently, I was learning a bit more about recycling wood shavings into eco-fuel and I'm now wondering if it would work using the shavings from the rabbit cages and hen houses, but I'm not too sure how easy it would be to dry the blocks once they are made, or how smelly they might be to make while soaking them for a month at a time - time will tell!

I have a Paper Brick Maker* and it's great for experimenting by adding in things like dried leaves, twigs and shredded paper but, again, the blocks take a long time to dry. I guess I should really try much harder at making a stock pile of these during summer sunshine to help combat rising costs of winter coal. I shall pledge now to make an attempt on the eco-fuel from shavings using this method.

Photos by B.B. Photography



This was our local village main street when the storm surge hit at high tide on Friday (photos taken by a pal's brother), so let's hope things don't get any worse over the coming days. Now I need to wind this up and be prepared for the next storm that seems to be heading our way - we are almost at the top of the hill, so no sea surge reaches us, just the likelihood of power outages and the steam in the garden bursting its banks if the storm force winds drive in torrential rain at the same time as high tide.

The West coast has been taking a real battering recently and the next potential hit isn't looking any less ferocious, so the flasks, candles, torches and hot water bottles are all at the ready plus a stack of wood piled by the stove and an open invitation extended to anyone who may be adversely affected to head up the hill to Frugaldom.

Stay safe, folks, and never forget that no matter how little money you have, your chances of subduing Mother Nature when she is throwing a strop are the exact same as any millionaire - appreciate what you have while you have it and make the most of the important things in life that money cannot buy.

NYK, Frugaldom

PS: We're playing at 'planks'
Several of us take part in whatever free fitness fun we can find, so visit us in the Frugal Forums if you would like to take part. Right now, we're doing the '30 Day Plank Challenge' to prove to ourselves that we do have core muscles and to start toning them up in time for spring.

*I can earn a few extra points or pounds when friends join and use sites via my referral links

These Cheap Boots were made for Frugal Walking

A photo diary about walking and frugal footwear!

Farewell to my faithful, frugal foot-friends!

My annual challenge budget for clothing and footwear normally comes in at under the £100 mark and this needs to include everything, so it helps to know where savings can be made when footwear is important.

This fun and photo-filled blog post is the tale of my old boots and the many miles they have trudged over the past year, showing without a shadow of a doubt that you can, indeed, get plenty of mileage from just a few pounds. In fact, looking back at this, I think I should award ‘Regatta Outlet’ the Frugaldom badge of excellence.

This is not a sponsored post, this is simply a look back over how well my frugal footwear has served me and I hope that it helps others in making decisions about taking up walking as a hobby rather than sitting it out because you don’t have the right shoes or boots.

Click here to read more and see what I think is an amazing little photo album

Rok Strap Dog Lead

Rok Strap Dog Lead

Having fun playing in the rain with a borrowed Rottweiler and a pink Rok-strap stretchy dog lead. I promise that neither the dog nor the dog walkers got catapulted!

 

Here in Frugaldom, our frugal lifestyle embraces many things, from baking and batch cooking to cycling and walking, so when I was asked to take the Rok-Strap dog lead out for a test drive, I needed no further encouragement. The fact that I don't own a dog never entered my head! Read more...

 

NYK Media, Frugaldom

The Real Good Life

LIFE IS GOOD WHEN THE SUN SHINES

Cash-paying work has been a bit thin on the ground recently, so I've been able to get out and about whenever the sun shines, researching for articles and writing what I want rather than what I'm paid to write. Renovations can wait - we're almost water tight, we have logs and coal, and there's plenty of food in the half-completed kitchen.

Working from home and frugal living while having no rent to pay and no car to run has many major advantages. I'm not denying there can be disadvantages but, when the sun shines, folks like us can just take off and do as we please. I can clock up more miles on my trusty two-wheeled steed - the secondhand bike. Mine is a mountain bike and H's is a hybrid meant for road use, but it's been behaving very well over the farm tracks, forest tracks, fields and cattle grids. As you can see in the photo, my bike now goes nowhere without the black cool-bag, (a freebie from several years ago) which normally holds lunch and emergency supplies or else basic groceries from the local store. (You can pack quite a lot in there when you have to do so.)

The weather, although bitingly cold, has been fair, meaning it's warmer out than in when living in a house with no proper central heating. Sitting at the computer and reading the screen through your own breath cloud isn't a good look, so getting warm means light the fire, light the stove or exercise. You'd think I'd lose weight doing this, but I never do!

This post is a run through of what March has brough, so far: it came in like a lamb, let's hope it doesn't go out like a lion!

01 March 2013 - We decided to head out to the highest point in our area. The Machars is an area of lowland in southwest Scotland, within the Dumfries and Galloway region. We're on a peninsula that has no large hills or mountains, only a few fells, Mochrum Fell being the highest, at 197m / 646ft. We left the bikes at the foot of the hill and walked up a route that took us past two shepherds' cairns and then to the summit trig point, where there's a cist, trig point and remains of a much larger cairn. Cost for this outing - FREE.

02 March 2013 - Grandaughter was visiting and, although it wasn't all that sunny, it was dry and bright enough to get out for a picnic. (She'd brought her bike with her.) We cycled out to the old church ruins at Barhobble, where we left the bikes and climbed Changue Fell, which is right next to Mochrum Fell. We ate our picnic while sitting at the church ruins and then cycled home, stopping off for a walk along the edge of Elrig Loch to see all the Greylag geese that are visiting for winter. Cost for this outing - FREE.

03 March 2013 - Glorious sunny Sunday so we packed another picnic and went off-roading through the forest on the bikes. It always amazes me that we seldom see another person during our travels. We have all of this around us and yet few take the time to enjoy it. However, whispers of an impending windfarm being built in the neighbourhood has many locals up in arms about the destruction of the countryside, devaluation of properties and several alleged health risks associated with working turbines. I'll reserve judgement. Cost for this outing - FREE.

 

06 March 2013 - After peering at maps and searching online, we agreed on a circular route that meant a shortcut home cross-country. This proved to be very eventful, as I have a bit of a fear of cattle and don't like to find myself too close to them. Let's just say that today's route gave me a free lesson in hard, fast and furious pedaling over very rough terrain whilst dinging my bell and screeching at cows that didn't seem best pleased to see us on our bikes! Thankfully, no calves and no bull! Cost for this outing (other than the few pounds possibly lost during my frenzied escape from galloping cows) - FREE!

 

We do try to get out most days for either a walk or a cycle but I won't boar you with the more mundane trips to the post office, village store or walk up the hill with my 'get fitter' walking buddy. There's so much to see and so many places to explore that it's difficult knowing which, if any, will be of interest to frugalers. On the whole, I visit only places that are free, so I'm hoping that's enough to interest anyone who reads this blog. Frugal living means frugal fun.

10th March 2013 - This was a good trip, barring the sad state the old farm steading was in with the remains of several dead sheep scattered about the fields plus discarded veterinary-type containers and general rubbish! This building belongs to the Marquis of Bute and was formerly an agricultural school of some description. It's dated 1890, so not all that old, and sits on farmland that's also home to the trig point we wanted to visit, at Craigeach Fell. We cycled to Craigeach and left the bikes in one of the derelict outbuildings, where they'd be kept dry in the event the rain or snow arrived. All around us seems to be getting snow at the moment but we have been luck, so far, with none. Cost of this outing - FREE.

 

11th March 2013 - Pulled on the walking boots and decided to find out if the ground was frozen enough to allow us to walk a circuit cross-country by following the footpaths. It was very soggy and still flooded in parts. We almost made it, until coming face to face with some horned, hairy beasts while cutting down onto the shore road. These 'friendly' critturs weren't showing any signs of taking off in the opposite direction, so, rather than make a run for it and land over an embankment, we back-tracked and completed the walk along the main farm track. Cost of this outing - FREE.

 

12th March 2013 - Today I cycled to the agricultural merchants to settle my monthly poultry feed account. Normally I would just telephone and pay by card, but the sun was shining and the 17-mile trip on the bike didn't seem so daunting. Once there, I even treated myself to some luxury 'CoolMax' walking socks for the trip up Ben Nevis in May - they were cheaper in the agri-store than I'd seen them online for the exact same make. Lovely day turned to lovely evening, so friend and I did our regular 4 miles over a nearby steepish hill to the next village and back. We always see something while out there, whether it's birds, deer, snow on the peaks of Snaefell across the water on the Isle of Man or the flashing of the Mull of Galloway lighthouse across the other side of the bay. Tonight's sunset was worthy of a photo. Total cost of outings - FREE.

 

13th March 2013 - The day began as normal, I needed a few items from the shop and the shop, depending on which route I take, is at least 7 miles round trip. Yesterday I took the bike and H accompanied me, as we had a little research to do for some written articles. The entire trip spanned out to just under 15 miles, but I did remember to buy the fruit, cheese and sugar. In fact, I was really rash and spent about £3 extra on lunch stuff, when we decided to do three exploratory trips in the one outing!

 

We climbed the steps to the site of the ancient Barsalloch Fort, where we demolished the most of lunch. Cost of visit - FREE

 

Next, we headed further along the shore to the Gavin Maxwell Memorial, on the road to St Medan Golf Club - Scotland's most southerly golf club. This impressive bronze otter stands looking out over the bay at Monreith. Gavin Maxwell, author of 'Ring of Bright Water', was born in Elrig House, about which he wrote in his slightly less famous novel, 'The House of Elrig'. It is from this book that I have learned quite a bit about our area. Cost of visit - FREE

 

There are several beautiful picnic spots around Monreith, many with seating provided, but we continued on our way to explore our next target - Kirkmaiden. This is one of Scotland's oldest churches. It has a small graveyard and some fantastic stories attached to it. Tradition has it that the original bell was removed and sailed across the bay to be placed in another church of exact same name, but the boat sank before it reached the other side.

The little red stone building is the burial chapel of the Maxwell family, who still own the nearby estate. As far as I'm aware, Sir Michael, who considers himself frugal, is the only Maxwell who now resides there. He seems to be a bit of a character, as I'm sure anyone who saw him on the TV series 'Country House Rescue' will agree.

Cost of this excursion - FREE.

So there you have it - a peak into the life of a Frugaldom dweller. None of the above are all-day affairs, so it leaves plenty of time for the more mundane things in life, like housekeeping, cooking and earning a small income. Perhaps it isn't the perfect life for a gregarious socialite with a penchant for foreign holidays, glamour and glitz. All of tese things can be put together on a miniscule budget, so it isn't like we couldn't afford to set ourselves another challenge. I think I prefer simple living.

Frugaldom.