Winter Preparations and our New Fire Chief

The snow has reached the Galloway hills a few days earlier this year, with a dusting over the tops of the higher peaks leading up to the Merrick (our highest hill, which officially qualifies as a mountain).

Meanwhile, down here at the low 100m mark, we are trying to weatherproof the essentials before temperatures drop back below zero but we seem to have a new fire marshall. 

Minstrel always has to get involved with everything, nowadays. For 3 full years, all we ever caught was a glimpse of her and the other ferals on the trail cams and then one day, just a few months ago, two of the cats befriended us - this one is now like a pampered housecat, greeting all our visitors and following us everywhere.

Yes, Minstrel, we got new buckets and they now hold the water but don't get too used to sampling it from there because it will be replaced by sand once the freezing weather gets here. What else is new at Frugaldom?

A shiny, red triangle has now replaced the old rusty cow bell that once hung on the fence.

New signs are being printed and replaced as and when required - this one needs 'FIRE POINT' written across it, just in case anyone misinterprets the graphics depicting an extinguisher and flames. 

Ill leave you all with another cat photo, as Minstrel is obviously guarding the new buckets to protect them from Caramel, Macaroon and Socks. Hopefully, the feral feline friends at Frugaldom will behave while our visiting campervanners prepare for  night of pine marten spotting. Our cameras are all at the ready in the hope of a repeat performance from last night, when the piney youngsters had a fun time frolicking at their feeding platform.

Join Friends of Frugaldom to help support the nature & wildlife project and feed the ponies, goats and cats who live here.

Ponds, Ponies, Pumpkins and Fun at Frugaldom

October 2017

Frugaldom is a magical place for creating memories so that's what we plan to do forever more. We have started plotting and planning for the yard area as it's no longer muddy, it's now nicely sheltered and the hedge along the back of it has started to grow, encouraging the wildlife to venture closer.

Now that I have 4 grandchildren, there's usually no shortage of little people to have about the place. I have to admit that the 'terrible twos' don't seem to show half as much outdoors as they do indoors.  At Frugaldom, the biggest problem is when it's time to try and get the 2-year-old to go home! He doesn't seem in the least concerned at visiting on his own while the older ones are at school and the littlest is still too small to do much out here.

Yard work is fun

Right from the outset, I knew what would be put at the top of Santa's list for this particular toddler - he loves barrowing anything anywhere! You can never lose sight of a little kid with a big wheelbarrow, that's for sure. It's like having my own mini research team on site when the children come to visit because they show me all the things that are most important to them and what entertains them most. This gives great insight into potential future developments as we launch our frugal holidays, plan more themed breaks and prepare for various child-friendly events at Frugaldom during 2018.

"I love Pippin"

Pippin the pony is always a hot favourite. His name, as far as grandson is concerned is, 'My Pippin' or 'Wanton Pippin' and the pony seems to tolerate absolutely anything said child does... much to the detriment of my ragged, gran nerves!

"I love muddy wellies"

Our first themed short breaks were introduced and aptly named 'Muddy Wellies Weekends' for one good reason - all kids seem to love muddy wellies and so, too, do some adults! :)

"I love playing in water"

Exploring in nature is fabulous fun and the mini-pond gets checked regularly in the hope that the frogspawn and resulting tadpoles return. Of course, it's even better fun if you get to forage in the garden for your own dinner before going exploring. This is one little boy who loves his soup and knows where it grows... in the soup garden, of course!

"I love cleaning my wellies"

Biosecurity is of the utmost importance and should be taught as soon as possible. It's another of the fun things toddlers seem to love and is also something that didn't take long to sink in... washing one's wellies both on arrival and on departure is important so as not to take germs into the barn or near the plants, poultry or ponies.

Back on the frugal bandwagon of bargain hunters - I managed to find a bulk lot of these interconnecting grids that are used for shed bases and parking spaces. We aren't anywhere near ready to use them yet but the prospect of saving over £50 just couldn't be missed, especially when the seller was fairly local and offered to deliver them to us. There are enough here to do the base for a garden room.

This was another of the bargain buys of October - a lovely little futon (double bed size) that will be utilised in the on-going improvements while trying to create extra space for extra guests in the various accommodations we are attempting to provide.

The ecoarts project will soon be launched fulltime, as 2018 sees the start of the creation of the designated trail at Frugaldom. It's a really exciting time despite also being a time of reminiscing. It's still hard to believe that my dad isn't here to see that we really did manage to succeed in finding and affording a piece of land to try and do everything I always spoke about doing. I'm sure he'd have approved! (Mum planted this oak tree and 'Mr Ecoarts' made the wild wood bird for displaying the dedication plaque.)

October was a month of growing - everything continued to grow, with the willows, Rowans, Hawthorn, Buddleia and Blueberries doing exceptionally well but it was all closely followed by the later sprouting Holly. Many more of the same will be planted in the future, now that we know they like it here.

Lyn's bridge got a coat of paint and work began on clearing the path at the other side, which will eventually run almost to the river, flanked on either side by native woodland species, such as willow, hazel, alder and birch.

We can't forget about the picking and preserving. We weren't able to grow any beetroot at Frgaldom but we did receive some, traded for fresh eggs and apples, so it all got boiled and pickled.

The apples just kept on coming, so I think most of our friends and neighbours at the holiday park were eating either stewed apples, apple sauce, apple tart or apple crumble. I have enough frozen apples to last a while longer and the cold-stored ones still need to be stewed but are being used as required.

The chickens are doing well, even if number 3 grandchild is still finding it difficult to keep up with them or catch them. On this particular day, the children were using the lean-to / potting shed as an art studio and had been out looking for things to make into pictures. Feathers are fun but the chickens kept following the kids into the shed! 

This was grandson taking his fnished nature art picture to show his mum, He did have a little bit of help making things stick to the bit board (we recycled a cardboard box) but he collected all nthe bits and pieces by himself - yes, he even picked some of the Oxeye Daisies because he thought they were 'pretty flowers'.

This is the lean-to potting shed. It's just leaning up against the side of the barn at the minute but we hope to make it a substantial, permanent structure that will double up as a learning room for the children. It isn't a full height sed but it it high enough for short people (like me) to walk about and the children love it. I want to make a proper panelled wall where it meets the barn and turn it into a chalk board on one side and a pin board on the other. It will then make a great space for displaying all the nature leaflets, posters and childrens's artwork.

Goldcrests everywhere this month! It hardly seems any time since they were here las year but here we are, picking them up from the barn where they have arrived, exhausted after their long flights from, I think, Scandinavia.

The new ponds finally settled and we got a bit more of the track around the edge laid, thanks to the help of our lovely volunteers. I am now 99.9% sure that this part of the project will see the arrival of its first amphibian visitors in spring, as we already have an assortment of birds and insects visiting. I plan on planting a row of willows around the edge just as soon as I have got them all cut.

Willow cuttings

The forst of the willows got cut but all of these were planted along the side of the newly cleared path beyond Lyn's bridge.

More tomatoes

We weren't the only ones with late tomatoes - these were all handed in as surplus to requirement, so they got made into pasta sauce, curry and chutney.

99p pumpkins are amazing!

As October came to an end, we had visitors arriving for the Hallowe'en paty at the holiday park, so we bought some pumpkins. We had tried growing our own but the wet weather just didn't give them a chance. So here's what I got made with the shop-bought variety.

Happy Halloween

Pumpkin carving at Halloween

As the month ended, we started looking towards the final events of the year - Bonfire night, tree planting, winter solstice and Christmas. I also had a couple of volunteers arriving to help during November, so that was an extra bonus and something to look forward to, with the arrival of Marnie, from France.

The Wildwood Fairy

This is one of the latest sculptures made by Mr Ecoarts - it was made for daughter and son-in-law, who recently moved house, but I couldn't really post it here before Christmas - even although she did see it before then. 😊 Being this size, it was kind of difficult to hide at the caravan or at Frugaldom, where the children explore.

'Mr Darcy'

 The horse sculpture was commissioned to go on display at a very special project in central Scotland. 'Mr Darcy', as we nicknamed him, was modelled on a real horse and the sculpture is now on display at Darcy's Equine Assisted Learning Centre near Strathaven in Lanarkshire.

I think that's enough for October but I did say it was a very busy month. Onwards and upwards... to the penultimate month of the year. I'll be back soon with some more updates.

Frugal Kitchen Makeover.

Photo blog of a frugal kitchen makeover.

We have had wind and rain almost every day since we started painting the barn, which was the same day my old bike almost met it's untimely end. Since then, it's been stay indoors and 'try to make the house a home' weather, so the kitchen is being decorated.

I'm sure you will all remember the painting of the barn - we got one side done before bike damage and bad weather scuppered the plans. As a result, we haven't been out there for over a fortnight, despite having invested in 'Blossom', my super-cheap, pretty in pink, pedal bike.

Instead of fieldwork, I have spent some time trying to organise the long-standing chaos that is my kitchen.

Kitchen makeover - Giving a room a simple makeover needn't cost the earth. In this case, it has cost me £50.23 plus the time it took to rummage for make-do-and-mend bits and pieces and put everything together. I haven't used everything bought, so the budget is actually under £50, but I'll work out the exact costs later.

Painting the walls - Anything goes and most of us can find some magnolia paint about the house at most times. If not, why not? It is my second default colour, after white, and can be used pretty much anywhere in the house without looking out of place. So, my kitchen is the default white ceiling and magnolia walls, spare paint is one of those 'always kept in stock' items in the same way as flour or sugar.

Work space - No fancy fitted kitchen here, just a few base units bought in an Argos sale a couple of years ago plus a salvaged unit and some old work top. In order to make the most of it all, I need to be able to see it and use it without it being covered in clutter. Herein lies the reason for my love of hooks! I've found that the best way of screwing them into the wall is to add a strap of wood, so the weight is spread across the framework behind the plasterboard, so that's what I did. The strips of wood are all from scrap.

Kitchen roll dispenser - A pair of hooks saved from an old over door hanger have been turned upside down and used to suspend a smooth branch from a tree, which is now supporting the kitchen roll. Works just fine and it can be easily replaced when the time comes to do so.

Window dressings - Who needs curtains or blinds when you are looking out onto your own back garden? This is some hemmed fabric that a friend gave me several years ago; it used to hang along the front of my kitchen units at the last house we were in, hiding the state of the old units there. Now, I have simply looped it over the extending rail in the window and tied it up using ribbons that I had among my crafting supplies. I believe they arrived as a gift during the love bomb dropped on me by Frugal Queen during our participation in a previous money challenge. The jars on the windowsill contain herb cuttings and my celery stalk that is now growing me more celery.

Interior design - The most expensive purchase for this makeover was the wallpaper border, as I needed three rolls of it to go all the way around the kitchen and the adjoining (soon to be) cloakroom. The wooden wall hangings are homemade, shaped from off-cuts of board and painted by resident artist. The corner kitchen stand is of unknown age or origin, as it was purchased several years ago from a charity shop.

Culinary delights - Like most frugal cooks, I do like my favourite pans, herbs and spices kept to hand, so here is what I did with mine. Yes, it's a piece of wood with even more hooks! Most of the wood used has been reclaimed from an old wooden bed frame we dismantled. It seemed too good to use as fuel in the fire, so I'm glad we kept it. The little spice racks were bought for £1 each several years ago in, you guessed it, a pound shop. The chalk board, just visible on the top left, was homemade around 2008 and has served us well through three addresses, to date.

Designer décor - Can anyone remember this? I bought it around 2004 and it has travelled with us during our past 3 house moves. It holds about a gallon of water and we used to keep tiny tropical fish in it. I'm not sure what will go in here next, as tropical fish keeping is a bit of an expense, what with heating, lighting, filtration and the cost of the fish, especially if there's a lengthy power cut, so it may end up with nothing more than some tiny shrimps or a couple of small cold water fish. Whatever, it has now been scrubbed and set up in what I am calling my 'cosy corner café.

Cosy corner - When I say cost, I really do mean it. With no heater of any description in the kitchen, I decided to hang the 250w infra red heater from the ceiling. (Costs under 4p per hour to run.) It is one I have had for several years, meant for brooding chicks after they come out the incubator. I haven't needed it for that purpose since moving here because I haven't been breeding many hens. I have to say, the cat greatly appreciates this corner and has claimed the seat directly beneath the heat lamp! No doubt she will be even more delighted to have fish to watch swimming around, once we get some!

Food preparation areas - Few people even notice that I don't have an actual cooker. I have a twin hot plate that fits nicely into a shelf on the corner kitchen stand for storage. Along with this, I have a microwave, slow cooker, steamer, toaster, bread-maker and the mini oven rescued from a charity fair back in 2008. I am no cordon bleu chef, so this lot does me just fine. The old work top has the stainless steel worktop saver bought via eBay on top, providing an excellent cutting and food prep surface that is easy to keep hygienically clean.

Cloakroom - Adjoining the kitchen is a small hallway, so this has now been painted and decorated to match the kitchen. The freezer has been moved in there and I am currently hanging shelves and coat hooks to make this into a walk through storage cloakroom. It isn't quite finished yet, but it should be soon. I've now found a suitable length of wood to attach to the wall for adding a load more hooks.

Here endeth my wet weather interior design exploits - for now!

Eco Arts - Meanwhile, out in the studio, resident artist completed the commissioned driftwood heron and it has now been delivered to its delighted new owner, with visiting rights agreed.

October Challenge Round-up - This has been a rather spendy month, even although our challenge was to have an austere October, buying only what we really needed and charting every single penny spent. Results for these challenges can all be found in www.frugalforums.co.uk, where you can also follow the November challenges. Hopefully, I may be able to entice a few more of you to start posting there and taking part, as we have some fabulous plans for future projects and, as always, these are all free to join.

NYK, Frugal Blog

Frugal Bytes

Bite-sized Updates from Frugaldom

Keeping everything up to date online is difficult, so I am going to begin sharing my 'Living on £4,000 for a year' personal challenge from www.frugalforums.co.uk to here by way of 'frugal bytes'. I hope you enjoy them.

My budget spreadsheet looks like this:  

The Frugaldom budget spreadsheet

My January spending already looks high at £475.60, however, the freezer has been filled, the electricity meter topped right up and I paid 12-months telephone line rental up front, which will save me about £45 overall. I cancelled the 'free' 1571 service some time ago, as we seldom made sufficient calls to qualify. There's a £10 allowance for 'mobile' just in case I go gallivanting further afield, otherwise no need for it as there's no signal here. Figures on the right are for my 'EEK' (Everything Else Kitty). Feel free to ask questions.

Managed a trip to Co-op with a friend and a second trip is scheduled for two weeks' time to ensure I can spend my £5 voucher before it expires. Logs have been ordered for delivery next week and the coal bunker will need to be refilled soon. The kindling has been well topped up thanks to another big bag of scrap wood from local yard by way of a bartering agreement we've struck between us.

23rd March 2013 - last winter's snow

Winter preparations are on-going in case the snow gets here. Last year we were completely snowed in and, at one stage, without power for about 4 days. Luckily we had the stove, fuel, plenty of food in stock and sufficient feed for the livestock - I am grateful for the fact that we were able to cook and share what we had with neighbours who didn't expect such a bad winter.

This is our local construction company, 3B, digging out the main road down to the village last winter - a reminder of what Mother Nature can throw at us, whenever she so desires.

Over a year, my household spending averages almost £11 per day, £76.71 per week or £333.33 per month and has done so for the past 7 years. Despite inflation, I seem to be improving my lifestyle with every year that passes. Strange, but true!


FREEZING TIP

If you have a power cut during a freezing winter and have no access to a generator - pack your freezer with bags of snow and ice! There is no point in risking losing good food for the sake of a few days without power. Throughout the year, I have zero available space in my freezer - all gaps get filled with tubs or tins of water. If you have just a fridge and it's colder outside than in your fridge, use a sealed box sunk into the snow or sat in a shaded corner.

NYK, Frugaldom

How to Make a Christmas Candle Lantern from a Tin Can

DIY Frugal Festive Lanterns

A Simple step-by-step guide to making rubbish decorations.

Tin can lantern

It's time to deck the halls and get creative with some kitchen rubbish! In this case, it's empty tin cans. The following items are what you will need to create your very own, individually designed, unique candle lantern. Adult supervision needed for any younger members of the family trying this.

 

Essential tools for the job

As you can see, you need a hammer, a nail, a pair of work gloves to protect your fingers from freezer burns (or being hit too hard with the hammer) and a mat, towel or cloth of some sort to help prevent the tin can from sliding when you strike it. But look closer at the tin can - it isn't actually empty.

 

Cans of water in the freezer

These are four cans I had for recycling this week - two beans, one spaghetti, one cat food. I peeled off the paper labels, washed the tins, filled them with water to about a centimetre below the top of the can and then popped them into the freezer overnight.

 

Making the dot to dot design

Next, you can either draw a simple design onto the can or else cut one out (use the reverse side of the labels) and tape it to the can, then following the lines to create your chosen design. Gently tap the hammer through the can and into the ice, which prevents the can from buckling or bending, making holes along the edge of your design. You can be as creative and intricate as you like, drawing patterns, objects or even stencilling, using different sizes of nails for better effect.

 

The lantern in my photos was done freehand, so it's far from perfect, but still looks effective with a lit candle inside it.  I use small tealight candles, but you need to be careful when lighting them on the bottom of the tins, best using a taper rather than risking burning yourself.

 

Added benefits: 

 

Cheap and easy to make

Creates a cosy little light that throws out designs on your walls

Emits some heat to help cheer you through the cold winter months.

 

Pop over into the crafting thread on the Frugal Forums or visit NYK's brand new Frugaldom page on Facebook page to share photos of your creations.

 

Have fun getting creative with your rubbish and always remember to keep sharp or hot objects out of reach of children.

 

Place the lanterns on heat-resistant surfaces, out of reach of children and where they cannot be knocked over by boisterous or inquisitive pets.

 

NYK, Frugaldom

1999-2014 Celebrating 15 Years of Frugal Living Challenges

My Moneysaving Experience Has Taught Me Well!

Frugaldom's Annual Frugal Living Challenge

It's the time of year when we all need to start thinking ahead into the new year, especially if we need to tackle any debts, generate extra income or squirrel away some extra savings for something special.

 

Scottish pounds - still in circulation

2014 is a very special year for NYK - it will be the 15th anniversary of our frugal living challenges. (We did have challenges prior to that, but of a slightly different variety.)

Every year, I set a Frugal Living Challenge, based on the original concept known as 'The Scottish Pound'. The following is clipped from a 1999 newspaper and shows the beginnings of our first, ever, published grocery challenge. For the benefits of non-Scots, the word 'messages' basically mean groceries.

NYK Media's first published grocery challenge from 1999

The grocery budget has increased, somewhat, since 1999. Currently, the Frugaldom household grocery budget is set at £1 per person per day for all meals. In saying that, I have maintained the same overall annual budget for many, many years, so my £4,000 per year challenge is still the one I, personally, follow. Nowadays, I'm probably getting far more for my £4,000 because some luxury non-essentials cost much less.

Life experience (and a 1997/8 challenge) taught me that almost all things are possible within a budget, as long as we are realistic about wanting to achieve our goals and live well within our means. By following a few basic principles (and almost every trick in the book) I managed to clear my feet by 2007, but continued running the challenges, multiplying and diversifying them along the way.

I love trying to beat the banks, squeeze overhead costs and attempt what some consider to be impossible while stretching every single penny of my budget as far as is humanly possible! Year on year, we try to grow more, make more, save more, need less and waste less. The quest for self-sustainability is still as relevant now as it ever has been, in my opinion.

 

A budget is a very personal thing; it should fit with your personal financial situation and it should enable a decent lifestyle to be affordable. No two households are identical, so work out your own cost of living and your own household budget. If you aren't too sure how to do that, you can check out What is a Budget?'

Some followers of NYK and Frugaldom have already achieved their debt free status and moved on in their worlds, while some now follow our challenges simply to help them remain free from debt. Others are still pursuing that dream. Whichever stage you are at, feel free to join us for 2014. Share your journey with like-minded others in the Frugal Forums.

Now we are approaching December 2013 and preparing to launch the 2014 Frugal Living Challenges, which will be hosted in the Frugal Forums. As usual, some will also be featured elsewhere in various guises. We do like to spice things up a bit now and again, so we incorporate mini challenges lasting anything from a few days to weeks or months.

The final monthly-challenge of this year is Decius Frugalus! For the entire month of December, we will be practicing our creative, moneysaving, frugal lifestyles with an attempt at zero-waste on cash, energy, food and fuel in an attempt to leap into the new year full of renewed hopes, dreams and ambitions.

They may take our money but - once achieved - they may never take our debt freedom!

For some it is initially about asking themselves the question, 'how did I get into debt'? That is generally followed by the all too familiar, 'how do I get out of debt?' and, as soon as that penny has finally dropped, you should feel some of the weight lift off your shoulders. Clearing debt isn't easy, but nor is it impossible. If you want to be part of a mutually supportive and rather exclusive group of like-minded people, introduce yourself in the Frugal Forums.

 

For others, our challenges are about increasing savings, buying property, becoming stay at home mums, starting businesses, seeing the world or paying off the mortgage early. Some choose the lifestyle on ethical grounds but it is not, as has been suggested in the past, self-imposed poverty. It's a fun and supportive way to help you manage your budget, enabling you to control your own cost of living. It's also about separating the NEEDS from the WANTS.

In case you should ever run a little short of free reading material, the following links will take you to previous versions of this challenge that have run on the Moneysavingexpert.com website. It's a no holds barred look at reality in a virtual world:

 

Part 1 - January to March 2008
Part 2 - April to June 2008
Part 3 - July to September 2008
Part 4 - October to December 2008

 

Part 1 - January to March 2009
Part 2 - April to June 2009
Part 3 - July to September 2009
Part 4 - October to December 2009

Introduction to the 2010 Challenge
Part 1 - January to March 2010
Part 2 - April to June 2010
Part 3 - July to September 2010
Part 4 - October to December 2010

Part 1 - January to March 2011
Part 2 - April to June 2011
Part 3 - July to December 2011

The 2012 Challenge

The 2013 Challenge