|
|
|
The
Frugal Living Diary of Events & Monthly Progress
|
|
|
|
All
surplus to requirement equipment, eggs and birds will be listed
FOR SALE HERE or via eBid online auctions |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
|
What is
Frugaldom? |
|
Eggs
(Ducks, hens, quail), Yoghurt, Soft Cheese, Pasta, Bread, Biscuits,
Cakes, Jam, Lemon curd, Jelly (preserves), Pickles & chutney,
Laundry detergent, Washing up liquid, Fabric softener, Greetings
cards, Kindling for the fire...
|
I also have a list of items I save for recycling or reusing:
|
Junk
mail, free newspapers, toilet roll & similar inner tubes, tins
& aerosols, glass, clothing & material, wool, egg shells,
tea bags, fruit & veg peelings etc, breadcrumbs, food scraps,
hen bedding, wood ash, fallen pine cones, needles & sticks,
dry leaves & wood chips, seeds from peppers & tomatoes etc,
candle ends, soap ends, containers & tubs, tomato puree tubes...
|
Hopefully each of the above lists will continue to grow in a bid to reduce, reuse and recycle more and more as our project progresses. Most of these things have been (or will be) discussed in the FRUGALDOM FORUMS, so join us there. As our journey progresses, we hope to work towards becoming self-sufficient in many more areas of our lives.
Frugaldom isn't just about 'living the dream', it's about debt free living within a budget you can comfortably afford, whilst saving for those rainy days.
The following search box is geared towards locating you relevant information with regards to frugal living, self sufficiency and all that entails.
|
Where
is Frugaldom? |
![]() |
![]() |
Poultry
Keeping We started off with 6 broody hens. By buying pure bred fertile eggs and some cheap, homemade incubators, it meant chicks hatching out all over the place in 2009. As numbers escalated, it also meant registering them all with DEFRA. |
![]() |
Being a registered poultry keeper, I hope to develop my hobby into a frugally, self-funding enterprise, so most of the garden has been reserved for that aspect of the project. Most of the hens and the ducks freerange, the quail need to be enclosed. Protective measures are being incorporated wherever and whenever possible. In 2009, however, the feathered marauders won the war against many of the vegetables! 2010 has seen the arrival of more fenced off corners in Frugaldom.
|
Duck
Keeping We hatched 3 unrelated ducklings in 2009. By sheer luck, we got 2 ducks and a drake, Phoebe, Monica and Joey. In 2010, we hatched 5 more unrelated ducklings and one chick from our trio to test for fertility. |
![]() |
The Frugaldom project includes square foot gardening, raised beds and container gardening. We've now managed to incorporate a small greenhouse and a raised patio with pergola for vertical growing. A mini orchard has been planted and we plan on learning how to rotate fruit & veg crops to encourage perpetual growing and a self sufficient supply of vegetables. We've joined the Galloway LETS group, where we trade home produce, plants and eggs. Frugaldom now has an online store, free public messageboards with a daily forum.
| Growing
Fruit & Vegetables What's growing in Frugaldom? Potatoes, radishes, cabbages, leeks, turnips, carrots, onions, spinach beet, broccoli, peas, beans, cauliflower, beetroot, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, courgettes, butternut squash, artichokes, garlic, herbs, strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants, Tayberries, apples, pears, cherries, blackberries and rhubarb. Homemade wine, home cooking & baking and preserving are all part of frugal living. Elderflower champagne is my favourite. |
![]() |
The garden is fairly exposed, so high winds are something we are having to fight all the way. We lost the first greenhouse, albeit a plastic one, to the January gales and, from May's gales (07/05/09), it is clear that vertical gardening is going to be a major challenge. Root vegetables are looking better by the day, although I'm counting on the now solidly built greenhouse staying put so I can cram as much as possible into that. However, we have already had to do emergency roof repairs following storm damage! Update - we now have a gazebo type structure securing the greenhouse and providing vertical growing space plus hanging space for baskets in 2010.
![]() |
Preserving
and Frugal Cooking Frugal living doesn't mean doing without luxuries. When lemon curd making is done, it means meringues get made from the leftover egg whites and there are frequently fruit loaves or biscuits baking in the oven to use up leftovers. |
![]() |
Nothing beats home cooking - it's fresh, it has no additives and there's far less packaging to worry about even if it's being stored in the freezer. Despite this, t we do not rear any livestock for our own consumption. Our hens, ducks and quail are for eggs only. Surplus get sold or traded.
![]() |
Pie
Making & Baking Aiming for a self-sufficient (ish) lifestyle means there's a lot of pie making and home baking goes on as a means to preserving foodstuffs. By food sharing, we can have a varied diet all year round, including meat pies and fruit crumbles. |
![]() |
If we can produce enough from the garden to keep us fed, plus enough to sell or trade to make the project self funding, I'll be extremely happy. To help improve our chances, I'm building up a small flock of hens that will lay blue eggs. My chosen variety is the lavender Araucana, so the next generation of garden hens should be blue egg layers. By having broody hens, I should be able to remove the need for electric incubators and brooders other than for quail. Being in rented accommodation obviously means we are restricted in how far this self-sufficientish project can go, so we won't be rearing our own meat. We'll stick to fruit, veg and eggs. Purebreed poultry includes Lavender Araucanas, Silkies and Pekins. Surplus birds and hatching eggs will be sold or traded. Quail rearing is something I enjoy, so there should be plenty of quail eggs from Spring 2010. (Updated - first eggs laid04/06/10)
If you're in the fortunate position to have a choice of supermarkets, always compare prices. You can compare prices at mySupermarket.co.uk - Asda, Tesco, Sainsburys & Ocado
| Visit FRUGALCAM |
| Views from the Frugaldom cameras, including chickwatch. |
| Frugal gadgets I have |
|
|
| Paying for Frugaldom |
|
Frugaldom, as well as being our lifestyle, is part of a bigger
project in as far as we are earning sufficient income to finance
our chosen lifestyle. The following are a few of the ways we generate
income whilst attempting to make Frugaldom pay for itself.
|
| Scottish Multimedia |
| Sea Angling News |
| eBid online auctions |
| Galloway LETS |
| Frugaldom Book Shop |
| Interest on savings |
| Racehorse Shares |
| Free money |
|
|
| Buying & selling secondhand books |
|
|
| Becoming a frugal entrepreneur |
| You can, of course, just send me all YOUR money to pay for this. It would be greatly appreciated. |
| The
FREE Frugaldom Diet Challenge |