If things get tougher?

ceridwen

BigMumma - I was wondering a bit along those lines myself - so, its a possibility methinks - people wanting to wrap themselves up in extra warmth so to say thinking of current fuel bills.

Icewytch - I've been thinking further about your situation. I dont know which particular island you are on - was wondering if its one of our more northerly ones - in which case its possibly a bit bleak and cold for thinking of foodgrowing type ideas. On t'other hand - you could be somewhere like the Isle of Man - in which case its presumably rather more clement weather. I was just wondering if part of what you could be seeking to barter for would be surplus young foodgrowing plants from people? I dont know what your home is like - whether you have a conservatory thats going "begging" so to say and could be used as a sorta greenhouse on the one hand or whether you could make up a cold frame or two for a garden from any old singleglazed windows someone might be chucking out or a polytunnel from old wirecoathangers/thick plastic.

I guess what I'm thinking is the sorta way I organize my finances personally. Some years back I started thinking along the lines of organizing my finances in a Business Plan sorta way, ie:
- short term
- medium term
- long term

Short term being, for instance, this week: the money for eating etc right now.

Medium term being, for instance, work on the house that needed doing, doing the spend to save thing I have been doing (anything that would help save fuel, stocking up with food, etc).

Long term being a few little mini-investments - that I knew would take years to come back home to me "bringing their children with them" so to say....I sent them out "to go forth and multiply" or summat...and they did.

Whether you could think possibly/maybe a little along those lines??

Short-term - getting some more food in the larder

Medium-term - how to deal with the overdraft

and so on. Feel free to ignore me if I'm talking through my hat.

Right this very second - the priority is short-term/immediate - filling the stomach and seeing if you can get some wood to burn (if you have the facility to do so). There are foodgrowing plants that will grow at this time of year - and your neighbours may well be growing some of them and have a bit surplus they can pass on to you - wont fill the larder this week - but in a few weeks time they will. This week - have you got anything that will sprout (beans or whatever) - to get the "greenery" part of your diet? Blow any ideas of keeping any front garden you have as pure "decoration" - personally I dont understand people doing that anymore - its all good foodgrowing territory in my book.

Take care.

Icewytch

Thanks, for the support, it means a great deal to me at this time.
I`m on the isle of Sanday, Orkney, so nothing edible really grows this time of year, (or even in summer, beyond the odd cabbage and a whole pile of barley, lol)
The house is an old one built in the 30`s, no damp proof course at all, leaky roof and no heating beyond the stove, but during summer it`s lovely and cosy.
Winter is a different matter and to be honest I`m dreading it. This past couple of weeks we have had gales and sleet, hail and lashing rain and good god but it`s cold at nights! :cool:
I have a stack of driftwood I`m working my way through, it burns quick but hot, and makes the livingroom smell lovely.
The trouble with the falloff in orders due to the recession is that I`m now overstocked! I only have one chest freezer for storing the raw skins but got another delivery from the farmer on a neighbouring island who supplies my skins. I don`t want to refuse any of them, as I`ve built a good working relationship with him, so I had to make room in my food freezer. Luckily this was easy as it was nearly empty of food
I have donned a bit of a `one day at a time` mentality and as long as I can afford to feed us one more day, and no new bills come in, I feel ok and optimistic.
I`m so glad to have found this place.....when I get to worrying myself sick over it all I log on and read the threads here, see how supportive you all are of one another, and how many of you are surviving much worse situations than myself. It gives me a great deal of hope and there are some valuable ideas and tips here I can really use.
So, just want to say a huge big "Thank You" for this site....it`s worth its weight in gold, far as I`m concerned.

annie123

have you thought of selling the driftwood you burn on ebay? it seems to sell well there, I have a friend who does this.
Are you a 'crafty' type could you turn it into something 'gifty' to sell, search driftwood on ebay to get ideas.
will try to think of more ideas.
Every little helps

edit: found this on ebay looks nice and easy to make and the seller uses Scottish driftwood!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Driftwood-Art-Candle-Sconce-Creations-by-Skerrow_W0QQitemZ280278409600QQihZ018QQcategoryZ112576QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Icewytch

That`s a great idea! I wouldn`t have thought anyone would buy driftwood, but I do know there`s another woman on isle who sells pebbles from the beach there! Not painted or polished or anything, just "Sanday pebbles" and people buy them!
Afraid I`m not crafty enough to make anything with them, but if others are maybe they will buy some. Thanks Annie123.

mumoftwo

Pebbles are popular just as they are, in bowls with candles or just for decoration. Go for it, that is a great idea and the driftwood too, have you tried ebay to sell your tanned skins, rugs etc?

You are right, this thread is brilliant for support and long may it continue through this winter.

annie123

pebbels is a new one on me!
I am one of those people who have paid for driftwood on ebay so I know it does sell.

can you cook? thinking xmas foodie/sweetie gifts on ebay,
could you try selling a skin on ebay ...(sounds gross :shocked: especially to a veggie like me!)

will keep thinking....

ceridwen

Hmmmm....Icewytch....had a feeling we were talking one of the northerly isles....er...yep...thats cold...well...will keep the thinking cap on in case any other ideas surface....

Thinking more generally - as regards everyone on here.....'tis time for all suitable public places (I'm thinking along lines of church noticeboards, library noticeboards, cornershop noticeboards) to introduce "Swapboards" for people to put up details of what goods/services they want and what they can offer - direct barter....when I tend to think "3rd Party barter" schemes like LETS work better. But...hey.....sometimes people dont want to get involved with a scheme as such and have summat they can "directly" barter - eg surplus homeproduced foodstuff.

Also - the Transition Town movement is reviving the 1970s idea of "Gardenshare" - ie if someone has a garden they dont wish to work on/cant work on - then they offer the use of that garden to someone to grow food on. The foodgrower then shares the resultant produce 50/50 with the homeowner. I gather its working again pretty well.

I'll go off again and see what further ideas from t' 1970s I can think of...us relics of the 1970s have our uses you know;) - any minute now I'll be breaking out the patchwork and the folksongs.....

ceridwen

Quick thought - re pebbles....errrrr.....there's some sorta "regulations" about taking pebbles from beaches.....cant remember the details....but I gather "officially speaking" I havent got any pebbles in my back garden.;)

Re - nowt edible on Orkney......errrr......presumably there's seaweed aplenty....I believe most types of British seaweed are edible.

http://www.waitrose.com/food/celebritiesandarticles/ingredients/9811086.aspx

Heh!

Pennylane

I'm afraid Ceridwen is correct - there ARE regulations about removing stones from beaches. I have seen several prosecutions in the papers and beaches which I visit often have signs to that effect. Sorree:o

Beccatje

mumoftwo wrote: »

Pebbles are popular just as they are, in bowls with candles or just for decoration. Go for it, that is a great idea and the driftwood too, have you tried ebay to sell your tanned skins, rugs etc?

You are right, this thread is brilliant for support and long may it continue through this winter.

True.. they sell them here in shops.. pay through the nose for a wee net of pebbles. they decorate a bowl or around the base of candles. Very popular.