A Year of Living Frugabulously

ZTD

Lula-Hula wrote: »

Z - welcome & tanks for bringing your very particular brand of humour, which always makes me giggle out loud :A.

Thanks also for the link ... I've just spent an hour watching various you tube van-living style videos & I've concluded that I will NEVER go to some eco village squat type place in a city *shudders* I wouldn't get in their showers with my wellies on.

No you don't want to be looking there!

I was more thinking that what Rickvanman euphemistically calls a "bathroom", you could euphemistically call a toilet...

Adding bunkbeds, and then you and DD2 have somewhere to go cheap at the weekends.

Lula-Hula wrote: »

I'm not sure I could do a van conversion myself ... let's be honest here; I'm the woman who happily pays someone else to wash my car , can you imagine me trying to do electrics, plumbing & drilling .:rotfl:

If you say you can do it, then you may be wrong. If you say you can't, then you will always be right.

Cherryjack

Lula-Hula wrote: »

G'morning to all & it's a fabby autumn day out there today.

Z - welcome & tanks for bringing your very particular brand of humour, which always makes me giggle out loud :A.

Thanks also for the link ... I've just spent an hour watching various you tube van-living style videos & I've concluded that I will NEVER go to some eco village squat type place in a city *shudders* I wouldn't get in their showers with my wellies on.

I never get why people who choose to live outside societies norms, decide to do so in such an ugly manner. Why have great hunks of metal & plastic spray painted with graffiti, rather than real earth products ? Aesthetics are free . Living in the woods in a cabin or shelter & crafting a home using ancient skills & materials, I get; that is really living 'off the grid'.


As you can see dear KC, I'm perfectly fine & back on form just rather frustrated that I can't immediately get started on the Escape from Reality Fund, although I might just pay back the £300 to the Buffer Fund for now, & not worry too much about paying the £1,000 back to the ISA to start with. I need to start with a manageable target & also see some result quickly or I'll just feel defeated before I start.

I'm not sure I could do a van conversion myself ... let's be honest here; I'm the woman who happily pays someone else to wash my car , can you imagine me trying to do electrics, plumbing & drilling .:rotfl:

I fully accept that I will be earning & saving my way to the E.R.F & I'm guesstimating about £10,000 _pale_ to start the alchemy.


First target then = £300 payback to Buffer Fund - I'll add that to sig to make it more official.

Hiya Marty - yes that's all earnings from surveys, I do Ipsos, MySurvey, Valued Opinions & YouGov (although still only about half way to payout) I get all rewards in amazon -evouchers as that seems to be the best way - you often need less points to convert rather than other vouchers & I ALWAYS convert asap rather than letting them build up.

I also do the 'secret surveys that we're not allowed to talk about' - will PM you about that one next time they're recruiting - who pay in paypal amounts.

I also get offered short surveys for my littlest DD to complete so that probably helps boost the funds & also do a bit of product testing too which helps, have just completed one where I had to eat something every day for a week & although I'll never eat that product again now as sick of it, I did earn £4 for it .

Right, the outdoors is calling me & my wellies are hopping about in anticipation.


Bye for now ...

Morning lula :-) great advice on the surveys, im new to all this .. i wondered why the one ive joined upto asked if my son would be taking part in them.. the penny has dropped lol .. will sign up to a few more. Had a very busy day yesterday clearing out out bedroom.. 10 sacks of stuff (not freecycle worthy) and another 2 boxes for ebay.. (i need to photograph it arghhhh..im so lazy at the min).. house is feeling lovely from the clear.
Would be totally interested in the secret mission surveys lol...
Quilts off to the laundrette today... and then a trip to asda to get the reduced stuff at about 2.00 ish.. iv run out of bread.. so hoping to save a few pennies.

Have a fab one x

p.s wanted to share the survey site i joined upto.. but yr already part of it.. for anyone else it was ''my survey''

Wordsmith

Lula-Hula wrote: »

I will learn how to use spreadsheets effectively & then wow my boss with my awesome skills; he'll give me a HUGE payrise & promotion, a new office far away from Grumpy & the Goblin; Prince Charming will arrive, fresh from getting his Porsche resprayed magenta at the garage next door & totally rock my world, where we'll live happily ever after commuting between our swanky city apartment with roof terrace & our cornish cottage with walled garden, just 5 minutes walk from the sea ...

I definitely recommend learning spreadsheets, Lula. You are spot on with what can happen when you do. Just look at me - what a match! Although I have been told that too much spreadsheeting can make you hallucinate ...

Fabulous new diary ... sorry I am late. I am a bit unsettled by all the talk of eye liner, being a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of gal. Although the fact that no one is "getting" me at the moment rather suggests that this isn't necessarily the best policy.

You are being fabulous, as always. Frugal(ish) as ever. Frugabulous as only you can. Pretty darn good all round.

I am just whizzing through on my way to a nervous breakdown. I may get to my own diary this week - thanks for posting.

Karmacat

Wordsmith, I forgot about the eyeliner! Lula, please tell, how do you make it stay on? I'd love the look! I'm glad you're doing well, thats a relief. Totally agree about the way so much eco off grid stuff forgets about aesthetics - do you ever watch Grand Designs? Do you remember Ben Law, the guy that built a home from wood and straw bales in his own woodland? Now *there* were some aesthetics! Beautiful stuff ....

Erm, Wordsmith - don't do a breakdown! You're fabulous yourself, truly.

The aesthetics of my mulch for my south -facing bed may leave a little to be desired at the moment, but I really like it - its a little hotch potch of cardboard, hardboard, some tiles I foraged and an old chopping board (which is *incredibly* sturdy, and will do as a stepping stone when its done being part of the mulch).

RosaBernicia

Wordsmith! :j (hug)/ *cheery waving at figure disappearing towards horizon*

Proper off-grid eco I also understand... Karma you've started me drooling again, I was talking about that gorgeous house to a friend yesterday.

I wonder how to find out about projects like that locally? I'd love to know more and would happily turn up as occasional (totally) unskilled labour. Might have to do some googling ...

Oh and Lula I'm sure armed with this you would be unstoppable

Rosa xx

Lula-Hula

Wordsmith, you're here :j:D:j

thank goodness for that; I did rather wonder whether you refused to come back as I misspelled your name in my plaintive "oh where for art thou" post . Frankly, I probably wouldn't bother to reply either .

Moving on, Z - you seem like a man who can wield a tool ( leaves door wide open ... ) so if I do decide to take the cheapest route - I shall be calling on you for a bit of labouring .

Karma - yes indeed I am a Grand Designs fan & Bens amazing house is one of two that really stick in my mind; the other being the beautiful wooden one with a tree trunk in the middle - just divine & the sort of thing I've been hoping for ever since reading The Magic Faraway Tree.

Cherryjack - well done on the clearance, it's a great feeling. I've sucesfully avoided ebay ( well, the selling bit, I'm an almost professional buyer :rotfl:) so far, but that might well change. I don't recommend breath holding while you wait though. Whenever the secret survey company put out a recruitment email I tend to post it on my diary so anyone who want's to can pm me an email address & I just then forward it to them :cool:


I've been a most amazingly active person today;

Raked up all the leaves & filled 7 black bags. Felt very pleased & then looked at my trees & realised most of the leaves are actually still on them & I've just raked up the ones that blow into my garden from elsewhere .

Decided to tackle the veg patch; pulled up the last 2 oompa loompa sized carrots, weeded around the leeks & gave them a bit of encouragement - "grow up or get pulled up you sissies :mad: ".

Still raring to go so dug over the bit where the parsnips haven't grown & decided to plant out some of the garlic & onion sets. Such beautiful straight rows just a shame that when it came to putting up the net tunnel, I remembered why I hadn't done this before ... I needed to extend the plot as it's about 3 feet too short :doh:.

I chose to just get it done while the ground is soft & it was remarkably easy & I now have one of the tunnels fully extended & full of onion sets & no kitties can use it . I covered the other freshly dug over bit with some of the cardboard I've saved for exactly this purpose.

It matters not that we hardly use the wii fit, ( rude & far too familiar for my liking) because the amazon box it came in, is exactly the right length & width for covering that strip of plot .

NSD so far ...


Bye for now & I'll be back later :wave:

Lula-Hula

Ooh sorry Rosa, cross posted with you earlier & didn't respond as I'd not seen yours. Your offer duly noted & carved in stone. What are your Moroccan style carving skills like ?

Just tried that link but my interschnasm on a go slow today so will try again later ... oooh the anticipation. Just off for a radox safari bath to soak my poor aching (from months of under use) muscles & will then be back with more news - I know, how much more can I possibly have to say ?

Plenty, is the answer to that little conundrum

Off I splosh ...

ZTD

Lula-Hula wrote: »

Moving on, Z -

What do you mean? Why are you moving on me? :eek:

Lula-Hula wrote: »

you seem like a man who can wield a tool

No, no - I get mine wielded for me.

Lula-Hula wrote: »

( leaves door wide open ... )

You should leave things open.

Lula-Hula wrote: »

so if I do decide to take the cheapest route - I shall be calling on you for a bit of labouring .

Oh? Does this mean you will be taking charge?

If you avoid the melamine Rickvanman used, and use MDF that half the universe is made from these days, that should be easy to get into. You'll have to practice your screwing though, otherwise you'll be going hammer and tongs well into the night.

Also freagle may be an idea for stuff, but you'll have to learn to cope if a man turns up with wood, especially if it is more than you think you can handle.

RosaBernicia

Lula-Hula wrote: »

Ooh sorry Rosa, cross posted with you earlier & didn't respond as I'd not seen yours. Your offer duly noted & carved in stone. What are your Moroccan style carving skills like ?

Er... undiscovered? but enthusiastic

Rosa xx

Lula-Hula

RosaBernicia wrote: »

Er... undiscovered? but enthusiastic

Rosa xx

That'll do nicely :T.

Here I am again, cleansed, moisturised, & with that gorgeous Tate freebie nail colour on, so that's my bit of Fabulous done

My Frugal bit for the day was to do the cross country hack again to avoid hospital parking fees & ...

while the chicken & potatoes were in the oven, I cooked some pasta for my lunches next week & managed to use the steam from the pasta to cook my veg in the bamboo steamer on top of the pan

I was quite pleased with that bit of culinary cunning.

All the ironing has been done & although it's been home-based, I do feel as though I've actually achieved stuff & had a weekend.

A bizarre thing happened earlier though.

Those of you who were about whilst I was having my internet dating adventures may remember that it was not an entirely succesful time :silenced: & I certainly didn't expect to hear from any of the guys again & deleted all their numbers but one of them has sent me a message with all his new contact details & a suggestion to get in touch.

Men are so weird but I'm off to google him now & see what he's been up to :rotfl: .

I've been googling a few old school friends recently & it's just made me even more determined not to do the facebook thing unless deep undercover. The ones I found looked so 'middle aged' & professional, wearing suits etc. & err boring :undecided .

I like to remember them as teenagers & hate the thought of people googling me & then thinking how middle aged & boring I look , not that you'll ever catch me in suit & I really don't do a professional look .

Busy week ahead so time for bed now

G'night
xx