Living on $12,000 a year

ceridwen

Hi dolly day dream

Just had look at the website you mentioned - its got some good stuff on it.

I have extracted from it - for those wanting a quick peek at info re clothes manufacture:

http://www.cleanupfashion.co.uk/images/pdf/reportsetc/fashion%20victims%20-%20final.pdf

a report from War on Want - really informative and well-written re clothes sourcing by British "biggies".

moanymoany

Ladies, I've just looked at the 'Brown Dress' blog, I think it is really great - very funny, but a statement about life.

I would love to do something like that, but I can never think of things and I am nervous about doing them alone. People can tend to think I'm a bit odd anyway. We live very frugally, I buy from charity shops, we have an allotment and we think going to a farm in France and buying a sack of potatoes for 8euros is a little adventure! Even my close friends think I'm a little eccentric.:o

Could we do something like this. A blow for both frugality and those who suffer for our cheap goods?

If you think I'm being bonkers I don't mind - but if you have any ideas ...;)

ceridwen

Hi Hard-up Hester and Moany Moany

I see we're all up bright and early (well - early anyway) on the Boards looking for inspiration and interest.

Re Moany Moanys dress comment - yes, I rather liked the little brown dress blog when I found it and have now had look at her newest one. I guess it helps if one has dressmaking skills - conspicuous by their absence in my case .. and thats a whole new thought - ie lifeskills I would like to have but don't..... mainly diy ones in my case.

On other topic - I have listed books of interest to those living on low income on another recent thread on this forum - ie "What Old style books should I reserve at my library?" (thread 531088) - the cookbooks should give some ideas.

I am currently pondering thoughts expressed in book I have just finished reading re his sentiments that one could get all the vegetables one needs (nutrients-wise) from homegrown bean sprouts (I havent quite persuaded myself that I really like these yet - but I am working on it). Another thought from him being on doing "guerilla gardening" - as in planting bits and pieces of foodstuffs in odd little bits of land and going back later to (hopefully) harvest them. Don't think I will be making the "moonshine" recipe included for information and interest only. Book concerned - I picked up from various websites inc. this one ("Self-Reliance - a recipe for the new millenium" by John Yeoman).

Hardup_Hester

Hi
I really enjoyed the 'Brown Dress' blog & I also read her blog about living with very few clothes, but it made me laugh as her minimum wardrobe contained way more than mine did for a few years. I do a lot of wardrobe re-fashioning I will buy something from the charity shop & make it into something else, the last item was a dress that I turned into a tunic top, I turned the bottom of it into a boa as a gift for someone.
I don't think I'd bother with the "guerilla gardening" I have enough trouble keeping the cats of my own garden. I'm also not that keen on bean sprouts & I like a bit of variety in my veg.

ceridwen

Hi

Further on goods made abroad with "slave labour"

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article2284323.ece

an article in todays "Times" re toys and jewellery made in China being dangerous to those buying them.

(thought for day: how come it only seems to be the "quality" newspapers - ie Guardian/Times/Telegraph that ever have articles on these sort of things? - or am I missing something?)

rosieben

Thanks for the link to the little brown dress blog Sarah, really interesting, not sure I could wear one outfit for a year but thinking about it made me realise that despite decluttering my wardrobe quite ruthlessly - I thought - on several occasions, I still have way too much clothes. I feel another declutter session coming on………

MoanyMoany – I love the idea of taking a trip to France to buy potatoes! Great little adventure and how most kids would love that. If you are odd, then so am I but who wants to be a sheep?! I remarked to dd’s friend that I was making the speech at dd wedding and it was unconventional (this was some years ago) and he replied, well you’re not a very conventional family are you? I took that as a HUGE compliment (and that was how he meant it). My kids have always thought I was slightly mad :dance: but they enjoyed the quirky things we used to do as a family and that I still do now.

I’m buying only second hand now and enjoying finding new charity shops - who would have guessed I would be so excited by this? Gives me as much of a high as Russell and Bromleys used to!!! I think its more now about beating the manufacturers and marketing people than about actually saving money!

Off to check out your book list Ceridwen! :cool:

moanymoany

Yes Rosieben, we go to Auchon in Calais about three times a year to buy cheap wine. We buy our ticket through the tunnel with Tesco vouchers, so it's a cheap trip as we don't live far from Folkestone.

We decided not to have a meal as we were feeling very OS, so we drove to Sangatte and walked along the beach there. It was a lovely day, sunny and cloudy, with a breeze.

It was on the way there that I spotted the sign for potatoes so we decided to go in. i had a lovely - though hesitant - conversation with the two little girls of the farm. My main hobby is learning French and I can get by now and feel confident just striking up a conversation.

We bought 13 dozen bottles for an average cost of £1.80. We go for the BOGOF's and three for two offers. In true OS style, we save the money for the wine out of the monthly budget.

They had some good meat offers in Auchon, but over the past two years I've noticed that France is not as cheap as it used to be. It isn't just Calais, at Easter we went to Honfleur for two weeks - DH's choice for his 60th birthday (still sexy after all these years) - and we noticed the same. However, the market was nice and cheap.

Hardup_Hester

A few years ago my Ex & I went to stock up on wine, we went to Eastenders, it's run by a man who describes him self as 'Charisma in a cardigan'.
All my kids had been on various school trips & we collected all their left over foriegn currency and also took all of ours from a recent trip to Italy.
The staff at Eastenders took all the money, regardless of nationality, their exchange rate was better than our local bank & they took all the odment of change with great good humour, we ended up paying £4.57 in english money.
All in all a cheap trip.

ceridwen

Hi to all

I was amused again today by Hard Up Hesters comment on another thread about lack of time for housework due to looking up blogs, etc I post!! I had the wicked thought of sending her a PM of sites I have favourited on my pc - as some of them wont have been mentioned earlier in this thread! - but then thought I'd put them out on this (with due thanks to those who told me about some of them in the first place).

(NB I dont necessarily agree with all the views expressed in some of them - but find them all interesting in their own way.)

www.downsizer.net
www.selfsufficientish.com/
www.casaubonsbook.blogspot.com
www.pathtofreedom.com
www.simplereduce.wordpress.com/
www.transitionculture.org/
www.myflightfromthegrid.blogspot.com/
www.sfcompact.blogspot.com/
www.noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/
www.walkslowlylivewildly.com/
www.freerangeliving.blogspot.com/
www.hillbillyhousewife.com/index.htm
www.musings-of-a-mountain-mama.blogspot.com/
www.homesteadblogger.com/shekinah
www.carlalynne.blogspot.com/

Now - I just know Hester is going to send a hitsquad out after me! Better lock the doors!

Hardup_Hester

Hi Ceridwen
The hit squad are coming & there armed, lol.
I love reading blogs, but I have to admit I like the UK ones best.
Hester