2025 Frugal Living Challenge

Frugaldom

Thanks @Prudent   I still haven't sorted out my bus pass and that's almost a year gone past already. I've another 6 years to wait for the State Pension, by which time I'd like to be safely retired. I'm finding it increasingly difficult to carry out the morning chores here, especially on days without help. I know this is a problem facing all of us running such projects or caring for animals, working outdoors doing physical work. Even my hay delivering farmer and various farming friends are feeling age is against them. My ultimate challenge is to find someone who will take over the project and free up my time to get back to the more domestic frugal living pursuits. H has 4 years until pension age so that should be my timescale goal. I also have my savings goals but they are exceptionally slow as an unpaid worker, as you can well appreciate. I'm thinking more along the lines of achieving a day off this year.

Gem-gem

Good evening everyone, 
@Prudent, I own a couple of sets of White Company bedding, bought twenty years ago and still using on one of my spare beds (that one that I use when DH is snoring or I am unwell). The other spare bed has an old M&S duvet set which is equally as old. When my fitting sheet elastic went I also chopped the sheet up. 400 thread count, I was not wasting it. I now only use flat sheets on the bottom of the spare beds. As there is no elastic. On our king sized bed I still use fitted sheets. The duvet cover that we are using I bought eleven and twelve years ago. The duvet and mattress protector we replaced a couple of years ago. I am working my way through our spare pillows. My spare bed needs two new ones. But if I go in there I just take my pillow in. The other spare bed for guests is all made up ready. Not that we have anyone stay that often. DM used to stay but she now only lives four miles away. 
@Prudent, how long did you have the virus for? 

@dND, thanks for the heads up about the limitations of the Tr0lley App. I will bear that in mind when using it. 

@Frugaldom, good luck with setting yourself a new challenge or goal to help add a little extra spice to your life. As Prudent says could you not start to allocate yourself a little 'me' time each week to do something that you enjoy / spark interest. 

I am trying to allocate my self a day or two when I don't go out! Time to sit and chill / sew etc. Being unwell has forced me to stop and sit, but as you can see I like to be busy when sitting. My DM keeps telling me that I am over doing it. 

This morning, I took the opportunity whilst it was cooler to work in the garden, chopping down the finished early raspberry canes; planting the rest of the leeks into their final place, splitting up the mint plant; sewing rocket seeds. Chopping down brambles, weeding (which feels like a loosing battle and finally picking fruit. I stopped when we had a short shower. 

This afternoon, I measured out the Christmas cake fruit and started to soak it in sherry (last year was brandy). Then I spent the rest of day sewing. My body was telling me that I had done enough. Two more purses made. One from scratch and one that I just had to finish off. 

Prudent

@Frugaldom I hope you find somebody who can carry Frugaldom into the future. Perhaps a young YouTuber who could make enough from YouTube revenue to enable them to give up a paid job. I watch a couple of YouTubers who have small holdings in Aberdeenshire. One makes all of his income from it and his project has less things of interest than Frugaldom. There is a young couple in my family who made a YouTube living out of an alternative lifestyle for five years. For personal reasons they have returned to the UK but they aim to go back to that lifestyle. 

@Gem-gem those purses are adorable. Now I will need to give them a go. I love the button detail underneath. I am still working on my string quilt alongside a hand embroidery project. Once I have finished the quilt I am going to do some small projects, so those purses will be at the top of my list. My virus lingered for ages. I have had Covid four times and each time it has wiped me out for months. I have an autoimmune condition which means I struggle to recover when I get a virus. I would probably be healthier if I didn’t go to so many group activities, coffee with the girls etc. Like you, I do too much. I have a nurse who visits roughly once every three weeks. The persistent theme of her visits is that I need to do less. Like @Frugaldom though my energy levels are dropping (not that they ever matched Frugaldom’s) so I am trying to have more stay at home days. I have been gradually handing over the allotment to OH who had never grown a thing in his life prior to that. Autoimmune wise, more allotment and less social activities would be better but I am struggling with the energy needed.

Frugaldom

Thank you @Gem-gem and @Prudent - I do have small goals, one of which is to fit in reading a book. Life here took over and it's 24/7 so even doing that is difficult. I've given up two of our licences for different things to cut down on workload. Prudent, my nephew (also Aberdeen) is a very successful YouTuber, so it's not something I haven't considered. Trouble is, I'm an absolute camera-phobe. However, I hadn't even considered that aspect as a 'selling' point for the Frugaldom lifestyle to appeal to potential helpers. THANK YOU! 

Gem-gem

Good evening everyone, 
@Frugaldom, I totally know where you are coming from being a camera-phobe, when I was working people said to me why don't I make You-tube videos in my line of work and nothing could have horrified me more. 

Today has been a day of two halves, first half in the gym - Pilates and yoga. Second half in the kitchen, baking two Christmas cakes and a fruit cake for DH to eat now. I use Delia's Christmas Cake recipe. I will now feed the cake with Sherry till the beginning of December. 

Dinner was ys chicken thighs cooked in the slow cooker, curried, chick peas added to bulk it out and make healthier plus courgettes from the garden. Left overs are cooling down and will be frozen. 

Frugaldom

@Gem-gem the idea really does terrifying me but Prudent's suggestion is still a good one. Here at Frugaldom, we are working on the wildlife aspect of our art in nature part of the project, which is basically creating art from free materials then setting it up for it to become home to wildlife. Throw in some ponies, goats and feral cats, then there's always something to do. We have cabins built for those interested in trying out off-grid living so I'm wondering if we could find someone (or better still, several people) who host YouTube channels to come along and document their experiences. It wouldn't earn us any money but would bring someone on site to babysit the place and let me away, even if just got an afternoon now and again.

School holidays here so I babysit for a few hours each week when DD works so we have been making games for the kids using free materials. They are making a racing game with wooden horses so we need to build some more crosscountry jumps and mark out a track. Last dry day visit, they painted their horses, made the first of the jumps and painted the dots and numbers on the corner piece cubes of wood from a pallet to make dice. This week, they will want to make up the rules of playing, lay out their track, and play the game
 I hope the weather plays fair as we have a hay & straw delivery expected on the same day.

I'm now going to look for a last minute delivery slot for a food order.

Gem-gem

@Frugaldom, I hope you find a YouTuber or two who would like to document life at Frugaldom as well as someone who would like to continue the project into the future. I have watched a couple of your YouTube videos a little while ago. It looks beautiful. I can see why it takes up all of your time. Hard work but rewarding. If I was much younger, starting life again I would love to have lived more rural, even possibly off grid. Alas, my husband wants to stay in an urban area due to no longer driving and health. 

kimwp

 @Frugaldom just a quick note to say take a look at narrowayhomestead on YouTube - although he sometimes shows his face, it's rare, so you don't need to be on camera to be a successful YouTuber. 

Frugaldom

kimwp said:

 @Frugaldom just a quick note to say take a look at narrowayhomestead on YouTube - although he sometimes shows his face, it's rare, so you don't need to be on camera to be a successful YouTuber. 

Thank you, I will do that first chance I get. 

Hot sunshine today, slightly fewer midges. Thursday is a lunch day with volunteers at the hut - usually just oatcakes and cheese salad type stuff. I managed to get a £1.50 home delivery slot from M0rris0ns so that's due at the house tonight. Few bargains to be found so my grocery budget is only being counterbalanced by Olio, rather than saving any money. I do think that the more food these places give away, the higher they will hike their prices. Fir savers, I guess it may help push up inflation, so my rental income was index linked from the start. I am extremely glad I did that, as it's almost doubled over the past 10 years or thereabouts. Phew! Our little rental cottage is scheduled for more work but it has been budgeted for along the way and has a lovely tenant who doesn't mind overseeing things in my behalf.

Now it's coffee break and time to check the wildlife cameras. 😊

Frugaldom

Quick update - I had never tried Fuschia berries until lunchtime today, when friend brought a tin with her. I've never had our fuschias get to the berry stage and this is the first year hers have, so it was a novelty trying them. Very sweet, very nice. Off to research if all Fuschia berries are equal. I also just learned that honeyberry bushes are more akin to honeysuckle and we do have the Himalayan honeysuckle at home, which grows chocolate flavoured berries. This ends my lesson of the day.