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My Off-grid and need to be frugal diary
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Quite a good day. 3 coats put aside to go to the charity shop next time I'm in town, and a few books. I've also put aside two books to sell as they are specialist ones. I found a few things at the bottom of one cupboard that probably need to be re-washed. They are hand wash so I'll do that first thing in the morning so they have time to line dry. There is still a lot in the bedroom to sort through, but I feel like I've made a decent start.
There's been no sun or wind today, so the generator went off. It's an expensive way to get electricity, but the battery bank is full and so are the portable power packs.
One packet of breakfast cereal is down to the dregs so I'll make rocky road tomorrow and add the cereal in for a bit of extra bite. I bought a large pack of vegetarian marshmallows a while ago, so at least I'll be able to have some too. It's sometimes hard to find vegetarian marshmallows. I know Holland & Barrett sell small packets, as I've bought them from there in the past when I've bought other things. However, just buying marshmallows on their own isn't worth it because of the postage costs.GC Feb 25 - £225.54/£250 Mar £218.63/£2402 -
I didn't manage to do the hand washing yesterday, as freezing fog, meant I wouldn't have been able to hang anything out. I've the same weather today, so the hand washing is still on hold. The bedroom's now a lot tidier, with some coats, blouses and books ready to go to the charity shop. I'm sure there is still more to be done, but I found a part-finished cross-stitch so I'm going to concentrate on finishing that. It was one I made a mistake on and couldn't face unpicking the threads at the time. DH has sold some things on Ebay so that's good. Today DH is going to check the acid levels in the battery bank. This needs to be done every so often and the de-ionized water in the battery cells needs to be topped up to a certain level. As batteries get older this has to be done more frequently. It's not as easy living off-grid as people believe. You have to be handy and willing to tackle a fair bit of stuff yourself.GC Feb 25 - £225.54/£250 Mar £218.63/£2402
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It's a beautiful day today. It's still cold, but the sun is shining. It will soon be gardening time. There is a wild rabbit that comes into the garden most days and sits in the sunniest spot to groom itself - it can be there for a few hours and it is lovely to see it. I do complain about the rabbits and the birds eating my vegetables, but in reality I don't mind (as they are such a joy to see).
The bedroom is now a lot tidier - clothes and books are still in bags waiting to go to the charity shop - but they will get there eventually. Lots of paperwork has been burned or filed. Today is an easy day, finishing off some small craft projects and I'm making a simple pasta dish for dinner.GC Feb 25 - £225.54/£250 Mar £218.63/£2400 -
I've just come in from the garden myself. Norhing exciting, just continuing the big cut-back of the borders I began in Autumn. The more overgrowth I clear, the more little signs of Spring I am finding.
F2025's challenges: 1) To fill our 10 Savings Pots to their healthiest level ever
2) To read 100 books (29/100)
"Life can only be understood backwards but it must be lived forwards" (Soren Kirkegaard 1813-55)0 -
Foxgloves work in the garden never ends - there is always something to do. Nice to find signs of spring - it's a bit early for that in the frozen North. The farmer's sheep have managed to get into the garden again. They can't really do much damage at this time of the year, as the area they get into is grass. However, once they get used to gaining access they keep trying so DH has had to temporarily repair yet another part of the fence. When the weather warms up one of the main outside jobs will be to replace large sections of the fencing.
Today I've managed my general tidy around, my regular Rewards Dashboard clicks, and putting the laundry away. I've darned 1 sock, posted a birthday card, and made progress on a cross-stitch (which I'll hopefully finish tonight). I've also finished a book about the tough times in the USA in the '20s and '30s- a very interesting read.
The main emphasis over the next few days will be to tidy the dining room. It's not used very much so has become a dumping ground. Some of it's my stuff, but a lot of it is DH's "projects".GC Feb 25 - £225.54/£250 Mar £218.63/£2402 -
Very windy here today as we are very exposed up on the moor. No going out today other than taking the dogs into the garden. I hope everyone is staying safe wherever they are. DH and I will do a tour of the house and garden when the wind has stopped to see what damage we have sustained. Today I'm going to continue to tidy the dining room and try to finish some more part done craft projects. I finished the small cross-stitch last night so that's one off my list.GC Feb 25 - £225.54/£250 Mar £218.63/£2402
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Hope you haven't sustained any serious damage. It was incredibly windy here this morning & we don't even live in the Amber warning area, let alone the Red one! Defo a day for you to batten down the hatches & get crafting.
F
2025's challenges: 1) To fill our 10 Savings Pots to their healthiest level ever
2) To read 100 books (29/100)
"Life can only be understood backwards but it must be lived forwards" (Soren Kirkegaard 1813-55)0 -
Foxgloves fortunately the only damage was a lost water butt lid. I might yet find it, if not an old plastic feed sack will do as a cover. The only very minor inconvenience was not being able to take the dogs for a walk so they were a little stir crazy (but still adorable). As the proverb goes 'It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good' and I now have a full battery bank, all the portable power packs & numerous electronic devices charged, 2 loads of washing done, and dried with dehumidifiers, and jacket potatoes cooked in the microwave to reheat for tonights dinner. (I only use the microwave to bake jacket potatoes). I made a batch of homemade coleslaw to go with them.
Hopefully, it's the final leg of the dining room clearing today - I just need DH to clear a few things before I can get in there and finish it off.
I hope the rest of the UK was as lucky as we were with regards to the high winds.GC Feb 25 - £225.54/£250 Mar £218.63/£2401 -
I've just read the news. Sadly, 2 people have died because of the storm and there are over 1 million households without electricity.GC Feb 25 - £225.54/£250 Mar £218.63/£2400
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DH and I have been out this morning to do a small grocery shop. We stopped in at a local cafe for tea and scones and DH had a mooch around the charity shops. I'm avoiding charity shops as I'm trying to declutter. It looks like we got the best of the weather as the rain is lashing down now. Unfortunately, the garden sustained more wind damage than I thought as a mid sized tree has been blown down - it's still clinging into the soil by some roots and is at a 45% angle - I'll have to wait and see if it's something DH can tackle or if I will need a tree surgeon.GC Feb 25 - £225.54/£250 Mar £218.63/£2401
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