My Off-grid and need to be frugal diary

AnimalTribe

WeenancyinAmerica thank you that is a great idea. The bears are quick to make and I'm sure I could make some felt eggs quickly too.

Today DH and I have been out to a local village for a walk and stopped at a little café for lunch. We just had toasties and coffee but it’s nice to get out in the fresh air. We had to wrap up well though as it was really cold.

Tonight’s dinner was homemade soup followed by some reduced priced scones DH brought home from the supermarket with lots of home-made blackberry jam and whipped cream. Treats now and again are so important.

I’ve been continuing with the great declutter. Although, it’s been more a case of organising stuff today as I’ve been sorting through my sewing patterns and putting them into neat order.

weenancyinAmerica

Hope you have great success with your crafts this year.

AnimalTribe

WeenancyinAmerica - thank you. 

I’m not sure if I’ve ever said how water works in my house. The water used to come from a spring ½ a mile away that was fed into the house by piping under the moor. One year the piping blocked completely but because it was underground without a map and in plastic pipes the blockage couldn’t be located. So, the only practical choice was to get a well drilled.

Water is pumped from the well into a storage tank in the loft. The pump is an electric switch in the kitchen which is controlled manually so DH and I can choose when to use electricity to pump water.

The hot water tank, kitchen, utility room and bathroom all draw water from this loft tank. However, the water flow is less than a normal domestic house as there isn’t the pressure to push the water through. This is OK for sinks, toilets and to fill the hot water tank. For the washing machine and the shower there is an inline pump to boost pressure that I turn on when I do laundry or when I shower. If there is plenty of electricity stored in the battery bank then I plug the pump into the wall socket, if not I use a power pack. It sounds more complicated than it is.

Today I’ve been sorting out some of my very many embroidery kits. The village charity shops sell them really cheaply and although I try to resist, I always end up buying more. This year though, I’m determined not to get any more as I have so many to work through.

AnimalTribe

There's not much been going on today. I've organised more cross-stitch kits (as I've had them in several places around the house). So far I've counted 70 kits. Granted some of them are very small, but I didn't realise I had that many. I certainly won't be buying anymore.

DH has been sorting some things out too so hopefully we'll end up with a tidy house eventually. He had some leather gauntlets that he uses for heavy DIY work that had a small tear in the seam. Usually, I'd sew stuff for him but sewing through leather is beyond me. I gave him the appropriate needle and dental floss and he sewed them using pliers to pull the floss through the gloves. He's made a good job of it too. He does know how to sew it's just that I'm usually neater and I mostly find it a fairly relaxing activity.

AnimalTribe

Today I've made my usual Sunday catch up phone calls and e-mails and my daily Microsoft Rewards points. The points aren't quick but over a year they add up to a nice voucher. 

I've sorted through some craft books, but most of them are ones I want to keep. Other than that I've done a bit of jewellery repair and that's about it.

AnimalTribe

Today has been cold, wet and foggy again. The generator has been on and the battery bank is now topped up.

I have some out of date eggs, but according to the float test they are fine, so it’s a cheese omelette for dinner.

I’m usually good at remembering birthdays in time to send them via second class post, but not this time. I had to send it 1st class. DH went to the village post office to post if for me as he’s sold something on eBay. A sale is always good.

I’m still organising/decluttering the house and I came across some cross-stitch I’ve been meaning to sort out for some time. The idea is to make them into cards for various occasions. I have the cards and envelopes but I need to cut out the cardboard frames (it’s not a job I’m very good at so it takes me a while). I also need to order some double-sided tape to fix the embroidery to the card. The attached photo is some of the ones I’ve sewn for Easter.

northAthenian

hi @AnimalTribe, love your cross stitch work, they are so delicate.
 once upon a time (in art student times long ago)i used to order card blanks with cutouts from Fred Aldous - you used to be able to get a bag of offcuts/card bit/ends of ranges etc for a set price too, and i'd order by post ( later, online.)I may admit that some of this stash only got decluttered to young student types i met in the last few years!!

AnimalTribe

NorthAthenian thank you. It’s amazing how long people hang onto stuff. That’s part of my problem. I’ve got my stuff, DH’s stuff, some stuff my daughter left behind, and stuff from 4 lots of deceased relatives. I’m just going room by room taking my time and I’ll get there in the end.

DH has gifted me a roll of thin double-sided tape that he doesn’t need so I’m all set to go on card making. I did look at aperture cards (it took me forever to remember what they where called), but since the cross-stitch has loads of different sizes, I’m better off cutting out the frames myself. It’s something I’ll do in between other stuff as mini breaks. I also find cutting out frames fiddly and annoying so I can’t do a lot at one time.

Today DH has been working on the house electrics and installing some lighting.

I’ve just done general cleaning, some more sorting out of clutter and a bit of mending. The dogs have been groomed and are looking a lot smarter now. On one of the dogs so much hair comes off that you could probably make another dog out of it.

I used to have an angora goat (very white and fluffy). She lived to a good old age for her breed. Every spring the birds used to gather up her wool and use it to line their nests.. This spring I’ll be putting out dog hair to keep the birds cosy.

AnimalTribe

There's been plenty of wind today so the battery bank is full. DH and I have spent most of the day out. We did some grocery shopping, and bought a few DIY things and had lunch in a village café. The café is really good value. I had an enormous cheese savoury bun, stuffed with cheese, onion, lettuce and tomato for £3.

Tonight I’ve been cutting out frames for some cross-stitch cards so that I can start putting them together tomorrow. The rest of tonight I’ll just be watching a DVD.

AnimalTribe

Today’s been a quiet day. I’ve made some cards and made some elasticated bracelets but that’s about it. I did make one of my favourite comfort foods – fried onion and mushrooms with a splash of soy sauce in a bun. Not gourmet but very tasty, and as the mushrooms were reduced price yesterday a very cheap dinner.

Now I’m going to read another book in the ‘Dresden Files’ series while a dog is fast asleep on my feet and I can’t move to do anything else.