Great Rural MoneySaving Hunt

mardatha

oh dear. Somebody got out of bed on the wrong side and wants a fight LOL !

Lotus-eater

Not really, I just read it back and wondered where the stupid bit came in?

downshifter

Lotus-eater wrote: »

Not really, I just read it back and wondered where the stupid bit came in?

What does it matter?

On another tack I've just finished reading (until 4 this morning!) a fab book called The Garden Cottage Diaries: My Year in the Eighteenth Century. It follows a historian who decided to live as much as possible in that period, she felt driven to do so by the way consumerism is taking us over, and the lies of the supermarkets. While not being ridiculously slavish about it - she does concede to the 21st century at some points - it's fascinating to see how simple and healthy her life was with her chickens, garden and home baking and brewing.

A really good read - it's set in Scotland where a lot of you seem to come from, so more relevant to you than me, but I'm off in a moment to get some oatmeal for my bannocks! I was pleased though, that one of the things she recommends is Derbyshire oatcakes, like Staffordshire ones but thicker, and totally yum. (and local for me)

Worth looking at in the library.

Good luck with the investigations Nyk, watching with interest. Have also been looking round my own lovely little (rented!!) house to see what project I can plan for this year.

DS

Frugaldom

Lotus-eater wrote: »

If you pay a couple of grand to have a stove fitted to someone elses house, I think you're a little crazy, but each to their own.

Like you say, each to their own

mardatha

Downshifter, what's the author's name please ? I feel an Amazon buy coming on !

downshifter

mardatha wrote: »

Downshifter, what's the author's name please ? I feel an Amazon buy coming on !

Sorry, it's Fiona Houston. Mine came from Amazon, bought with my Valued Opinions survey vouchers - wonderful!

Hope you enjoy it, she glossed over some bits I'd like to know more about, apparently she's written some articles about this year too, so I might try and find those too. Google brings up quite a few references to her.

I should've been working, instead I was reading. Really have to work now.

DS

zarazara

re fitting the stove into someone elses house ie a rented proprty. we did just this and took the stove with us when we moved.

rhiwfield

Just seen this posted on our council website and maybe yours does the same. Its only one sunday per month and I can just imagine the scrum for the log pile!

"Collect your FREE wood chippings and logs


The Council's Parks and Grounds Maintenance division is offering wood chipping and logs from its arboricultural works to Vale residents, free of charge. Chippings are suitable for use as garden mulch and the log pile contains various sizes of logs."

Optimisticpair

nykmedia wrote: »

In cardboard boxes during summer then bring them in one basketload at a time. I have one of those big willow shopping baskets that sits beside the fireplace. (It isn't close enough for any potential sparks to reach, before anyone suggests further stupidity.)

Thanks. I'll add that to my to do list.

For the record I didn't say anyone was stupid.

My opinion is take no blimmin notice of folk who don't know what your situation and aspirations are.

harryhound

rhiwfield wrote: »

Just seen this posted on our council website and maybe yours does the same. Its only one sunday per month and I can just imagine the scrum for the log pile!

"Collect your FREE wood chippings and logs


The Council's Parks and Grounds Maintenance division is offering wood chipping and logs from its arboricultural works to Vale residents, free of charge. Chippings are suitable for use as garden mulch and the log pile contains various sizes of logs."

My council sometimes SELLS log wood by the "cord" - a bundle 8ft x 4 ft x 4 ft.
Not cheap given that wood has less than half of the calorific value of anthracite;
(but does not burn out the fire bars:eek:)

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/fuels-higher-calorific-values-d_169.html

(Note these are Gross values and assume the flue gas has been put through a condensing boiler in the case of hydrocarbons - anthracite has very little "hydro" to boil away).