Bartering

Since we have a couple of quite productive hens, we often give away boxes of eggs to friends and family. In the summer months the giving often extends to fruit and vegetables that we have grown ourselves.  However I have only once bartered, out of desperation one weekend when I had friends coming over for lunch and needed a leek for the recipe.  You may be wondering why I hadn't planned a lunch party more carefully and bought all of the necessary ingredients before the night before!  Well I had, I thought, until I realised that the last leek had already been used.  So quick thinking sent me rushing around to my neighbours who have an allotment.  They are lovely, and happily accepted my proposal of swapping a couple of leeks for a box of our eggs. Everyone a winner!  I was so excited!!  It was really satisfying obtaining goods in exchange for others that we had produced, and with no money changing hands!  I think I was probably born in the wrong century...

I was in my element this morning, out in the crisp autumn air; the blues skies and leaves on the ground enticed me to get out into the garden and deal with some of our summer pots that needed clearing out and preparing for spring bulbs.  The icing on the cake, for me, was having a cup of coffee and listening to the Food Programme on Radio 4.  It was a very appropriate listen, because today's episode was on "How to waste less food".  It was very inspiring, discussing innovative people all around Britain who are joining the food revolution in their own ways (including a co-operative in London who have asked a chef to create delicious dishes out of nearly-out-of-date food that will otherwise end up as waste).  One company that I liked the sound of, partly because of the name, is Rubies in the Rubble. They collect unwanted fruit and vegetables from Spitalfields Market and turn them into delicious chutneys and preserves.  Similarly, The Garden Cider Company in Surrey make use of their community's glut of apples, turning them into cider, giving their donors part of the produce and selling some as well.

"Donate, Don't Dump!"

I saw this slogan in Primrose Hill a few weekends ago, in the window of a charity shop owned by Mary Portas - brilliant!  For those of you who are not familiar with this part of London, it is pretty smart with a bohemian twist: lots of wine bars, gift shops, boutiques and a lovely health-food shop and a fantastic second-hand book shop which really defines the area.

This was not your average charity shop, although having said that, gone are the days when charity shops were associated with old ladies looking for uninspiring blouses and skirts.  When I was growing up, I think I got the impression from my parent's that you don't shop in Charity shops - or at least that admitting that you do is slightly embarrassing.  So in my late teens it almost felt like a rebellion to go into one and find some cool piece of retro clothing (either from the 70s or even 60s, and with the emphasis on the hippy look. Luckily, no-one has kept the photos). Since having children, it now seems completely acceptable to browse in a charity shop; they are brilliant for baby clothes, which are often not very worn and which can save a lot of money. It's a lot better than buying things brand-new at that stage, since the little one will only fit into an outfit for a matter of months.

So it is partly as a result of moving through different stages of my life that I have changed my attitude to charity shops.  But I think there has been a wider change of perceptions, so that now it is generally seen as a good thing to be supporting a charity, and charity shops themselves are seen as places where you can find amazing bargains (from designer-wear to useful accessories, all of which  are generally in good condition and won't break the bank).  Gone is the stigma of wearing something that someone else has owned before you.

To be a connoisseur of charity shops, I think the key is probably location.  I use them from time to time, but my favourite type of bargain shop is actually a bric-a-brac/ antique store in Salisbury.  So I am still learning this skill of finding great things in charity shops.  "Donate, don't dump"... is the bit I have got the hang of; but now with the prospect of moving house looming for us, I will have to frequent those shops more often, looking for bargains to furnish our new home with - my plan is to start with a car-boot sale in the next few weeks, and see how I get on... I will keep you posted about any finds!

Brown paper

I have flash-backs of my Granny, and her saving habits, when I catch myself saving pieces of brown paper for wrapping up parcels.  My sister and I, as children, were always amazed at how much stationery Granny re-used.  She had a cupboard dedicated to paper, string and all the other paraphernalia used for wrapping.  Even now, I can visualise her folding up a piece of brown paper nicely and neatly into a square and in the cupboard it went... for another occasion!  Although it's probably not rational to be saving paper as if we were still in the middle of the Second World War, I can understand why women from my Granny's generation adopted such habits.  And it's not a completely mad thing to do - there are so many uses for a scrap piece of brown paper: sending a parcel, endless creative projects with children, wrapping presents up...  In our extended family, it is certainly a habit that has crept through the generations - my mother, sister and me are all made fun of (in an affectionate way) by our partners for our stock-piling tendencies (from tinned food, to toiletries to stationery...)  The habit has become a bit less eccentric down the generations, but it is certainly a principle that has been instilled in us: "waste not, want not."

That brings me to a related topic: gift wrapping.  I always used to be a little disappointed by the fact that my husband did not see it as necessary to wrap up my birthday gifts (and sometimes even Christmas ones).  I can see that it could be seen as a great waste to wrap up a present in expensive gift-wrap which is only going to be ripped off days later and then thrown in the bin!  But the element of surprise by the recipient, and the pleasure in the effort put in by the giver, is down to the presentation.  Over the years, we seem to have met somewhere in the middle on this issue by finding creative ways of wrapping: using materials or blankets to hide presents, or baskets or bags that will be re-used, or discarded boxes screaming to be used again.  I suppose that the difference may be a gender thing. I am always reluctant to stereotype in this way, but many women seem to have this appreciation for gifts and pretty things, in a way that many men just cannot see the purpose of.  So when he gives me a non-wrapped present, Chris reminds me that we should consider the environment, and I remind him of the joys of receiving a genuine surprise!

3 for 2...

The dangerous world of bargains:  I heard on the news today that only 40% of people who have loyalty cards actually benefit from them.  It is easy to get sucked into offers - or yet another card to squash into your wallet - all because if you are getting something for free, then why not?  My husband always laughs at me when I don't automatically tune into these bargains, and I do get some funny looks from shop assistants when I don't want to add an enormous bar of chocolate for £1 to my shopping basket!

Don't get me wrong: sometimes offers can be very helpful and really worth it.  But I don't understand this obsession with making sure that you don't lose out on any bargain however pointless and without thinking it through!  My step-father in law has stacks of cereals and various other food stuffs in every nook and cranny - above the cupboards, in the utility room - everywhere!

It does annoy me that marketing companies lure in people - many of whom can't really afford the items they are buying - into buying something extra, convincing them that "they really need it".  I could really start ranting about car hire insurance deals, appliance insurance, shoe polish for a particular pair of shoes.... but best not to!

I suppose what I would really like to see is more ethical companies and stores selling goods of good quality and produced in an eco-friendly manner, and less mindless persuasion for people to buy more than they need just to increase the profits of multi-national companies.

I promise a more light-hearted post next week about brown paper and packaging!

Keeping children occupied for free

Where are my glasses?  The monster ate them!  This was the response my children gave me once we had got into the car after a fun morning fruit-picking.

Now the children are back at school, I have had time to reflect back on the holiday period and on how my challenge has been going.  Generally, I find the holidays a good time to stay away from spending as entertaining the little ones keeps me busy, and I have no time to even think about self-indulgence!  So apart from a bargain that I could not resist - a picture of a beautiful beach in West Dorset where we have just returned from our summer break (£10 for a nicely framed A3 sized photograph!) - I have kept away from treating myself!

Instead, my mind has been busy working out ways to keep my 3 smashers busy for 6 weeks!  Some holidays I find run relatively smoothly, with them happy working on creative craft projects they've dreamt, as well as running around the garden, parks and the beach.  This summer was not one of those!  This was one of those holidays where I was kept challenged with groans and whines of "what are we doing today?" and so fruit picking and lunch at the cafe in the nearby garden centre was one of the first outings that proved successful!  The middle section of the back seat our the car lifts up as a storage space, and this rapidly became a monster which ate everything (including my C.D.'s and driving glasses!)  This is a sign of a good day out!  Very simple - a couple of punnets and plenty of fruitful raspberries canes and they were off...

Fruit Picking

The other great successes  of the summer mainly seemed to involve water: from crabbing off the harbour wall to fishing for minnows in a river to fossil hunting on the beach.  What more could two boys ask for than rocks to chuck on the beach to discover whether there is a fossil in the middle?  My husband and daughter meanwhile were busy collecting crabs while I looked for pretty little pebbles!  Chesil Beach is a great place for pebbles, my kids spent hours sorting the little pebbles into colours - whites, blacks, reds, speckled... and then off for a break by racing the waves and getting completely soaked!

Waves on Chesil Beach

All with very little money spent and lovely memories to keep...

Electricity-free day - part two

This time, our simple day ended with Usain Bolt running the 100m in 9.63 seconds.   We seem to end our electricity free days with memorable radio listening.  Last time it was Stevie Wonder performing at the Diamond Jubilee concert; this time, the London 2012 Olympics.  I went to bed feeling satisfied and full of contentment.  Not so much is different about these days we have without electricity, but we just seem so much more in tune with the natural environment around us - bound by the daylight hours and simple food.

The children were much more supportive and into the whole adventure this time round.  They informed us - rather than the other way round, as they entered our bedroom at about 7am - that there was no t.v. this morning and they had shed light into their room by pulling up the blind rather than by the usual flick of the switch.

Dinner was amusing this time and perhaps not an advert for healthy living!  The children had pasta and cheese sauce all done on the gas hob, and for us, Chris made some delicious avocado bruschetta by toasting the bread over the gas flame!  One problem: we were still hungry, but not hungry enough to make  another whole dish.  Solution: a packet of crisps each and a chocolate mousse from the corner shop!  Oh well... At least we sat out on the swing-chair in the garden enjoying the natural light before retiring to bed with our trusty battery radio.

I can't really put into words why the days we have done this feel so satisfying.  My holidays at a friend's cottage in Shropshire have always stuck in my mind as something I would love to recreate one day.  Her extended family together own a little cottage near Leominster, in a tiny village, and every year she would take a group of friends for a little break in the summer.  No electricity, simple living - one room for the boys and another for the girls, paraffin lamps, a gas-run fridge and a river at the bottom of the garden.  Our days were filled with long, adventurous walks, card games, some wine and swimming in the river - it was bliss!  I haven't quite got the little basic cottage of my own yet but our own days without electricity go some way to replicating the simple pleasures, and the relaxation and feeling of liberation, that comes without technology and electricity.

My useful husband!

My useful husband saved us some money last week!  He is very proud of his achievement as I was just about to phone the plumber when he saved us a call-out charge, with some useful surfing the net to solve the problem ourselves.

We had come back from a few days break to find we had no hot water in the morning!  Help!  Our new boiler was put in about 12 months ago, as our 8-year-old boiler before that gave up for good.  We have had no problems since the new boiler had been installed; we were just pleased that we no longer had to fork out for regular call-outs from the plumber to sort out our heating.  So when the water wouldn't heat up the other morning, I panicked.  I looked at the boiler - that didn't help.  My first reaction was to re-set it, but that did nothing!  Next stop, the instructions - not much use!  Third step is usually a call to the experts - in this case, the plumber.  Chris, who is always trying to fix things himself to save money, has a mixed record.  If it is decorating (painting, plastering, putting together), or electrics, he has a very good record; but anything to do with wood or working with technology tends to mean a failed attempt by him, sometimes spending money on the way, but resulting in us spending a whole load more money after he has had his go!!  So I got the usual "don't call them yet" response when I informed him of my next step.  Reluctantly, on my way to work, I reminded him of the urgency of having hot water in a family of five.  To my surprise, the problem had been fixed only a few hours later after my husband resourcefully checked out fix-it forums which he found via google - all very simple and representing a big saving!