Monthly Archives: July 2012

Rain stopped play!

frugal home

Hello Dear Reader,

I have massive guilt about the amount of holiday I get in comparison to the amount of holiday Dearly Beloved gets. Consequently, I feel I have to be really busy every day and have a ‘look what I’ve done today’ when he gets home in the evening. I’m annoyed with the showery weather today and I don’t like to leave a job half finished. As you can see above, I’m half way through staining our deck. I hope the contrast between the red shed and the brown deck is acceptable? I’m hopeless with colour!

The steps down to the deck were built by our son and his labourer, DB, this weekend as was the raised bed next to the step. Dearly Beloved spent the weekend digging out and then filling up the raised bed and it’s my ambition to plant shrubs and flowers there. Any suggestions for a dry south facing garden, which is also very windy? I can feel a trip to a garden centre for ideas then buy plants from a car boot sale at a fraction of the price.


I took myself to Saltash this morning on a ‘force myself out of the house’ trip. I really would be happy to not leave my gate if I had my way but I needed to get out. Saltash has a traditional hight street and five charity shops. I bought a Mason Cash medium size mixing bowl (in Debenhams for £16) for £1, three brand new linen tea towels for 50p each, a single headboard cover for 50p which I bought for the heavy cotton fabric which will make wonderful bags and a draw string bag with elephants on for 20p. The stripey fabric and the elephant fabric will be combined and you’ll have to wait to see the end result. I’ve also finished edging all sixteen of the napkins I have made but I still feel frustrated that I didn’t finish the deck. I hope I have good weather tomorrow so I can finish the deck and get a second coat of stain on. Oh, what an exciting life!

Over to you Dear Reader, when you get your teeth into something, do you have to keep going until you’ve finished?

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxx

Does it smell?

http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post

Hello Dear Reader,


When you switch on your vacuum cleaner, or after you’ve used it, does it have a musty dusty smell? You do not need to drop a cotton wool ball with essential oils into the collecting pot and hope it will disguise the smell. You need to clean it! Have a good look at your vacuum cleaner and you will notice it comes to pieces. You can ‘google’ a how to take it apart or you can find a tutorial on ‘you tube’. You will find dust (which is bits of you, your family and your pets) and you can give it a gentle wallop or you can wash it.

I wash the filters by immersing them in warm soap water and then thoroughly rinsing them.

I also immerse the dust collecting chamber and scrub it around with a dish washing brush and clean out all of the crevices. The sink full of filthy water is testimony that we all need to clean out our vacuum cleaners. They will work so much better when they are not full of dust and detritus!

I then leave everything to drain for several hours so everything is completely dry.

The brushes can become covered in human and pet hair and will eventually become so clogged that they won’t help sweep the carpet as it sucks up the dust. Remove the base cover and cut off the hair and then carefully pull it all off until the brushes are completely free from hair.

I clean my vacuum cleaner every couple of months. I’ve never yet bought one and we’ve replaced the motor from our physically broken Dyson into a physically intact Dyson with a defunct motor. We accumulated the upright Dyson, via freecycle, from a man who thought they were not working but might be good for spares. I cleaned it out and used and got it working by simply unclogging the filters and brushes.

Even this small amount of hair will impede the performance of a vacuum cleaner. Also, keeping it cleaned out will extend the life of the cleaner.



Here is the only tool you need for taking a vacuum cleaner apart and back again as it’s designed to be undone with a coin and above, you can see the now clean brushes. There are people who you can pay to ‘service’ your vacuum cleaner, but in truth, they will do little more than I’ve done. Do it yourself, extend the life of what ever you’ve bought and save the planet by not buying new.


Until tomorrow,


Love Froogs xxxx

Fish pie and Sticky Toffee pudding

frugal food

Hello Dear Reader,


Dearly Beloved and our son have dug out a huge raised bed, removed all the soil and removed and replaced the supporting wooden wall. It was there when we bought the house, and I imagine, it had been there a while before we bought it. It has started to rot, as have the steps to the decking and they have spent the day replacing it all. No calorie counting or weight watching for manual workers. I made fish pie with steamed veggies and sticky toffee pudding for dessert.


Fish Pie - You will need mashed potato for the topping and a cheese sauce to mix with the fish. I always cook my fish first by just microwaving it for a few minutes and cutting it all into large lumps, mixing with the cheese sauce before covering it with mashed potato. I used Frozen salmon, frozen cooked prawns and frozen smoked haddock, all bought very cheaply from Lidl. I use UHT milk and the most mature cheddar which is the best value per kilo. Don’t always think the ‘offers’ are the best value, look up and down the bar codes on the shelves and look for the per kilo or per 100g price.

As I periodically use Approved Foods, I had some packets of dates in my store. I bought three packets for £1 when they were on offer and have kept them until I needed them. To make the pudding you need THIS RECIPE FROM THE BBC. I had a tub of cream in the freezer from months and months ago, and bought it for 15p from the ‘just about to go in the skip’ shelf in the supermarket fridges. I had dark brown sugar and would actually recommend an ordinary brown sugar. This was incredibly rich. The cake tin made nine portions and there were five people at my dining table so there’s a whole set of puddings bagged up and in the freezer for any other guests I need to feed at a moment’s notice.

Above, toffee sauce. Below, sticky toffee pudding and toffee sauce. Sweet enough to send anyone into a diabetic coma and I’ll need a long walk tonight to help digest this!

Below is the fish pie and squeaky beans. I have another portion, plated and cling filmed in the fridge and one of us will have that for lunch tomorrow.



Costs? Carrots 30p Runner beans £1.50 Cheese £1. Mashed potato and butter - 50p, Fish total cost £6 - Total £9.30 - six portions - £1.55 each. I could have got away with less fish, no butter and fewer beans, but they’d worked very hard for this and deserved a lovely supper.


Pudding - Cream 15p, dates 33p, sugar 30p, butter 80p, flour 5p, eggs33p - Total £1.96 and it made 9 portions (some frozen for another supper) - 21p per portions.


The finished result? A lovely supper for £1.76 per person. That was an expensive supper but they have worked really hard. Also, our lovely daughter has been with us all day and she enjoys mum’s cooking too.


Until tomorrow,


Love Froogsxxxxx

Recovering Dining Room Chairs

frugal home

Hello Dear Reader,

We bought our dining room suite five years ago, from a deceased estate house clearance and brought it home on the roof of our car. I recovered the seats in 2007 and I’m now totally bored of the brown chenille seat covers. They were brown and duck egg blue initially but the blue has totally faded. It was time to freshen them up a bit. We unscrewed them and used a screw driver to put the fabric off the seat pad and then used pliers to pull out any stray staples. I’ve had the stapler for years; I got it from Trago.

Here’s the lovely donated curtain fabric. The lovely reader who sent it to me said, “I’ll be interested to see what you do with it” Well I recovered the dining room chairs!

Above is DB doing his share, we did half each. Well, I started and then asked him to join in; it halves the work when we do it together.

Here’s the finished chairs! I think they compliment my 1960’s suite and remind me of the curtains in our kitchen when I was a child. It’s also great to have enough fabric to cover all six chairs. I have some spare and will think of something creative to do with that too!


It’s been a proper make do and mend week as I continue to tart up the house and garden using only what we have already. Thanks again for the fabric, it’s put some colour into the room.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxx

Up-cycling a vintage table cloth

Recycle eco



Hello Dear Reader,


Last November, I bagged myself a load of vintage tea-towels and tablecloths for only 99p via ebay. I’ve used a few bits and bobs for students to make aprons; I made an apron for a friend and I’ve kept the rest of this very good quality linen for further use.


Yesterday, I couldn’t find any decent napkins so today, I’ve cut a tablecloth (which is too small for my table) into sixteen twelve inch squares and have edged them to make napkins. I have no idea how much sixteen linen napkins would cost but mine cost about 5p for the lot! In fact, I think the electricity to sew with cost more than the fabric!



I’ve a few more to sew but I’ve plenty of time and these really are a frugal bargain! I’ve also had great fun ripping weeds and ivy out of my garden and it’b beginning to look tidy. Another lovely day at home and a no spend day too.


Until tomorrow,


Love Froogs

Buying Vintage

charity shop bargains

Hello Dear Reader,


I like old things, they’ve lived, they have a narrative. I love old fabric but it’s heard to find. Our local charity shop often has house clearance items, where deceased estate is taken by them. I’ll often find retro household items in ‘like new’ condition. I don’t think anything made today will have the same lasting features next year, let alone in years to come.


Foster Mummy and I had a lovely mooch around the charity shops just before lunch. FM’s keen eyes spied this retro dress. It didn’t have a label but it’s either Laura Ashley or Liberty or in the style of either. It’s like new but neither my size or style. I bought it for £3, just for the fabric. You can see how much fabric you can get from one dress and it was well worth what I paid for it. The large roses are lilac and the smaller are a rusty reddy brown on a green back ground. It will be fantastic for quilting and I’ve plenty of retro fabric to start the celebration quilt which is next on my ‘to do’ list.



Another treasure spotted by FM was this stunning pale blue piece of petalware and it was 40p!!!!!!!!!! It will make a brilliant addition to my utility ware, most of which was picked up in charity shops for very little.

I don’t know if you’ve tried to buy an Irish linen tea-towel recently but they are so expensive. I love these kitsch ‘I went here on holiday’ souvenirs. I buy these for £1 in our local charity shop. I bought one recently, which commemorated the Queen’s Silver Jubilee. I was charged £1 for that too, the ladies apologised and said it was ‘new’. I cheekily commented “That’s not new, it’s 35 years old!!” It was in new condition and I happily parted with the money.



Tea towels, are like knickers……………..you can never have too many! Finally, although not vintage, I certainly got a bargain here. A never been used mop head! Oh the excitement of the price.



How about that for a haul? Two metres of vintage cotton lawn, 1940’s petalware, kitsch tea towel and a mop head for £4.90! I now must rein in the extravagance and stop spending!


Until tomorrow,


Love Froogs

No need to spend any money

frugal home

Hello Dear Reader,

If you are home alone or ‘at a loose end’ you might be bored or tempted to spend money. Luckily, I don’t get bored and the most trivial and mundane things make me happy and keep me occupied. I also make sure that I appreciate how much I have and how lucky I am. I soon lose any desire to spend money.

Making home made coleslaw and burgers took a while. I still feel stuffed now, we’re getting more and more used to smaller portions without any starch.The burgers look burnt, but they weren’t. It the consequence of cooking extra lean meat without any oil and without a non-stick pan!

I took all the photo’s this evening, so the light was fading but it’s been scorchingly hot here today. I must state that I am not complaining. This afternoon, I moved a deck chair up onto the patio to sit under the shade of the parasol. I read and I also managed a ‘nana-nap’ this afternoon! Call the Midwife is heartbreaking so far!

Early this morning, I sprayed all the paths with weed killer and the nasty little critters are already starting to wither!

I painted the birdy house! I have spare wood stain and anything wood it going to get some!

I started mowing the lawn and ran out of petrol - back to book and nana-nap!

I also took down, washed and line dried the living room curtains and got them back up this evening. Add that to your to-do list this week, the sun is going to disappear again on Friday so get your outdoor, or spring cleaning jobs done in the next few days. The kids are home from school so give them a chore list too and get them busy on the outdoor jobs. They can’t complain that they’re bored if you keep them working!

I also managed to sort all my clothes. They are now in order. I’ve had a look at the Boden (never going to actually buy any!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) catalogue and looked at clothes that I have that I can alter. I’m even going to use a pair of tweedish trousers to make a bag. They came from a jumble sale so I can afford to cut them up! Fashionwise, it’s 70’s meets 80’s revival, with tweed knee length skits, coloured tights, button up cardys, round neck cable jumpers and 80’s style blouses. I’ll just wear my old stuff then! If you don’t have their catalogue, their website is full of ideas. You can create a folder of ideas, then keep your eyes open at the booters, jumbles and charity shops. You could also get sewing and knitting and make your own.


I have far too many clothes! I’m going to have a night with a pair of scissors and bag the rest for the charity shop! Another busy day tomorrow and another day where I won’t need to spend any money. My advice to would be spenders is to keep busy. Actually get the jobs done that need doing. Get outside and tidy up the garden, dig weeds out of the drive, cut back the shrubs and enjoys some fab hard work in the sunshine.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxxxxxxx

Jumble Boogie

charity shop bargains



Hello Dear Reader,


Not much going on here today. It’s my first home alone day so I’ve spent it washing clothes and hanging them in the sun, weeding the borders and cleaning the house. I really quite enjoy a quiet ‘on my own day’. I like to turn off the TV, have no radio and just enjoy the quiet.


I went out to post a baby quilt and was happily accosted by a friend who took me for coffee and it was great to see her again.


I couldn’t resist a charity shop rummage. I’ve narrowed it down to three shops only now. The Hospice shop, Oxfam, British Heart Foundation and Sue Ryder are too busy taking the piss with their pricing to get any of my money as I can no longer afford anything they sell. They are also too organised and like a normal shop which takes any of the pleasure of a good rummage. My favourite rummage is always under a table, in a stacking crate, where you have to tip most of it on the floor to find anything at all. I get a lot of fabric this way. The church run charity shop which raises money for their charitable work in Moldova have a charity shop in an old garage, up a back street and up an alley way and is the best I’ve every seen. I was quite taken with a lovely sofa which was on sale for £20 and a small side board already painted with egg shell paint, and again, it too was only £20. My other favourite shop is the Woodside Animal Shelter charity shop, right here in Liskeard. It has a simple pricing structure. Men’s shirts £2, Ladies dresses £3. Curtains are £3-5 depending on size. Children’s clothes are £1. They often have a 50p rail or special offers which draws people in and clears plenty of stock.


I bought a retro duvet cover for £1, a dress pattern for 20p, a book for 75p, a pile of assorted notelets for 65p and two almost brand new Ikea pillow cases for 40p each and I have that set at home, so it’s good to have spares. A big spend for me at £3.40 but I shall put it all to good use. The quilt cover will become a handmade quilt backing. I shall have a go at dress making with some of the jumble sale fabric I acquired recently. I shall use the pillow cases and I’m now about to put my feet up under a parasol and read the book.


I hope you are all enjoying the sun and manage to get a few minutes in it today.


Until tomorrow,


Love Froogsxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Paint the shed red!

frugal home


Hello Dear Reader,

(A message to a reader - to the mum who said her daughter is going to Great Ormond Street hospital - please email me, I’d love to make your daughter a quilt - xxxxxxxxxxxxx Froogs xxxx)

I have two secret passions, one isn’t much of a secret that I love France and everything French. Secondly, that I love riding my bike and whilst in France, it’s my only mode of transport. I am no sports fan but I await the tour route each year and never miss the highlights of the twenty stages. I hold my breath whilst they cycle on the edge of mountains and this year, like last year, I held my breath as I watched Mark Cavendish win the final stage and cheered as Bradley led him out of the peloton and marvelled at the team work as they ensured ‘Cav’ won his fourth Champs Elysees victory!

Thanks to the power of the record button on the Freesat, I was able to watch this on the breaks I took to get away from the heat every now and then. Dearly Beloved and I promised ourselves a garden day and we spent it wood staining and protecting our summer house. Some one asked what a summer house was, it’s a fancy shed, just for sitting in and enjoying the view or a glass of something chilled. It was here when we bought the house, along with the deck, which gets the last of the evening sun as we watch it disappear over the horizon.


We managed to buy two large tins of Cuprinol wood (ducks’ back) preserver from our local ‘everything is dirt cheap’ emporium and had a lovely afternoon together painting our shed in ‘Rich Cedar’ and for only £12 for 5L - which is the cheapest I’ve ever seen it. I wore one of those stylish disposable boiler suits (£1.25 from same cheapy emporium) and sweated my bits off today! The sun almost beat us today but it was great fun to paint this together and then come in and see Cavendish win the twentieth stage and Wiggins win overall! Not only a glass of chilled rose, but I’ll paint the shed red!

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxx

Going like the clappers!

quilting

Hello Dear Reader,

Day 2 of my summer break and I’m making head way with the UFOs that have been cluttering up my sewing room. You may remember my ‘Cornish Springtime’ quilt which I made with fabrics from the Quilting exhibition and lots of shirts and fabric I bought cheaply from ebay. The backing is a vintage single quilt cover that I bought for £3 in the Salvation Army charity shop. I cleared the furniture to one side in dining room, laid the quilt onto the floor and spray basted it today. I’ve also managed to sew enough seams today to stabilise it and aim to get this latest quilt done by the end of the week.

Last year! I started making some bunting for my summer house. I’ve had the triangles cut and in storage since then! I also bought the bias binding for 10p a pack in the Woodside Animal Shelter charity shop last year too! Well, today I actually got round to finishing it and it’s now in the summer house.

I love anything that says ‘Made in Great Britain’ on it, the only thing Brits tend to make any more is a noise! We bloggers are doing our bit for British manufacturing!

Here’s the summer house with some pretty bunting, all made of simple scraps and off cuts. It’s a shame my reclining chairs have gone rotten and the fabric is past it’s best. I’ll try and fix them too, it seems a shame to buy new ones.

I also couldn’t resist this star block that I found. It’s made from 5″ by 5″ squares, dark and light on top of each other, then sewn around the outer edge and cut on the diagonal to then be opened up in to four contrasting triangles. You can then start making patterns. This is part of the baby blanket I’m making for someone, again, I hope to get the top of this finished this week too!


It’s lovely to have the time to get on with so many projects and the sun is shining so I can get some gardening done too. How’s life for everyone else?

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxx