Monthly Archives: February 2016

Frugal Queen is moving

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Hello Dear Reader,
Blogger has completely tested my patience. You can only leave a comment on Google+ and I really thank those of you have taken the time to email me to say you can’t leave a comment. I’ll be moving the blog…..lock, stock and barrel to another ‘format’ where you can read and comment if you want.
It’ll take me a couple of days to sort it out and it will still have the same address.
Back asap.
Love Froogs xxxxxxxx

Dog training on a sunny day in Plymouth

France

Hello Dear Reader,

We’d forgotten the dog crates we already had. It’s a funny thing to forget about. Two of our rescue dogs came with crates that we dismantled and stored away. The bigger crate housed the Bichons and the Maltese went into the smaller crate. They came out and had a good clean and popped them in the back of the car and headed to Plymouth. We purposefully used the Torpoint car ferry so we’d be delayed and would need to queue. As I anticipated, each time we stopped the dogs got anxious and moaned and each time we ignored them as we won’t be there when they are on the car deck on the ferry. We’re also going to start leaving them in their crates at night so a five or six hour ferry crossing won’t seem that bad.

We had a lovely sunny walk around Plymouth Hoe purposefully lingering near crowds, other dogs, noise so the hectic ferry with hundreds of cars just isn’t that bad. We hope to go out for coffee in France and take the dogs everywhere we go. We stopped at Captain Jaspers for a coffee (cheapest place I know at £1 a mug) which is a well known biker hangout and the dogs just laid down on the floor totally unbothered by chrome, smoke and noise.

Don’t be deceived by the sunshine in the photo as it was bitterly cold and that coffee, bikers and all, was greatly appreciated.

Well done doggies, you did us proud.

Added later - Blogger problems - it seemed on those with google accounts could comment, I’ve disabled that and any can comment although I moderate comments. I hope it’s working now. Feel free to comment and you should be able to do so whether you have a google account or not. Thanks

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxx

Trying to spend as little as possible!

France

Hello Dear Reader,
If you’ve ever stayed in a rental property you’ll know that the lack of kitchen utensils is a real annoyance. The more time I have the more I enjoy pottering about in the kitchen and cooking so I need just such items for our French kitchen. By the way, anyone reading who lives in France who can tell me if there’s a French version of everything costs a pound, or in their case a euro. Household items seem to be quite expensive there so I shall pack up at least the basics that we need to start off a ‘home’.
I only have a tiny kitchen here so I don’t have a spare anything and I’m building up a supply of ‘necessaries’ as and when I have the spare cash. We’ve started to pack to ‘move’ already and most of that will come from paring down everyday items from here. I’m mindful of spending no more than we need but I’m also aware that I have a flat and a house to furnish and fit out to a good enough standard that family and friends can stay in and who knows, you might even come and stay one day or drop in when you’re passing.
We start ‘journey training’ our dogs tomorrow with their first trip in their crates in the back of the car. Normally, they just sit on the back seat but we’re going to have them in crates every time we take them on the ferry. We’ll just have an hour long jouney tomorrow but build up to them spending longer in their travel crates over the next few weeks. If you’ve travelled any distance with a dog or dogs in your car, I’d appreciate any tips or hints please.
We’ve at long last had some dry weather which has meant we’ve got out for longer walks, split some logs and chopped down some kindling to start the fire. Laundry has gone outside and the windows were left open for a few hours to blow away the winter funk.
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxxx

Cornish sunset

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Hello Dear Reader,
I just thought I’d greet and leave you with a winter sunset with the addition of a crocus. We’ve had a couple of crisp sunny day and it’s a been a joy to have some bright light. It’s also been wonderful to have light at the beginning and end of our day for our commute. The dogs love it too as they get out for longer walks. When the weather is rough, it’s a quick trip but it’s lovely to walk them for longer.
We’re still lighting the wood stove every night and off to bed early to keep warm.
It’s still cold and that’s where I’m off now.
Enjoy the sunset.
Froogs xxxxx

It’s really really precious

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Hello Dear Reader,
I gave myself a telling off today. You see, I did that teacher thing, I counted the days until the Easter break. Within a heartbeat I had a word with myself as I saw what I had done. I’d wished my life away. All of a sudden I put that silly thought away and got on with everything I had to do before I went home.
When I was young, I was one of those children who just didn’t like being a child and raced to adulthood. When I had my own children, the greatest fun was watching them grow and become individuals in their own rights. I’ve always looked forward to the next steps in life. That has meant that I’m often so busy looking for the next or the new that I don’t take long enough to enjoy the here and now.
There’s masses of life everyday that’s just perfect just as it is.
In the moments where life goes on in the middle of the mundane that I’m able to appreciate how good life really is. The fire’s lit, we’ve eaten well, the dogs have been walked, we’ve got our feet up, the doors are locked and we’re settled for the night.
It makes us sound oh so very old but d’you know what? I’m going to enjoy every moment of it.
In fact, I’m going to enjoy weeks and weeks of cosy home life and not count the days.
On that note, I’m off to bed.
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxx

Renew your energy deals

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Hello Dear Reader,
Most energy companies run their best offers, special offers or deal from April to April, usually for a period of one to three years. The better deals, usually with even better price being offered for dual gas and electric deals have similar time frames. This time of year is when they’ll quietly send you an email or letter, that’ll just look like mail shot or an info type of email and you can easily miss that you should look for a better contract right now.
So, check your deal as you can easily slip onto their ‘standard tariff’ which is an anomaly as it’s their highest price tariff. The suppliers seem to work on the basis that some people will forget and accept increases in their direct debit.
Here’s what you can do, contact your supplier, who you may be happy with as you’re currently on a tariff you’re happy with. Speak to them and ask for their ‘lowest priced tariff’. You can leave it there if you’re happy with that but don’t stop there.
Check all the price comparison websites simply by using your postcode to find who offers the best tariffs in your area. You can get really good prices even if you just use electricity. I would advise everyone to do this before you renew your energy deal.
Most importantly, check when you’re price deal comes to an end and make sure you switch to the cheapest available tariff in your area as rest assured, your energy company won’t move you to a cheap deal but to their most expensive if you don’t stop them. You might be thinking, it’s not worth it, there really isn’t much difference but you can save a few hundred a year.
I almost ignored my email and I’m truly glad that I checked it, compared prices and tariffs and then found the best deal and signed up for two years.
It’s easy to overlook things when we’re busy.
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxxx

Laying down a fine vintage

France, wood heating
Hello Dear Reader,
It’s been a day of preparation. I’ve cooked for the week ahead of three pots of veggie stew for my lunch, bacon and cheese quiche, flapjacks for lunch boxes, beef casserole and a pork casserole. All very simple or dull as is your opinion but it’s cooked and in the fridge or freezer and ready to be eaten.
The laundry is done and as it hasn’t stopped raining since October, it’s all dried in front of the wood stove. Which brings me to thinking of investing in wood. I was reading Sue’s blog over at Our new life in the country where she and her husband have plans to manage their own woodland to be sustainable for the future. More and more people are choosing to heat and cook with wood. If any of you have concerns about smoke and dust emissions most stoves are ‘smokeless’ with a double burn system where the wood burns and the wood gases burn as well. It means that the glass door doesn’t soot up and there’s barely any soot in the chimney when it’s swept.
We’ve bought wood in France……a lot of wood. It’s much cheaper there so we’ve bought five cubic metres of split beech and oak. It’ll be in our garden when we get there. We found our supplier through leboncoin which is a for sale website similar to freeads. Plenty of people make their entire living from wood and most homes there heat with wood as there’s no gas other than bottled gas. Below is one of the wood supplier’s sheds. Often, farmers do this as part of their job as they manage their own woodland.

I’m talking wood again as we’ve had a big heart to heart about France. We had hoped to get loads done this year but we’ve had a reality check of our capabilities and personal strengths. DB is great at the essentials and I’m great at making a house a home. However, we are determined to work within a tight budget which means we have to be patient. The house is bought and paid for, it’s watertight and secure and we’ve got safe electrics. What we don’t have or want is a money pit. We’d had plans to build pathes (which actually means moving ten tonnes of sand and gravel by wheel barrow just to build the patio) build walls indoors and paint the house externally. All those things can wait.
Once we’d decided that, we felt a whole lot better, especially financially. It’ll give us time to save up again and do the work next year.
And breathe……….
So, a good vintage? Like our wood that we’ve bought for the long term, the house is going to be a long term project. We could break into savings but I just don’t want us to be in an awkward financial position.
And when we get there, we’ll be warm and toasty.
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxxxx

Retro blogger template has returned.

Blogging

Hello Dear Reader,

I’ve had to go back to my old blogger settings as it’s changed in some way and it was difficult for people to get to the comments. I like that part of blogging, especially when you start chatting amongst yourselves.

The ‘dynamic view’ template worked well for ipad or tablet user as you could skip between one post and the next or catch up on a week’s reading in one go. This template means you have to scroll back to ‘older posts’. Some preferred the older style and some the new. I didn’t have much choice but to go back to the older style template so I could post a blog post and you could scroll down through the comments. You’ll also have noticed that you have to have a google account to post a comment but other wise nothing stops you reading xx

I don’t have as much time as I used to and a lot of what I do is just a diary of living a simple life. I keep to the light hearted and non complicated and that’s why there’s a great emphasis on cooking, quilting, travel and less on other issues.

I’ve had a great week off work and it’s been lovely just to spend time on my hobbies and getting the house straight. I’ve scared myself by spending the contents of my current account by hiring a Transit van and by buying a kitchen for a new house and you’ve all been really comforting over a silly modern world problem.

It’s still raining and I’m still fed up of it but it can’t be long until spring and we’re on the countdown to our next French adventure when we take the dogs with us, a van full of furniture and kitchen, I will fettle the flat and turn that into a temporary home and together we’ll work on the house and garden renovations. Until then it’s back to thrifty living, being careful with the bills and household expenses and having fun as cheaply as possible.

So, my apologies for the change of template and I hope you can read the comments on a tablet device.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxx


Working on a UFO

quilting


Hello Dear Reader,

I’ve been working on a big quilt. It’s intended for the flat in Huelgoat but I’ve struggled as I’ve lost heart with it and have just had to learn to like it. I haven’t been exact enough in my square cutting so it doesn’t line up on the diagonals as it should. I have used surplus squares and 2.5″ strip to make the edging. I’ll add a yellow binding to this when it’s finished. It’s big at 93″ by 103″ so just big enough for a king sized bed. It’ll be a wrestle to layer it and I use spray baste and lay it out on the floor and then stitch in the ditch with a conventional sewing machine.


There’s a mixture of fabric in here, leftovers from other project, yardage I bought for £2 a metre, fat quarters bought for less than a pound from the quilt show last year, thrifted clothes as I can see a few shirts and even pyjamas.


Here’s my other unfinished quilt but another one of my favourites. I love scrappy quilting as it just grows organically and literally anything can go into it. It’s also got bits of quilts that some of you have started and sent to me in the post as you’ve felt it’s better used than sat in the cupboard. All orphan blocks are welcome here xx

I must get back on with it as it won’t finish itself.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxxx









Flipping out!

money saving

Hello Dear Reader,
Here’s a question for you. Do you find it difficult to spend money?
Here’s a thing.
We’ve a major chunk of money to spend: kitchen, van hire, furniture, curtain fabric…….blah, blah, blah.
It provoked a massive emotional reaction. I’ve actually felt really distressed and have genuinely panicked. I’ve got the best price, I’ve hustled and haggled but still that massive amount of money out has left my current account almost empty. That’s a first for years. Maybe it’s reminded me of what life used to be like? I’m not coping well at all!
I’ve also been totally distracted with planning and scrap booking.
By wall ideas……..DB will have to build dividing walls. We hope to use plyboard…..it’s cheap and easy.
Also, by stairs as DB will need to build them too.
We are being thrifty but I’m being a numpty!
Feel free to offer amateur psychoanalysis as to why I’m an emotional wreck!
Love Froogs xxxx