THRIFTY LIVING
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NEW KITCHEN
My writing has taken a back seat over the last few weeks as the kitchen rip out has begun. Whip woo! At long last. And I’ve still got a working cooker and sink!
Luckily, I have a laundry room where I’ve put all my tins and dried foods. Plus, my partner has set up temporary cupboards and a large worktop area in the conservatory.
One things for certain, walking multiple times a day down the long corridor from the kitchen to the conservatory, will certainly burn off a lot of calories.
So hopefully in a few weeks time I should not only have a brand new kitchen, but I should also be at least 1/2 stone lighter! I can but hope.
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FRUGALITY
Living thriftily is now my new norm. As I am living on a tight budget, I must think about every penny I spend. Gone are the days when I would go shopping for a new pair of shoes and come home with a new pair of jeans and a top as well. I have budgets for everything I can possibly think of. Food, household bills, clothing, petrol, car, birthday presents, hair cuts, and the dentist, to name but a few.
My lifestyle has definitely changed. These days, most of my spending is essential, though I still enjoy the occasional treat. Basically, being frugal is all about being organised. I do a weekly meal plan, write a shopping list, and grow my own fruit and vegetables to save money on my food bill. I wear additional layers of clothing to keep warm instead of putting the heating on, and I walk a lot more to save spending a fortune on petrol.
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HOME AND GARDEN
I never, ever, imagined in my wildest dreams that I would be starting over a third time, and on an extremely strict budget. But life has a funny way of throwing things at you when you least expect them.
I have always wanted to live in a cottage with a big back garden, and after a lot of trials and tribulations I have finally succeeded in fulfilling that dream. The cottage desperately needed modernising, and over the last couple of years I’ve managed to revamp a lot of the rooms by creating and sticking to an affordable budget.
The garden is over 120 feet long. I have already made some changes including adding a third lawn, sheds, a greenhouse, and a vegetable patch at the top of the garden. I have dabbled in growing kale, parsley, mint, rhubarb, raspberries, and gooseberries. I have also succeeded in growing an abundance of tomato and cucumber plants in the greenhouse. This year I intend to grow cottage garden style cut flowers and more vegetables in an attempt to be more frugal.