This throw-away life

It never fails to astound me how wasteful people are, whilst seemingly remaining completely oblivious of this fact.  

No more are the majority of the public prepared to ‘make do and mend’, or even it seems, bother cleaning items when you can just buy new! 

These 3 deep glass (soufflé?) dishes were spied abandoned by the side of a glass bottle bank one night when I was out with the Doctor and some friends.  After discussion in the pub we all agreed it was worth a closer look- were they actually cracked, broken and knackered or just in need of a damn good clean?  Well as you can see – there’s nothing wrong with them!  They were caked in baked on oil, as you get when using glass or ceramic for roasting, but all they needed was a good going at with the scouring pad and hey presto – approx £25-30 worth of glassware for nuppence bar some elbow grease.  What is wrong with these people??!

Just yesterday I spied this big ‘bag for life’ dumped half way round the local Aldi.  'Oh no (heavy sarcasm)

the handle’s coming off!'  So I picked it up and will put a bunch of strong stitching through and bag (ha ha) myself a good as new, strong, big shopping bag.  These must cost at least a couple of pounds, doesn't that make them worth the handful of minutes it would take to put some stitches in?  Or do people have money to burn (I wouldn't have thought so in the current economic climate) and I'm just more sensitive to it now I am sans job?

On another note can we afford to be so cavalier with our resources that it’s ok to throw such items away?  And can we assume that there’s an infinite amount of space in landfill for them all?  Worth a thought, surely?

Ezekiel was just as non-plussed as me - at me using 'his' garden for taking photographs in!

"What's this??"

Body shop freebie - valid until 30 June 2013

Quick one to let you know - you can sign up here to be emailed a voucher for a free Bodyshop Lip Balm.  Print it out or show it on your smartphone.  There's a few stores you can't use it at and unfortunately (for me) one of those is Exeter but most places are fine.
Incidentally the vouchercodes site can have some decent deals on so worth keeping half an eye on - it all helps eh?
Now, because I can't envisage a post with no images here's one of a yarnbomb in Exeter a couple of weeks back.  This is new to me but there's some fab pics here - thanks to my friend Kate for showing me the wondrous world of yarnbombing!  :-)

Frugal freebies and a Delia

Fistly I have just seen over on KittyKittyWeaselFish's blog that next weekend the 20-21st April the National Trust are having a free weekend.  Go to their site here to download a voucher for up to 4 people; 2 of them adults, for a load of their special places all over the UK.  I fancy going to Killerton, which is only about 7 miles from us but we haven't seen it yet and as they have their regular farmers market on that saturday too it's a double bonus reason to go.  :-)
Another freebie next - on Facebook Heinz currently have an offer here where you can get a free packet of tomato seeds.  Lord knows the last thing I need is more seeds but hey - they're free!  Sounds like a nice variety - the pack (which arrived in a super-fast-for-a-freebie 8 days) says they are San Marzano - 'a plum shaped Italian variety specifically bred for bottling, cooking or producing home-made sauce and puree.'  I'll give them a go - if the rain lets up this year that is!

Lastly I wanted to share my frugal Delia bargain - chuffed to spot this in a local charity shop at £1.99.  Considering full price it was £17.99 on the back I think that's a pretty good buy.  It's about frugul food and although I don't generally go for Delia; finding her *OCD prep and didactic delivery somewhat irritating, I'm not arguing that her recipes are generally pretty good.  (*I got gifted a copy of Delia's Christmas years back and find the entire planning everything hour by hour from 3 days in advance a leetle bit too much.)
This is a reprint of a 70's book she did which immediately interested me with my love of old/vintage cook books and it's been issued in a lovely hard bound cloth covered edition with some beautiful photography.  So it ticks my 'food porn' box too - I just need to find somewhere on the groaning shelf of cook books to wedge it in now... 
(Excuse the curious easter chicks/egg tree still up - I like decorations m'kay?)

Upcycling and seeing the potential

‘What bit of old tat is this now?’ I can hear you thinking it. Well – for those that don’t live in coastal seagull infested areas these are bags our local council issue to those people without a wheelie bin so they can put their bin bags in it on rubbish day. This means the bin men can come and pick them up and the contents won’t have be strewn all over the damn street in the early morning because one of the monster seagulls (they are easily the size of cats round here) has ripped it open and covered the entire street in refuse!

We don’t have one of these bags as we have a wheelie bin but on my way home from work I spied one flattened forlorn by the side of the road. It’s been very windy in the last few days so I’m guessing it had been blown there once emptied of it’s refuse. Now with no way of knowing whose it was, and secure in the knowledge the council will replace it for the household concerned I decided to tidy it up. You know what I was thinking – I was thinking it will make a spiffing potato growing bag. Eh? Eh? Inspired!! All together now – ‘nuppence – it’s our favourite price!’  :-)

Upon getting it home I discovered it in fact has a house number on it but frankly I’m not carting it a mile and a half back and I couldn’t be sure what street that number was from anyway. So I remain guilt free.
This is a good size to fit on our small patio at the back of the house, without quite taking up the whole thing. It’s nice and deep to give a decent size crop too. Happy days!  Plus it gives me an excuse to do some more seed buying....

First forage of the year

 As the sun made a rare appearance today the Chap and I went for little bimble along the river before heading for a lovely roast for National Potato Day.  (Really.)
I wanted to take a certain route to see if there was any sign of the wild garlic yet and we were super pleased to spot some sprouting through the mud in our favourite spot.  Due to all the rain and melted snow the river's rather higher than is the norm so the most advanced plants were on the sunny bank that was also most nearly flooded - here's yours truly harvesting, pretty much 'in' the river!  Nearer the camera and behind me you can see the thin sprouts where the plants in a little more shade are still just pushing through the earth.

As we didn't get too much garlic (it's still early in the year after all) I also picked a handful of nettle tops and I'll pop them all in a soup/stew with some beans, veg and whatever comes to hand later. 

Very pleasing to know that even in January we can get some free tasty food with the minimum of effort walking and rummaging in the undergrowth.  It was a thoroughly pleasurable amble in the sun so I wouldn't really count it as effort myself.  Also nice to see that it looks like a healthy year for the wild garlic as we want to make masses more pesto from it this year.  Top stuff - we ran out far too fast last year! 

We finished the afternoon by going for the aforementioned roast at The Mill on The Exe, a riverside pub near us where they have the distinct advantage of doing a veggie option on the carvery.  Being right on the river they do have somewhat tenuous boundaries to their garden area!

Hob nobbing with the royals...

The queen visited my work place today!  I am one of the many people working on the University of Exeter Streatham campus in Exeter itself.  (They also have one in Falmouth in Cornwall and another in Exeter called St Lukes.)
For the last 2ish years they have been redeveloping the centre of the campus with what is called the Forum project – an all singing all dancing space with lecture spaces, study spaces, shops, food, banks etc etc etc.  Oh and lots of glass, some trees and a rather spiffy copper roof we saw in this post.  I work in a building pretty much slap bang opposite so we were right in the middle of the action with snipers on the roof and a massive (and loud) sound stage positioned immediately outside our front door!
The visit meant the day consisted of bouts of work interspersed with rumour of her arrival time, routes she’ll use and much standing around waiting; flag in one hand and camera in the other.
I’m not really much of a royalist although as I’m told it they bring a fair few tourist dollars.  However it was a nice thing to have been there and in the thick of it today.  ‘Nice’ in that peculiarly indefinable British way of being proud of someone but too embarrassed to show it and won over by what is in essence any one of us but for an accident of birth and a damn big car.  

There was also Prince Philip who is so far beyond politically correct I have to admit to finding him hilarious.  Anyway – it was a far more fun way to spend the day than my normal working 9-5.30 is plus the sun came out and I got a free ice-cream from one of the new Forum shops.  So all good.  J

Swifty end of week round up

Yesterday saw a big colourful bus pulling up outside our building.  Much to our surprise it was the Olympic torch!!  You could get your photo taken with it and nominate someone to be one of the 8000 people that will carry it on it's journey before the Olympics next year.  It's going through Exeter hence this visit but it's not for the first time.  Exeter saw the torch go through back in 1948 too. 
I had my pic taken with it - you had to wear gloves and they stuck you in front of a green screen then made you choose between backgrounds comprising Tower Bridge, Stonehenge, Angel of the North and Edinburgh Castle.  You also got a free mini can of coke - I went for coke zero and it was nasty!  I'm not a great cola type drink lover tbh but if you forced me I'd go for pepsi max I think.  Anyway - I digress.

A nice freebie was my sample of new biscotti flavour Baileys.  This arrived in the post a couple of weeks after I signed up for it on Facebook - it's totally free; you 'like' the page then 'post a toast' to nominate a friend to receive one too then when they accept you both get sent the samples.  Nice.  :-)

A random note to finish - though frugal related.  Having bought the 'value' pack of mushrooms from the Co-op last night [I aways get these packs if I'll use them all up as it's so much cheaper] I was suprised to find no less than 9 'twinned' mushrooms in there!  I've never got the thinking behind a natural product like fruit or veg needing to conform to an ideal shape / size / colour but I'm more than happy if this gross stupidity in others means my purchases come that wee bit cheaper.  Hail the freak mushrooms say I - for they are beautiful and taste the same!!

Happy Friday my friends.

The art of living frugally #2

Tips for other areas of life; places a few pences can be saved.

Repurpose and reuse - upcycle. Charity clothing bags. Maybe it's just the area I live in but it's a rare week indeed that at least 1 of these doesn't come through the door. Being an inordinate hoarder; and having seen some of the scams operated this way [although to be fair probably less likely around here] I rarely have clothes to go in these and if I am having a clear out I'll take it to the local shop myself. [I tend to favour the PDSA.] Experience has told me that though there's a cheery 'if you've nothing to donate at this time leave the bag outside so we can collect it for reuse' message printed on them they rarely if ever get taken back and you end up with a pile by the front door getting dirty and blown around the street. I use these as bin bags now. Don't get me wrong - I'd rather they went back to the charity but if they're not picked up back they come into the house to be repurposed; and save me money on buying black bin bags. At last count I had 30 of these so I think I'll be alright for a while should the supply suddenly dry up.

Plastic reuses. There's so many ways to reuse plastic packaging for different things; especially if you grow any plants. From reusing water cooler cups for seedlings to grape boxes as mini propogators the only limit's your imagination. Find rather more ideas here. My latest flash of 'inspiration' [if I can be so presumptuous to call it that] is to use the shaped plastic from muffin packaging as 'cloche' style tops for plastic cup seedling pots. Neat huh?

VAT rate awareness - loopholes therein. My friend put me on to this one. Things like cotton wool, moisturiser &c - get them from baby ranges! It's VAT free so generally a good saving. I bought Boots own baby moisturiser - 300ml for £1.39 when I got it [It's now £1.42] as opposed to their own brand basic 'adult' moisturiser - 150ml for £1.49 at the time [now £1.52.] 10p more for half the mount of product - go figure!! My friend also gets baby range oatcakes as they're way cheaper than getting them from the regular cracker aisle in the stupormarket she says.

Local offers - our council does a compost giveaway every year. The compost is made from the green rubbish they collect throughout the year then in the spring they'll park up in a local car park and you can fill 4 bags for free. There's also the local campaign against wasted food and other rubbish - don't let Devon go to waste / Love Food Hate Waste. They'll send a free bag, pen, spaghetti measurer, magnetic memo board [really handy for the shopping list], book of tips for leftover food etc etc to local residents for free.

Freebies online - I've mentioned this before but it can be worth it. These 2 bags were both freebies I signed up for or heard about online. The jute one was in return for sending in plastic bags for recycling so we can't complain about that!

Swaps - we were lucky enough to have a local seed swap set up in Exeter - there's a few of these around the country. Or how about just setting one up at work or for other items? I actually managed to give up a load of my 'spare' [as much as seeds can ever be 'spare' - yep seedaholics anonymous here I come] seeds last time and came back with a mere 2 packets of interesting things to try.

Freecycle - get joined up to your local freecycle group. Here people post items that they no longer need but that are perfectly good and you can email them to request them. Posting 'wants' is also allowed and you have the satisfaction that you've saved not only some pence but also the item from going in landfill. Yay all round!

Free lunch?

Apologies for the brevity of the last post - Zeke deserves a far longer stomp about on my blog and he'll get it - as soon as he sits still long enough to have a decent photo taken! I was also rushing out for the works chrimble do so any typos that remained over the weekend were a direct result of that but should now be cleared up.

I mentioned that I had intended that post initially to mention some of the freebie sites around on the internet. Here you can (sometimes) get something for nothing - or for your sign up details generally. I don't see a problem with this myself. Create a 'dump' email address with a free provider like Hotmail or Yahoo and use that for freebie signing up purposes. The pic on the last post showed a few recent items I've received - a Rimmel Max Volume Mascara £6-7 in the shops. [Verdict - pants; clumps like a git. I'd rather stick with my £2 boots number.] A Barbara Daly (who?) mascara £5+ [not used yet], a 50ml sample size of Dove intense repair conditioner and a full size pack of Whiskas Temptations treats (91p in S'burys) plus a 50p off voucher - this being what Zeke was mauling in the photo. Previously I've had sample size cat foods of James Wellbeloved, Purina, Felix, Oil of Olay moisturisers, Cheerios, tea bags various, a nice heavy 1/2 pint Grolsch glass and a personalised notepad [definitely my fave] amongst other things. So long as you set up an email addy specifically for use signing up for these and keep a close eye on any tick boxes to opt in / out of communication I think there's no harm with these. The main site I check regularly-ish is Magic Freebies UK. From experience Oil of Olay and all the pet food sites are good responders. Others vary and also bear in mind that there's often a limited amount of freebies available. Oh and the free lunch? Here will give you a voucher for a sarnie/wrap at Walkabout; valid until the 19th. Here will currently give you a voucher for a glass of coke at Yates. Go forth and garner my friends. :-D

Free (ish) seeds

Well ok - they cost me the price of the postage but not bad for under £3.00. Looking forwards to trying out the Squash 'Potimarron'; a French heirloom variety that apparently has a chestnut like taste. Sounds like a winner for roasting to me! These arrived in the post yesterday - I ordered them Friday evening so just under a week delivery. T&M send me emails all the time since ordering something off them way back in the mists of time. Sometimes though it's not a bad offer - this was £10 off - you had to spend a minimum of £10 and pay the postage which is what I did. These 5 packs on the site plus the P+P would normally cost you £12.54, I paid £2.54 so just over 50p a packet. That's more like it! I love Pak Choi and the coloured mix sounded interesting. I'm always buying more packets of Celeriac seeds as each year mine seems to be a dismal failure and I'm determined not to be beaten. The Roma tomato sounds tasty and I'm liking the sound of 'nearly seedless' having a strange kind of phobia-but-not-exactly of tomato seeds. I've long had a love affair with flowers like Scabious, Cornflowers, Love-in-a-mist &c. If it's good for the bees too that's an added bonus! Win-win I reckon.

Brighter here today though damn parky. No more snow since yesterday; in the city at least. I don't mind the cold so much when it's bright - cheers me up no end. Sparkling lights like fairy lights on a tree glinting off the ice and snow and tumbling away down the river.

Seeds

I can't believe I forgot to tell you about my seeds I got at the show!! Only 2 packs from these people who specialise in organic and unusual / heirloom varieties. One was Pak Choi as I grew this last year but hadn't got any new seeds for this year yet. The other is the exciting one though - Tree Spinach!! How great does that sound already? I don't have a lot of info on the pack but it can grow up to 2 metres and that was enough for a seedaholic like me to snatch it up with cries of wonderment. (I think I rather startled some of the surrounding people with my enthusiasm actually!) But 2 metres tall spinach? I mean - how cool is that gonna look.

Still on the subject of seeds my free packs from the BBC's Dig In campaign arrived yesterday. Having just checked the site it says due to the response you can longer sign up online to receive them but can pick them up at their roadshow events. You get Basil, Carrot, Courgette, French Bean and Mixed Salad with a growing booklet. Not bad for free and considering the cost of the licence fee...

Any I don't use will be donated to a friend whose work place is starting a veg garden so they won't go to waste; and seeds last a few years in most cases anyway. More to get planted at the weekend!

Total apathy

My lack of enthusiasm for my work knows no bounds. Hey ho - here's a couple of cheeky nice free things instead:
Cheese! - There is no conceivable time free cheese could be a bad thing lets face it!
Seeds - Finally the BBC Dig In website went live and you can sign up for 5 free packs of seeds.
Go to it my friends. :-)

Lovely free stuff!

Today my free jute bag has turned up. This is part of a promotion by these people for fair trade fortnight. You have until the 7th to send them 10 plastic bags, which they'll recycle, and you'll receive this handy jute shopper in return. It's a nice size with decently long shoulder straps. Get in there! :-)