Self-Sufficiency and Frugal Living


There are many reasons why people are turning to self-sufficiency and frugal living. The cost of living has gone up considerably and more people are looking at ways in which they can make savings. People are becoming self-sufficient also for ecological reasons, the impact on the environment and carbon footprint through transportation of goods from all over the world to the store shelves. To have organically grown produce and more control of what goes into producing their food.
Growing vegetables is often easier than people think and you do not need a mass of space to grow your own vegetables, you can grow vegetables if you only have a balcony or even a kitchen windowsill. Many vegetables will grow quite easily in pots and containers or even grow-bags. For one packet of tomato seeds which will give you hundreds of tomatoes you can buy one pack of eight vine sun ripened tomatoes, however the ones you grow will have much more flavor!
You can have a continued supply of lettuce if you sow cut and come again lettuces in a pot which will last you most of the summer. These can be grown in a pot and placed on the windowsill in the kitchen. Growing your own herbs will save you money and give your food a much better taste. Again these can be grown on a windowsill in the kitchen.
If you have never grown vegetables before or any type of gardening it would be best for you to start off with growing just a few things and in a small space otherwise you may become overwhelmed and put yourself under too much pressure and give up, gardening is supposed to be a relaxing experience which can involve the whole family and can be a great bonding exercise.
Potatoes are one of the easiest vegetables to grow and are especially good to grow in new ground that has not grown vegetables before. Potatoes can be grown directly in the soil or can be grown in grow-bags and pots. To grow potatoes you need to purchase what is called seed potatoes. These are small potatoes that have been especially grown for the purpose of planting them to produce a crop and are more disease resistant. It is advised not to plant out potatoes you have bought from the super market because they have more chance of being diseased and give poor crops.
Whatever you decide to grow you will not only be saving money but you will also know what has gone into growing your own produce. Being an organic gardener is so easy to achieve. There are many natural products you can use to nourish your growing vegetables and to treat any bugs or pests without resorting to chemicals, which you can make at home. For example liquid soap mixed with water in a spray bottle will help to get rid of green-fly and black-fly and will help to combat other pests too. You can make a nettle tea which is a great nourishing liquid feed for many vegetables especially things like greens and cabbages. In general gardeners are a rather frugal bunch.
Composting is another thing you can do. You are not only saving space on the landfill site but you will also be saving yourself money on compost. Making compost is quite easy, you can either make a pile somewhere at the bottom of your garden or you can purchase a compost bin. Many gardeners make their own composter by using wooden pallets. These you can usually pick up free from anywhere, shops, builders merchants you can even see them sitting in peoples front gardens that have recently had building work done and would be grateful for you to take them away. But make sure you always ask first!
To make compost you just throw in your kitchen waste, egg shells, teabags, vegetable peelings, bread and pasta. You can put most kitchen waste in except meat as this will encourage unsavory vermin. You can add your grass cutting, hedge trimmings and pet bedding, like rabbits or chickens. You do not really need to do anything else to your compost, just leave it to decompose and just turn it every so often. Do ensure that it is not too dry. You will know if it is too dry as you will see lots of ants. So just add a little water to it.
Being a hen keeper has many rewards most of all fresh free range eggs! Over 700,000 homes in the UK now keep hens in the backyard. This has become very popular over recent years. One of the main reasons being the controversy over caged birds and how badly they were treated. There are many different breeds of hen and depending whether you want them solely for laying eggs or to fatten them up to eat will dictate what breeds you need to select.
There are pure breeds and hybrids, however many people are becoming the owners of ex-battery hens. These are hens that have previously been caged and are often in poor condition, but with a little love and attention will soon return back to full plumage and not only will you have those lovely fresh eggs but also the satisfaction of knowing you gave that hen a new lease of life.
A majority of hen keepers have them for laying eggs and as pets. Chickens are great company and you do become attached to them. There are many things to consider before becoming a hen keeper, the initial cost of housing the hens. You can buy a hen house that simply has to be put together or comes made up. If you are good at D.I.Y then you can build your own. You will also need to consider the space required as they do need a decent amount of space for their run. Also you need to think about how many hens you want as this will depend on the size of housing and run.
Most hen keepers usually have three to five hens in the backyard and are generally pets too. It does not cost a lot to feed the hens, a 25kg bag of layers pellets will last about 4-6 weeks. They also love scraps from the kitchen, left over vegetables, vegetable peeling and fruit. They need fresh water everyday as it takes a lot of water to produce an egg.
They will need to be cleaned out regularly and have clean bedding in the nesting box. A good cleaning and hygiene routine are very important to keep your hens healthy.
Be creative in the kitchen by making and baking your own foods. Baking your own bread and cakes will not only taste better as you know what has gone into them but again will save you money. Buying your essential items in bulk will also make you savings. If you grow your own vegetables it gives you a lot more choice. You can make preserves, jams and flavored oils. You can freeze the excess produce or even exchange them with neighbors and relatives or you can sell them.
Just by making a few small changes you can enjoy being more self-sufficient and living a frugal lifestyle.
You can access more information on all the above by visiting the link below Where you will find my list of various articles. There is a whole host of information on hen keeping, growing your own an article on frugal living and a plethora of simple to make recipes.
I hope you enjoyed reading this article and that you may wish to explore more.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)