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    Homesteading    Money    

Self Sufficiency in Small Spaces

2022-11-06

Aiming for long-term success

Many people start gardening with cucumber, carrots, lettuce etc then give up when their money and time spent has far exceeded that of a supermarket purchase. These sorts of plants are often not easy to grow without the additions used commercially; home-grown and commercially-grown is not a like-for-like practice.

What do you like to eat that grows in your climate?

In the UK, money-saving produce you can grow from home are things like soft fruit, asparagus and fruit trees.

Go Perennial!

Or before you know it, the gardening season is over and you have to get ready to start all over again!

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Pet Chickens

2019-01-26

I wanted chickens for five years before my husband finally gave in and finally gave in and let me have them.

We've got three hens, which is really more than enough for a family of four, since we get three eggs a day. Now, I've had them a year now and there's never been a point when we haven't had three a day. During the Winter they kept laying, whether that will continue as they get older, I don't know.

Finding ways to cook with three eggs a day can be quite a challenge to use them up. So we have a lot of cakes, omlettes, we have soft boiled eggs for breakfast quite a lot. I also make my own pasta, that's a good use of getting rid of quite a lot in one go, and things like moussaka you can add the odd egg to as well.

We've got an average sized suburban garden and when we first had the chickens we let them run aroud the whole area, but they made a lot more mess than expected, and every time we stood outside the back door we ended up stepping in poo, so they've now got the bottom half of the garden which is laid to lawn, or at least it was until this winter, now its basically a mud pool, we've had so much rain and it's suprising how much chaos three little chickens cause.

So, in the Spring we plan to redo the lawn and then have a little area where they can stay all the time, then in the Winter when we don't want them on the lawn we can stop them getting on there.

For the housing, we chose an Omlet Classic Eglu, and it really does make looking after them very easy. Once or twice a week, brush the droppings out into the tray below, then just pull the tray out and empty it into the compost bin. We keep the compost bin and a dust-pan and brush next to the house.

       

My little cluckers!

The Eglu is easy to keep clean, because it's plastic you can wash it with warm water and a little washing up liquid and then leave it to dry with the roof off. It also comes with a food and water bowl. It's surprising how quickly they can dirty a water bowl, so the water does need replacing every other day.

One thing the Eglu doesn't account for is somewhere to keep their grit. They have to have access to grit to peck at, so I keep a small bowl and replace this every other day as they frequently knock it over.

I really do enjoy having chickens, I think they are one of the easiest pets to keep. They are very amusing and because you can just let them run free in the garden you don't need to worry about entertaining them in any sort of way. They're ideal for children as well, they are quite robust and my three-year-old loves playing with them, so they are definitely a pet I would recommend for families.

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The Benefits of Freelance Work

2018-05-03

Well, it’s fairly obvious really, the ability to work in your pyjamas all day! Actually for me, I don’t really feel awake and in work-mode until I am dressed and have brushed my teeth.

There are many reasons why freelancers have a better deal: you can lie in if you need it, you don’t need to iron any work shirts, you can set the thermostat how you want it and turn your radio up as loud as you like. You have a better choice when it comes to lunch- the whole freezer and cupboards full of goodies are a much better alternative to the boring cheese sandwich or expensive canteen. I work through my lunch so tend to bring a jacket potato with chilli, home-made soup or stir fry to my desk. Apart from the trivial, there are some serious benefits to freelance work, especially when working from home:

No travel costs or traffic jams. When I had an office job I would spend £100 a month on car journeys for a ten mile commute. Plus, time previously spent on travelling can be spent on making money!

A quiet environment where I can get the most out of my day, with no colleagues distracting me for a quick chat, or an impromptu team meeting. This means I can concentrate on the task at hand and actually get a lot more work done than if I was in an office.

No Boss! That should be top of the list, really. I certainly hate being told what to do, so having the freedom to choose who I do work for, and planning my time accordingly is a huge benefit. I work as a web site designer, tester, auditor and as a transcriber for Take Note, so there is never a dull day.

Flexibility has to be another huge bonus. As I work part time during school hours, it means I can quickly pop out to do the school run, collect an ill child from school, or take an hour out to watch a school play. Companies that offer testing and transcription work from home are a godsend to parents, and solve the problem that inflexible employers create.

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